More About Membership

Meaning of Membership
• To join this church is to become involved in seeking wholeness for yourself and to use your gifts to bring that wholeness to others.

• To join this church is to agree to become an active part of a living liberal religious community.

• To join this church is to pledge to enter and remain in a continuing, generous dialogue concerning the ways of truth and love.

• To join this church is to share in decision making and to pledge to support this church and its work with your gifts of energy and money.

• To join this church is to make a public statement that you believe in the power and possibility of truly liberal religious world.

Stepping Stones to Membership
The “stones” you will step on and the order of your “steps” depend on who you are and what path you seek. You are the only person who will know what is appropriate for you. Our ministers, lay leaders, and members can suggest, support, challenge, and encourage you to move at a pace that is right for you. The stepping stones appropriate for those who have just discovered Unitarian Universalism will be quite different for those who grew up attending this church and are now young persons eligible to become members themselves.

Likewise, just as people come to church for a variety of reasons, people will choose a variety of “stones” to personalize their path to membership. Your stepping stones may be grounded in a yearning for wholeness and spiritual growth or they may be leading you to a place of progressive, new, and meaningful family traditions. Your path may move through a place of peace making, justice, and compassion or you may find yourself in a place of growing relationships and community building. 

Here are some “stepping stones”
• Regularly attend worship services
• Attend a “Get Acquainted Gathering”
• Tour the church campus
• Subscribe to The Window
• Attend a religious education “RE” class
• Attend “UU 101”
• Experience a neighborhood group
• Join a covenant group
• Volunteer
• Become a children or youth teacher 

Privileges of Membership
• A vote in congregational meetings (60 days after becoming a member and having made a  contribution of record)
• Eligibility for congregational offices
• Subscription to the bi-weekly church bulletin The Window, in addition to other church publications
• Subscription to the monthly magazine The UU World.
• Priority standing in the “wait list” for the renowned UU Cooperative Preschool
• Weddings, memorial services, and other rites, conducted on site by one of our ministers without fee (after membership of at least two years)
• Use of the worship hall without fee for immediate family weddings, or memorial services (after membership of at least two years)
• Services of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) headquartered in Boston
• Services of the Pacific Southwest District of the UUA
• Invitations to and information on inspiring conferences, retreats, summer institutes, leadership training and other events offered by the UUA and UUA affiliates

Responsibilities of Membership
Members Participate. Through worship, spiritual development and activities that further the mission of this church, members develop a shared core of common experiences.

Members Learn and Grow. Through a developing sense of personal spirituality, members take part in a diverse religious education program and live the principles of Unitarian Universalism.

Members Engage in Right Relationship. Our church mission and aspiration challenge us to affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person and to seek to work with one another in cooperation and respect.

Members Share Ministry. Everyone has unique gifts of experience, ability, and vision. Our church offers a variety of opportunities for involvement and service. Deep friendships are often forged when we work together.

Members Take Financial Responsibility. This community grows from a place of generosity. Members make an annual financial pledge to support the work and growth of this church.

How to Become a Member
At the New Member Workshop you will sign a Bond of Union Card and make a pledge. At the next regularly scheduled Board of Trustees meeting, you will be officially accepted into membership. You will also be invited to participate in a New Member Blessing, which is held during our Sunday Worship service about every 3 months.

For more information on the process of becoming a Member of First UU Church of San Diego, please contact Suzette Southfox, our Inreach Coordinator at 619-298-9978 or
suzette@firstuusandiego.org