I went to a UU church last Sunday (not yesterday, yesterday was a personal/recovery day). My boyfriend drove, big surprise. Over the front door of the church was a Black Lives Matter sign, what an entrance. A kind greeter welcomed us without coming across as fake or sickly sweet. We plopped ourselves at the end of a pew, and looked around. Two small pride flags on the altar, and a giant organ (Phenomenal organist) was off to the side. The sanctuary was... dark. Lots of dark wood beams and wooden paneled walls and lots of small windows. Before the worship set, the leader said "Please stand in body or spirit" which is such a simple, inclusive way to include people who can and cannot stand. No one clapped, they signed applause, like with ASL. Not sure why, but everyone did it. The reverend was probably in her thirties.
She invited everyone to sit on the stage and she sat with them and told a story called The Everything Seed by Carole Martignacco. Just the kids came up a few old people with “limber knees”. It's about evolution. She's talking about evolution to the kids on a church stage saying things like “we don't know why but one day it woke up… and the universe was born” and “We were all there inside that tiny seed” and "Each of you is shining already. And each of you are enfolding together." It was a little jarring, this specific topic being shared in church.
The audience sang “guide my feet” as the kids exited to their classrooms, which was a little weird. Another lady read "I Thank you God" by e e Cummings for the morning's sacred text. Then the reverend launched into literary essay basically. Summarizing and referencing a bunch of myths on evolution with the them of connectedness. She went into detail about the second creation story in Genesis. She built a beautiful, climbing speech about the western Christian myths of creation and how that sews entitlement that leads to us almost eradicating whales and creating inhumane country borders. I don't have good notes because I was entranced. The key word was dominion, western interpretations of genesis justify pollution and climate change because one day they will be raptured so why care now. All these references and concluding points. It was substantive. Does she write these every week? Her presentation skills are fantastic. Her voice lulling and comforting and strong. She ended with “Let us tell a new story together, where all of our flourishing is mutual.”
They then collected offering, the screen read “Non-pledged gifts today will support the East Bay Center for the Blind” and a woman read about the organization. Every month they choose a local non-profit to support, which is so cool. The first thing my boyfriend said to me was he won't be able to get me to leave, and if I had attended this place two years ago, yeah. This would have been my home, at least for awhile. But it's not. It wasn't as trash as other churches I've attended, but it's not for me. I don't want religion. I think, if I had come here sooner, I would have outgrown it too, like I outgrew the Jesus feminist movement and practicing the hermeneutics of recurperation to convince myself the Bible still could be my guidebook. Now I don't give a fuck about the Bible, I don't need to critically analyze a few verses to give myself permission to not be transmisic or heterosexist anymore. I'm done with it.
I'll probably drag myself here every other week. It's the best church I've been too and my parents are getting nervous about my church hopping, I think. If I'm reading their vibes right. Anyway, I will keep you updated, gotta scootch off and do some homework and chores before watching The Fosters- such a ridiculous, high stress show hahaha. I love you, and I hope you are doing well. It feels like forever since we called, so let's do that soon <3
-Rachel B.