Skip to main content

What difference does First Unitarian make in your life?

There are many diverse perspectives, opinions, political views and experiences within our community.  I value the opportunity to engage with new ideas and I appreciate the trust and acceptance we share that allows us to speak honestly about our convictions.  Seth Popinchalk 


  I feel very fortunate to be part of the First Unitarian Church community.  Sue and I joined the church in 2009 after we registered Kate and Lauren for the Religious Education program.  Both Sue and I grew up going to church, and I think we were looking for a place where our children could gain the valuable experience of having a faith community.

At First U, I feel we share intentionality in our relationships with each other that we don't always find in the rest of our life. I see an emphasis on living the covenant that defines our UU faith.  Specifically the first three principles:

We 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.

Our children have made friends through the church from all over the city; children and adults who look out for them and care for them.  I value the opportunity for my girls to have friends from outside their school community; disconnected from the classroom social dynamics that naturally form as children grow up together.

I even see signs that my girls are freely choosing to be part of this community.  When Kate received her invitation to join the middle school youth group BYKOTA she told me she was looking forward to it and had already made special plans to get a purple octopus...(it must be a BYKOTA thing)!

I enjoy building relationships with other members and friends of First U.  There are many diverse perspectives, opinions, political views and experiences within our community.  I value the opportunity to engage with new ideas and I appreciate the trust and acceptance we share that allows us to speak honestly about our convictions.

What difference does First Unitarian make in my life?  First U is the community where I can make connections that cross beliefs and experience and enrich my family's life.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Member Stories: A Conversation with Linda Tartaglia

A conversation with Linda Tartaglia about joining First Unitarian and getting involved in the church community. Brian Shea: How long have you and your family been members of the church? Linda Tartaglia: About 2 years now. My husband Jim attended first, and then I started in the spring about a year later and by the end of the summer/early fall, that’s when we became members. Brian: A few months ago I was ushering and Jim was the welcome person in the front of the church. So we were just kind of chatting and it was funny because I think our family joined around the same time your family did, but I just assumed you had been members for a long time. You know when you go into a new place you assume that everyone has been there for a long time? So he was like, “oh yeah, we just joined relatively soon”. And he had mentioned, that he was brought up in the Catholic Church. Linda: Yeah. Me too. Brian: My wife and I as well, so we were kind of chatting abo

New Member Stories: Emily Miller and Jim Burakiewicz

"We wanted to be part of what made the Church a place we were drawn to." This week's post is an interview with Emily Miller and Jim Burakiewicz about their experiences as new members of the First Unitarian community. Before you began attending First Unitarian, had you been attending another church or other faith community? No, not since childhood. Emily had explored Unitarianism before, but had not found a place that fit. Jim had been brought up Catholic and had not attended church for years. How did you hear about First Unitarian and what made you decide to visit? Emily had initially found First Unitarian and was interested in its history. We were both looking for a deeper community here in Worcester and decided that First Unitarian was a place to look for it. Why did you decide to become active participants in the church community? We found that everyone was so welcoming and friendly that we wanted to become contributing members of the church. As a path of

An Outstanding Day One for the Annual Pledge Drive

" It is rare indeed that people give.  Most people guard and keep. "  If this observation from James Baldwin, one of our contry's most respected philosophers and novelists, is true, then the opening Sunday of our Annual Stewardship Pledge Drive was a rare one indeed.  Consider these day one  statistics : Total amound pledged: $96,628 (32% of our $300,000 goal !) Number of pledges: 62 (6 of these were first time pledges !) A whopping 56% increased their pledge over last year ! Let us keep the momentum going!  If you have not yet sent in your pledge, do so today.   This is truly a wonderful beginning, and it was made even more special by our interim minister's homily.  If you missed Tracey's message, what follows are a few of her memorable and moving insights.  We come through these doors in search, in need, in hope, in prayer. We come looking for something to make our lives better; to make the lives of our family, our friends, our neigh