If I haven't mentioned this before, I am currently a religious study major at my local undergraduate university. Part of the degree requirements involved taking an upper-level course about religions that have left major impacts on global civilization and society, and part of the coursework was an assignment that required me to attend two religious services or events other than the one I regularly attend.

I've never gone that in depth about my actual faith background outside of the fact that I do consider myself to be a Christian, but to provide a little context, I grew up in the Southern Baptist Convention, a conservative evangelical denomination (some might consider it a fundamentalist denomination, but it probably varies from church to church). I still attend a Southern Baptist church out of convenience and a desire to be close to my family who helped start the particular church we attend.

My actual spiritual beliefs are closer to what you would find in progressive Christian denominations such as the Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ, and the Metropolitan Community Church. I was very excited about this assignment because it would allow me to go to a spiritual service that was closer in line to what I experience, but I decided to attend a service that was a little "unorthodox" by traditional religious standards.

The closest city in my area, Huntsville, AL, is home to a church belonging to the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). The UUA is a progressive religion that invites people of various beliefs and backgrounds for a common cause: to foster a world for all people that recognizes the worth and dignity of all people, protects the rights and well-being of the marginalized, and fights justice and equity for all people. It greatly intrigued me, and upon doing more research about the religious tradition, I saw that they weren't just talking. The UUA has been involved with social justice movements since its inception, and it is also highly embracive of LGBTQ+ people. Obviously, I jumped at the chance to attend a queer-friendly church.

I didn't know what to expect going into the church, but it certainly wasn't what I got. I don't remember the last time I felt so peaceful in a church. I tend to feel on guard in churches because I don't want to say the wrong thing but walking into the UUA church in my city was a spiritual experience in and of itself. I continued through the building and walked into the sanctuary and what I saw almost made me cry. There was a same-gender couple sitting in the front pew holding hands, embracing each other. There was a non-binary individual also in the front of the sanctuary. A woman was leading the service, and the room wasn't just a swath of upper-middle-class white people but a wide range of ages and races all sitting amongst one another. The sermon was about the worth and value of people of color. That would normally be unheard of in the church I attend.

I don't think I quite understood just how important and meaningful it is to be a part of a religious community that really loves and embraces all of you, and getting to go a queer-friendly church just once, gave me so much more than I thought it would.