As a Unitarian Universalist, why do I go to church?

-by Jacob Santos
I had to pause and reflect on that question. One reason, I must admit, is rooted in my upbringing. From my earliest years, I attended church weekly and experienced the deep value of belonging to a religious community—sharing our values with others through life’s joys, sorrows, and concerns.
While I appreciate that foundation, I’ve also struggled with religious communities where belonging is based on affirming a specific set of beliefs or creeds. Over the course of my spiritual journey, I’ve come to recognize that while my beliefs and views may shift and evolve, my core values remain constant. What I longed for was a religious community that focused less on what we believe and more on how we live.
Over the years, I’ve visited many religious denominations, but I’ve always found myself returning to Unitarian Universalism— where people with different beliefs and shared values gather together in religious community. I also kept returning because of my interests in history and theology, I particularly found our Universalist heritage intriguing. Today, I look to our eight U.U. principles for spiritual insight, as well as some of the previous declarations of the Universalists such as the Winchester Profession of Faith.
So why do I go to church? I go to church to be in fellowship with others, to uphold my values, to relish in tradition and to continue the flame of this liberal religious faith, Unitarian Universalism.