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Please join us at the
Cedar Lane Church ICE CREAM SOCIAL and OPEN HOUSE This is a wonderful opportunity for friends & neighbors to meet our new Minister of Life Span Education and find out what Cedar Lane has to offer for children, youth and adult education. Saturday, August 23, 2 - 4 p.m. in the lounge Meet our new Minister of Lifespan Religious Education, Rev. Greg Stewart Ice cream and music for all! "It's not your ordinary Sunday school!" That's what folks are saying about children's religious education at Cedar Lane. One big difference: we don't teach kids what to think; we teach them how to think for themselves as they grow in relationship to our diverse and large world. We offer great opportunities for adult growth and learning too. Come and see what the buzz is all about! Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church | 9601 Cedar Lane | Bethesda | MD | 20814 www.cedarlane.org |
| Nice, but the only social I ever attended there was for young singles. Sadly, it seemed like a lot of creeps looking for a swing. |
Something tells me this event will not attract the creeps. |
| I have heard good things about the religious education at Cedar Lane UU. |
| For some reason this really bothers me. I was raised Unitarian and proselytizing of any kind is really not part of UU doctrine. I don't know why I am bothered exactly since you are just posting a notice , but I wonder who the poster is. Is this someone who is employed by the church or on the board? Was this advertisement sanctioned? |
right -- It's just a notice -- and about time the Unitarians announced themselves a little. I've found a lot of people have no idea what unitarians are. I'm not unitarian myself, but it's the only "religion" I'd consider if I were looking for a religion. It's hard to imagine any membership organization open to new members that would have rules against advertising upcoming events. |
I'm the OP, a life-long UU, and a long-time member of Cedar Lane. Yes, the church sanctioned the posting - they asked members and friends to share the information. When I was growing up you are right, we didn't proselytize. Things changed about 10 years ago. The UUs began marketing themselves. I agree with the PP who says it's about time. They even put up a massive ad in Times Square (http://www.uuworld.org/news/articles/2381.shtml). At first I was with you and really uncomfortable about it. Then I realized that we have something really special and why hide it and not share how awesome it is! |
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What do you get when you cross a Unitarian Universalist with a Jehovah's Witness?
Someone who goes door-to-door with nothing to say! |
Besides, it's not proselytizing -- there's nothing in that announcement promising or requiring anything that religions promise or require. UU's were holding their own, membership-wise, until a few years ago -- now they are losing members just as the mainline protestant churches are. Why is that? Certainly the UUs don't require believe in a bunch of supernatural propositions that many people just can't swallow these days. |
I think UU suffers as other houses of worship do from trends in society that discourage community. The internet, busy work and school schedules that compete for our time, sports on Sunday, and a general sense that many have that we can worship or be spiritual on our own without attending a formal gathering with others. This is part of the post-modern world we live in. |
I think more people are finding community elsewhere -- in their neighborhoods, for example, and are not as into "worshipping" as they have been in the past. UU churches do not involve worshipping and do promote community. I think with some good PR and a willingness to self-promote, they could be strong community centers in the future. |
After many years of membership decline, CLUUC is actually growing now. It's doing a great job of looking for what communities need and reaching out into DC. I agree that community, which is a strength of CLUUC's, is what UU churches have to offer … that and thought provoking adult sermons/education, excellent children's and youth spiritual/moral development, and a fostering of a spirit of inquiry (as opposed to blindly following the ideas of someone else). After all, one of the seven principles is "A free and responsible search for truth and meaning." |
I disagree with "UU churches do not involve worshipping". I'm a member of All Souls church UU on 16th St and I think we do worship. At least, I feel like I am worshipping there. I can see that others may feel like they aren't being required to worship, but I think worship is happening. I would not be surprised if the same can be said at Cedar Lane. |
All Souls is the most Christian UU church I've ever been to, so perhaps they do worship -- but do they actually use the word "worship" and do they mention God and Jesus --iow, is it clear what or who is being worshipped? and what do you mean "Worship is happening"? How does worship happen? I don't know about Cedar Lane, but somehow I doubt they "worship" anyone or anything. would love to hear from OP on this. Does the minister use the word worship during the service? Are the children taught how to worship in Sunday school? |
| I suggest those interested attend. I investigated UU and decided it wasn't for me, but I think it's a good organization and a good fit for many. |