I was raised in a Missouri Synod Lutheran church and school, attending from age 6 and being Confirmed at age 13.  After that, I felt that I needed a breather to “recover from brainwashing,” so I needed to clear my head.  I had been taught to despise hypocrisy, and so felt I did not really belong there anymore.

I then went to a public high school, in the East Bay Area. In college at UC Santa Cruz, I mostly avoided the invitations to join the student religious groups.  As an adult, I didn’t regularly attend any church, but I missed the Christmas pageantry and singing of hymns learned during my childhood, so I would occasionally visit a nearby Presbyterian church during the holidays, with husband and kids in tow. It was enough for me at the time.  

Part of me regretted not having gotten my kids more involved, so I would try to teach them the basic Bible stories at home, with the help of a little book given to us by my father-in-law.  I felt the kids needed to know who Noah was, for example, as well as all of the Bible stories about Jesus…culturally, in order to fit in with other students.

After I retired and moved to the Livermore area, I looked for a non-denominational church where I could enjoy a more philosophical approach to religion: relaxed beliefs and camaraderie with intelligent people with similar feelings.  I visited a Sunday service at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Livermore, and immediately felt that I would fit in there. The congregation was very friendly and welcoming. I began by joining the choir, and afterward committed to becoming a Member.

Several years have now passed, and I enjoy participating in activities with other Members, such as the movie club.  I volunteered as Treasurer with the Executive Board, where I felt that my strong business background could be of use to the congregation, and help with the legal issues (employment law) that come with employing people and arranging contract work with licensed and insured outside vendors.  I have really enjoyed my time with UUCiL. —Kathy Miller

I recently retired and was looking for ways to spend my time. I tried volunteering with different organizations, but none of them really seemed to fit. Then my wife started getting involved in the local UU church, and I went with her a few times. The people were very friendly, and I liked the Church’s belief in respecting everyone, no matter their background. Later on, I heard that they needed help on the Building and Grounds Committee, which was perfect for me, so I volunteered, and I have been attending every Sunday Service since then! –Jeff Miller

How fortunate I was to grow up in the Fellowship! My family became members before I can remember and I was involved with the congregation until leaving for college in 1990. I still enjoy coming back for special events. The values the UU community instilled in me of fostering tolerance, understanding and justice and seeking the oneness of peoples everywhere are still core to my beliefs. Now, when asked what religion I am, I still identify as UU, although it has been years since I’ve been a member of a congregation. That said, I live in San Francisco, which has a wonderful UU church, and am about to have a baby girl—that’s been making me think it may be time to join the SF congregation! —Johanna Hartwig

I didn’t really grow up with any religion, but when I turned 13 I started to explore my identity on my own and part of that was religion. I had a good friend who was Mormon, and I went to a Sunday service with her once. Everyone was nice and wholesome, but I couldn’t get past the belief that “Jesus died for your sins.” It boggled my mind that someone who was no longer alive died for the sins of people not born yet. It just didn’t make sense to me. Frankly, a lot of things in the Bible didn’t make sense to me, so I decided not to join a church at that age.

As a young adult who had recently graduated from college, I had a hard time making adult friends, so I went to the young-adult meetings at a big Bay Area church. Again, I liked the people, but the more meetings I went to, the more it rubbed me the wrong way. I couldn’t related with others when they talked about when they first found Jesus, and I disagreed with them that being LGBTQ+ was a choice and a sin. Once again my enthusiasm for religion greatly waned.

Now, as a middle-aged adult, I would like to be connected to my community, and I couldn’t find a community service group that suited me. I remember seeing somewhere in my travels that women could be ministers for this one religion that I had never heard of before–Unitarian Universalism–which was refreshing and progressive. The more I found out about UU, the more I learned that the members actually accept everyone. And I’m not talking about, “We love everyone…except for the following people because that’s against the Bible.” No lip service. They accept absolutely everyone, and that’s pretty nice! —Heather M.

I left my small community at Spiritual Truth Center in Stockton in the Spring of 2010 to join UU in Livermore as I wanted a more active community.  I already believed in all the values of UU with at the top, the worth and dignity of all human beings.  I would add the worth of all beings be they plant or animal.  UU tries to make a difference for the betterment of people and our planet.  I’m proud to be an active part of this and the national UU community. —Carolina Dickinson

I was raised Catholic, but I eventually didn’t agree with their policies and rhetoric. I didn’t attend church at all until my children reached an age that I thought they might benefit from church, so I chose Asbury United Methodist church in Livermore – a big improvement over Catholicism. However, I didn’t like the rote prayers, which I couldn’t agree with some parts of them. I decided not to recite them, which was a noticeable act to those around me.  Mary Bunch invited me to UUCiL, and I knew from day one that it was the church for me and joined that very day.  I have been happy there ever since. —Gabe Meeker