To join or not to join...
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| Mon, 03-28-2005 - 8:30pm |
On Wednesday, I'm going to go to a new member orientation for the Unity Church I have been attending off and on for several years. I'll try to be open minded, but I have a real thing about "joining" as opposed to "attending." I wonder if I'm far enough along my path to commit to one community, or do I need to expand my search a bit more?
I went to my old Episcopal Church for Easter. Unity just couldn't satisfy the old yearning for "high church" on the Holy Days, hymns I've sung all my life, liturgy, Communion, bells and incense! The priest is a former RC Jesuit, a real enlightened soul along the beliefs of John Shelby Spong, but not as radical. (His Easter sermon focused on the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson!) We talked briefly after the service, and today he left me a message that he would like to meet me for lunch soon and talk about some of the things I told him were my reasons for leaving the Episcopal Church in the first place. I don't want to stir up trouble, but I'd be happy to meet with him and tell him about my journey.
But back to Unity... I'm not sure I want to "join" any church again. Once burned, twice shy, as the saying goes. What are your thoughts about joining vs attending? Is there really a difference?
bink

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I think a lot of it depends on the church. With our congregation, it felt like joining was a deepening of the "committment" if you will. You pledge to put energy, effort AND money into the congregation (not just money, lol). So they know they can count on you. But our congregation is TINY, and they're a real roll-the-sleeves-up and get-to-work bunch.
I think with many churches (at least the ones I knew before - and never joined), joining was the way to ensure a tithe amount, some kind of financial committment, more than anything else. This is why I've never joined a church before. I thought that was a little... not appropriate. I always put money in the plate when it passed, but ....
So this is the first we've ever joined, and it feels good - like we've been adopted into a family, I guess. Yes, we'll pledge a certain amount of money so they can make a budget, but joining THIS church was a lot more than just the money. So I'm thinking if you don't feel all warm & fuzzy with the idea of joining, DON'T! There's no rush, right?
<< With our congregation, it felt like joining was a deepening of the "committment" if you will. You pledge to put energy, effort AND money into the congregation (not just money, lol). So they know they can count on you. But our congregation is TINY, and they're a real roll-the-sleeves-up and get-to-work bunch. >>
Wow ... I think you must be a member of the church I just joined, LOL! It's not a Lutheran congregation in Pennsylvania, by any chance? ;-)
Bev
Bink,
I think my feelings are pretty much the same as yours. The main reason we officially "joined" a church was because I felt it was important for my son to belong to a church community, as part of his Christian upbringing. That's how I was brought up ... but then I attended the church my mother had belonged to all her life, in the same small town she had lived in all her life. I feel comfortable in pretty much any mainline Protestant church, and have actually attended quite a few in my community since I "freelance" as a substitute organist. I would have felt comfortable doing that indefinitely, but decided to join one particular church mainly on my son's account.
Just my 2 cents.
Bev
LOL! Nope, UU in NJ.
So what's your church doing that keeps its members so busy?
Hi, Bev!
years of going. I don't do service work, I never ushered etc. I
go when I want to. I really like it there, been thinking of trying U.U.
just too see if there are any men there i'd like to meet, just to meet new folks.
Ii really love Unity.. Your question, do what you want, it doesn't matter.
love, Leila
I decided not to go.
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