So I spent my early years in a UU church, left before reaching double digits, remained church-free for most of my life, but have recently felt drawn back to religion in some capacity. I have always been at least a little spiritual, but I'd love to join a space and community where I can actually do something with that spirituality.

A friend and I went to a UU service yesterday at a local parish, and we're planning on going to more to get a feel for it. We enjoyed the sermon — the pastor got into Martin Buber's "I-Thou" concept, something we had familiarity with and find incredibly fascinating! But we were curious if there might be a better fit for us elsewhere and if anybody has info on other congregations.

What I'm looking for might be a tough search, but I guess that's why I figured this subreddit might be a big help!

• As the title says, I live in New England and I'm within an hour's drive of Boston. (An hour is probably the most I'd drive for a congregation, but I'd be open to farther than that if the fit is truly that good.)

• I'm an eco-socialist who is looking for a congregation that is even more left-wing than the average UU base — i.e. more of a transformative/liberation theology outlook that goes beyond tolerant liberalism. Anti-capitalism is baked into my spiritual ontology and I'd love to be a part of a congregation that is both affirming and revolutionary in what it emphasizes in sermons, how it engages with the world, the works it does, etc.

• With that above point in mind, greater diversity in the congregation would also be very much preferred. The service we went to yesterday was at least 95% white and maybe 75% over the age of 60. A variety of different perspectives — beyond just those of predominantly upper-middle-class white boomers — is crucially important, especially when the MO of your church is openness and an embracing of the marginalized. And, I suppose "selfishly", I'd also like to meet people my own age (I'm 31), or at least have that age be a noticeable-enough minority within the wider congregation.

• And finally, I'd ideally like it to really dive into the mystical and the ineffable. I know that UU is expressly non-denominational and thus doesn't stake out clear theological positions. But I was hoping that an emphasis on ritual, mystical experience, and meditations on the eternal (all of which can still very much be experienced by atheists and secular people) could still be common-enough within certain UU congregations that they could be more clearly recommended over others in this regard. This includes the above-mentioned ritual, but it could also include stuff like seasonal festivals and events, seminars on different spiritual/mystical perspectives, smaller "coven-esque" groups that dive more deeply into a specific outlook, etc. I like when metaphysics gets equally immanent-within-the-Earth and transcendent-into-Eternity — and while I realize the value in remaining non-descript to an extent so as not to alienate people, I also firmly believe that those metaphysical views are truly embracing and far-reaching, the stuff that UU aspires towards.

TLDR: I'm looking for a congregation in New England that is diverse, leans eco-socialistic (or at least capitalism-critical) in its sermons and works, and is mystical in its spiritual practices and outlooks. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! 🙂