We have a long way to go - but we are sturdy New Englanders. The Unitarian Church has been the home of joint summer services between the Congregationalists and Unitarians. We are planning to continue this tradition. They are happy with their freedom to practice their brand of religion.

We dream that one day we might have 85 people, so be thankful for what you have, Dan. Westford is fairly close - maybe 40 miles, but we are really not aware of their situation. We focus on the positive side of our independence, we don’t have time to argue with any one else. We are taking one step at time. We are hopeful that others will visit us and decide to make us their home as well. We are a welcoming and flexible society.

God bless!

I heard there was a fight in the Westford, Mass., federated church a few years ago, and as I understand it, the Unitarians basically got shut out. My conclusion: not all federated churches are particularly stable. (By the way, Leicester is not that far from Westford, so who knows if there’s some fallout here.)

There were at least four federated churches in Illinois when I worked out there — Church of the Open Door and People’s Church, both in Chicago, the church in Sycamore, Ill. (originally Universalist and Congo, I believe), and I think one in Avon, Ill. — so it’s a phenomenon not just limited to New England.

From a marketing standpoint, I think it can be a real advantage for a small church (under 100 members) to have a pronounced denominational identity — that way, your limited marketing reach is extended by association with the larger denominational “brand.” I say this as someone serving a small church (85 members) — we’re stretched so thin, we’ll take any marketing help we can get.

(1) a sectarian urge which says that be a real liberal church one must be a Unitarian church. An ecumenical liberal body will not do.

(2) a notion that being more specific about Unitarian beliefs, which are supposedly less specific than Congregational beliefs, will bring more growth.

I’ve seen very few federated church organizations that work well long term. They tend to be partnerships that invite competition between denominational factions.

With regards to my speculations #1 and #2 they tend to stoke a long held worry of mine. That we in the UUA, who strive to be so broad and inclusive, are continuing to trend towards a rather exclusive sectarianism where we refuse to be in partnership with other liberal church bodies. And that we in the UUA somehow feel that partnerships with liberal Christian denominations need to be cast off, so that we can be REAL Unitarians and Universalists. The underlying dogma is that even sharing a liberal church identity with both the UUA and a liberal Christian denomination is somehow bad.