Livehoods makes the kind of map — only three cities so far — that suggest where people think the neighborhood boundaries are. Shouldn’t there be a Unitarian Universalist presence in each of them?
Category: Church mission and identity
Lesson from embassy visit day
Today is the annual open day for non-EU embassies. (EU is next Saturday.) Long lines for a pamphlet and, sometimes, a taste of the local cuisine. I go to look at the buidlings and out of an internationalist sympathy. Having done this a few times I’ve learned that the smaller the country the better chance… Continue reading Lesson from embassy visit day
More church-in-a-box boxes…
Having known of the Church of the Larger Fellowship’s Church in a Box for years, I (continue to) wonder if there other “in a box”-type services that might be useful for churches. Around training, finance, music or public relations, say.
Soul searching, again
More short-form blogging. Wondering out loud what to make of the UUA staff and growth advocates meeting this week. Deeply suspicious that there’ll be any positive development. Not that there aren’t good ideas and resourceful people involved but that the process is worn and the goals are institutional and (at least modestly) defensive. I sighed,… Continue reading Soul searching, again
On “Congregations and Beyond”
I hear the buzz, buzz, buzz online from Unitarian Universalists trying to make some sense of Unitarian Universalist Association president Peter Morales’s recent write paper, “Congregations and Beyond.” (PDF version). Let’s call it head scratching because this is hardly the launch into a brave, new world one would expect from its internal tone, much less… Continue reading On “Congregations and Beyond”
Worship: once a year (or as needed)
Please excuse a moment of somewhat-silly ecclesiastic conjecture. Regular readers know I am considering working with a congregation that will meet for worship once a month. I know what you’re thinking: Once a month! Why so much? Geez. Slow down! Don’t you have anything else to do? Well, I do know of some churches that… Continue reading Worship: once a year (or as needed)
Welcome baby â„– 7,000,000,000
So, the seventh billion human being alive was born today — more or less — the U.S. Census estimates the world will reach seven billion next March. Not much of a difference to me. There were just over half that many when I was born, and in four decades time there could easily be more… Continue reading Welcome baby â„– 7,000,000,000
Community makes the church, or church the community?
When last I wrote about community, I ran down the idea of churches being community for their own sake. Churches for the sake of community only makes sense where people live in settings so dense or so atomized that community has to be constructed. Other, functional habitations have communities apart from churches, and these organize… Continue reading Community makes the church, or church the community?
Is community the reason for community for Unitarian Universalists?
This and the next couple of non-lectionary blog posts are going to be about community, and particulary the role of community as the end (rather than as a feature) of Unitarian Universalist communities, er, congregations. Having community is a frequently-mentioned reason for Unitarian Universalist congregations, and the Unitarian Universalist Association — formally a credentialing, coordination… Continue reading Is community the reason for community for Unitarian Universalists?
Interested in giving feedback? Looking for help with new church
As you may know, I’m planning a new Universalist Christian church, and I’m working on a document that describes it shape and mission, particularly in light of the by-laws revision that passed at General Assembly this year. It’ll take a second passing vote — pretty darn likely — and conceives of non-local congregations within the… Continue reading Interested in giving feedback? Looking for help with new church