I’ve been deeply involved in my Unitarian Universalist congregation over the years — serving on the board, finance committee, lay pastoral care, and ushering. Our family has loved the community and the people, and we didn’t come to this decision lightly. But we’ve recently made the choice to step away from our UU church.

While the relationships have been meaningful, we’ve increasingly found the spiritual side of the services lacking. The sermons often feel dry and without the kind of depth or guidance I need to carry with me into the week. Maybe that expectation — of a spiritual or transformative core — doesn’t align well with the UU tradition, but I’ve realized that in these challenging times, I need something more.

To be clear, I’m not looking for evangelical dogma or rigid theology. But I do long for messages that go beyond “Trump is bad,” “the world is burning,” and what feels like a constant focus on identity politics. Those are real and important issues, but I also want to hear how we can ground ourselves, grow, and take meaningful steps in our daily lives. Present the problem, yes — but offer some tools, some hope, some deeper spiritual reflection too.

The final turning point for me came during a recent service led by a visiting minister. They made a point to set up a mask display in the lobby, and masks were required for that particular service. Their sermon centered almost entirely around masking as a symbol of radical inclusion. While I respect anyone’s choice to wear a mask and understand the intent, devoting an entire service to that topic felt, frankly, excessive — especially when so many people are searching for grounding, clarity, and spiritual renewal. To be fair this is maybe a congregation related issue, I’m not sure. There have been other members that have brought up similar concerns only to be rebuffed.

UUs are good, compassionate people. But in my view, it seems the movement has drifted. Instead of just telling us it’s raining, I’m looking for a community that hands out umbrellas — or better yet, teaches us how to build our own.