Seriously...Do Unitarians just go on vacation all summer?

:wtf:

Both the one here and in my parents' town stop Sunday services in June until the fall. I don't get it.

Anyone know?

I guess the MA ones are just lazy.

that closes for the summer has for years.... It has a small congregation looking at the cars in the lot on Sunday



lost

Those Churches with their massively high ceilings are a bitch to keep cool in temperature. And overall our Churches are receiving far much less in donations with the impact of the recession.

But I still find that odd. They could close out most activities and just keep the service going. Hopefully the pastors are active in the community reaching out to those who might need them.

I think some churches who close up for the summer are not giving themselves enough credit. We have a slight dip in attendance, but it is not a drastic one. Reducing or eliminating basic programming sends a terrible message in my opinion.

That being said, my congregation better darned well show up on Sunday. I'm working hard on my sermon. "What I've Learned From Facebook.com" Seriously. http://www.uubrevard.org

I'd love to read it.

I started going to the local Presbyterian Church.

The first week the elder pastor mentioned that torture is wrong. I figured this could be a decent place.

The next week the younger pastor joked about how he's a progressive pastor who went to a very conservative college, intern at for a Roman Catholic church all while bartending nights & weekends to pay for school.

My local peace group holds their weekly meetings there so I figured this would be a good church.

The one in VA I wnet to sometimes only had the 11:00 service in the Summer, instead of the 9 and 11.

Ask Pacifist Patriot -- she knows all their little secrets.

- Geraldine Granger a.k.a. Dawn French

The last thing we need is for Midlo to get access to the communion wine.

Do you have to be audited?

And STILL made her early-morning flight from Newark!

I'll have to check them out.

In the mysterious Limbo known as "Central Jersey."

Imagine that. Gay, induction cooking, and in the wilds of Central Jersey!

Are you anywhere near there?

Except for the part about making my flight. I did indeed make it to Newark at that ungodly hour.

There's got to be a UU "recovering Scientologists" group somewhere...

transpired over 10 hours. And personally I think it was a glass shy of being three full bottles.

Secondly, it was the first time I was away from the husband and three kids in years. Hair was begging to be let down.

:)

I do love not being what people expect. Party girl minister is one way.

Last Sunday I delivered the sermon at a UU Fellowship I'd never been to before. One gentleman, whom I knew because he is a radio personality and has spoken at my church in the past, came up to me and said, "I can't tell you how much I love that you look so quintessentially conservative (dressed in a gray suit) and seem like butter wouldn't melt in your mouth. Then you took one of our cherished beliefs and kicked it in the balls. Well done!"

High praise indeed.

No more services until after Labor Day. And I was actually planning on going. Discouraging. I checked another one, 20 minutes from my parents' house, same thing. x(

See if they have any Christian Liberation Episcopals around there.

Next best thing.

near my parents place. :)

I'm curious now!

they did tell you about the plan for world domination, right? :evilgrin:

alter their programming for the summer months because of a variety of concerns. Lower attendance, ministerial sabbaticals and practical matters.

My church does not change its worship service schedule for the summer, but we do take a break in the religious education programming for children. The children have supervised play rather than structured classes during the summer. Instead of having scheduled topics/speakers for our adult forum series we have open discussion.

One church I attended in New Jersey held summer services in the social hall rather than the larger sanctuary because they had lower attendance and the sanctuary did not have air conditioning like the social hall.

Full-time fellowshipped ministers often have summer sabbaticals written into their contracts. Our annual General Assembly is at the end of June and this enables them to attend as well as get a much needed vacation, writing projects, academic pursuits, etc.

Most UU churches have some programming during the summer. Very few close up shop completely. My guess is these congregations may be small ones that do not have the resources or infrastructure to maintain a worship service schedule with a greatly reduced attendance. Or they are so reliant on ministers they do not feel capable of structuring lay lead services.

That does lay-lead services in the summer. I'll check it out. :)

Thanks! :hi:

The parents volunteer to lead the kids in some activity or other during the summer. I have to figure out what I'm going to do with them when my turn comes.

The congregation dropped down to less than 30% (that was tops) over the summer ...weekends at least at the cottage, the whole summer there for some. Might have made sense to close up. It just didn't feel right.

Not trying to hijack the thread, but I am darn proud of our church. I placed the following text at the top of our website just yesterday:

Centenary United Methodist Church is Virginia's first United Methodist Reconciling Congregation, extending hospitality and encouraging full participation of all, regardless of age, race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, educational or economic background, and physical or mental ability.

http://centumc.org/

http://www.rmnetwork.org/

Plus, swimboy and I sing in the choir, so you know its all good!

mikey_the_rat

that's encouraging!

The summer services are a bit more low-key and creative.

I'm a lay leader and member of the worship committee, and I'm leading the Summer Solstice service on June 21.

It's true that many UU congregations knock off for the summer. This gives people time to attend General Assembly, among other things. Also, a lot of our church buildings aren't air conditioned and get intolerably hot in summer.

Like La Foret in Carbondale, CO. I recommend it highly!!

:D :hi:

Now, why UUs get together in Oklahoma in the summer I don't know!!!

:loveya:

RL

Everyone else better show up or there's hell to pay.