The first Sunday

Initially, I intended to highlight and identify the churches I visit, but I changed my mind. If I am to be honest, and sometimes challenge doctrine, I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings in the process. If I poke fun at the woman who smells like moth balls, and sings hymns off key, I don't want that woman to know it was her. Therefore, I think I will talk freely about the church, without divulging where it is. I reserve the right to change my mind about this as the blog evolves, but right now, I think I will talk about my experiences with the church and honor the parish's anonimity.

Rigid doctrine is hard for me. I feel like I am pressing against the religion when I disagree with some of their rituals and beliefs, but that is why I am doing this, right? To push the limits of what I think, and what I feel is the balance between humankind and spirituality. I am looking for a fit for me, but in so doing, I want to educate myself with different and sometimes challenging beliefs and practices. So my first week... I chickened out and went to the Unitarian Universalist church nearby. I always wanted to check out a service, and gave myself permission to dip my toe into this project.

Unitarian Universalists hold a very "hippyish" reputation. I guess I expected tie dyed shirts, dead head stickers on fuel efficient cars, and rainbow flags everywhere. I had expectations of new age music, flax clothing, and the scent of pachouli. What I found was a traditional New England church.

I entered the sanctuary alone, and looked around at what I can only describe as a traditional New England Protestant church. High ceilings, tall windows, elaborate moldings, classic pews, and soft organ music welcoming us to worship. Minimalistic decorations (no statues, stained glass, etc). There was a choir, a pulpit, balconies, and parishioners who were not dressed as the hippies I imagined, and quite a few singles like me.

The format of the service was very familiar to me. The church bulletin, white, with a pen and ink sketch of the church on the cover, announces upcoming community events, thanks the hosts of the coffee hour, and recognizes the family member of whom the flowers are in memory. The format of the service looked familiar, too. We opened with welcome and announcements, we listened to a hymn, heard opening words and repeated in unison, the prayer that accompanied a chalice lighting, "
We gather this hour as people of faith
With joys and sorrows, gifts and needs.
We light this beacon of hope,
Sign of our quest
For truth and meaning,
In celebration of the life we share together.

Then a patriotic hymn. I belted it out. (Sing as if nobody is listening?), Followed by another unison prayer:
Love is the doctrine of this church,
The quest of truth is its sacrament,
and service is its prayer.
To dwell together in peace,
To seek knowledge in freedom,
To serve mankind in fellowship,
To the end that all souls shall grow into harmony with the Divine-
Thus do we covenant with each other and with God.

I liked this. I pondered the prayer, and then its applications to my life. I wondered what differentiated this church from so many others. I flipped over my program to read the answer. It was spelled out in detail on the back of my Sunday bulletin.
Historical Affirmations of our Unitarian Universalist Faith. (Talk about ask and ye shall receive... I was stunned.).. and also about to be educated. It read:
1.That God is a Unity as opposed to a Trinity (sure, I see it as an all encompassing force, but a Unity.. ok)
2. That all human beings can hope for salvation (even middle aged divorcees?)
3. That there is in each human person a spark of the divine. ( absolutely... even the rude ones..)
4. That relevant and meaningful statements of belief are personal statements. (Wow, did I stumble upon one and done? This fits me to a T)
5. That truth grows and changes
6. That people should be free to judge whether or not to accept the pronouncements of the church. (totally)
7. That a broadly inclusive tolerance in religion is preferable to an enforced uniformity. (Rock on!)
8. That religious assertions must be reasonable if they are to be accepted as valid. (subjective..what is reasonable?)
9. That doubt can help to winnow truth from untruth. (honestly I had to look up "winnow".. it means to free (grain) from the lighter particles of chaff, dirt, etc., especially by throwing it into the air and allowing the wind or a forced current of air to blow away impurities.)
10. That a person must develop a trusting reliance on him/herself and his/her own capacity to make sensible life improving choices. (still in progress)
11. That religion ought to be concerned primarily with this life. (I am not sure what this one means... is religion over when we die? The jury is out..)
12. That answers to questions, solutions to problems and comfort from discomfort- to have any real or lasting effect-must come from the person, not from the outside. (That is 100% true! Easier said than done, but true!)
13. That God is in the world, not outside the world. (Isn't God everywhere... including other worlds, infinity and beyond, and all that stuff?)
14. That suffering is part of Life, not punishment for a way of living. (Still all changeable from within. How much we suffer is our own decision. )
15. That religious literature gives symbolic, rather than literal, truth. (YES, that is for me. I believe in symbols and messages, rather than absolute truths)
16. That religion ought not to involve only ritual, but also reflection and action for goodness. (this statement brings me peace, and reminds me why I am on this quest.)

So the sermon began, and it was a perfectly appropriate parallel between life and the seasons of the crops. I particularly liked this, as I was beginning this spiritual journey. "A time to plant" was the name of the sermon, and I felt it speak to me. I am planting roots for my own future. Some of my garden needs replanting. My garden had many hearty plants from seeds I planted earlier in my life, but some of them were suffocating other plantings. I weeded, thinned, and tilled. I, too, am ready to plant. To grow, to offer my fruits.

Fast forward to the drinking portion of the Eat, Pray, Drink blog. I had lofty goals here as well.. discovering local pubs, tagging them in my blog. The first day of my church commitment, I was invited to play laser tag with friends and their kids, after which, we went out to a nearby Chilis, where I had a margarita and a rather fattening appetizer. Maybe not the culinary direction I had in mind for this journey, but as I looked around the table, and thought about planting my garden, I realized that I have friends. Friends who will water and nourish my seeds, and friends who will stand by me as I grow my new garden. This is where I will begin.