Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus, Indiana

I came to UUCCI after prior experience at other Unitarian Universalist churches. While living in California I went church-shopping, and the UU church seemed to suit my needs best. Later, moving to Knoxville, Tennessee, I felt sure that the UU church would be the only place I would feel comfortable. I stay because it’s great to be part of a community that wants to make the world a better place. In some ways it’s similar to the Catholic Church I grew up in, but more welcoming and inclusive, and especially more fair to women. I was always a feminist, even before I knew what the word meant.

After being invited to visit several times over the years, we finally attended a service. I remember a display of paintings by Gretchen Marks, and a duet sung by artist Bob Pulley and his wife, poet Nancy Pulley. Being very visually oriented, these things in combination with the beautiful building had great appeal for me. We were not unhappy at our previous church, but UUCCI has become a very important part of life for us and our grandsons.

We ended up at UUCCI because of proximity. After driving by the building on Goeller Road whenever we went anywhere, we started asking questions from neighbors who attended here. We were members of another church and were not unhappy there, but this gave us what we were looking for in a church. I stayed and became involved because this church helps me crystallize what is important to me about trying to change things little by little in the world. This was the springboard for me to get involved in a number of non-profit organizations where I now volunteer.

My childhood included substantial influences from the progressive political and labor movements of the great depression. Also my family included several artists who were part of the 30’s bohemian crowd. They were of the agnostic and atheist persuasion.   Our Unitarian lack of dogma or superstition is very compatible with this background. In 1976 I joined the Columbus Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, which has always welcomed “free thinkers” of every persuasion including myself. What has really been wonderful over the decades is the joy of making new friendships amongst thinking people of diverse backgrounds. We have every age group and persuasion, businessmen, engineers, teachers, and professionals in our church. I’ve found every member to have an interesting story to tell about their path to Unitarian Universalism and feel like we’re all peers. It’s a great joy to be a member of this congregation.