Lini wrote:

So I've checked out both the CLF and their young adults equivalent and I understand that they offer the free trials, which is great. But I consider even a free trial a commitment (what with my difficulties getting online recently and all). And I wouldnt want to sign up and not follow up, starting things only to break them up just feels like such a waste of time and energy.

I'm not sure why you consider a trial membership a commitment. I'd look at it more as a free sample that you may examine and then "purchase" a membership or decide against it.

Pardon my saying so, but what you say above suggests to me that you might be trying to talk yourself out of it before you've even gotten into it, so perhaps it's just not that appealing to you?

So I'm kinda wondering. What /is/ CLF about anyway? I keep reading about their great library, but I can get access to many of those. I think Ive stumbled upon at least 2 people in here who are or were members, so if you could maybe tell us something about what being a member in CLF actually means? I've read what the webpage says, but Im a person full of weaknesses, one of them being desillusionment bordering on distrust, when it comes to brochures. ;)

CLF is pretty much like belonging to a UU church only rather indirect since you have little if any personal contact with other UU's unless you go to something like a workshop or conference or are selected as a CLF delegate to the annual General Assembly. Of course, establishing contact is up to you, as you can certainly call the CLF minister's toll-free number if need be. I did that a few times when I was having some serious problems and found it very helpful.

Again, I guess I don't understand your hesitation about mailings, but then, I've been known to read the phone book in hotel rooms if I don't have something more intriguing to read. < shrug and sheepish grin >

You can download the CLF monthly newsletter podcast from the CLF site to get a sense of what you'd get in print each month in it, so possibly you'd find doing that less of a commitment?

And my main concern is... will it feel at all like a congregation (and I use that word to denote elements of spirituality, not simply a community of people with the same interests) or will it just be a great library with a nice study group of interesting folsk to match it?

A difficult question to answer. From my perspective of having been a CLF member for about 15 years as well as a member for about a year each of two different "bricks and mortar" UU churches, I'd say that CLF doesn't feel that much like a congregation since you don't have a whole lot of opportunity to get to know other CLF members. It's a bit more direct now that CLF has the website with message board forum than it was when I was a member, as I had only the mailings and an occasional phone chat with the minister or someone else at the UUA headquarters. However, I've noticed that the CLF message boards don't appear to get much traffic. They can go for a few months with no new postings, which I find odd, as I'd think that would be a great way to establish a sense of being part of the CLF congregation by posting regularly and getting to "know" other CLFers in a way.

I read alot about UU lacking in spirituality on other threads and I assume if such problems are so common in in-person churches how much "worse" must it be online?

Keep in mind, please, that what you've read are the feelings of a number of people who've become disillusioned with various UU churches. For most of my CLF membership time, I really felt that I benefited from the mailings I got and the books I was able to borrow. Most valuable of all to me were the workshops I attended at the UUA's Ferry Beach conference center, the first opportunity I had to meet real live UU's since I lived over 200 miles from the closest UU church at that time.

Unitarian Universalism is such a self-directed faith that I think it's quite true that you'll get out of it what you put into it. As may be obvious, much depends upon the person. You'll get from any church membership what you find in it that works for you.

I found that I felt more spiritually fulfilled as a CLF member than as a member of a real-life UU church that didn't suit me well. In fact, I've considered rejoining CLF but didn't since shortly after I resigned membership in my local church, we found out that my husband was being transferred to another state. Didn't seem like much point adding one more thing that I'd just have to change the address on once we relocated.

Basically, CLF works pretty much like a "reality" church membership. When you decide you wish to become a member, you simply call or write the CLF office so indicating. They'll send you a membership kit which includes some pamphlets on Unitarian Universalism, the CLF handbook, and a pledge card. The handbook has samples of various rituals such as dedication of a baby, marriage vows and funeral proceedings so that someone needing such things can either put together their own ceremony or possibly find an openminded minister of another church who would be willing to officiate for whatever the need might be, using the format suggested in the handbook or one that you've composed.

The pledge card is quite similar to the form that I've had in the two churches I belonged to. You decide how much you wish to contribute to CLF over the next year and complete the card, returning it to the CLF office. Then, you simply send a check periodically until you've paid the amount pledged just as you'd put a check in the collection plate during a church service.

You get the CLF newsletter, Quest, in the mail each month and also get a subscription to the denomination's magazine, UU World, a quarterly publication.

Also, CLF membership entitles you to book vacations or attend workshops at discounted rates at the various UU camps and conference centers around the U.S. I enjoyed my three stays at Ferry Beach in southern Maine immensely and stayed there for a bit less than what a hotel or motel stay in the area would have cost in the middle of the summer...with meals included! And really good food, too.

I'd be happy to answer any other questions you may have about CLF membership, keeping in mind that it's been a little over ten years since I was a member, so some things about CLF membership have likely changed in the intervening years.

Welcome to the UU boards. I hope you'll join in on the UU Community boards. There are a goodly number of "regulars" on it, a majority of whom are very comfortable indeed with both their faith and their UU church. So, please don't let the "sour grape" types (myself momentarily included in that unpleasant group) put you off the faith before you give it a chance. We UU's are known for speaking our minds, whatever may be on them at the time we speak. It ain't always pretty, in short. ;-)

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