EDIT: Thank you for the detailed and helpful responses, everyone! I think we'll try going next weekend and see how it goes :)

In your experience at UU churches, do they have some type of childcare or Sunday school for little kids? Mine is 4 years old and doesn't like sitting through church services. She currently does Sunday school at a very liberal Methodist church (instead of staying at the service), but I was hoping to introduce her to UU sometime. Is it accomodating to children?

I looked up UU, even congregations in my area and their websites. Kinda got a grasp, but not really, like the actual belief system, if there is any? A UU explanation for dummies would be appreciated.

I'm fairly new to UU, and I'm very new to pagan practices of just about every kind. My local UU is trying to put together a celebration of Ostara and is asking for input on what members would like to do and see...

I'm interested in joining but I'm admittedly feeling a little overwhelmed. I don't exactly "subscribe" (for lack of a better term) to any particular religions or belief systems and am not terribly familiar with the practice of spiritual traditions so it's all just a bit daunting. If anything, I guess The Prophet by Khalil Gibran would be my spiritual reference guide if I had to choose?

Do any CUUPS members out there have suggestions on where I could start? I know this should be fun but unfortunately I have quite a bit of anxiety over it. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

I am curious to get some perspectives from folx of this "Beloved Community" on wether they are, or are not, attending GA this year (either in person or virtual).

I have attended virtually twice over the years, but I am weighing in going in person (there definitely is significant financial costs involved even with the scholarships).

I have spoken with some members of my congregation and they only seem vaguely aware of GA/many seem relatively uninterested.

It's interesting to me a Universalist offered convocation held 100 years ago still holds the record of most attendance (5,000+ per David Robinson's book) compared to around 2-3k in person today (though zoom probably increases this number?)

Though for a faith of over 200,000, 3k is 1.5%, which still seems a small percentage).

Please share your thoughts!

I recently left a high demand religion (mormonism) and while I don’t miss being religious I do miss the community. I attended UU once and really enjoyed it. However, I’m not super anxious to join another church at the moment. How long can I keep attending before being expected to become a member? What does membership look like?

I often hear it said that our Seven Principles and Six Sources are not a creed, but a covenant. I guess I'm having a hard time understanding the difference. The Seven Principles and Six Sources are a statement of what Unitarian Universalists accept to be true or, in the case of the Sources, what they accept to be valid ways of knowing, correct? Can someone please explain to me how the Seven Principles and Six Sources aren't a creed?

The meta-principle of Unitarian-Universalism is simply:

#1: we cordially agree to disagree

Any official set of principles should have that as the first principle in the list.

Hello everyone! I was raised catholic, attended Sunday school and did the whole confirmation into the church. But I’ve never agreed with the religion and have had many issues with there treatment. For a long time I’ve turned my back to God or any type of spiritual practice. I believe that’s partly due to how the Catholic Church made me feel about myself. Within the last few years I’ve lost my mom and my Dad all before turning 26 and having a son of my own. I’ve struggled a lot and been diagnosed with depression, anxiety and ptsd from the deaths. Recently it became very bad and I had no desire to live. I felt I was a terrible person and didn’t deserve to be a father or have happiness. I opened up and I started medication and things have been so much better. But I’m realizing their is a hole in my heart I’ve tried to fill with many different things and none have worked. After the new medication had kicked in and my depressive and anxious fog started to lift I begin to crave spiritual experience again. I found a UU congregation near me and I would love to attend but I’m very nervous due to how catholic mass also made me feel judged and that I was not a good person. I also came out gay as well recently. I feel I’m starting to grow and head in a positive direction but I’m really missing that faith piece.

20 odd years ago I participated in some amazing teen events and am now looking for similar for my teenage son. I did a Washington trip, went to GA, and participated in several lock-ins at churches in the south and Midwest. Is there stuff like that going on? There is not a strong youth group for teens at the local fellowship and I can't find anything online. Any ideas?

I was raised a UU. I stopped going to church in my teens. Was always an atheist or agnostic.

Recently have been learning more about Jesus, but not really willing to call myself a Christian. I think one of the best things about being raised UU is having the awareness that all people from all around the world are equal, I don't need to believe "my way" is correct, and the billions of people who follow any other religion are wrong. But ya I haven't gone to a service in a long time but still think I mostly identify as a UU just believing no one way is correct and all people have the right to believe in whatever they choose.

Every time I argue with a fundamentalist Christian type they insist that they have proof of Old Testament stories occurring. Here is a Pastor with such proof. You will see it isn't proof but just speculation and it is bad speculation at that. Really, the Christian god can't be verified with all of these inaccuracies of what the bible says versus what we know happened.

Did Abraham Exist As Proof Of Veracity Of Christianity