UU Minister Jack Mendelsohn, reminds us, "Inscribing your name does not transform you into an instant or born-again Unitarian Universalist. Our religious way of life is not so much an arriving as a becoming-an ongoing process of thought and life experience. Joining for you may mean fresh steps along a familiar path. It may mean venturing in uncharted territory. In either case, the initiative is yours. You do not sign on someone else's dotted line of spiritual development, and there is no fine print. Your signature is your affirming symbol of commitment to an open-minded, inclusive, reasoned, seasoned, compassionate and contemporary approach to life."

For those of us who grew up in other faiths, there is a sense in which being a Catholic or a Jew or a Moslem is part of your identity, just like being a member of a particular family or racial or ethnic group. In your childhood and youth, although you may have questioned some beliefs or doctrines, you may not have questioned your religious identity.

Today, those of you who have chosen Unitarian Universalism as your new religion may still identify to some degree with that old one. Some of you may have conflicted relationships with this past, even some painful memories. Recalling my own struggle with my religious past, I long ago decided this is really okay. I've made peace with it. It's part of the richness of my background and for those of you who had a childhood religion, its part of yours, too. It's what makes us who we are, even if we are no longer officially members of that other church or synagogue. We may resonate with the old rituals, the old prayers, the old hymns... even the memories of sights and sounds and smells of our former places of worship Some parts of us may always be Catholic or Baptist or Congregationalist or Jewish in spirit. And it may take a while for you to feel like you are more Unitarian Universalist than what you were before.

As Jack Mendelsohn reminds us, "Inscribing your name does not transform you into an instant or born-again Unitarian Universalist. Our religious way of life is not so much an arriving as a becoming-an ongoing process of thought and life experience." I think of it in a slightly different sense than Mendelsohn may have meant it. To be a UU is not only to walk a new path of spiritual development. Over time I expect you will develop a greater understanding, a greater affinity, and a greater love for Unitarian Universalism. You will become a UU in spirit.

But what does being a UU in spirit mean exactly? That is hard to describe in words. We are such a "broad umbrella" of beliefs and practices, not only within each congregation, but in our entire denominational culture. How does one identify with being a UU beyond just joining the congregation here in Taunton? Is being part of an institution called a church what its all about? If you leave us here without joining another UU congregation, would you still be a UU in spirit? Despite our emphasis on the individual, is there a common spirit which bonds us together?

I say "yes"... there is such a spirit. It's a spirit which is expressed in the mission of this church... "to provide a place for a free and hopeful search for meaning and truth..." It's the spirit of individual exploration and of community. It's the spirit of reason and of passion. It's the spirit behind our seven principles, although these are couched in non-religious terms.

Unitarian and Universalism separately and the two faiths after the merger in '61 developed a culture and set of core beliefs and attitudes which foster that spirit. A culture is composed of many aspects. One aspect is a way of operating... what I think of as the mechanics. Stemming from an early Puritan heritage, our congregations are firmly planted in congregational polity, the most democratic way of functioning.

We love our first principle, that each individual has inherent worth and dignity. We often take this as gospel and tend to be individualists. Sometimes very strong-minded individualists. As the saying goes, herding Unitarian Universalists is like herding cats. We're secretly proud of that and smile knowingly (and sometimes lovingly) when we hear this insiders' joke. But individualism must be balanced with cooperation and communalism. We need to work together to create the kind of religious community and society we want. We hold dear another principle, "The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large."

We talk a lot about covenant... not just with God or Divine Spirit, however we as individuals define that. We talk about how we covenant with each other. At many UU services, people recite together the affirmation we read this morning: "Mindful of truth ever exceeding our knowledge and community ever exceeding our practice, reverently we covenant together, beginning with ourselves as we are, to share the strength of integrity and the heritage of the spirit in the unending quest for wisdom and love."

At our neighboring UU church in North Easton, Unity Church, there is a variation on that covenant. They begin services by saying, "We pledge to walk together in the ways of truth and affection, as best we know them now or may learn them in the days to come, that we and our children may be fulfilled and that we may speak to the world in words and actions of peace and goodwill."

Another aspect of our UU culture is its heart. It's that aspect which sparks our imagination and our creativity. It's a culture which tells us we are loved and loveable. We are not born into Original Sin, but each of us is a marvel of creation. We are creatures who possess not only emotions, but highly refined reason and a degree of free will. As we are all well aware, each of us has the potential to create or destroy. We are uniquely blessed with self consciousness and a consciousness of the world and our relationship to it.

Unitarian Unitarianism culture is one which holds a vision of compassion and justice in a world made more tolerant and fair. It's a culture based on reason, the head as well as the heart. It is a culture which values modern scientific discoveries and progress... and questions the narrow-mindedness of those who are superstitious or who blindly follow religious authorities. At the same time, it believes that certain principles are immutable, such as basic human rights as defined by the United Nations.

One question that still lingers is whether you have to be a member of a congregation to be a "real" UU. What happens if you are raised a UU and leave to go to college? Do you stop being one if you don't join a campus organization? What happens if you're an adult and leave for a few years as you begin your life's journey? Are you still a UU? Are you a UU in spirit if you view yourself as one?

You may be aware of Beliefnet.com, that popular website where you take a test, answering some 20 questions to see where you might best fit in terms of religious beliefs and values. Many people (maybe you, too) discover that they are closest to Unitarian Universalism in their beliefs. Maybe they then follow the link to the UUA website. As they become more familiar with our denomination, they may try out a nearby church. Others might just consider themselves to be part of our camp in a general sense, but don't want to bother with organized religion.

We sometimes call our religion... tongue-in-check of course... a "disorganized religion." This is a handy come-back to those people who say they don't want to join an organized religion. Well, disorganization is part of the joys and the pitfalls of any truly democratic institution.

What is it to be a UU in spirit? A Pew surveys of the American public in 2007 showed that approximately 340,000 adults identify themselves as being Unitarian Universalist. We think that's a little odd considering there are only about 217,000 members in our congregations. Where are the other 123,000 folks? We wish we knew! If they understood that being a UU meant more than sharing liberal religious values, then maybe they'd have more incentive to join with us. It's hard to sustain your values, your hopes, your strength alone. As UU minister A. Powell Davies said, "Ideas and ideals must have a vehicle, and embodiment in the world. People who think and work together for the values in which they believe have a better chance of achieving them than people who do not." I say, joining a UU church is mutually beneficial, not only for your spiritual growth, but for your connection to a sustaining community over a lifetime.

Again, what does it mean to be a UU in spirit? Some UUs say that our religion is very amorphous and that unless you're inside the fold of a congregation, you are just a UU sympathizer. I say that it really depends on the individual... but I think that affiliation with some organized (or disorganized) branch of Unitarian Universalism is a definite plus. If not a regular UU congregation, for some it may be joining a "virtual" congregation like the Church of the Larger Fellowship or the Church of the Younger Fellowship for UUs ages 18 to 35. These virtual congregations are linked by newsletters, e-mails, websites, blogs and special events at our annual General Assemblies.

I say it's not black and white. Of course you can call yourself a UU without congregational membership. You can feel a great affinity for our values and beliefs. You can admire our heroes and leaders. But we would certainly rather have you with us... included in the fold... to our mutual benefit.

This is an especially tough question when our children leave for college or grad school or the military or a job in another city. I've argued with my daughter that although she calls herself a Unitarian Universalist, it's much harder to foster a strong UU identity, the UU spirit, on your own. Unless you are a serious student who likes to exploration and study independently, it's harder to develop a more mature spirituality. Community fosters and supports that spiritual journey. I think most of us need each other, whether we are always in harmony or not!

Being part of a lively and interesting and nurturing religious community can be great. It is where we celebrate the passages of our lives... and explore religious life in a more meaningful way. It's where we may celebrate Christmas as the birth of the human Jesus of Nazareth, an amazing prophet and rabbi or Christmas as the coming of peace into the world. It's where a Passover Seder not only celebrates the freedom of the ancient Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, but where it hopes and prays for the freedom of all people from oppression in the world today.

But wait! There's something more! There's a limit to what is called congregationalism... where the primary focus of one's religious life is a separate church or society. What's more important than being a member of a congregation is catching the UU spirit wherever you can. I say it's important to reach out ... sooner or later... beyond the walls of this house of worship.

For myself, as a new UU and a member of the small church in Brockton, I must admit I didn't really catch the spirit until I went to my first General Assembly. The spirit there was so rich, it was tangible! It was the spirit of several thousand UUs singing "Rank by Rank" proudly and loudly together. It was the spirit of a banner parade, with different congregations and districts and organizations parading their colorful banners up the center aisles and around the convention hall to rousing music. It was the crowded workshops and forums with great speakers and engaged participants. Wow! It was so overwhelming... like a revival experience.

I caught the spirit by going with my husband and daughter to Ferry Beach, the UU Camp and Conference Center in Saco, Maine. We went not just to enjoy the food and the beach, but to meet some great people and to participate in interesting conferences and fun activities and to worship under the trees in the pine grove.

I deepened my UU spirit by joining Womensphere, the UU women's group in our Ballou Channing District. Together we shared our painful experiences of patriarchy in religion and created new, feminist rituals... building altars, lighting candles and singing chants to the goddess. We gathered in retreat at Cedar Hill, our district conference center in Duxbury, situated on a grassy hill overlooking the harbor. And there we celebrated by dancing around a May pole one sunny spring day.

What does it mean to be a Unitarian Universalist in spirit? It means all those things... being part of a congregation and other UU organizations. It means, most of all, the experience of being a part of the culture, in a life-long journey of spiritual deepening. I feel fortunate to be a part of this all... and I hope that you do, too.

Amen. Blessed be.