Universal Life Church
Visionary Newsletter
July has almost come and gone. We hosted a gathering of Universal Life Church ministers at the Monastery in Seattle for Independence Day, and it's always a treat to join in fellowship with others who chose to get ordained online and to meet like-minded individuals. We thank presiding chaplain Br. Martin for hosting the event, and our hearts swell with patriotism and celebration.
Our feelings carry us forward into August, as athletes from our nation and others throughout the world gather in the spirit of friendly competition. The Olympics represent peace, understanding, and diversity - all things the ULC Monastery values in ordaining thousands of ministers to conduct their work around the globe. This month we welcome another celebrity to our ranks, so join the conversation and let us know what you think!
We're always interested in hearing from our ministers, so we invite you to join us on our blog, Twitter, and Facebook pages as well!
Scott Underwood, the drummer for the pop-rock band Train, was recently ordained by the ULC Monastery! The new minister decided to get ordained in order to officiate weddings while the band travels across the United States and Canada on their California 37 tour. Best known for hits like Drops of Jupiter, Hey Soul Sister, and Drive By, the band will perform their single Marry Me live for the wedding ceremony, and you can enter to win a chance to tie the knot onstage!
Underwood joins in the growing trend of alternative weddings, where the bride and groom can have any friend or family member get ordained online for free and perform the wedding in whatever style they prefer, choosing from an endless variety of locations and ceremonies. Join us in welcoming Scott to the ministry, and if you haven't yet, you too can get ordained and share in this wonderful experience with your loved ones. Read more on our blog.
You may have noticed recently that online search giant Google is beginning to showcase their social networking service, Google+. While this service has been around for a while, it hasn’t gained much traction compared to the reigning king of the hill, Facebook. But just as Google had previously maneuvered to seamlessly integrate other aspects of their company into their widely-used search engine – services like Google Maps, Gmail, and YouTube – they are attempting to turn the tide on social networking.
We want you to make an informed choice on how you want to connect with the Universal Life Church, as well as your friends and family, so we will give a brief examination of how you can use Google+ and we ask for your feedback on what you’d like to see from us on this exciting site. Read about it here!
Discovering extra-terrestrial life would be a boon, rather than a bane, to the founding principles of the Universal Life Church Monastery. As a church that firmly believes that we are all children of the same universe, and propagates learning from different perspectives, meeting our celestial neighbors could allow for these ideals to be pushed beyond their current constraints. Join us in this thought experiment and read the full article.
On June 30th, a group of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) gathered to renounce their faith. Most cited disagreement with the church's strict demands for total loyalty in conjunction with dogma that seemed to them out-of-touch with what they believed in their hearts, particularly on the subject of social issues. Are you a ULCM minister who has left a previous church, have you never been a member of another church, or do you participate in the ULC as well as your local church? Share your perspective and read more here.
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July 2012
