‘Community Locator’ Assists Unificationists
Have you ever wondered about the Unificationist community in Dallas? Or perhaps Chicago? Maybe you’re in the market to visit a new place, or even relocate, but don’t know where to start. The “UC Locator” website created by the movement’s Family Ministry could help with such decisions and more. It’s designed to connect and inform Unificationists across America about our faith communities in each city.
From coast to coast, there are currently 45 communities featured on UC Locator. Leaders say the website is a beneficial resource that provides general city information like statistics on population, housing, and jobs, as well as unemployment, crime, attractions, and other details. It also breaks down information about the Unification community in each city, including the number of active families, and age demographics of adults, youth, and children.
“You can click on Mobile, Alabama, or Indianapolis, Indiana, and see a lot of public statistics like the metro size or median house price,” said website creator Rev. David Rendel, who worked together with Takayoshi M. “It’s an amazing tool where you can easily filter through city information, but it also gives you an idea of the church environment, local pastors, and the faith community.”
Leaders say they hope more people will use the site to locate and learn about other church communities, especially those that are smaller and looking to grow and attract more young families. The website’s featured tab allows visitors to easily compare communities by different criteria. “You can select comparisons based on population or lifestyle,” Rev. Rendel said. “The comparisons are great — you can look at it from more of a public perspective or based on our church statistics. The lifestyle filter is based more on our church statistics.”
Rev. Rendel noted that all data is directly contributed by each community’s pastors. “They’re all really trying to market themselves,” he said of smaller communities like Milwaukee and Kansas City, as well as larger communities like Los Angeles and Washington, DC.
The website’s “comfort index” provides further insight, too, by evaluating a city’s weather in the summer and winter seasons. “There are a lot of things to learn from this site,” said Rev. Rendel. “I think this is going to be something that can facilitate and support members moving to different communities in the future.”
So the next time you’re curious about a far-off city, or a community the next state over, the UC Locator is a great option and starting point for local information.
You can explore the UC Locator website here.