Unitarian Universalists of Merced Becoming a Member

Our membership ritual isn't as elaborate as some. Since we are a satellite of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Stanislaus County in Modesto, joining us is a little more complicated than normal.

We suggest that you attend services as a "friend" for 3 - 6 months, and that you attend an orientation meeting, or have a conference with our minister, before you become a member. Both the orientation meetings and the minister are in Modesto, 35 miles north.

When you are comfortable with us - when you feel you've found your spiritual home - you sign the membership book, and become a member. We usually make a little ceremony of it. Every three months or so we have "New Member Sunday", when all of the new members stand up in front of the congregation. (Again, in Modesto.) Someone will introduce you to the congregation, you sign the book, then the congregation reads a welcoming statement. If you are terminally shy, you can sign the book in the Minister’s study and avoid the ceremony.

[Above left: the late actor David Carradine's graduation ceremony, from the 1970's TV series "Kung Fu". He is about to press his forearms onto a red-hot brazier, which will brand dragons into them. Our ceremonies are much less painful.]

While the ceremony is simple, the commitment is real. We have four basic expectations of our members:

• Regular attendance. It takes time to organize a worship service and 10 - 20 hours to write a sermon. It isn’t fair to let all that effort go to waste. You won't be able to come every Sunday we meet, but we'd like to see you more than four times a year.
  
  
• Financial support. We get about 90% of our income from annual pledges by members. We've never refused membership to anyone based on their income, but we have had people who have remained "Friends" for years instead of joining, because they could not afford to pledge. We pay about $100 in dues to our district and national organizations for each member or member couple. If you can't afford to pledge that much, your membership will be a net financial loss.
  
  
• Volunteering with the work at church. Whatever your talent and inclination, we can use you. Volunteers make the coffee every Sunday, bring snacks to the Sunday School children, teach the Sunday School classes, plan worship services.
  
  
• A commitment to ongoing spiritual growth. Stay after the sermon to talk about it. Take a class, read the UU World magazine, discuss theology at your next potluck. We don't have all the answers. All we can promise you is that we'll ask interesting questions.
  
  

Questions about UUs of Merced? Ask the Osbornes,
Questions about the web site? Ask Ted Pack,

We are a liberal church and the only UU congregation in Merced county. We serve Atwater, Chowchilla, Livingston, Merced, and Winton. We welcome Agnostics, Atheists, Buddhists, Christians, Deists, Free-thinkers, Humanists, Jews, Theists, Wiccans, and those who seek their own spiritual path. We welcome people without regard to race, ethnic origin, physical ability or sexual orientation.