BRIEFLY IN RELIGION:Unitarians spend $100,000 on new marketing campaign

Describing themselves as an “uncommon denomination,” seven Unitarian Universalist congregations are spending $100,000 in the next few weeks to tell South Bay and Orange County residents why.

The congregations from Rancho Palos Verdes to Laguna Beach are breaking from their liberal faith’s traditional aversion to evangelizing to promote their unique brand of “creedless” religion with a major media campaign that includes local spots on National Public Radio stations and four-page inserts reaching more than half a million newspaper readers.

The slogan, “Imagine a religion where people with different beliefs worship as one faith,” will appear alongside photos of gay couples and multiracial families on 160,000 postcards in a mailing that began last week to individuals targeted by market researchers in 35 zip codes served by the seven congregations.

“A great many people yearn for religious community that encourages thoughtfulness about how to live ethically in today’s world. Unitarian Universalism offers this and more, so these ads and mailings are one great way to let folks know that there is a place nearby where they can grow their faith,” said The Rev. Stefanie Etzbach-Dale, co-minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Laguna Beach.

The Rev. Sarah Moldenhauer-Salazar, co-minister of the Fellowship, added, “Rev. Francis David, 16th-century forefather of our faith, said, ‘We need not think alike to love alike.’ Our congregation embodies this truth; we honor that each person has the right and ability to determine truth for themselves. We are enriched by our diversity of thought, as we support each other in living ethical lives of justice and compassion.”

A nondoctrinal faith with roots in both Judaism and Christianity, Unitarian Universalism appeals to highly-educated, liberal individuals who are unchurched, according to market research conducted by the church.

This type of targeted outreach to communities and individuals who are demographically similar to current church members, first piloted in 2003 in Kansas City, Mo.., is a decidedly new evangelical approach for the movement..

Since then, the denomination has spent $750,000 on media campaigns in four other major cities, including 30-second commercials last Christmas season on the 1,200-square-foot TV screen in New York’s Times Square.

Leading the new media efforts is denominational president, The Rev. William Sinkford, a former marketing executive and the first African American to lead the Unitarian Universalist Assn. of about 1,000 congregations nationwide.

“Unitarian Universalism is a religious community of seekers and skeptics alike. We honor each member’s unique faith journey and covenant to support one another as we travel along a spiritual path,” said Sinkford, who came to Costa Mesa from Boston last weekend to help launch the campaign.

“Unitarian Universalism is an outward-looking faith, whose congregations work to advance marriage equality, to further environmental, racial and economic justice, and to support humanitarian efforts in our communities and around the world,” he said.

For more information, visit www.uulagunabeach.org/ or www.uua.org.