Every Catholic mass I have every attended has been excruciatingly similar to every other one that if I fell asleep for the entire service I could still describe exactly what happened that day in church. I could daydream or be in a trance and still know precisely when to sit, stand, bow my head, sing, and repeat after the Father. I knew exactly when and how long each of these parts of the mass were going to last. There was no innovation; there was no deviating from the formulated structure. During today's service the Pastor stated that they were moving “the offering” to the end of the service so the congregation could hear his sermon on Thanksgiving first. I said to myself, “deviation from the pre-described formula?” I had never heard of such a thing in church. Then immediately it put a smile on my face to know that people knew deviating from the prescribed formula was not an end to it all. In fact, it could even enhance or enrich the experience. The Pastor wanted his sermon to be fresh in the minds of the people listening before the offering plate was passed around. He knew that people would have a better understanding of what the the collection plate was benefiting after hearing him speak, and hopefully bring in more money for the cause. This accepted attitude regarding change, in my opinion, reiterates the Unitarian Universalist belief that everyone must come to an understanding of God, religion, spirituality, and faith on their own. Everyone will find their own path and will come to their own conclusions, but that is okay. That is what is expected.
In the “First Unitarian Church of Providence Resource Book 2009-2010,” the mission of the church is described as follows: The First Unitarian Church of Providence is a safe harbor that welcomes liberal religious seekers. With intention, energy, commitment, and love, the people of this diverse faith community gather to...replenish and expand the spirit and the mind throughout life's journey, honor each other's gifts and minister to each other, and transform shared values into action in the world. Furthermore, members of the congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: the inherent worth and dignity of every person, justice, equity and compassion in human relations, acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations, a free and responsible search for truth and meaning, the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large, the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all, and respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. These ideals listed are exactly what the congregation portrayed itself to be. I did not read this list, which is promoted by the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, until after I left the church, but based on my observations and conversations with several congregation members and the pastor, I could have created a similar, yet definitely not verbatim, list just based on those conversations. Maybe I am being a bit optimistic and awe-struck because for the first time in my life I feel like I actually found a church that holds my views on what a church and religion should be like, but in my opinion, that is exactly what they are like. I've never heard so many people in church tell me, including the pastor, how it is up to the individual to come up with their own beliefs. How not everyone in the congregation feels the exact same way about God, Jesus, faith, and even religion. How everyone is a “child of the earth” and should be treated equally. How everyone has something to offer everyone else for we are all connected. How everyone should be challenging and constantly re-evaluating their views and beliefs as they grow older. These are the ideals of this community at large, and these are the ideals that were expressed to me during the two hours they welcomed me into their community as a guest.
One of the ideals that I found to be very prominent throughout the service was that of education. The Unitarian Universalist Church of Providence had many programs that supported the education and exploration of students of religion. Spiritual Pathways, the UU program for children and youth, provides a secure and nurturing environment in which to begin spiritual exploration. Children are encouraged to ask questions and challenge what they learn about the UU faith. Then, when they are about 12 or 13 years old, they become “Coming-of-Agers”, when they undergo a year of intense exploration before coming official members of the church. These “Coming-of-Agers” were very important in the Intergenerational Thanksgiving Service. For example, they assisted Reverend James in his telling of the Night ‘Fore Thanksgiving- A Kitchen Tool Story.
Every Catholic mass I have every attended has been excruciatingly similar to every other one that if I fell asleep for the entire service I could still describe exactly what happened that day in church. I could daydream or be in a trance and still know precisely when to sit, stand, bow my head, sing, and repeat after the Father. I knew exactly when and how long each of these parts of the mass were going to last. There was no innovation; there was no deviating from the formulated structure. During today's service the Pastor stated that they were moving “the offering” to the end of the service so the congregation could hear his sermon on Thanksgiving first. I said to myself, “deviation from the pre-described formula?” I had never heard of such a thing in church. Then immediately it put a smile on my face to know that people knew deviating from the prescribed formula was not an end to it all. In fact, it could even enhance or enrich the experience. The Pastor wanted his sermon to be fresh in the minds of the people listening before the offering plate was passed around. He knew that people would have a better understanding of what the the collection plate was benefiting after hearing him speak, and hopefully bring in more money for the cause. This accepted attitude regarding change, in my opinion, reiterates the Unitarian Universalist belief that everyone must come to an understanding of God, religion, spirituality, and faith on their own. Everyone will find their own path and will come to their own conclusions, but that is okay. That is what is expected.
ReplyDeleteIn the “First Unitarian Church of Providence Resource Book 2009-2010,” the mission of the church is described as follows:
The First Unitarian Church of Providence is a safe harbor that welcomes liberal religious seekers. With intention, energy, commitment, and love, the people of this diverse faith community gather to...replenish and expand the spirit and the mind throughout life's journey, honor each other's gifts and minister to each other, and transform shared values into action in the world. Furthermore, members of the congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote:
the inherent worth and dignity of every person, justice, equity and compassion in human relations, acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations, a free and responsible search for truth and meaning, the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large, the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all, and respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
These ideals listed are exactly what the congregation portrayed itself to be. I did not read this list, which is promoted by the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, until after I left the church, but based on my observations and conversations with several congregation members and the pastor, I could have created a similar, yet definitely not verbatim, list just based on those conversations. Maybe I am being a bit optimistic and awe-struck because for the first time in my life I feel like I actually found a church that holds my views on what a church and religion should be like, but in my opinion, that is exactly what they are like. I've never heard so many people in church tell me, including the pastor, how it is up to the individual to come up with their own beliefs. How not everyone in the congregation feels the exact same way about God, Jesus, faith, and even religion. How everyone is a “child of the earth” and should be treated equally. How everyone has something to offer everyone else for we are all connected. How everyone should be challenging and constantly re-evaluating their views and beliefs as they grow older. These are the ideals of this community at large, and these are the ideals that were expressed to me during the two hours they welcomed me into their community as a guest.
One of the ideals that I found to be very prominent throughout the service was that of education. The Unitarian Universalist Church of Providence had many programs that supported the education and exploration of students of religion. Spiritual Pathways, the UU program for children and youth, provides a secure and nurturing environment in which to begin spiritual exploration. Children are encouraged to ask questions and challenge what they learn about the UU faith. Then, when they are about 12 or 13 years old, they become “Coming-of-Agers”, when they undergo a year of intense exploration before coming official members of the church. These “Coming-of-Agers” were very important in the Intergenerational Thanksgiving Service. For example, they assisted Reverend James in his telling of the Night ‘Fore Thanksgiving- A Kitchen Tool Story.
ReplyDelete