I’m am getting more and more involved in my local UU fellowships. We’ve come up with a good number of internal fundraisers, but the community can only give so much. What successful fundraising ideas have you come up with that your congregation runs to help with a little bit of cash flow from outside of your attendees?

I'm in a low point in my life. I'm seeking to belong to a compassionate community. There's a UU church 4 miles away that I want to go to. I want to try to go to Sunday service, but I'm worried. I'm worried I'll be out of place somehow. I'm a 32 year old woman and I'll be going by myself. I recently escaped an abusive relationship. I'm very alone, and suffering from PTSD. I'm just scared that people won't be welcoming. I don't know. I'm going to try going.

Hey folks. As the title says, what are some fictional characters you imagine as Unitarian-Universalist? I ask as I was inspired by reading articles of superheroes of different religious backgrounds as well as how I believe there is not a lot of UU representation out there so, what fictional characters you guys imagine would make great UUs?

To me, I can picture three: Hiccup Haddock from How to Train your Dragon for his compassion and love towards dragons, as how he's willing to do anything for them to be safe, along with him challenging his beliefs and, in a more recent example, Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy for how liberal-minded the kids are while literally fighting to make sure their people are safe (as they are superheroes).

Anyone else have any picks?

Hello!

My question for UUs is about blending faiths. I feel like I see a lot of UUs who come together that each have their own single faith (or nonfaith) that they adhere to and they come together in unity. But I am wondering about people who try to blend faiths in as respectful a way as possible. Is this accepted in the UU? How common is it? Any personal experiences?

For myself, I was raised partially Catholic and Protestant. I do not truly believe in the supernatural aspects of the Bible anymore. But I still have such respect and admiration for the poetic nature of the Bible (which I feel I still find so much personal spiritual growth through) and the cultural traditions (e.g. Lent). However, I feel like I connect to nature-centered pagan beliefs. Additionally, I've found so much spiritual enlightenment from Buddhism.

So I'm wondering if UU is an accepting path for kind of "meshing" beliefs and traditions like this? Any insight would be helpful!

Hello all!

I'm currently in the process of researching UU with the desire to return to my pursuit of spiritual growth and personal peace. I was hoping that by posting here, I could get some questions that myself and my partner have, and perhaps find the courage to actually reach out to my local congregation.

So first off, I would like to say that UU seems like THE option for us, partly because my partner and I do identify as LGBTQ+. But our marriage is typically seen by outsiders as heterosexual because we both identify as our AAB genders and we do not pursue our other sexual interests because we are happy with our marriage. Many will recognize this as "you can't be pan/bi, you're married to (opposite cis-gender category)," or "you can't be poly if you haven't had another partner in (insert time period)." Frankly, we're fine with that. We gave up the poly lifestyle quite a few years ago, and we have no problem being perceived as a fully heterosexual couple (known by intolerant society as "normal").

But these particular facts of our lives, among others such as the variances in our beliefs from the norm, the popularity contests of church work quotas, the cliques, the bigotry, and the hatred both given and received by our previous Christian churches led us to shutter ourselves away from religion. We, as people, were not respected or accepted by our previous churches for living lives of "sin." We have always worshipped in our own way, and we have always remained spiritual, but we never felt like we fit into a normal church.

So here are our questions:

1.) Do we have to pay to be members? We've read on our local congregations site that they depend on "member pledges" to function. We have no problem donating when we can to specific functions or needs, but we don't think it's right to have to pay a fee to attend church. We're barely scraping by as it is, and we don't want to feel like our church is a subscription service that will be cut off without payment.

2.) What does "whoever you are, whoever you love" ultimately allow? Of course, we have no issue with LGBTQ+. But we absolutely do not support abusive behavior of ANY kind. So we want no part of a community that allows spousal or child abuse, or allows sexual abuse (especially of minors). Being blunt here, if UU accepts or even tolerates p*dophiles, or calls them "MAP"s or anything like that, it's an automatic no for us. Please forgive me if this seems offensive, I swear my only intent is to be informed, as my partner and I have survived both of those horrible abuses and thus have suspicions and anxieties.

3.) What kind of interactions can we expect in regards to our personal beliefs? For example, we don't believe in the Bible because it was written by men, not God. And we believe that it's entirely possible that even if God dictated it to these men, that they could have misunderstood or purposefully manipulated his words. We really don't see any other explanation for things like "God" saying to force a woman to marry her rapist or to sell a child into slavery for disappointing their father. Because honestly, what loving and benevolent diety would demand that? HOWEVER, we do believe in the good lessons, such as loving thy neighbor, do not steal, kill, etc. How would we be perceived?

I will probably come up with more questions over time, but these three are the most imperative to our decision. I apologize for the post being so long, but I am sincerely seeking a reconnect with a community that I can feel safe and respected in. Thank you to anyone who has gotten this far and responds! I appreciate you!

I’ve been eyeing up my local UU church for many years now. I grew up going to Christian school at first and went to church with my grandma and later a friend, but not within a religious family. There were always things about Christianity that I didn’t agree with even as a young child and things that I believed in that didn’t align. I fully rejected organized religion as a teenager but was still open-minded to certain aspects of paganism and new age spirituality. That kind of stuff was appealing to me as a little nature-loving hippie.

I then spent a few years active in AA and found a home there as a young adult. I became much more open-minded to seeing universal truth in various religions including Christianity (still was not Christian, just found value in the teachings of some Christian mystics due to early influence on AA texts and certain authors’ popularity among members). I enjoyed service commitments and felt spiritually fulfilled. It’s a long sad story, but it’s not really my home anymore and I feel like I’ve been missing that sense of community with other seekers for the last 5 or so years that I haven’t participated. I’ve been sort of trying to seek a sense of spirituality again on my own but it’s lacking. I have since explored paganism more than ever, but still have beliefs rooted elsewhere. I usually just say I’m agnostic lol.

I’m now pregnant and starting to feel like this is the time to finally explore UU. I want my child to grow up in a like-minded community and to have fun and meaningful opportunities like I did from participating in church. I wish I had grown up learning about all sorts of religions and been encouraged to explore my own beliefs. I also won’t be working much for the next few years (or so it seems like it’ll go that way) and I think it’ll be good for me to have somewhere to be. I want a more accessible avenue for volunteering and activism. My husband is just curious and would like to tag along. He very much likes the idea of our child being involved in something like this though.

Anyway, I don’t know why I’m typing this out. I guess I feel like most of my friends and family won’t understand this sort of thing and I tend to analyze my decisions into exhaustion. I’m excited though and can’t stop reading the local church’s website. They have a pagan group, a drum circle, a writers group, mindfulness group, a large vegetable garden, and many “teams” for various issues including food security. All things that are particularly appealing/familiar to me! But I’m looking forward to exploring anything they have to offer. I just really hope I like it. Thanks for reading if you made it this far.

Is it a group with ties to any specific religion? Does it exclude people for reasons of race, ethnicity, gender, sex, or sexual/romantic orientation? Are only certain religions welcome? Like, could someone be a Heathen or Rodnover or Dionysian or Wiccan, and still be a UU?

Are there rules or control systems? Are there certain political views associated?

Does it require Church attendance to be a UU?

Is it more like an ideology? Is it a religion?

Is criticism welcome when an issue is noticed?

I’m worried to join this subreddit because I (no offense) am worried it may be an abusive, anti-LGBT, anti-BIPOC, or generally anti-progressive cult. I have no knowledge of it, except for that it was founded by someone who left the Bahá’í faith because of the issues with Bahá’í. But I’m also confused because if I remember correctly, they describe it as conservative. Conservative, from what I know, has a lot of implications like being capitalist, pro-hierarchy, anti-progressive, anti-minority, against seeing animals as people, etc.

Apologies if I have worded anything badly, or misunderstood anything, or have made this too long, or have asked too many questions. Thank you to anyone who answers, and have a wonderful day/night!

Many UU churches in New England merged with UCC churches and I kind of love it. Knowing that two distinct associations of churches can seamlessly merge with each other is truly a work of God. Federated churches aren’t uncommon either but it seems that UUA/[insert denomination here] is uncommon. Many times it’s UCC/American Baptist or UCC/Presbyterian (rather expected), UCC/UMC/American Baptist (as is the case in Brookline, MA). Does anybody know any federated congregations that are associated with the UUA and another denomination? It can be any denomination but the congregation needs to have one membership (so I’m really asking about merged churches, federated churches don’t necessarily have to one entity, just a single building). Thanks! It fascinates me and brings me great joy seeing diverse traditions coming together.

Who’s heading to Pittsburgh? Any delegates? It’d be fun to have a Redditor meetup!

I’m bisexual and genderqueer using They/them pronouns ———————————— Hello I just wanted to introduce myself to the group. Though my congregation is Christian (it’s a UUA/UCC community in Orleans, MA) and emphasizes UU values, my beliefs are still unequivocally Trinitarian and more traditional but I’m more than happy to attend worship at a UUA congregation if that’s what God is calling me to do. Officially, I’m a member of Cathedral of Hope in Houston and haven’t looked back. Each week, I worship with them and an Episcopal Church in Philadelphia (virtually of course) . Both churches have made me a better person and have shown that no matter what, we’re all God’s children. Thank you for having me and I look forward to engaging in thoughtful and respectful conversations with you! I don’t currently drive so physically attending any church is difficult.

Hello all!I posted about Trinitarian Universalism yesterday, without giving much context. Being imperfect and rather slow, I failed to realize that my congregation does in fact welcome Universalists (it’s a UUA/UCC community in Orleans, MA). My beliefs are still unequivocally Trinitarian and more traditional but I’m more than happy to attend worship at a UUA congregation if that’s what God is calling me to do. Officially, I’m a member of Cathedral of Hope in Houston and haven’t looked back. Each week, I worship with them and an Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. Both churches have made me a better person and have shown that no matter what, we’re all God’s children. Thank you for having me and I look forward to engaging in thoughtful and respectful conversations with you!

On dynamic that I have noticed in our UU congregation is that when young adults attend or become members, most only stay for a few months to at most a few years. This seems to be more true of young adults who don’t have children. What is even more sad and frustrating is that some even get heavily involved in congregational life before they leave. I understand that people move and have life changes, but this seems to mostly be the case (it also happens in other community organizations). I wonder if this happens in UU communities elsewhere and what we can do to change this cultural dynamic in our congregations?

I’m by no means a Universalist but am being moved by the Spirit to check it out. Besides First Universalist in Providence (which doesn’t stream unfortunately), are there any explicitly (or implicitly) Trinitarian Universalist congregations in the UUA? There’s plenty of traditional Unitarian UU congregations but I’m not a Unitarian. Thanks! Links to streams/past services are a must

Is there anyone in this thread that participates in regular worship/programs/events in another spiritual community other than your UU congregation? I go back and forth between UU and the local Episcopal Church regularly. I love the stimulating and intellectual sermons and programs that the UU church offers, not to mention a like minded liberal community. On the other hand enjoy the liturgy and especially the music that the Episcopal Church offers. I especially love their services at Christmas and Easter. Also the local UU church mastered virtual worships, programs and social events much better during the pandemic than the Episcopalians did.

https://thebridgeblog.webflow.io/posts/the-laws-of-the-universe-aka-the-12-commandments

It could be a Christian or Muslim that left a homophobic church/religious setting but still holds onto their views or a racist agnostic because they only heard what their own race told them and rarely interacted with other races?

Since we are about accepting those who are different from us and respecting their opinions, but at the same time, giving room to debate their ideas and accept the possibility we could be wrong, what would be a ideal way a Unitarian Universalist would approach the person about their views?

Hey everyone!

I was raised UU, but haven't been back to regular service since before high school. My partner is Hindu, and because I am not spiritually religeous, I celebrate hindu holidays and we eat by his religeous dietary restrictions. Hinduism is an open practice, but we have no temples specific to Hinduism in our area, and he worries as a non-indian practitioner coming in with a white partner, he might be judged. I had suggested maybe we could check out some of the UU's in the area, see if maybe there are individuals there he can connect with that he might find a spiritual community where he can go to a regular weekly service, and he's very interested.

He specifically really wants to be able to wear traditional temple wear and is concerned about the public perception of this in a congregation. In support of his beliefs, I've become more of a philosophical hindu that an spiritual one, and I dress in a saree with him when we celebrate holidays, and I put on Tilak with him. He's asked if this would be odd or shunned in a UU setting if we were to show up dressed like we were going to Temple. I wanted to turn to our greater community here to see if anyone has had experience with their UU on this, and maybe some suggestions of UU congregations in New Jersey that would be open to us.

I'm looking to see if this is gonna be a comfy place for someone like me? I left the church due to the fact that for me a loving God cannot exist in the same place as a hell. I also have a hard time accepting that a loving God would allow so much suffering.

However I miss the community that comes with church, and I do believe in a Power. I subscribe to animism, and I think that Power is the Spirit of the Universe.

Are there any Filianyi or Deanics here? I just found out about Filianism the other day and it’s tickled my religious studies curiosity. If there are any what do you believe and where are some good communities to find more information?

The other day I was chatting with my partner. We’re in our 40s, have a 9 y/o daughter, small three bedroom place, couple cars: life is really good.

We came around to some other family that is in a higher tax bracket than we are. They already have a massive house in an expensive area. Apparently no locals use the public beaches where they’re at, they become members at a private beach where the only requirement is money. Maybe $5k to join? We love (and like!) this family; they are totally reasonable people.

I have things like this beach in my life too! I just bought a pair of $700 headphones that I love. Yessssss (insert Jack Nicholson crazy town yes-face gif) there are $1k headphones I’d also love!

So, there is a philosophical question here: how much is enough? Why do I live and feel the way I do about all this stuff? I think the answer is straight forward enough (consumerism, rat race, keep up with Jones, capitalism): but for me, it’s gonna be a journey of unlearning. Like all journeys begins with a step, I’ll start with a Reddit post.

What do you think? Do you struggle with living in the moment? What about Buddhism? Read any good books about this?

Sure letmegooglethatforyou.com lmgtfu, but I usually find some excellent minds and community right here in subreddits and my algorithms are different than yours.

Thanks!

My spouse and I are looking to attend a service soon (our first). We have a 4 month old that will have to come with us. Of course if she’s fussy one of us will step out with her, but are UU services generally accepting of infants? Probably my religious trauma, but I’m terrified of getting looks from people if she starts fussing.

I'm hoping you can share some of your favorite readings, prayers or poems that brought you some comfort and/or closure after a loss.

​

I'm not one that really relates much to bible verses or the traditional catholic church preachings, but after suffering a loss in my family, my heart feels like it's craving some spirituality.

Hey guys and gals.

As the title says, anyone here a religious "refugee", as in someone who came to the UU Church after escaping from another religion they desperately wanted to leave? I remember reading stories of UUs who used to be Jehovah's Witnesses but got tired of the cults repressive practices, as well as how they got shunned by their family and friends for going their own ways instead of being obedient and thus, found shelter in the UU Church and converted. Same thing with evangelical Christians who got tired of the fire-and-brimstone stuff, like being gay and abortion are "evil" chose to be a Unitarian-Universalist instead. Anyone had stories like this where you guys converted to UUism after escaping from religions, or even cults, you guys wanted to leave?

Hello, I am 35 years old and I have diabetic neuropathy and have not been able to work because of it. I singed up on my disability but have been denied, but keep applying. I do not want to do this, but I lost my dad in Sept. and I stayed and took care of him. When I lost him, I lost everything. He didn't have any insirance and left behind a lot of medical bills. I am asking if someone can please help me with anything? My cashapp is $rcb5167 and my paypal is the same if you can help. He was an elderly man and caught covid and it set up on his lungs and killed him. I have no food or money and my rent is coming due and I have no way to pay for any of it, I know I shouldnt beg online, and It looks suspsicious, but I swear to you it's the truth. I miss that man so much I cannot stand it sometimes. What is a way I can miss him less? Also, I have been cast out by the rest of my family because I am gay. Anyways, please just send me good vibes and help if you can, I have also contacted churches and ministries but that did no good. Sorry for the long post, I just needed to rant I guess. I just dont get how my family can hate me so bad for just being me. I know there are other who have it rough, but this is pretty rough. Please send good vibes also.

Who leads it? A pastor??

Whats the content?? What do they talk about? (if everyone believes something different and follows a different book, what do they do?)

Is it interactive? (Or is one person speaking to the rest)?

Is it kinda like AA where you can come and stand in the back corner and no one will acknowledge you or speak to you, or are people super friendly and try to get everyone to engage?

I like: -community gatherings -doing stuff together like gardening or cleaning up trash -making and eating meals together sometimes -basically cult behavior but just once a week max.

I believe: -no “God”. -i am open to the consideration there may be a higher power. I will never have faith in one or be convinced of it. -And I don’t believe in “Jesus” whatsoever. -I like psychedelics and -believing we’re all connected -I think humans are alike to nature with no greater purpose than to live similar to the trees and ants have no greater purpose.

I’m thinking maybe Unitarian Universalists (?) And I do like the values of Taoism and Buddhism but they lack a “church” community. Whatcha think?

Hello everyone, I’m 15 and I have autism and I believe that dolls/action figures have souls and that marriage is eternal. I want to establish an independent Unitarian Universalist church for my action figures that is just for them and I want to become the Minister of my congregation. I was wondering if there are any Unitarian Universalist minister in this sub who could virtually ordain (by saying a blessing for me in a comment here) me as the minister of my congregation of my action figures.

I asked the new Google Artificial Intelligence named “Bard” about Unitarian Universalism and I love it’s response!

Bard Unitarian Universalism Description

“Unitarian Universalism is a religion that emphasizes freedom of thought, tolerance, and social justice. Unitarian Universalists believe that all people are created equal and that we are all responsible for making the world a better place. They are committed to exploring the meaning of life and to finding ways to live in harmony with one another and with the planet. Unitarian Universalism is a growing religion, and it is attracting people from all walks of life. If you are looking for a religion that is open and welcoming, that encourages you to think for yourself, and that is committed to making the world a better place, then Unitarian Universalism may be the right choice for you.”

TW: CSA as the *middle question, please skip if it is sensitive for you

Are they allowed to swear? I’ve been lurking a bit and I have not seen anyone swear in this forum. It’s not a deal-breaker, and it’d be expected in a tolerant religious forum, but it’s interesting.

How the the UU Church handle things like child abuse? While I imagine the extremely progressive policies turn away a lot of would-be abusers, abusers can exist in all places and any positions of power. What does the UU do to both prevent and rectify any issues of child abuse / SA? While I agree that all humans should receive love and dignity, I believe that victims have a right to safety that takes precedence to an abuser’s right to community and I have no interest in being part of a church that does not reflect these values.

What’s the rub? These values seem to reflect the interests of many young leftist Millenials and Gen-Z - many of us are desperate for community, lonely, and depressed, and this church seems to be a great place to fulfill those needs and reconnect with others. Why aren’t more people a part of this? Admittedly, I thought Unitarians were just leftist Christians until a mom’s Facebook group post explained it further, which piqued my interest. I also saw a noticeable lack on info on social media - are Unitarians against evangelizing online?

ETA: Is polyamory accepted in the UU? I am not poly but I’m just wondering

Hello. I am doing this is a last resort because I am hungry and pretty much on the brink of homelessness. Please pray for me. I lost a loved one in September that I took care of and have been in between work from home jobs and now have no job and no home in two weeks. I lived off my fathers income because I took care of him. I am now down to nothing and live in a rural area and I have my rent internet and everything due. No speakable family and no transportation. I’d appreciate anything if anyone could help, and even if you can help financially please send me prayers. I have thought about giving up but I don’t want to but it makes it dang near impossible not to. I am also ostercized for living in a small southern town and being lgbtq. Anyways I’m sorry to ask for this but I need money in the worst way I literally don’t know where my next bill or meal is going to come from? And if you say I’m faking I don’t care and won’t respond. Please help me even if it’s prayer. I also have cashapp if anyone could help.

I've known of UUism since my pagan teens, but I've never participated it it because I was scared and there wasn't a UU church in 50+ miles.

I still don't have a UU church in 50+ miles (AFAIK), but I have discovered the church of the larger fellowship. As a trans LGBT+ person, it's so hard to balance activism and anger and peace and refuge. I'm trying so hard to grow peace in myself but it's so difficult and so rewarding. I know anger sucks so much out of myself that could be used for better things, so anger isn't something I encourage or want in myself anymore. The CLF is helping me so much to make peace.

I have also loved how the CLF has challenged me. I'm trying to expand my listening skills and trying not to make quick, survival judgements on people. I have ASD, and eventually you become like you've been in war, you learn how to make a snap judgement on somebody because it could very well be life or death. But now I'm trying to heal from that, and I'm thinking of the thing in a recent CLF service - holy curiosity. I want and need to stop being so reactive, I want to really experience other people with real curiosity.

Can I call myself UU? Even though I haven't signed some book in a place I can't reasonably access?

Hi there y'all. I am probably going along with a friend to a local UU service this weekend. My friend is a member of UU and is involved in some volunteer community work that uses the UU's meeting space a couple of week nights per month. This volunteer group is open to all, not just UU folks, and I've wanted to get involved, but I thought it might be nice to get to know the UU community there as well.

Partly it just feels like good manners to make that effort. But I've also been wanting to widen my personal sphere of community and work on developing my spiritually a bit. And now I feel oddly shy!

I guess I just don't know what to expect. I've never been particularly religious. My mother has been an active member of Unity Church my whole life and I attended the youth programs there as a kid, fell away from that in my teens, identified myself as an atheist for a long time, then came around to the idea of a non-religious spirituality. In time I've come to define that spirituality as pagan in nature.

I live in a relatively progressive city in a deep red state. I don't really know other pagans, I don't have anyone to share my practice with, have discussions with, or learn from. I've felt very lonely in this regard, and sometimes also silly. I know my local UU does do services and hosts events for some pagan holidays like Yule, so it may be a good opportunity to connect with some of that community.

I'm not and never have been Christian, despite attending Unity as a kid. I know that Unity is based in Christianity specifically and UU is not, but since childhood I haven't attended any kind of Sunday service at all. I guess I worry that I'll stand out or will obviously "not belong" in some way, or that I'll be too out there even for UU, or even more intimidating: that I'll like it and want to come back.

I know no two UU communities are identical but I guess I'm asking what, in general, should I expect?

Edit: even if I haven't responded, I have read all of your comments and I appreciate y'all's input! Thanks!

One of the things I have noticed in the local UU congregation is the fact that the minister frequently gives thinly veiled sermons about church development, especially in the area of church fundraising or volunteering your time (but especially about money). The sermons often have an attention getting title like "Exploring Your Relationship With the UU Church" or some such thing. I actually want to explore my spirituality, not be guilted that I have to give more money or time to the church. I do understand that the light bill and staff need to be paid (or the coffee made for after the service). But the constant sermons about development can be a turnoff to members or attendees that don't have the means or are of a lower socioeconomic class.

hey I've got a question. As a trans muslimah would U be accepted into the UU community?

Hi UU folks with disabilities & our allies! How can our homes be more accessible? We all want to welcome diverse guests into our homes, and 100% of us are aging. Click below for the new issue of the UUCE Accessibility Task Force (ATF). Find out about a free, national webinar this Sunday, 4/30, noon pt. Please share:

https://conta.cc/3L0FNb7

Hi UU folks with disabilities & our allies! How can our homes be more accessible? We all want to welcome diverse guests into our homes, and 100% of us are aging. Click below for the new issue of the UUCE Accessibility Task Force (ATF). Find out about a free, national webinar this Sunday, 4/30, noon pt. Please share:

https://conta.cc/3L0FNb7

I am thinking of attending this year's GA, despite the high cost ... $500 per person. I am my congregation's delegate. However, if I'm reading the website right, it looks like all in person attendees will be required to mask indoors at all times. This is so atypical I find it almost hard to believe. No church in my area requires masks for all, doctors do not require masks, and I live in New England which was a pretty committed mask wearing area during the pandemic height.

Can anyone offer some insight?

Additional questions-- does the UUA board mask fully when they meet? Do all UUA staff always mask indoors?

I am an agnostic-atheist, black female in my mid-forties. I am poor, since I am an immigrant and a live-in maid. I basically have no social life. So I decided to attend a UU church since I was feeling down and needed to be uplifted. I attended a UU service this Sunday, it made me even more depressed! It was the most boring thing I have ever experienced! Not to mention, that other than some kid who got some scholarship, and one other person who looked to be in their late 20's or early 30's, I, a woman in my mid 40's, was the youngest person there.

Don't get me wrong, the operatic music was well performed, and the orchestra was very impressive. But it's 2023! I feel like this was the same music they were playing 50 years ago. The sermon was empty platitudes like you would hear from a politician looking for votes in an upscale white, suburb. Nothing of any substance. The sort of lib-speak that is void of humanity. I almost fell asleep and had to resort to doing my Duolingo French lessons on my phone.

As I looked around at these 70 and 80 yr olds, I just wondered where the UU church will be in a decade or 2. Or maybe it's just a social club for well to do aged boomers, and they don't care what happens when they're dead....Sad thing is, I'll probably go back next Sunday. But they certainly are not going to be attracting younger people with what they are doing now.

Like most congregations, ours is recovering from the effects of the pandemic, but realistically, needs to turn the tide of years of declining membership.

I’m looking for innovative fundraising ideas, particularly those that help the church reach out to the community and hopefully, attract more newcomers.

TIA

I noticed that there’s some similarities.

Are they appropriate in today's UU church, or exclusionary relics from last century?