Unexpected turns

After attending the local UU church since last fall, we officially pledged and joined last month. If you'd suggested a year ago that this would happen, we would have laughed at you. But we really, really like the community here. It's exactly what we were looking for. (And it helps that so much of the service and sermon focuses on building community, and what makes a community. Way better than hellfire, srsly.)


We flirted with it a few times before the move, but many UU churches in Boston are still fairly Christian. (We were shocked at how Christian the one up the street was, considering our neighborhood. So Arthur danced there regularly, but we didn't care for the services.) And while we were really interested in the community that exists in these congregations, the religious aspects didn't do it for us. We're not Christian. (Although I do support those nice New Testament Christian values like helping the poor and sick, peace and forgiveness, etc. Or what's also known as "don't be a dick" in modern netspeak.)

Time spent with Rev. Carmen, however, is a reminder that not all UU churches are Christian (especially once you leave New England!). So after several years of "wouldn't it be nice to be around more UUs?" ('cause I mean we already knew a whole bunch ;), we took the plunge when we moved here.

This congregation seems to have a very humanist focus, and a group of people passionate about improving the world around them. That's perfect! The sermon topics are interesting, there are opportunities for reflection that we don't think to take on our own, the congregants are friendly, the building is beautiful, the ministers are great, and there are tons of activities to keep us occupied. (And it's becoming obvious that I spent way too much time around all you OD consultants at work, because I keep asking questions that I know darned well I only learned from y'all. %!^@$#^%!@$# systems thinking.)

It's also great to have a space that is very separate from campus.



Now that the semester is over, Arthur is getting involved with the Land Use Team - there are 40 acres behind the church in need of trail maintenance. And this is a really good opportunity for him to get out of his head and away from school regularly during the summer.

There's also Habitat for Humanity (they really appreciate Arthur and his l33t skillz), and volunteering at a local shelter, selling books after service, and a monthly gaming day... lots of activities that we like. I've been feeling too old and too young at the same time - especially in such a college town (last time I lived in a small college town, I was actually in college) - and these events and volunteer opportunities help us fit in.

We're finding other people who like to do the same things. Age matters less. (Although admittedly there are days I am the youngest person in a room, often by quite a lot. Which is preferable to going to a campus event and realizing not only am I significantly older than everyone else, but that most of them have never been out of school. They've only ever been students, straight from undergrad to graduate. And I've been out working in the real world for 17 years. I think that's the better way of looking at it. It's not age, but stage of life. I am at the stage of life where my peers have children. I do not have children, and am not going to have children. So I am too young and too old for this town at the same time.)

I enjoy the meditations. And the great topics that get discussed as a result of a sermon. And the many different walks of life that brought people to this congregation (often also from a non-religious adulthood). This is a community of people who choose to be here, and to make it what they want it to be.



So yes, writing this out helps me understand How We Got Here, while at the same time, I'm still not sure How We Got Here ;) We're not religious. But we love it here, and we're happy, and sometimes life laughs at you and you go with it.