Unitarian Church - Bethesda

[Anonymous]

Hi - I've searched the archives a bit, but I was wondering if anyone had recent thoughts about any of the Unitarian churches in Bethesda. I was raised Catholic, and my children are baptized (and one has had First Communion, First Penance sacraments so far). Friends have recommended that I might find the Unitarian faith more in line with what I have sought for a religious foundation for my children. Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

Cedar Lane Unitarian Church

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cedar Lane Unitarian Church

Do you go there? What do you like about it? I am looking for a place that is progressive, interested in social justice, strong community, has some level of religious foundation/spirituality. We are an interfaith family - Catholic/Jewish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cedar Lane Unitarian Church

Do you go there? What do you like about it? I am looking for a place that is progressive, interested in social justice, strong community, has some level of religious foundation/spirituality. We are an interfaith family - Catholic/Jewish.

Not the PP, but I am a member there. We have a relatively large RE program, strong commitment to Social Justice issues, skew liberal, with many interfaith families. We are a chatty crowd. I like that the children that I've met in the RE program seem to have good sense and do not appear to be status-seeking in any way. I like that my kids get to learn about all the world's religions and how certain ideas about how to behave ethically and morally are incorporated into all religions. I LOVE the Senior Minister, who is personable, well-spoken, funny, and happens to also be Hindu. I like that UU provides paths for behaving ethically and morally without denigrating other people's ways following those paths. I like that Cedar Lane honors other traditions, either by incorporating ideas into service (Yom Kippur, Rosh Hoshanah) or by having separate "Soul Matters" get togethers (Diwali, Holi Day). I like that Christmas is still a tradition with Christmas Eve carols and a reading of the birth of Jesus with all the 1st graders making animals out of cardboard to represent the various animals that came to the manger. I like that LGBTQ and differently-abled people are welcome with open arms.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cedar Lane Unitarian Church

Do you go there? What do you like about it? I am looking for a place that is progressive, interested in social justice, strong community, has some level of religious foundation/spirituality. We are an interfaith family - Catholic/Jewish.

Not the PP, but I am a member there. We have a relatively large RE program, strong commitment to Social Justice issues, skew liberal, with many interfaith families. We are a chatty crowd. I like that the children that I've met in the RE program seem to have good sense and do not appear to be status-seeking in any way. I like that my kids get to learn about all the world's religions and how certain ideas about how to behave ethically and morally are incorporated into all religions. I LOVE the Senior Minister, who is personable, well-spoken, funny, and happens to also be Hindu. I like that UU provides paths for behaving ethically and morally without denigrating other people's ways following those paths. I like that Cedar Lane honors other traditions, either by incorporating ideas into service (Yom Kippur, Rosh Hoshanah) or by having separate "Soul Matters" get togethers (Diwali, Holi Day). I like that Christmas is still a tradition with Christmas Eve carols and a reading of the birth of Jesus with all the 1st graders making animals out of cardboard to represent the various animals that came to the manger. I like that LGBTQ and differently-abled people are welcome with open arms.

Thank you, this is incredibly helpful. I know others have mentioned River Road Unitarian Universalist - I'd be interested in any thoughts on differences between the two. In particular, whether families/young children are more involved at one or the other. (I am still stinging from an older gentleman at a Catholic mass several years ago telling me that my young child was "not welcome" because she was not pin-drop quiet. Pretty sure God wants kids in church, and he was just a cranky old man, but it still really made an impression).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cedar Lane Unitarian Church

Do you go there? What do you like about it? I am looking for a place that is progressive, interested in social justice, strong community, has some level of religious foundation/spirituality. We are an interfaith family - Catholic/Jewish.

I go to All Souls Unitarian in DC, but was raised UU and agree with your friends that a UU church would be a good fit for what you're looking for. I highly recommend visiting both churches a few times and see which one you click with better. Both congregations will have RE (religious education) programming, but may have different curricula. And services can vary widely between UU congregations, so you may feel more at home with one that has more of a traditional Christian structure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cedar Lane Unitarian Church

Do you go there? What do you like about it? I am looking for a place that is progressive, interested in social justice, strong community, has some level of religious foundation/spirituality. We are an interfaith family - Catholic/Jewish.

I go to All Souls Unitarian in DC, but was raised UU and agree with your friends that a UU church would be a good fit for what you're looking for. I highly recommend visiting both churches a few times and see which one you click with better. Both congregations will have RE (religious education) programming, but may have different curricula. And services can vary widely between UU congregations, so you may feel more at home with one that has more of a traditional Christian structure.

I will definitely visit the various services - thank you for the idea. Do you have a general sense of which churches may have a more "traditional Christian" structure?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cedar Lane Unitarian Church

Do you go there? What do you like about it? I am looking for a place that is progressive, interested in social justice, strong community, has some level of religious foundation/spirituality. We are an interfaith family - Catholic/Jewish.

Not the PP, but I am a member there. We have a relatively large RE program, strong commitment to Social Justice issues, skew liberal, with many interfaith families. We are a chatty crowd. I like that the children that I've met in the RE program seem to have good sense and do not appear to be status-seeking in any way. I like that my kids get to learn about all the world's religions and how certain ideas about how to behave ethically and morally are incorporated into all religions. I LOVE the Senior Minister, who is personable, well-spoken, funny, and happens to also be Hindu. I like that UU provides paths for behaving ethically and morally without denigrating other people's ways following those paths. I like that Cedar Lane honors other traditions, either by incorporating ideas into service (Yom Kippur, Rosh Hoshanah) or by having separate "Soul Matters" get togethers (Diwali, Holi Day). I like that Christmas is still a tradition with Christmas Eve carols and a reading of the birth of Jesus with all the 1st graders making animals out of cardboard to represent the various animals that came to the manger. I like that LGBTQ and differently-abled people are welcome with open arms.

Thank you, this is incredibly helpful. I know others have mentioned River Road Unitarian Universalist - I'd be interested in any thoughts on differences between the two. In particular, whether families/young children are more involved at one or the other. (I am still stinging from an older gentleman at a Catholic mass several years ago telling me that my young child was "not welcome" because she was not pin-drop quiet. Pretty sure God wants kids in church, and he was just a cranky old man, but it still really made an impression).

Ok, so, yeah - that's not going to happen - at either River Road or Cedar Lane. Been in both -both are welcoming to children. Kids go to RE (Religious Education) during service, so the restlessness of a child would never be an issue anyway, but I've never seen anyone grouch about the kids. There is "Time for All Ages" at least once a month where kids attend the first 15-20 minutes of service and there is a kid-centric lesson of some sort. Cedar Lane also has a robust children's choir with an awesome volunteer music director for the little ones, and a wonderful paid music director for the older kids. The older kids sing once a month for the congregation and meet on Thursdays for practice. The little ones meet on Sundays between services to practice and I think sing 3-4x a year (and they are SO cute). I haven't been to RR in years so I can't really speak to its current RE program or how it compares to Cedar Lane. I do know that Cedar Lane's RE program has grown quite a bit in the last few years.

[Anonymous]

Check out River Road UU - and if you are an interfaith family, check out Beth Chai Humanist Jewish Congregation, which meets in the same building and shares many of the same tenets.

[Anonymous]

When you go to check out the different congregations, go after Labor Day and go a few times. Summer church is very small and different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you go to check out the different congregations, go after Labor Day and go a few times. Summer church is very small and different.

NP. Glad to see things haven’t changed since my childhood

[Anonymous]

OP here - thank you all for your thoughtful suggestions!!

[Anonymous]

At River Road kids start in the service and go to class about 15 minutes in every week. There is an incredible choir program for K-12th grade and you will see the kids singing quite often. You will also have kids included in the chalice lighting or reading and the story for all ages regularly.