Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus, Indiana

I’m just a simple guy who has lived a wild life. I am a recovering alcoholic, sober for nine years. In my sobriety process, I started to crave something outside myself and attended about fifteen different churches. I stayed for the longest time at one particularly friendly church, and was even baptized there and became a member. Then a friend asked if I would come with him to watch the Tibetan monks making their sand mandala at the Unitarian building. When I mentioned at my church that I might visit the Unitarian Universalist church, I got a strong negative reaction. I thought that reaction was curious, and not very open-minded. I went two or three times that week to watch the Buddhist monks, and learned that the monks were not part of the Unitarian church. I wondered what kind of church welcomes other religions. I attended a newcomers’ group and kept coming back. I used to be rigid and conservative, critical of others. The UU church has helped me change. It reminds me that the world is not all about me. I have found more joy and openness to different kinds of people. It’s freeing to let the world be as it is. A.A. (Alcoholics Anonymous) set me on the path, but U. U. (Unitarian Universalism) is the next step for me. I grew up in a violent home where there was prejudice against many different kinds of people. Now I can look at people as diverse from my upbringing as Hindus or gays, and know they are kind, loving, forgiving, and understanding. In other churches I clung to the nice, kind people, but in my mind I felt like I was in a closet. UUCCI has allowed me to be OK with who I am and with being a...

I had been raised in a church but had stopped attending when I went to college. It did not resonate; it had no meaning for me, so I never thought of looking for a church as an adult. When my wife Judy and I moved to Columbus, she was looking for a church community and saw something in the paper about a service at UUCCI. She went to one service and came home excited. She said, “You’ve got to come with me next week.” So I did and we’ve been here ever since. I am enriched by the experience. I never considered myself a spiritual person, but I guess we all have a spiritual dimension, and this is the place that nourishes mine. As individuals, we need to engage with our community, and although this church may be small, I think we do that well. I wish more people knew about us. A measure of what this church does for us is that when we drive home on Sunday morning, there’s always food for discussion. When I went to mass with my first wife, that sort of stimulation was missing from the service. Now there’s something every week that makes me think about my beliefs, my place in the world, and what is meaningful.

I was raised Catholic but got away from going to church. I tried to go back a few times, but it just didn’t work for me. I went to lots of churches looking for a church home. Then someone told me about the [Unitarian Universalist] Seven Principles. I went to a service at the old church on Eighth Street, and I’ve been at home here ever since. I stay because it’s a different breed of people. In fact, I woke up just this morning and said, “Those are the people I need to be with.”

When I started coming to UUCCI, I had only been to another UU church a couple of times. And I was returning to the community after being away for more than six years. I thought it would be a good way for my wife and I to get reconnected with the community. Here I found a group of like-minded individuals that I never knew existed in Columbus, Indiana. Within the first few years, I was singing in the choir, then served on the Board. After that I joined the Sunday Service Team. There is much more, of course, but the short version is: I have found a home here.

A few years back, I attended an "Americana concert" here. The concert was great, featuring some of the talented church members. Looking around afterwards, I noticed the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Seven Principles on the wall and thought, “Wow, why had I never heard of this place?” So I attended a few services and was pleasantly surprised. The UU church seems to embody what I want to see in our world. A place of spiritual richness that has its arms open wide. There is no "I'm right and you're wrong" here. This is a place where we can discuss and accept and even celebrate our differences. A place of "spiritual seekers" trying to make sense of this world without pushing an agenda or creed. A place of mutual acceptance and respect for each other that I am proud to be a part of.

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.