UU MEMBERS AND FRIENDS

The questions sometimes arise: What is the difference between members and friends in the UU church? and/or Why should I join the UU church? There is no easy answer to these questions. Because we are a liberal religious community with no religious dogma, we do not ask our members to “profess” their faith when they join. One simply has to sign our membership book. That’s all…. We certainly hope that those who are drawn to our community come because they are in agreement with our 7 principles and honor our diverse liberal religious views.

Being a member means that you are “counted” in our census. We have 48 “member” units at this time. This means that we actually report to our national group – the UUA – that that is our membership. We pay dues in the amount of about $80/yr. per member to our national and regional groups. As members, we each receive the quarterly UU magazine, The UU World. (A copy is usually on display on that back table.)

Only members can serve on the Board. Only members can vote at our annual meeting.

But membership does not necessarily mean a different level of commitment. One does not have to be a member to serve on our committees. One does not have to be a member to make a financial pledge; and conversely members do not have to pledge. (But pledging does make budgeting easier!) We have friends who are very active in the daily life of our church, while there are some members who we rarely see. There are friends who have attended for years; there are people who sign the membership book soon after starting to come.

So being a friend vs. being a member is a very personal choice in the UU church. What counts is what it means to you. Some people who are drawn to our liberal ways, are just generally opposed to “joining up.” Others feel that signing up is an important expression of commitment.

Wherever you stand on this issue, we welcome you. We hope that you find strength and meaning and support in our community. And we hope you find a place where you want to be involved and share of your time, talent, and treasures.