Church Recommendations: Madison

October 26, 2017 3:59 PM

I am looking for a church in Madison. I am very liberal, practicle, and am hoping to find a smaller community where many people have kids.

I was raised Catholic but looking for something more accepting of all kinds of lifestyles. Preferably with some concrete messages about God, but more focused on good acts/decisions and not that specific acts or lifestyles are bad. Also preferably with lots of stuff focused around parents with younger kids. I'd like to get to know some other parents. Disclaimer: no groups with parents who homeschool or don't vaccinate their kids as major populations. The UU church in Madison seems like it would be impersonal but correct me if I'm wrong. Recommendations please.

posted by Kalmya to Religion & Philosophy (2 answers total)

There are multiple UU churches in Madison; First Church is very large, 3rd in the county. There is also James Reeb which is much smaller and for the size, more diverse age wise. However, just due to the size First Church does have a significant number of parents with young children. I've attended a number of services at both and they are quite different.

I think First Church is atypical for UU churches as it does not as actively need members as many UU churches, and isn't proactive in the same way at welcoming people to the church and community.

If you try First Church, I would recommend going to one of the Sunday service times; the 4:30pm Saturday service seems to attract an older audience.
posted by graxe at 5:44 PM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

I'm another person raised Catholic who's gone looking in Madison. I attend First Unitarian off & on, and I'd echo much of what graxe said. I did find them welcoming, though. They have a (seemingly) thriving preschool and Sunday/Saturday school, so I've met lots of parents and their kids there.

If you're looking for a liturgy closer to RC, there are several Episcopal churches in my Capitol-to-Near-West environs. I've known good people who go to St. Dunstan's, St. Andrew's, and Grace (on the square).
posted by NumberSix at 9:53 PM on October 26, 2017