Unitarian

Since I just moved to Buffalo (for serious this time), I decided to look for a church. When I was student teaching I hadn't planned on staying around, so I didn't look for a church because church is something that only becomes meaningful (to me) if I can invest in it. If I know I am leaving in just a short time, it makes the investment less, well, invested.
Anyway, this was my first Sunday of searching. I went to a Unitarian Church over on Elmwood. If you live here, you may know of it. It is a magnificent building. The sanctuary is beautiful - the woodwork, the windows, and the ceiling!! The ceiling, I think, is my favorite part. Even human made inanimate objects leave me in awe sometimes. I think this is strange because I am so taken by God's creation. Is it okay to be so deeply moved by aesthetic beauty that was not created by God?
The service talked about "Vision in Chaos" - that was the title. The reading was the story of Lot's wife and a poem written from her perspective. I found it overly sentimental, and I think it was more an attempt to draw the poets, the heartfelts, and the educated folks all at the same time. Perhaps I am too much of a cynic. It's funny, though, because this church is based on cynicism, isn't it? They refuse to believe in one definite faith - it's like an escapist's church. Everyone there has their own faith, although they all tend to agree with each other. Even those kinds of people need fellowship, I suppose.
The thing I appreciated most about this church is their activity in political issues that affect the society. They have a strong doctrine of service and of freedom. They all wrote letters to Assemblyman Sam Hoyt about the freedom of gay marriage in New York, and he spoke directly to the church this morning. This is a touchy subject, gay marriage. The truth is, I don't even think it should be a subject. This country was founded on the basis of religious freedom; the separation of church and state was done for a reason, and a good one. The reason people do not want gay marriage to be legal is because of their own religion's moral convictions. But what about the gay/lesbian couple's moral convictions? Do they not matter, simply because evangelicals think George Washington would agree with them? I have to, out of my own convictions, say that if my convictions matter, so do everyone else's. What two people do is their own decision, and no one else has to suffer or not suffer whatever consequences or rewards come of it. In short, mind your own friggin business. (That's what they say down in B-land, yo.)
I was thinking really hard about this service I just attended as I walked home in the rain. It kept my mind off of the fact that my fingers were freezing. I wondered if I could be a Christian and still attend this church. I'm sure that, in theory, I could. They have a doctrine of acceptance, so I don't imagine I would be kicked out. They have a great ideal of service, so I would be able to invest in something. The people seem very nice, so there would be great opportunities of fellowship. But I think that I would lack the encouragement of my own faith that I probably really need. And who would I be able to encourage? I'm sure, no matter where I go, there will always be someone who needs encouragement. I, however, am not immediately drawn to the pastor who seems to try too hard, though he is very very nice, I'm sure.
Anyway, in conclusion, I will be attending Concerned Ecumenical Ministries next Sunday for the second week of my church search. It is a much shorter walk, which is perhaps why I chose it to be next.