AN EVANGELIST FOR HOPE
January 26, 2003
The Reverend Anne Felton Hines
I've got some good news, and some bad news.
The good news is that Unitarian Universalism has begun making it into mainstream press, and not just when we do something shocking or our UUA president gets misquoted! In an L.A. Times article last year on the decline of mainstream religions in America, Unitarian Universalism was actually included separately rather than simply being thrown in with "Other!" Perhaps this was because we were one of the few in the list that had been increasing in membership.
Around the same time, The Christian Century - a fairly major liberal Protestant magazine to which I subscribe - included an entire two-page article about our movement, written by John Dart, former Religion editor of the L. A. Times; I felt as if we'd made it!
But now for the bad news: The article by Dart reported that the records of the Unitarian Universalist Association claim that almost 157,000 adults in this country are members of UU congregations. Yet according to a national survey, 629,000 adults identify themselves as Unitarian Universalists! That's four times the number of official members. Why aren't those other 472,000 folks in our churches?!
One reason suggested by Mr. Dart for this huge discrepancy is that these unchurched folks simply don't feel the need for a religious community, other than maybe at Christmas. And I know that's true; even people raised as UUs often don't join a church as an adult until they have children of their own. But I find that sad, as I know the gifts such a community can provide. I also know that those people who don't feel the need for a religious community now, will most likely feel the need when they have a death in their family, or a wedding, or some other rite-of-passage. And that's OK, I guess; I'd just rather they had the benefit of being personally connected to the church, especially the minister, before they call on us.
But more disturbing to me are the new people who do find their way to our UU churches on a Sunday morning, but never return after their first - or second or third visit. Do we call them when they don't return, and find out why? Rarely.
Indeed, do we even phone them during that first week after their initial visit, to welcome them and ask if they have any questions or concerns - a practice known to raise the odds of their return? Not often. And whenever I encourage a congregation to make such calls, I'm met with resistance. We're so afraid of appearing too eager - too "evangelical."
But now I want to share some even worse news: I don't know the numbers, but I bet there are also thousands of people in this country who don't identify themselves as Unitarian Universalists, because they've never even heard of us! And that's the biggest shame of all.
It has been said that Unitarian Universalism is the best-kept secret around, and I believe that to be true. How many times has it come up in a conversation that you're a UU, and the other person has said, "huh?" And there you are, having to explain this very old and complex religious tradition. And sometimes, I imagine, the person ends up walking away, scratching their head, with a very puzzled expression on their face.
But sometimes, their eyes light up, and they say, "Well that's what I believe! I didn't know there was a religion like that!" And who knows? It may be just the time in their life when they desperately need a community such as ours.
We Unitarian Universalists are so afraid to push our religion on others - to "proselytize" in any way; we all have such awful memories of feeling trapped in a corner by someone proselytizing us at some time in our lives! But I will remind you that the religious fundamentalists, of every tradition, aren't afraid to proselytize; they are the fastest-growing movements in the country. Is their message the one that we want influencing our children? Is their theology what we want determining the direction of the country?
Unitarian Universalism has a saving message - a "Gospel," if you will, of hope and transformation, which has nurtured our souls, and which our world desperately needs today. It is a gospel of faith in the human potential for goodness over evil. Our "good news" tells us that every person is inherently worthy, which means that we, ourselves, are worthy - a gift, no matter how wretched we may sometimes think we are. UUism does not believe that humans were born in sin, but rather born a blessing. What a crucial message for this world of ours!
Our Gospel suggests that all paths to religious understanding and spiritual deepening contain value - all beliefs, and even lack of belief. Last week I overheard a woman at the peace vigil, upon noticing that it was an "interfaith" vigil, asked if she could join since she was an atheist. I wanted to tell her that Unitarian Universalism believes that atheism is a valid faith, but she turned away before I had the chance. The only question we ask is whether a particular path moves one toward spiritual wholeness and life, or toward brokenness and decay; we choose life.
Our Gospel teaches us that it is better to allow all voices to be heard, than to risk censorship. The fear of conflict or of minority opinions should never stifle anyone. Ours is an inclusive and courageous faith.
Our UU gospel affirms the unity of life - the thread connecting all that is. It calls us to remember that we are merely co-inhabitors of this earth, and have an obligation to live alongside the rest of Creation, caring for the earth and its creatures.
Our Unitarian Universalist "good news" teaches that if the beliefs and values we espouse each Sunday morning are to endure, they must be embodied in both our personal and our professional relationships, as well as in our service to and advocacy for others beyond ourselves. Otherwise, they become meaningless.
All these teachings and affirmations are part of our Unitarian Universalist Gospel, or "Good News." They offer hope for the transformation of lives, and, therefore, of the world. Why in the world would we want to keep it hidden? As the Rev. Harvey Joyner, Jr. writes: "Our story is rich with the personalities of those who have suffered, bled, and died that we might inherit a legacy of freedom and promise….Isn't it about time that we go tell it on the mountain?"
We owe something to all those who "suffered, bled, and died" for our inheritance. But we also owe something to those living who might be in need of our message.
On the day of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington last year, while all of America was trembling with horror, I was meeting with a woman named Julie, whose 17-year-old son had committed suicide two days earlier. This woman had never joined a church, because none of them that she knew of offered what she needed - none of them. But now she was suddenly faced with the painful task of finding a church and a minister to perform a memorial service for her beloved son. She had never heard of Unitarian Universalism, but fortunately, her aunt and uncle had, and they called me.
As I met with this distraught mother, listened to her grief, and began to create a proper memorial for her child, she finally learned that there existed a faith that would encourage her to follow her own spiritual path, while offering her comfort and courage in her darkest hour. We held the memorial service a few days later, and the following Sunday Julie attended my worship service, because she felt the need for a religious community, and finally she had found one that could possibly sustain her.
She did eventually join the church, and was a consistent presence on Sunday morning. I am so glad that she found UUism; but how very sad that she had to wait until tragedy led her to us. Imagine what gifts we might have provided earlier in her life. And while I wouldn't suggest that we could have prevented her son's suicide, still…what kind of gifts might we have provided him as well?
If Unitarian Universalism is going to be there for people facing life's challenges, or be a transforming influence in the world, we must move beyond our fear of evangelism. If this church is going to grow, and help transform the lives of people in the West San Fernando Valley, I believe we must embrace the concept of proactively sharing our "Good News."
UU minister John Morgan defines evangelism as simply "sharing our dream with others in order to transform the world." "…sharing our dream with others in order to transform the world;" not to coerce anyone to change their beliefs, but simply to offer a message of transformation. It is, he contends, "what a church does when it feels it has a saving message and can't help but share it with others."
Just about every UU church and fellowship I know contends that they want new members - they want to grow; so they spend a lot of money on advertising in the local newspapers. But do you know that those ads are the least effective means of getting the word out? People generally don't look at newspaper listings when seeking a church - certainly if they've never even heard of us. If they do search the newspaper listings specifically for a UU church (and I'm sure some of you did find your way here after seeing a newspaper ad listing Emerson), and don't find it there, they go to the phone book and find us; and of course, these days the Internet is incredibly productive.
That's not to say that newspaper publicity isn't important; it is. We should be sending press releases to the press every time we do something important here at Emerson; that's free advertising. Yet that kind of publicity, too, has been one of the most difficult roles to fill in every church I've served, including Emerson. In the upcoming issue of Leaves, you'll see an article by Barbara Leighton asking for people to fill certain volunteer positions, one of which is that of Publicity Chair; I urge some of you to apply for that position.
But there is another form of publicity that is more effective than any other, and that is simply telling your friends about your church, and inviting them to attend with you. And it costs nothing (unless you want to bribe them with lunch afterwards!). Yet this tool is rarely used by UUs. We're just so afraid of appearing pushy!
But I have begun to get bolder. One evening two years ago, while living in San Luis Obispo, I was having dinner with the DRE of the UU Fellowship there. We were sitting in a small restaurant in Morro Bay, and across the aisle from us was a family of four - mom and dad, who looked to be in their early 30s, plus two children, ages about 4 and 6. Every once in a while, Kandi and I would become distracted from our conversation by this lovely family - either by something one of the children was saying, or by the interactions of them all. We'd catch their eyes, and for a moment enter their conversation, and then return to our own. This went on throughout our dinner.
Finally, as Kandi and I were getting ready to leave, I lowered my voice and said to her, "They sound like UUs." Kandi agreed. I continued, "I want to tell them about the Fellowship!" Kandi said she'd been thinking the same thing. But we were a bit timid; after all, who were we to intrude on their family with our faith? But the strength of our feelings persisted.
So finally, as we were about to leave, we walked over to their table. I told them how much we'd been enjoying our small interactions with them. And then I said, "I'm the minister of the Unitarian Universalist church in town, and this is our Religious Education director. I don't know if you belong to any religious community, but if not, we both think you might like ours; we have a terrific program for the children."
The mom and dad smiled (a great relief to Kandi and me!), and informed us that they were there on vacation, and that they lived in Washington, D.C. But, they said, they did know of a UU church back home, and had been thinking of visiting it. Now, for sure, they would.
I encourage you to share your faith with others. Tell your friends and co-workers, with pride and enthusiasm, about this wonderful religious community, and what it has given you. And then invite them, if they're unchurched, to come with you some Sunday. Indeed, Al Trumpler has promised to remind me each month to alert you all to upcoming sermons that might be good to bring a friend to. But you don't have to wait for that; bring a friend any Sunday; they may be in need of us.
Of course, once you bring the people in, there's more to be done. For if people are going to stay, they need to feel wanted. Every Sunday the Membership Committee provides Greeters at our Welcome Desk out front, who graciously welcome everyone who walks through the front doors, and try to hand information to newcomers and get them to sign the guest book. But that's a big job.
So I suggest that each of us are Greeters on Sunday morning; it's everyone's responsibility to help newcomers feel welcome and informed (except those of you who are newcomers, of course!). And when you introduce yourself to someone new, take them and introduce them to someone else - not just me, but another member who, like you, has found a "transforming message" in Unitarian Universalism, and a community of support and strength here at Emerson.
And who knows? Maybe we'll create here at Emerson an "Evangelism Award;" it might even be called the "Phil Davis Evangelism Award," as he is the most passionate evangelist for Unitarian Universalism that I've met in a long time! Perhaps it would be awarded each year to that Emersonian who had done the most to spread the word in the larger community by helping with our publicity; or who had done the most towards Emerson's growth by bringing friends; or who had greeted the most newcomers on Sunday mornings and helped them integrate into the life of Emerson. Just a thought…!
The good news is that there is a religion that offers a faith in human beings, a trust in inner wisdom and goodness, an affirmation of reason and individual conscience in one's spiritual quest, and a commitment to justice and peace in the world. Unitarian Universalism is "a religion that teaches our hearts to hope and our hands to serve," and we and our world need that today.
And the good news is that there is, here in the West San Fernando Valley, a thriving and energetic congregation of Unitarian Universalists, who love and argue together, laugh and cry together, who celebrate their diversity and move with a unity of spirit, and who share in a ministry to the children, to each other, and to the wider world. This congregation is a blessing; it provides hearts that hope and ands that serve. Spread it around.
Someone out there might be in need of us.
© 2003 Anne Felton Hines. All rights reserved.
