From Your Minister

Dear Ones,

In February we will be exploring the values of Justice and Equity. The proposed revisions to Article II of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s bylaws says this about these values:

• Justice: We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all thrive. We covenant to dismantle racism and all forms of systemic oppression. We support the use of inclusive democratic processes to make decisions within our congregations, our Association, and society at large.
• Equity: We declare that every person has the right to flourish with inherent dignity and worthiness. We covenant to use our time, wisdom, attention, and money to build and sustain fully accessible and inclusive communities.

As we explore what these values mean to us individually and as a congregation, we’ll also be reflecting on how articulating these values as part of the center of our living liberal religious tradition affects how we understand Unitarian Universalism and where we’re being called today.

Due to the severe weather in mid-January, the open questions discussion that the Board of Trustees had planned for January 14 will now happen on February 4. This means that we’ll be able to begin our month of exploring Justice and Equity with discussions of what it means to be in Iowa in the current climate of extremism and division, as well as how we’re called to respond as a community. I hope you’ll join these important discussions after the worship service on February 4. Your input will affect how we’re carrying out our Vision of Ministry this congregational year and will affect the Vision of Ministry that the Board develops for the 2024-25 congregational year.

Speaking of which, as we have begun a new calendar year, the Board, staff, and I have been revisiting UUS’s 2023-24 Vision of Ministry as we look at our programming for the winter and spring. As you may recall, our 3 themes for this year are:

• A year of welcoming, hospitality, and homecoming – including sharing responsibility for welcoming and integrating visitors, making creative use of our building, encouraging more member-developed and easily-accessible programming
• Nourishing resilience as a community – including joyful resistance to extremism, building bonds with each other and allied groups, engaging in creative conflict, deepening and respecting diverse spiritual practices, and adapting to climate change
• Practicing personal care and compassion for others – including recognizing the effects of the pandemic and political realities, cultivating sustainable practices, practicing patience and setting realistic expectations, focusing on the positive, and resisting perfectionism
• Read more here: https://www.uusic.org/vision-of-ministry-for-2023-2024

As you may recall, back in August and September, we did some work as a congregation reflecting on how we could enact this Vision of Ministry. I’m delighted that many teams and staff have been developing programming that reflects this vision. As we move into this new calendar year, I hope you’ll join us in reviewing the vision and renewing our collective work on how our shared ministry can enact it this year.

I look forward to engaging with you in this work as we celebrate what Unitarian Universalism means in our lives and community.

Love and Blessings,
Rev. Diana