Does anyone attend this type of church? I've been considering attending one. My husband and I grew up Catholic. Technically we are Catholic too, but rarely attend except when guilted into going with his family. I know this is an unpopular position in the "Bible Belt", but neither my husband or I are very religious. I have been to other types of churches too, end never feel any connection, especially in evangelical types of churches. I never feel I really "believe" all that I am asked to believe in church. I question things and want to learn on my own and decide by beliefs for myself rather than being told what to believe. I do, however, see the good things that can come from the community aspects of church and how going to church can be good for kids. But I want my children to decide their beliefs for themselves, had a broad view of religion and be tolerant of all religions (and even non religious people.) I didn't think such a church existed, but have recently learned about the Universal Unitarian church. It sounds intriguing-from what I understand, it is a very tolerant church.
I am curious about what it is like. If there is not a unified belief within the church (which is what is appealing about it to me), what are the services like? Just wondering how it works and what types of things I would expect. Are there many kids/families? I also have read it is a church that is tolerant of ALL people (straight, gay, etc.), which again I think is great because i think it is important to teach tolerance, but was wondering if there are lots of traditional families too. Are there kids activities? Any info would be great!
Here's an event that you may be interested in - I go every year and it is beautiful:
http://www.earthrhythms.org/solstice/currentsol.html
It is a very tolerant church indeed. We attend one and I can tell you that the services vary from week to week so my only suggestion is to go ahead and attend a few times to get a feel. Our church has lots of families (I think most do) and a sunday school. I think almost all of the families are your traditional families. If you have any questions, feel free to message me personally.
I too was raised Catholic. I like the church because my children get to learn about all religions not just the one of the church we may be attending. We did stop going because the church we were attending changed the times for the childrens program. The services are very educated and way above my childrens understanding and they would not sit thru the service. My husband and I both enjoyed it but not with 3 kiddos that would not sit still. I would say just go. Also keep in mind they are very different from church to church also. If you do not find the first one to not be what you are looking for try another.
I attend a UU church in Southlake and serve as the Pre-Kindergarten coordinator. When I was trying to decide upon a UU church, I also attended 1st Dallas, Jefferson, Westside, and Horizons BUT I did not have children at that time, so I did not check out their children's programs. I highly recommend checking out as many UU churches as you can so that you find the one that best fits your family's needs.
As you point out, UU is a non-creedal church. Instead, there are principles that we adhere to that promote tolerance and respect for ourselves, other people, differing beliefs, the earth, etc. Because of this, you will find one UU church that is very relaxed and informal but the next will be very structured. Each UU church is very different, so please attend more than one to get a better idea of each... and, as someone also said, attend more than one service because the services can be very different within the same church.
Regarding my church: there are both traditional and non-traditional families. We have RE (Religious Education) classes plus we plan family activities for the holidays. Lots of holidays are celebrated since we have people with Jewish, Hindu, Christian, and earth-based backgrounds and beliefs. In the Pre-K and K-2nd classes we have SpiritPlay, a Montessori-based hands-on type of RE. Older classes are designed differently to fit the needs of their kids.
I hope that this helps. Feel free to contact me directly if you like. Good luck on your search!
I grew up at Horizon UU in Carrollton (started going when I was 6, I am 20 now. I have gone to lots of different churches while I was a teenager as well) and I cannot say enough great things about it.
The UU church is very tolerant church. One thing I noticed when I started going to the baptist church with my friends from school is that they were so closed minded about so many things. At 13 years old I couldn't understand why you would just automatically hate someone for who they are, without knowing them at all.
I'm pretty sure most of the churches have lots of families. I know Horizons is VERY family friendly, there have always been lots of kids, and when I go back and visit I am shocked to see how much we have grown and how many new families and little babies there are now. Horizon is good about lots of family centered activities, and also lets us know about events at other local churches.
Feel free to email me with any questions :-)
I would definitely check it out! And you are in Lewisville, so it would be a quick drive for you. (In Carrollton on Hebron pkwy, just before you get to 121)
www.horizonuu.org
I don't know anything about that church but here's my advice concerning anyone of them. Just go and listen. I used to be catholic, pentocostol, etc. I was just looking for a group that actually studied the scriptures. Finally I did and I asked every question I had and wanted scriptures to back them up. So again my advice go because what others share is just second hand. It may be good to hear but you should go in person. I'd like to also invite you to the DFW CHURCH. We have a bldg in carrolton but we meet everywhere. Like this weekend is what we call house churches, theyre informal and smaller groups. We will have a short service and then potluck at 5pm in hurst area. Let me know if you like to go. Hope this helped in someway. J.
K. -
It sounds like you've had some of the same experiences and questions that a lot of people wrestle with. There is a group called Alpha that meets once a week to watch a video and allow people to ask and discuss the questions they have about spirituality and finding relevance to today's world. It may not fit what you're looking for now, but I thought I'd mention it to you for future reference. You can find out more about it at: http://www.irvingbible.org/index.php=316 .
Other people who've attended said that it was a good place to explore the questions they had and hear other points of view. Best wishes in your search!
