Why do you go to your church?

[Anonymous]

Can you share the name of the church you like? Looking for a church home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can you share the name of the church you like? Looking for a church home.

What denomination and location? We're passively church "shopping" and the one we've liked the most in the last 6 months of trying has been Mount Vernon Place downtown. It's Methodist and the (female) pastor is a good preacher. People seem nice.

[Anonymous]

To fellowship with other believers in Christ Jesus...Redeemer DC

[Anonymous]

Because it's run by Jesuits.

[Anonymous]

My parents' ashes are interred in the columbarium there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nearby, wonderful people, large congregation, holding fast on biblical truths (including gay marriage) -- for the time being, at least -- despite denominational and other pressure.

Could you quote the scriptural passage on gay marriage?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can you share the name of the church you like? Looking for a church home.

What denomination and location? We're passively church "shopping" and the one we've liked the most in the last 6 months of trying has been Mount Vernon Place downtown. It's Methodist and the (female) pastor is a good preacher. People seem nice.

I met her. She is very nice.

[Anonymous]

Originally started attending a UU congregation as a compromise between me (Christian) and my husband (atheist) when we both wanted better community ties. After moving to another town, started at a different UU congregation specifically to meet people with kids and similar views on social responsibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Originally started attending a UU congregation as a compromise between me (Christian) and my husband (atheist) when we both wanted better community ties. After moving to another town, started at a different UU congregation specifically to meet people with kids and similar views on social responsibility.

Do you still consider yourself a Christian?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Originally started attending a UU congregation as a compromise between me (Christian) and my husband (atheist) when we both wanted better community ties. After moving to another town, started at a different UU congregation specifically to meet people with kids and similar views on social responsibility.

Do you still consider yourself a Christian?

Yes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Originally started attending a UU congregation as a compromise between me (Christian) and my husband (atheist) when we both wanted better community ties. After moving to another town, started at a different UU congregation specifically to meet people with kids and similar views on social responsibility.

Do you still consider yourself a Christian?

Yes.

Thanks -- how do you express it at a UU church? Are you raising your children Christian (if so, what denomination) or UU?

[Anonymous]

For the same reason some people join the Armed Forces: for the benefits, tangible and intangible, membership confers unto me.

Beginning with the female cleric has a very nice tush. The various ministries and discussion groups enable me to meet people I never would have met otherwise. To be of some service in the community without needing to make a major committment.

Because I hate having to rake or paint my own place but for some reason doing that for the congregation gives me a lift.

Because the financial requirement is nominal.

Because it spiritually nurtures certain values I was raised in.

Not necessarily in this order.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Originally started attending a UU congregation as a compromise between me (Christian) and my husband (atheist) when we both wanted better community ties. After moving to another town, started at a different UU congregation specifically to meet people with kids and similar views on social responsibility.

Do you still consider yourself a Christian?

Yes.

Thanks -- how do you express it at a UU church? Are you raising your children Christian (if so, what denomination) or UU?

We are raising our child UU / not-explicitly-Christian, and the excellent UU RE program is a big part of our attraction to UU. My child is just barely old enough to talk about this stuff, but my plan is to explain that I believe but some people don't, including Daddy. I have some reservations because I think it's a lot easier to come to faith if you learn it "unquestioning" as a child, but I can no longer square that approach with what I believe as an adult.

As for expressing my faith, I find nothing incompatible -- the UU philosophy is very much in line with Jesus' teachings, and the format of services is identical to the Presbyterian services I grew up with -- they've even re-purposed a lot of the old Protestant hymns. There is time for silent prayer, and there are rituals and spoken affirmations that have the feeling of group prayer even though they don't invoke a specific deity. The major Christian holiday services are a little weird, but we're usually out of town with family anyway.

There is a Christian study group at my UU congregation, but it meets on an inconvenient night so I don't attend. If you're interested in how Christian beliefs fit into the UU framework, the main website has some good resources: https://www.uua.org/beliefs/what-we-believe/beliefs/christianity

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Originally started attending a UU congregation as a compromise between me (Christian) and my husband (atheist) when we both wanted better community ties. After moving to another town, started at a different UU congregation specifically to meet people with kids and similar views on social responsibility.

Do you still consider yourself a Christian?

Yes.

Thanks -- how do you express it at a UU church? Are you raising your children Christian (if so, what denomination) or UU?

We are raising our child UU / not-explicitly-Christian, and the excellent UU RE program is a big part of our attraction to UU. My child is just barely old enough to talk about this stuff, but my plan is to explain that I believe but some people don't, including Daddy. I have some reservations because I think it's a lot easier to come to faith if you learn it "unquestioning" as a child, but I can no longer square that approach with what I believe as an adult.

As for expressing my faith, I find nothing incompatible -- the UU philosophy is very much in line with Jesus' teachings, and the format of services is identical to the Presbyterian services I grew up with -- they've even re-purposed a lot of the old Protestant hymns. There is time for silent prayer, and there are rituals and spoken affirmations that have the feeling of group prayer even though they don't invoke a specific deity. The major Christian holiday services are a little weird, but we're usually out of town with family anyway.

There is a Christian study group at my UU congregation, but it meets on an inconvenient night so I don't attend. If you're interested in how Christian beliefs fit into the UU framework, the main website has some good resources: https://www.uua.org/beliefs/what-we-believe/beliefs/christianity

Different poster but exact same situation. I also consider myself a Christian even though I go to UU church. My kid's barely a toddler but when she's older I hope to get involved in the RE classes and supplement with Christian focus (hopefully with grandparent help). My husband's an atheist but very respectful of Christianity from a historical perspective -- he sometimes knows a lot of interesting Christian history I don't! Situation works for us.

[Anonymous]

Only go to the old ones to check out the architecture. I'll get the hell out when they start talking or preaching or whatever they do.