What can I expect at a Unitarian Universal chuch?

Question

I am considering attending a service this morning. I am baptist, and wonder how this differs?

Thanks to all of your supportive answers, I attended a service this morning-it was AWESOME! Thanks, I am so inspired!

Answer 1

You can expect to be accepted and not judged.

That should be a welcome change.

Love and blessings Don

Answer 2

Unitarian Universalist services usually involve a great deal of singing, the telling of some sort of story with a moral, and other similar things.

The main differences that you will see are that most UU churches do not do communion (or do not do it regularly), there are relatively few references to Jesus, and stories usually vary a great deal culturally. There may be a story from the Bible one week, but one from an African tradition the next.

You generally still have things such as offering plates being passed, greeting the people sitting around you, the stand up sit down stuff when singing, and a social period afterwards.

The last service I attended was not a typical one. Our UU church does not meet in the summer and when we come back, we bring water from someplace special. Then we all add it to a communal chalice and explain its significance. People brought water from the stream in their backyard, brought water representing the water they weren't allowed to bring on the plane back from vacation, brought water from last year's snowman, etc.

This is a fairly common practice among UU churches, but it only happens once a year. You won't see this, but you may see something else where individuals have some personal involvement in the service.

Answer 3

Expect a broad spectrum of religious beliefs. They may have a Native American medicine man as a speaker one week and a Bhuddist the next week.

Answer 4

A nice social event.