People new to the Sedona Unitarian Universalist Fellowship often remark about the integrity of its members.

When Peter Van de Bogert thinks back to the dimly lit interior and thick stained-glass windows of his childhood church in Maine, he recalls that his parents’ infrequent Sunday attendance contrasted sharply with their message that church was important.

Upon reaching adulthood, Peter’s active mind and social conscience took him far away from his childhood religious base.  Being spiritually restless, he dipped into various faith traditions, until, eight years later, he found acceptance, empathy, and integrity in a Unitarian congregation: acceptance of him, empathy for his restlessness, and integrity in the members’ consistency between belief and action.

Here, he saw people believe as they do and do as they believe—all the while showing a genuine respect for differences of belief, among themselves and with him.

He still has unanswered metaphysical questions, but he has found a warm and responsive climate in which to ask them.

He attends services and participates in the church community because he wants to, not because he should.

During the Unitarian service, while listening to a talk about accepting the changes in life, he can look out at the trees and mountains, seeing them change as the seasons do..

And he can hear the wind blow or the birds chirp while he sits outside afterward–meditating on the natural order of living, loving, and growing.  Now, at his Unitarian Fellowship, Peter and his young family feel integrally part of that life-affirming process.

May 24, 2024