The UCC's 5,287 congregations claim 1,080,199 members, primarily in the United States.

...like McDonald's, but less appealing by quite a margin, it would appear.

I take this as a reference to the number of people who have been served by Christians when Christians are actually acting Christ-like. (The UCC denomination is a very progressive one.)

I'd rather go to mcdonalds

... but none well.

The numbers count only if they refer to people who have been preached to (rather than having had their needs met) by the church. I'll take quality over quantity any day, thank you very much.

And isn't that true about visiting a fast food joint ... that it's something you do once in a while, because consuming unhealthy quantities of fat, salt and sugar is ... unhealthy.

I am a big fan of the United Church of Christ. They are very liberal, open and inclusive of everyone. I have worked with their youth programs over the past 20 years as a summer camp counselor. If anyone is ever looking for a Church to check out this should be your first stop. There's Plymouth which is one of the bigger congregations in Seattle, but there is also All Pilgrims Church on Broadway and Prospect on (you guessed it) prospect and 19th. University Congregational is great too...

My friend has described the UCC as "the last stop on the train to Unitarianism," which always makes me giggle.

UCC = Unitarians Considering Christ

Or so I've been told at the UCC church I attend (nearly) every Sunday.

or just one step to the right of Unitarians!

So yeah, that was the title of my reflection last Sunday. Basically, I was saying that I want Plymouth church to be great (and if I'm honest with myself I think I want to be great to). And what I hear Jesus saying is that those who desire greatness need to be willing to serve all people. Not because we want something in return, but because of love. So how are we as a downtown church going to serve our neighbors in a way that matters to them?

@revd: Thank you for writing in.