Pagan churches?

[PrincessKLS]

Has anyone been to a pagan church or a pagan church service? How was it like?

I know most pagans practice in their house, or out in nature and usually have no more than 3 in a coven but there are some large covens and churches out there I know.

[phoenixrising]

(disclaimer.. this is all IMO)

I have been in a few covens, most of which were enjoyable and full of learning.. just try and stay away from open ones.. they tend to attract all the "nutters" that closed ones reject..

[aranarose]

There aren't any pagan churches per se in my area, but there is a metaphysical church, which is open to many things. I went there once, and just didn't quite mesh with them, so never went back. They seemed to be trying to mimic the Christian idea of church, and were very stiff.

I've always been solitairy. I'm a loner by nature, and practicing alone suits my path. However, I enjoy teaching, and have thought of organizing a teaching circle locally.

[PrincessKLS]

I'm the same way, though I have to say I consider online pagan communities a church/coven in a way. Much more relaxed than my regular church. I can come here in jeans, pajamas, or nude if I prefer :lol: 8O

[Nox_Mortus]

I'm the same way, though I have to say I consider online pagan communities a church/coven in a way. Much more relaxed than my regular church. I can come here in jeans, pajamas, or nude if I prefer :lol: 8O

half my family attends services at a UU church, and there are quite a few pagans that go there, but it isn't really pagan, I've done some coven work before, but nothing that could really be compared to a church service.

[PrincessKLS]

In my town, we only have Christian churches and definitely no UU churches.

[la tortuga]

(disclaimer.. this is all IMO)

I have been in a few covens, most of which were enjoyable and full of learning.. just try and stay away from open ones.. they tend to attract all the "nutters" that closed ones reject..

Yeah, we have an RCG chapter here. http://rcgsa.org/ It's not too bad, except they claim to be very (more like only, and I can't agree with that) female-oriented but I know males who go there anyway...

Open circles also have a tendency to form cliques. It's like public high school, those who have something more in common than others stick together and it's really hard to find someone to talk to there.

[Lady Moonsong]

I think there is a pagan church in northeren Michigan...but it's too far away for me to go to. Some of my friends (one in particular) seem to think I'm 'destined' to form a pagan church someday. I keep telling her that I don't know the first thing about starting a church...but she says she's had a vision of it...so who knows. Personally, I know I have a message to share. I keep getting pushed to talk to people about my experiences and to teach people what the Goddess has shown me. But the idea of starting a church...I just don't see how. I certainly don't have the financial ability to get one up and running on my own and I've met very few pagans that would be willing/able to donate to such a cause. *shrugs* I'm more than happy just running my little Circle and trying to help people when I can.

*hugs*

~Cat

[Solya]

There aren't any pagan churches around here that I know of. I would like to perhaps join or run a coven-like group one day, but I won't do that until I'm older. Overall I'm content with going to the Christian church nearby... to me, it does not matter where on Earth I am because I can talk with God anywhere... so I just don't see the immediate use of a pagan church for me.

[Lunacie]

Has anyone been to a pagan church or a pagan church service? How was it like?

I know most pagans practice in their house, or out in nature and usually have no more than 3 in a coven but there are some large covens and churches out there I know.

Is that a typo? Generally 13 is considered the top end for a coven, and then it should hive with the second most experienced person leading the new group.

We had a Witches Temple in our area for awhile, and it ran into all the problems suggested here. I prefer a small group that isn't political at all, just good friends/family getting together to turn the wheel of the year and honor the Old Gods, and then have a pot luck dinner and chat awhile. And of course have some classes together to learn about crafts and religious history and magic energies.

[aranarose]

And there's good, practical reasons for trying to limit it to about 13. More than 13 and the group becomes difficult to manage. I don't mean control, because one should never try to control a group, even when leading it, but it's hard for a group to be close with more people than that, and any working group should be very close. You are mixing your energies, and if your energies don't mix well, it's just not a good thing.

[PrincessKLS]

Yeah, we have an RCG chapter here. http://rcgsa.org/ It's not too bad, except they claim to be very (more like only, and I can't agree with that) female-oriented but I know males who go there anyway...

Open circles also have a tendency to form cliques. It's like public high school, those who have something more in common than others stick together and it's really hard to find someone to talk to there.


Just like in a Christian church :lol:

I'm also curious, what days do these pagan churches have services?

[PrincessKLS]

Is that a typo? Generally 13 is considered the top end for a coven, and then it should hive with the second most experienced person leading the new group.

We had a Witches Temple in our area for awhile, and it ran into all the problems suggested here. I prefer a small group that isn't political at all, just good friends/family getting together to turn the wheel of the year and honor the Old Gods, and then have a pot luck dinner and chat awhile. And of course have some classes together to learn about crafts and religious history and magic energies.


Well I've heard you need 3 at least and most pagans in covens do a similary thing to what you've said, they just do it at their houses, other people's houses, out in the woods, etc.

[Lunacie]

Well first you said "no more than 3" but I agree there should be at least 3. For a Wiccan group, 4 is even better and at least 6 is best. We've done rituals with just 3 of us and it sucks with everyone having to do multiple things.

Our group is at 11 now if everyone is able to attend, and there are a couple of boys who usually come with their folks. It's a wonderful number for doing rituals, but for doing classes or for having discussions over a pot luck dinner it's almost too many and we end up breaking up into smaller groups - I feel like I'm missing out on some interesting discussions. :(

[PrincessKLS]

I'm the type that likes to do prayers and rituals on my own.

[Lunacie]

Nuthin wrong with that. There are a whole lot of people who feel the same way.

Of course, it could be they just haven't met the right bunch of people to enjoy doing all that with. ;)

[Fiamma]

Just like in a Christian church :lol:

I'm also curious, what days do these pagan churches have services?

My grove is the first pagan church in Maryland- grove was established in 1989, had a building since 1996. We're the second-oldest grove in ADF and the oldest pagan group that I know of in the Baltimore area. (I also don't know of any older in DC, though I'd be surprised if at least one other isn't older)

We have our serviced on Sundays- most folks are off work, Sunday is traditi0nal "church" day in the US they consist of a social time we call Rites of Caffeina, a short prayer/meditation/worship period we call Walk With The Old Ones, a bit more socializing after that, and then usually some sort of educational presentation, we call that part a lore meeting. People are free to come for any or all of these activities, and the whole shebang lasts most of the day- usually from 10am-4pm

Our high day rituals are held on Saturday evenings and sometimes, depending on the ritual, some people will spend the night afterwards.

We have some politics, but it's nigh impossible to get two or more people together and not eventually run into some politics along the way. Compared to other groups and organizations I've belonged to, my grove is really low-BS and low politics.

[Halstrom]

I've never been to a Pagan Church. I know that they have a UU church by one of the doctors office that I go to in Detroit.

[Fiamma]

Oh, also...Baltimore city has a UU church, and there are several other UU churches around, but I don't know of any of them having CUUPS chapters.

[omar]

If the UU church is not pagan,what is it?

[Fiamma]

If the UU church is not pagan,what is it?

UU churches are not pagan, they are....UU. Unitarian Universalist. However, many UU churches have a pagan sub-group called CUUPS- Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (http://www.cuups.org/content2/)

From http://www.uua.org/aboutus/index.shtml


The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is a religious organization that combines two traditions: the Universalists, who organized in 1793, and the Unitarians, who organized in 1825. They consolidated into the UUA in 1961.

Both groups trace their roots in North America to the early Massachusetts settlers and to the founders of the Republic. Overseas, their heritages reach back centuries to pioneers in England, Poland, and Transylvania.


Each of the 1,041 congregations (http://www.uua.org/aboutus/findcongregation/index.php) in the United States, Canada, and overseas are democratic in polity and operation; they govern themselves. They unite in the Association to provide services that individual congregations cannot provide for themselves. Each congregation is associated with one of the UUA’s 20 districts (http://www.uua.org/aboutus/professionalstaff/districtservices/index.shtml).


Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion with Jewish-Christian roots. It has no creed. It affirms the worth of human beings (http://www.uua.org/visitors/6798.shtml), advocates freedom of belief and the search for advancing truth, and tries to provide a warm, open, supportive community for people who believe that ethical living is the supreme witness of religion.

[juliaki]

Is that a typo? Generally 13 is considered the top end for a coven, and then it should hive with the second most experienced person leading the new group.


The coven I'm with has nearly double that number of initiates, so it is possible to have more provided that you have excellent clergy, strong familial ties, common ethics/codes of conduct/oaths, and good systems in place. Also, the growth needs to happen slowly so that the group's dynamic balance is maintained.

[Lunacie]

Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion with Jewish-Christian roots. It has no creed. It affirms the worth of human beings, advocates freedom of belief and the search for advancing truth, and tries to provide a warm, open, supportive community for people who believe that ethical living is the supreme witness of religion.

http://www.uua.org/aboutus/index.shtml



Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion that encompasses many faith traditions. Unitarian Universalists include people who identify as Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Pagans, Atheists, Agnostics, Humanists, and others. As there is no official Unitarian Universalist creed, Unitarian Universalists are free to search for truth on many paths.

To quote the Rev. Marta Flanagan, "We uphold the free search for truth. We will not be bound by a statement of belief. We do not ask anyone to subscribe to a creed. We say ours is a non-creedal religion. Ours is a free faith."

Although we uphold shared principles, individual Unitarian Universalists have varied beliefs about everything from scripture to rituals to God.

http://www.uua.org/visitors/beliefswithin/index.shtml

Pagans are welcome at UU churches, just as everyone of any belief is welcome. Sermons do not promote any one religion.

[omar]

If the UU sermons do not preach the Christan faith then what do they preach or sermonize about?

[Lunacie]

by subject:
http://www.tc.umn.edu/%7Eparkx032/LC-SUB.html

by author:
http://www.gurus.com/dougdeb/sermon/index.html
http://revmartikeller.com/sermons/
http://www.uumin.org/sam/sermons/index.html
http://www.tc.umn.edu/%7Eparkx032/SERMONS.html

Audio recordings online:
http://www.uuaudiosermons.com/200711.htm

... and many more if you do a Google for "U.U. Sermons".

[Tigerlily]

Although I like do things on my own, I would like to meet other like minded people. I think it would be fun to do Sabbats with other Pagans. Sabbats seem like such fun, joyful times and I would love to experience it with others other than myself.

I know in Toronto there's the Wiccan Church of Canada but I don't know if I would feel totally comfortable with them as I do not follow the Wiccan-way 100% (I'm Wiccan inspired but I do a lot of my own things).

[Lunacie]

Although I like do things on my own, I would like to meet other like minded people. I think it would be fun to do Sabbats with other Pagans. Sabbats seem like such fun, joyful times and I would love to experience it with others other than myself.

I know in Toronto there's the Wiccan Church of Canada but I don't know if I would feel totally comfortable with them as I do not follow the Wiccan-way 100% (I'm Wiccan inspired but I do a lot of my own things).

Have you looked for groups in your area using WitchVox or Meetup.com or Yahoo groups? You can send an email and check them out to see if they seem like people you'd like to get to know or work with. (That's how I found my current group - WitchVox).

http://www.witchvox.com/vn/hm/caon.html

http://www.meetup.com/ and http://wiccan.meetup.com/cities/

http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=wicca+toronto+canada

Or type in Pagan instead of Wicca, or Eclectic Wicca.

[Fiamma]

If the UU sermons do not preach the Christan faith then what do they preach or sermonize about?


Here's some information on Sunday services at UU churches, including a bit about sermons. They vary.

http://www.uua.org/visitors/worship/6234.shtml

If you're interested in Unitarian Universalism, I would suggest poking around their website and maybe visiting your local UU church if you can.