Category Archives: Diversity

Unitarian Universalism, Fifty Years On

Last Sunday, the Unitarian Universalist Association turned 50! Time to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going. This one speaks directly to my own congregation, but I hope there’s something for all…

Peace,

Rev. Laura

***
Unitarian Universalism, 50 Years On
The Rev. Laura Horton-Ludwig, Minister
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Stockton
May 22, 2011

Happy anniversary, my dear church!
Or I should say, happy almost-anniversary.
Can you believe, this congregation will be 100 years old
in less than two years?
Unitarians came to Stockton early on.
And on March 28, 1913, we became a church:
the First Unitarian Church of Stockton.
Think of that: 100 years!
We’ve had our ups and downs,
just like any long-term relationship is going to have.
We’ve known a lot of wonderful good times,
and we’ve been around long enough
to know disappointment and heartbreak too.
That’s how it is when you dare to stick around. Continue reading

Leave a Comment

Filed under Congregational life, Diversity, Unitarian Universalism, universal salvation, welcoming

You’re Invited!

Today’s sermon is about inviting friends and family to come to church with us. This is something that I think is hard for a lot of people in my congregation, warm and welcoming as they are. As a sometimes-shy person myself, I know they’re not alone!

Peace,

Rev. Laura

***

You’re Invited!

The Rev. Laura Horton-Ludwig, Minister
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Stockton
August 22, 2010

Today I have three facts that I want to share with you.

Fact Number One:
29% of people living in the Western United States
are not connected to any religion or congregation whatsoever.
(Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, available at http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons#.)
That fact comes to us from a national study by the Pew Forum.
If we assume Stockton is about average in this regard,
that means about 80,000 people here in Stockton alone
don’t feel connected to a religious community.
That’s Fact Number One.

Fact Number Two:
Say there’s someone you know
who doesn’t belong to a church already.
If you were to ask that person to come to a church service with you,
researchers have found there’s a 90% chance
that person will come with you, right now or sometime in the future. Continue reading

Leave a Comment

Filed under Diversity, inviting, Unitarian Universalism, visitors, welcoming