It occurred to me that I've been to a lot of funerals and weddings at UU churches, but I've never been to their regular weekly worship service. Today seemed like a good day to set that right.
The UU church was formed from a merger of the Unitarians and the Universalists. As best as I can tell, the Unitarians won the name, but the Universalists got the theology. The joke is that Unitarians are the people who believe in no more than one God, but these days, the UU churches welcome wiccans and other flavors of polytheists as well as Christians in their flock. Broadly, they believe that there are many paths to salvation -- a belief I share with them. So it did seem to be high time that I visited a church.
I got there and discovered that the door-greeter was a woman I have worked with on political campaigns, so she invited me to sit with her and her husband, in the very back, since she was helping to run the service. The sanctuary is a large room, with walls of brick and glass, with caramel-colored wooden pews, wooden arches, and a wooden vaulted ceiling. In short, it looked very much like many local churches, except for the lack of a cross. In the center of the front wall was a large stained glass medallion that I think showed the 12 signs of the zodiac and some leafy decoration. Below that was a small side table (the alter, I guess) with a lectern to one side and a chalice to the other. The chalice looked sort of like an oil lamp suspended by two large metal circles. (vertical, like a bicycle wheel, but not that large.) In front of the chalice was a piano , and in front of the lectern was an area with unlit candles. Behind us was an organ, out of sight, but very present in the service. That's about it for ornamentation. Attractive but austere. The clergy wore black robes with colorful scarves that looked very much like Jewish prayer shawls. There were perhaps 50 worshippers in a room that would easily have held 250.
It was, perhaps, an awkward time to attend, since it seems to be the launch of their capital campaign. After everyone settled in, one of the clergy welcomed us, especially welcomed newcomers (hi!!) and talked a little about the capital campaign and other church business. (thanks to those who helped with the dinner, children's services, upcoming fair, etc.) We sang a hymn to the organ, and then the organ stopped and the congregants continued going in a round. This hymn, like others at the service, was notable in having no reference at all to God.
Then the female cleric lit the chalice, saying it was a symbol that joins all the UU churches in the world. And we sang another hymn, and then greeted one another.
The community shared "joys and sorrows", there was a brief reading (of someone I hadn't heard of) and the congregation sang "Go Now in Peace" as the children and youth educator left the room.
Then it was time for the offering. We were again reminded of the capital campaign, told how to make out checks, and four members of the congregation (including my friend) took brass plates to the front of the room, and collected offerings as they walked towards the back. The organ played as they did this, and kept playing for quite a while after I thought they had finished and left the room. Then they reappeared, 3 returning to their seats, and the fourth carrying the four stacked plates to the front of the room, where the male cleric took them and offered "thanks for these gifts" (using words familiar to me from traditional grace at meals.)
There was another meditation, silent this time, during which congregants were invited to come to the front and light a candle to commemorate joy or sorrow. I thought it rather interesting that they didn't distinguish the people there in sorrow from the ones there in joy in any way.
Then we sang a hymn that seemed to nicely sum up the philosophy of the service:
No caps in the hymnal, and I believe the song was meant to refer to each other, and not to any divine power.
There was a brief reading, and each minister gave a sermon. The man's was very brief, on the topic of money. He started by saying "money is a force" and went on to say that power, sex, and wealth are three very powerful drivers of human behavior, so much so that many religions recommend asceticism, to hold this power (money) in check. But we (Unitarians) believe it can be a force for good, and that we should wield it to make the world a better place.
The woman gave a much longer and more personal sermon, talking about how poor she had been for several years after her marriage. She and her husband lived on charity for more than a year. (from family, friends, and from an anonymous benefactor they never did unmask.) And how now she can give money for good. And how some religions tell you they can give you wealth or salvation, but the UU only tells you how YOU can give those things to other people. (well, maybe not exactly wealth or salvation, but help, support, love, encouragement, etc. I don't remember exactly how she put it.) She talked about giving enough to make you feel generous.
Everyone who spoke used quotes liberally. The quotes came from all sorts of sources, were usually brief, and sometimes just attributed to the author by name, other times the attribution included the faith-tradition of the author. The quotes came from a wide variety of faith-traditions (and non-faith sources) as would befit a "universalist".
Then there was another hymn, they extinguished the chalice, gave a benediction (still God-free) and there was more organ music as people filed out. The ministers stood at the doorway, and hugged each member of the congregation as they left the sanctuary. They recognized me as a newcomer, and shook my hand and greeted me. Several people invited me to join them for coffee, so I did, and stood around and chatted with my friend and people I knew slightly from around town, nibbling on home made chocolate chip cookies and fruit. (They also had bagels and cream cheese, and some other more substantive food.) The grapes were especially good, and I commented on them to my friend, who turned out to have brought them. :-) Counting the time schmoozing, I was at the church for about an hour and a quarter, maybe a bit more.
As I left, I noticed that the text of the longer sermon was left on a table, along with what I assume was last week's sermon, which did, indeed, talk about Easter. But in an ecumenical sort of way.
The UU church was formed from a merger of the Unitarians and the Universalists. As best as I can tell, the Unitarians won the name, but the Universalists got the theology. The joke is that Unitarians are the people who believe in no more than one God, but these days, the UU churches welcome wiccans and other flavors of polytheists as well as Christians in their flock. Broadly, they believe that there are many paths to salvation -- a belief I share with them. So it did seem to be high time that I visited a church.
I got there and discovered that the door-greeter was a woman I have worked with on political campaigns, so she invited me to sit with her and her husband, in the very back, since she was helping to run the service. The sanctuary is a large room, with walls of brick and glass, with caramel-colored wooden pews, wooden arches, and a wooden vaulted ceiling. In short, it looked very much like many local churches, except for the lack of a cross. In the center of the front wall was a large stained glass medallion that I think showed the 12 signs of the zodiac and some leafy decoration. Below that was a small side table (the alter, I guess) with a lectern to one side and a chalice to the other. The chalice looked sort of like an oil lamp suspended by two large metal circles. (vertical, like a bicycle wheel, but not that large.) In front of the chalice was a piano , and in front of the lectern was an area with unlit candles. Behind us was an organ, out of sight, but very present in the service. That's about it for ornamentation. Attractive but austere. The clergy wore black robes with colorful scarves that looked very much like Jewish prayer shawls. There were perhaps 50 worshippers in a room that would easily have held 250.
It was, perhaps, an awkward time to attend, since it seems to be the launch of their capital campaign. After everyone settled in, one of the clergy welcomed us, especially welcomed newcomers (hi!!) and talked a little about the capital campaign and other church business. (thanks to those who helped with the dinner, children's services, upcoming fair, etc.) We sang a hymn to the organ, and then the organ stopped and the congregants continued going in a round. This hymn, like others at the service, was notable in having no reference at all to God.
Quote:
Come, come, whoever you are, wanderer, worshipper, lover or leaving. Ours is no caravan of despair. Come, yet again come. |
Then the female cleric lit the chalice, saying it was a symbol that joins all the UU churches in the world. And we sang another hymn, and then greeted one another.
The community shared "joys and sorrows", there was a brief reading (of someone I hadn't heard of) and the congregation sang "Go Now in Peace" as the children and youth educator left the room.
Then it was time for the offering. We were again reminded of the capital campaign, told how to make out checks, and four members of the congregation (including my friend) took brass plates to the front of the room, and collected offerings as they walked towards the back. The organ played as they did this, and kept playing for quite a while after I thought they had finished and left the room. Then they reappeared, 3 returning to their seats, and the fourth carrying the four stacked plates to the front of the room, where the male cleric took them and offered "thanks for these gifts" (using words familiar to me from traditional grace at meals.)
There was another meditation, silent this time, during which congregants were invited to come to the front and light a candle to commemorate joy or sorrow. I thought it rather interesting that they didn't distinguish the people there in sorrow from the ones there in joy in any way.
Then we sang a hymn that seemed to nicely sum up the philosophy of the service:
Quote:
From you I receive, to you I give, together we share, and from this we live. |
No caps in the hymnal, and I believe the song was meant to refer to each other, and not to any divine power.
There was a brief reading, and each minister gave a sermon. The man's was very brief, on the topic of money. He started by saying "money is a force" and went on to say that power, sex, and wealth are three very powerful drivers of human behavior, so much so that many religions recommend asceticism, to hold this power (money) in check. But we (Unitarians) believe it can be a force for good, and that we should wield it to make the world a better place.
The woman gave a much longer and more personal sermon, talking about how poor she had been for several years after her marriage. She and her husband lived on charity for more than a year. (from family, friends, and from an anonymous benefactor they never did unmask.) And how now she can give money for good. And how some religions tell you they can give you wealth or salvation, but the UU only tells you how YOU can give those things to other people. (well, maybe not exactly wealth or salvation, but help, support, love, encouragement, etc. I don't remember exactly how she put it.) She talked about giving enough to make you feel generous.
Everyone who spoke used quotes liberally. The quotes came from all sorts of sources, were usually brief, and sometimes just attributed to the author by name, other times the attribution included the faith-tradition of the author. The quotes came from a wide variety of faith-traditions (and non-faith sources) as would befit a "universalist".
Then there was another hymn, they extinguished the chalice, gave a benediction (still God-free) and there was more organ music as people filed out. The ministers stood at the doorway, and hugged each member of the congregation as they left the sanctuary. They recognized me as a newcomer, and shook my hand and greeted me. Several people invited me to join them for coffee, so I did, and stood around and chatted with my friend and people I knew slightly from around town, nibbling on home made chocolate chip cookies and fruit. (They also had bagels and cream cheese, and some other more substantive food.) The grapes were especially good, and I commented on them to my friend, who turned out to have brought them. :-) Counting the time schmoozing, I was at the church for about an hour and a quarter, maybe a bit more.
As I left, I noticed that the text of the longer sermon was left on a table, along with what I assume was last week's sermon, which did, indeed, talk about Easter. But in an ecumenical sort of way.
Peppermint Patty attends a Unitarian Universalist Worship Service
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