Kat and I started coming to UUCC in October of 2024, looking for a larger community in the light of the potential (now all too real) political climate. We didn’t really know what to expect from that first visit, and we weren’t sure if we were in the right place (and if I’m honest, if we had to come through the “front” door, we may not have even gone in.) We were greeted by a few individuals who recognized us as being new, stumbled along through the songs we had never sung before, and sat mesmerized as Randy spoke gently but powerfully addressing the very fears that had driven us to seek this community out. As we drove away after that first visit, we looked at each other and both said “…so we’re coming back next week, right?” We joined as members in April of 2025, only because we couldn’t attend the “Considering Membership” sessions earlier.
Both of us grew up with some deeply rooted church traumas – a baptist hellfire upbringing for Kat and a CMA “if we disguise our hate with drums and electric guitars you’ll think we’re not just baptists” joyride for Jonathan, and by the time we were in our early twenties both of us had thrown out the Church bathwater with the baby Jesus, so it was genuinely shocking how quickly coming to UUCC every week became part of our routine. We started attending small groups, our first being Needlers where we quickly made friends and found connections to other groups. Then we started hosting our own small group based around board games. Now Kat works with YRE and I am leading the Pagan and Earth Centered Spirituality group at UUCC. This is firmly, deeply, our home.
We weren’t part of the church before the reunification, and so for us it has always just been UUCC, and our first real spiritual home. I don’t think we even thought of ourselves as Unitarian Universalists until our UUCC family showed us what liberating love really meant.
When Randy reached out asking to speak with us about the Building our Tomorrows campaign, we said yes because we see so much potential here. Kat and I often ask ourselves why there aren’t more people our age here, and we wonder how much of it is simply because they don’t know what they would find here. It is, after all, an old church building like so many other church buildings. Does it truly reflect the vibrancy, warmth, acceptance, community, and welcoming unconditional love you find if you take the chance and walk inside? This is our second home – and like any home, it needs maintenance, upgrades, and care. We are so happy that we have the chance to be a part of this new chapter from the very beginning, and cannot wait to see what Tomorrows we can build.
Share this post: