November 2022
"We explicitly open ourselves to the possibility of change, even opening our Principles and Sources to the possibility of revision, because we know that no single formulation or understanding of our purpose will serve for all times and places. …. Our commitment to the burning core at the heart of our mission is to search out, call forth, nurture, and share more love, justice, and peace. That commitment does not change. The purpose means far more than the proclamation."
-Rev. Rod Richards
This past Sunday I talked about proposed revisions to the UUA’s bylaws that would change the section on our UU Principles and Sources. It sparked a lot of discussion after the service, in our Great Hall and Parlor, and on Zoom.
I hope many of you will continue to engage with this topic over the next few months. The group of ministers and laypeople who have been working on the revisions - the members of the Article 2 Commission - also hope you will engage. Everything you need is here:
www.uua.org/uuagovernance/committees/article-ii-study-commission
I hope you’ll read, not just the proposed revisions, but some of the background information too. I’ve borrowed some of the commission members’ suggestions about how to respond to the draft. I suggest you read the new language once and ask yourself how you feel. Read it again. Read it a third time and then start to ask yourself what you think. You might want to join an online discussion with other UUs from across the country. These will happen during the first two weeks of November. If you can’t find the information, please let me know. Then offer your input in the ways provided.
Yes, there is time for input and revision. The new language will be voted on and approved or rejected by the majority of congregational and ministerial delegates who attend General Assembly next June. I have hope for good edits and a successful outcome.
Here is what I see as the crux of this process:
Love is our foundation and unifying force. Hope is its companion.
Every person has inherent worth and dignity and
deserves respect and equitable opportunities to flourish.
We are part of an interdependent web of all existence on our earth home,
a “network of inescapable mutuality,” and
all of our actions have consequences.
We commit, with humility, to justice, anti-racism, and repair.
We celebrate generosity and pluralism, and
we recognize the power and promise of evolution in all aspects of existence.
I’m excited to see where the proposed changes go. I’m honored to serve as a minister in this tradition. As I am honored to serve among all of you.
