From the Board Chair-The Idea of Who We Are

From the Board Chair

The Idea of Who We Are

By Natalia (Natty) Averett

[as printed in The Arlingtarian, July 2010]

Bono, frontman of the rock group U2, said that America is more than a country, it's an idea. That's how I feel about Unitarian Universalism and about UUCA. We are more than just what we do; we are defined by the values we promote. One UU's VOICE is another UU's Jericho Project, but the uniting theme is a commitment to Unitarian Universalist principles and a desire to affirm and promote those principles. Beyond the committees, our physical gathering place [church building], and our homes in this particular region of the Unitarian Universalist diaspora, what unites us as members of UUCA?

Our purpose as laid out in our Constitution and mission statement is "to promote the understanding and interests of liberal religion, based upon individual freedom of belief, universal community, and the democratic process in human relations" and "to foster and celebrate diversity; to create a more just world and a caring community; to share creative gifts through worship and artistic expressions; to support lifelong learning; and to nurture a spirit of generosity in all that we do.” Unitarian Universalism is thus at once a religion (a community united in belief), a movement and an idea that we can and should proclaim - "the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.” As UUs we live our lives with a core belief that this – the Sixth Principle - is our present responsibility and our future reality. The religion is the community that encourages and supports us to make the idea more than just that, and the movement is our way of engaging the world in that idea. The religious community sustains us on our journey but it’s the idea that drives us.

The Board has adopted a membership policy calling on leaders, staff and members to share and articulate a collective identity, addressing the core questions of who we are and applying a greater degree of discernment to what we do in support of that. This reflection is manifest in the recent social justice empowerment workshop, assessments related to strategic planning and capital campaign, in the growth of our connections to interfaith and local communities and in the long and difficult process of creating this year's budget. We have been called by circumstance and blessed by opportunity to remind ourselves of who we are and what we stand for.

Just as many of us, familiar with the Pledge of Allegiance, long for the idea of America, the nation united with liberty and justice for all, even as we forget it consciously and in our deeds, many UUCA members desire the idea of UUCA, the compelling purpose beneath our busy congregational life. We find that idea in our mission, vision and purpose, named above, adopted and reaffirmed by the Congregation over the years and grounded in our Unitarian Universalist principles. Beyond the committees, the affinity for our physical gathering place, and the proximity of our homes to this particular intersection in this particular region of the Unitarian Universalist diaspora, this what unites the members of UUCA.

In peace,

Natalia (Natty) Averett, Chair

On Behalf of the Board of Trustees

nataliaaverett(at)aol.com