and I absolutely do love it!

I was raised Fundamentalist Christian. I attended maybe a dozen different churches in my childhood, always looking for the “right” one.

In my 20’s I began to investigate other religions and Eastern philosophies. I found a lot of wisdom there, but had a hard time reconciling it to what I “knew” to be true, as a Christian.

I became agnostic, and possibly even atheistic in my 30’s. It made sense to my rational mind. But I knew I was missing out on the joy of being part of a congregation. I missed having a group of people who could support me when I was down, and that I could contribute to, and be valued by. I missed having a community.

I stumbled upon the UU church almost by accident. I missed having a church family so much that I decided to attend a Mormon church in my area. I’ve known many Mormons, and they have all had a strong sense of family and community, and I admired that greatly. Once I visited their church, though, I knew I could never believe the things they teach. Their values are good, but in my opinion their rationality flew out the window.

It was early on a Sunday when I made that abortive attempt to find a church home with the Mormons. Driving home from there I passed a UU church, noticed services were still going on, and figures “what the heck”?

I found it was exactly what I’d been looking for. It is a community of people who all care about common values, but do not tell you what to believe, or how to behave. They accept people from all backgrounds and all religions without prejudice. They incorporate many beautiful ceremonies and rituals from various sources into their services. Each service leaves me feeling uplifted in my spirit, without ever having felt judged or belittled. And they throw the best potlucks! (Including LOTS of vegetarian choices.)

I could tell you lots more, but I guess that’s enough for an introduction. I hope you do find a UU congregation to visit. You’ll probably love it. :)