Here are a few other things we think you should know!

If you spend any amount of time around a group of people you will begin to recognize patterns of speech and vocabulary that serve as a kind of short-hand for communication.  Certain words and phrases may contain meaning that is not immediately clear and may take some time to decipher. This is not a negative thing but merely points to the fact that most established communities have a history of life together that has taken years to form and develop.  Things that are said may be crystal clear to those in the community, but a little confusing for those new to the community.  Below is a list of words, phrases and names that you may hear if you are around UBC’ers for any amount of time.  The descriptions attached are not meant to be exhaustive definitions, but to point you in the right direction of understanding.

Sacred/Secular

Also known as “the Sacred/Secular conversation,” this is used to describe our belief that in God’s story of creation-redemption-restoration, the division between what is sacred and what is secular is a false division.  This conversation plays out in many ways, but especially in the areas of vocation and art.  Concerning vocation, the sacred/secular conversation implies that in the church there is no “Varsity” and “Junior Varsity” careers, with ministry jobs being the “A” team and non-ministry vocations being the “B” team, but that every person within the body of Christ has an equally important role to play.  Concerning art, the sacred/secular conversation frees us up to seeing the beauty of God’s creation in more than just forms of art (movies, music, etc.) that is created from within the Christian entertainment industry.  

For more info, check out this sermon.

Authenticity

Donald Miller has said “I stay away from churches in which I feel like I have to pretend to be a better person than I am.  That sort of thing moves my faith backwards.”  This speaks to what we mean when we use the word “authenticity.”  We also recognize that pretending to be a worse person than what you are is just as inauthentic.  At UBC we encourage you to be yourself.  You will not be marginalized because of your past, your questions, your look, political/social/theological views, or your inability to fit into a mold of who you think we want you to be.

Community

We talk about community a lot at UBC.  At the core, we believe evangelical Christianity has focused too much on “personal faith,” which would have made little sense to early believers.  Faith that is orthodox and healthy is a faith that is lived out among, and in the context of, other believers.  Everything we do to foster growth and formation into the way of Christ has a communal element to it.

Liturgy

Every church that worships together has a liturgy, which is the way in which we worship.  The word literally means “The Work of the People,” and worship is just that—work the people of God perform to give glory to God.  Our particular liturgy has been referred to in some circles as “Ancient-Future,” because in addition to being creative in our use of music and visual arts in our worship, we also hearken back to ancient forms of Christian worship.  

Backside

The backside is located, appropriately, on the back side of our building.  It is used as a Sunday School class, kitchen, and serving space.  In other churches it would be known as the “Fellowship Hall.”  Also, occasionally we will hold an open mic night in the backside.  When this happens, the name of the event will often be called “Backside.”