Ministerial Musings, Rev. Betty

As I think you know, I am passionate about being a Unitarian Universalist. And one of the saddest things I hear from people who are new to us is, “I think I have been a UU all my life. I just didn’t know it.” Of course, I am glad they found us. But the question that I have to ask myself is why they didn’t discover us sooner. If you believe, as I do, that we have a message that the world needs to hear, why are we so reluctant to share what we have discovered?

According to an article in the Montclair, California, UU congregation’s newsletter, it is estimated that 85% of new UUs come for the first time because of an invitation from a friend or acquaintance. Now, if that is true, I believe we need to look at what we are doing to spread our unique brand of “good news.” In that same article, they also included a questionnaire to measure a person’s Invitation Quotient? Answer the questions below to discover your I.Q.  

1. Have you spoken to anyone lately to share what being a Unitarian Universalist means to you?
2. Have you ever called someone that you haven’t seen at one of our activities for a while to find out how she or he is doing?
3. Have you invited a newcomer in the community to come to one of our services or events in the last few months?  
4. Have you encouraged or invited someone who isn’t participating in another religious community to come with you to one of our social events, programs, or groups?  
5. During the past month, have you introduced yourself before or after our service to someone you didn’t know and shared your personal word of greeting and welcome?  
6. Have you shared a UU brochure, the UU World magazine, or our newsletter with someone that you think might be interested in our history and principles?  

If all of us could answer an honest “yes” to all six of these questions, our Invitation Quotient would be terrific. If not, we need to find ways to improve it. Somewhere out in our larger community there are people just waiting to learn more about us. They might not even know that there is a UU congregation here.

I believe that spreading the word about Unitarian Universalism and working for the growth of our congregation is a Moral Imperative. Let’s not keep those potential UUs waiting.

Blessings, Rev. Betty

p.s. See the article in this newsletter about our preparation for UUCVH to become a "Welcoming Congregation"  for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) folks. That’s another way of enhancing our IQ.