I remember when:
We always wore a skirt, a hat, and a suit and tie to church; our best clothes out of respect for the Lord
We would brave all kinds of wind and weather to make it to church on Sunday, and to make it to church on time – again, as a form of respect.
We would place our Sunday offering in dated, sealed envelopes and turn them in each and every Sunday, even on Sundays when our Sunday dinner at home might be somewhat sparse due to family “shortages.”
We would show up and endure Sunday sermons that we knew (in advance) would be lackluster and boring — because sometimes, our minister literally “invented” lackluster and boring.
We would faithfully arrive to take communion, even though Sunday Communion gave (me, at least) us the creeps.
We were so eager to depart the parking lot after church that we would almost run down our best friend to get onto the road home.
If you remember these “good old days” you must truly recognize and appreciate the relaxed and liberal lifestyle offered by your current Unitarian Universalist affiliations. These were disciplines, these were born of obligation, and these were social straitjackets – so to speak. But, these disciplines insured that our churches could keep their lights on and their doors open, even during hard times.
