From Your Minister
Dear Ones,
Soon we will be beginning a new year! This annual time of change carries so many meanings, which have built up over the years. Many of us find ourselves wondering what the new year will bring, often with a complex mix of emotions.
One of the things I’m excited about engaging with you on from January – June is discussing Unitarian Universalism’s proposed new purposes, values, principles, and sources. This is foundational work for all Unitarian Universalists and our congregations. It asks us to reflect on what Unitarian Universalism means in the world today and what we are called to do.
As many of you know, the last year and a half we’ve been engaging with this process first by discussing and adopting the 8th Principle, which was one way we gave input to the national process. Then, after the proposed revisions for Article II of the UUA Bylaws, which contains our purposes, values, principles, and sources language, was released in January 2023, we discussed the process and draft, and gave input on it at the national General Assembly in June 2023.
And now, we’re coming to a crucial new stage! The Unitarian Universalist Association, our national body, has released the final proposed revisions to Article II of the UUA Bylaws. This language is what Unitarian Universalists around the country will be discussing and taking a final vote on during our national General Assembly in June 2024. If the proposed language is adopted, these will become some of the ways we discuss Unitarian Universalism. What’s more, they will help guide us in our future work. (read about the process)
This is part of a process that Unitarian Universalists go through every 15 years as part of discerning how we understand our living religious tradition nowadays, as well as how we need to talk about who we are and what we are called to be and do. This time around the Article II Study Commission met with thousands of UUs in groups and as individuals, collected feedback on surveys, and held many discussions. To develop the first draft, they engaged in 45 feedback sessions with 4,611 participants, videos reached 7,765 viewers, and their 29 surveys generated 10,925 responses. And then they incorporated the amendments made at General Assembly in June 2023.
There are many important parts to the proposed revisions to Article II. This winter and spring we’ll be discussing them as a congregation in worship services and covenant groups, with a special focus on the proposed values:
• Love – January 2024
• Justice – February 2024
• Equity – February 2024
• Transformation – March 2024
• Interdependence – April 2024
• Pluralism – May 2024
• Generosity – October 2023
I’m looking forward to engaging with you in these discussions as we celebrate what Unitarian Universalism means in our lives and community, and discern how we talk about this.
May this transition into the new year bring you joy, love, and renewal.
Love and Blessings,
Rev. Diana
