8th Principle Adoption Process: April 9, 2021
Learn about the 8th Principle at the next 8th Principle Town Hall gathering on Sunday, April 11 at 1:15 pm. It will be the same Zoom link as the virtual coffee hour. ALL ARE INVITED!
The final congregation-wide meeting about the 8th Principle will be a Board chat. Please attend the Board Special Edition: Consider the 8th Principle on Friday, April 23, 2021 from 6:00 – 7:00 pm. The Board will create space to hear the pros and cons from church members before the congregational meeting regarding the idea of adopting the 8th Principle.
If you have not yet been part of a group conversation about the 8th Principle and would like to talk with someone from Team 8th one-on-one or if you would like your small group to discuss it in order to understand more about the 8th Principle, please contact Rev. Susan Frances at sfrances@ucevanston.org.
Q&A from the Town Hall meetings: Why isn’t it (the 7 Principles, the BLM sign, all the work I have done or am doing) enough?
A core question I keep hearing in the conversations happening at UCE around the 8th Principle is:
Why isn’t “it” enough?
- “It” has referred to the existing 7 Principles.
- “It” has referred to our large Black Lives Matter sign on Ridge.
- “It” has referred to the hard work UCE congregants did during the civil rights era and the ensuing decades.
- “It” has referred to the hard work being done by members right now through FAST and REAL and the Organizing Team and the Peace & Justice Team and the Accessibility & Inclusion Team and the Endowment Committee and others.
I hear you. You should be proud of the work you have done, of the BLM sign, of the work you continue to do. AND I hear Black, white, indigenous, and members of color saying we aren’t done yet. I hear the endorsement of the 8th Principle by BLUU and by DRUUMM. For all the hard work and sound Principles, inequities still exist and micro-aggressions still occur. The 7 Principles have been in their current form since 1995 and they have not been enough to create systemic change, dismantle racism, or build a more inclusive congregation or association. As a spiritual home, as a place where we strive to nurture the human spirit for a world made whole, we want to acknowledge these ongoing personal injustices and find new ways to make our congregation a safe place, a radically welcoming space, for all. The 8th Principle is one of these ways.
When the question is framed as “Isn’t x enough?” there is only room for a yes/no answer. There is no room for a yes/and conversation. YES, we have been and are currently reflecting on and planning and creating and doing important anti-racism and anti-oppression work, AND the 8th Principle is one more of these things that we need to reflect on, plan to adopt, create a culture around its concepts, and then live out this principle in our congregation and the world. YES, the 8th Principle is an extension of what UCE has done and is doing, AND after we adopt the 8th Principle, we will have to continue to listen to each other, believe each other, forgive each other, and move forward together in relationship as we actively live into the values of the 8th Principle.
We are on a life-long journey, my friends. And I am glad to be on this journey with you. The longevity is one of the reasons why we need to lean into our covenantal community. Why we have to be willing to talk to each other when our feelings are hurt or we have cause to be offended. Why we have to be willing to listen and believe each other. Why we have to be willing to forgive and move forward, still connected to each other. Being on this life-long journey is also why we have to continue to bring joy and hope into our anti-racism and anti-oppression work. I envision the adoption of the 8th Principle will be one of these moments of celebration, fueling our hope and commitment to continue on this journey together.
Yours in building our multicultural Beloved Community,
Rev. Susan
Anti-Racism 8th Principle Adopted by UCE!!!: May 21, 2021
After five months of education, conversation, and debate about a proposed new principle focused on dismantling racism and other oppressions, the Unitarian Universalist congregation of Evanston, Illinois, formally adopted the principle by an overwhelming 95% vote. The new principle becomes the eighth in a list of guiding values that light the way for UUs everywhere. Here is the new 8th Principle as adopted at our annual meeting, followed by the full list.
We, a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.
Here is our full list of Principles that guide UCE:
- 1st Principle: The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
- 2nd Principle: Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
- 3rd Principle: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
- 4th Principle: A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
- 5th Principle: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
- 6th Principle: The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
- 7th Principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
- 8th Principle: Journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.
A lot of the preparatory discussions before the annual meeting focused on the meaning of the words in the new principle. What does it mean to be accountable? What does it mean to dismantle racism and other oppressions in our institutions? One person said, “This seems like a no-brainer and we should all vote yes.” A few questioned where our care of the environment lives in this principle and how we will remain in covenant as we do this work in an accountable manner. We will have to continue to have conversations about these important issues. Right now, the whole association is looking at the principles and their wording through a study commissioned at the 2020 General Assembly.
The next step for us, after celebrating this success, is for each of us to think about how to continue to build accountable anti-racism and anti-oppession work into our UCE community. Team 8th will be working with the ministers and the YWCA Equity Consultants on the ways to live into our new principle. To that end let us use the perspective of Mia Mingus, an activist for disability justice, who expresses: “What if accountability wasn’t scary? It will never be easy or comfortable, but what if it wasn’t scary? What if our own accountability wasn’t something we ran from, but something we ran towards and desired, appreciated, held as sacred?”
8th Principle Update: April 16, 2021
The final congregation wide meeting about the 8th Principle will be a Board chat. Please attend the Board Special Edition: Consider the 8th Principle on Friday, April 23, 2021 from 6:00 – 7:00 pm. The Board will create space to hear the pros and cons from church members before the congregational meeting regarding the idea of adopting the 8th Principle.
If you have not yet been part of a group conversation about the 8th Principle and would like to talk with someone from Team 8th one-on-one to understand more about the 8th Principle, please contact Rev. Susan Frances at sfrances@ucevanston.org.
Q&A from the Town Hall meetings: Does the 8th Principle solely address black/white race issues?
The 8th Principle was created to address racism in all the ways it appears in our society. And racism affects us all. Right now, our Asian and Asian-American siblings are facing heightened acts of violence due to racism. Settlor colonialism continues to affect our Indigenous siblings. Latinx immigrants and citizens continue to face micro- and macro-aggressions on a daily basis. Although our black and white siblings are often at the forefront of public conversations around race, we must remember that until all of us are liberated from the bonds of racism, none of us are liberated.Within Unitarian Universalism, the co-creators of the 8th Principle are Paula Cole Jones, a black woman, and Bruce Pollack-Johnson, a white man. And, we have a black positive UU organization, BLUU, that has endorsed the adoption of the 8th Principle. This is important given our Association’s history, which you can read more about in Widening the Circle of Concern or in one of the books I’ve listed below. Addressing racism in the form of anti-blackness is vital to the work encouraged by the 8th Principle, but also important is eliminating white colorblindness and white erasure of BIPOC identities. We must hold everyone in our community as we move forward in our anti-racism work.
The 8th Principle was also created as an explicit call to address other oppressions within our congregations, Association, and society, such as ableism, classism, sexism, cissexism, homophobia, and xenophobia. In doing this anti-oppression work, we must work to hold in our hearts and express in our actions this wide-ranging need for justice and equity.
One reason the 8th Principle is so important is because it is an explicit call to the work of building a diverse multicultural Beloved Community comprised of individuals with complex personal narratives and varied social locations that combine privileged and marginalized identities.
Each person has a story and history. Each person is beautiful and unique. Each person is valued.
Yours in building our multicultural Beloved Community,
Rev. Susan
Books about UU History:
- Darkening the Doorways: Black Trailblazers and Missed Opportunities in Unitarian Universalism by Mark Morrison-Reed. It’s available from the UCE lending library once we have reopened the building or by ordering it from the UUA bookstore.
- Centering: Navigating Race, Authenticity, and Power in Ministry, edited by Mitra Rahnema. A collection of essays by UU religious leaders of color centering their stories, analysis, and insight of Unitarian Universalism. Available at UUA bookstore.
- Unitarian Universalists of Color: Stories of Struggle, Courage, Love and Faith, edited by Yuri Yamamoto, Chandra Snell, and Tim Hanami. A collection of essays by UU congregants of color. Available at UU of Color Story Project.
- The Arc of the Universe is Long, by Leslie Takahashi, James (Chip) Roush, and Leon Spencer. A history of the UUA journey toward becoming an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, multicultural movement. Available at UUA bookstore.
Are the 7 Principles Mutable?: March 12, 2021
Learn about the 8th Principle at the next 8th Principle Town Hall gathering on Sunday, March 21 at 1:15 pm. ALL ARE INVITED! Register here to let us know you will be there.
We will have additional congregation-wide gatherings on April 4 and April 11. If none of these dates fits into your schedule, Team 8th is considering adding either a Monday or Friday evening presentation later in April. Email Sally Parsons (psally944@gmail.com) by April 1 stating your preference. You may also plan to have your covenant group or small group discuss the 8th Prinicple when you meet in March or April.
Q&A from previous Town Hall meetings: Are the 7 Principles mutable?
Yes. As we continue to learn and grow, our principles and sources have changed and are meant to evolve with us.
When the Unitarians and Universalists merged in 1961, our newly formed Unitarian Universalist Association started out with 6 Principles and no sources. In 1985, we added the 7th Principle and adopted 5 Sources. In 1995, we added the 6th Source.
Right now, there is a Study Commission reflecting on and examining revisions to our 7 Principles. In 2017, the UUA General Assembly voted to create a Study Commission regarding adopting the 8th Principle. In 2020, the UUA General Assembly voted to create an Article II Study Commission. Article II of the UUA Bylaws is the article that contains the 7 Principles. The charge of the Article II Study Commission is to review all 7 Principles and incorporate the findings of the 2017 Study Commission on the 8th Principle. The report and recommendations for revising the Principles that stem from the Article II Study Commission will be presented to the UUA General Assembly in 2022.
If you have questions about the 8th Principle, please contact one of the Team 8th members, who are listed in REALM, or Rev. Susan Frances at sfrances@ucevanston.org. We will continue discussing the concepts and meaning of the 8th Principle, and look forward to seeing you at one of the Town Hall meetings.
Annual Meeting Preview: April 9, 2021
What will happen at our annual meeting this year? Many wonder what may be on the agenda, so let’s talk about that now. There will be a financial report and a vote on a budget for the new fiscal year starting July, 2021. There will be a slate of candidates for new Board of Trustee members, the name of the proposed new Endowment Trustee, and a slate for new Nominating and Recruiting Committee members. Those are the standard agenda items. There will also be proposed changes to our bylaws.
In addition this year there will be a vote on adopting the 8th principle. The Board will host a Board Special Edition: Consider the 8th Principle on Friday, April 23, 2021 at 6:00 pm. The Board will create space to hear the pros and cons from church members before the congregational meeting regarding the idea of adopting the 8th Principle.
To find out more about the entire congregation meeting, please read more and plan to attend a congregational conversation at our Town Halls on April 21 at 6:30 pm (COMPLETED) and April 25 at 11:45 am.
8th Principle Vote
There have been many open sessions introducing the 8th principle and discussing its meaning for us at UCE. Two more sessions are planned – one on April 11th after coffee hour and one Friday evening, April 23rd. The Friday, April 23rd meeting will be co-hosted by the Board of Trustees and the 8th Principle Team as we seek to listen carefully to all members on this topic. Links to both of those meetings can be found in the newsletter for those weeks. In addition, your covenant groups are holding discussions on the 8th principle, as are other small groups. If you would like a discussion guide and/or facilitator for your group, please contact the Board for more information (BOT@ucevanston.org).
The Board of Trustees is recommending we call for a 75% YES count for the vote on the 8th principle at the annual meeting. We believe it merits a 75% positive vote because it is a significant addition to our guiding principles!
Changes to Bylaws Vote
As part of the Interim work, the Board has been reviewing the bylaws and has found a few areas that need to be updated to more closely reflect the practices of UCE. Some of the changes to the Bylaws are technical, clarifying how UCE is operating and fulfilling our mission. The Board proposes
- We change all pronouns in the bylaws to gender neutral pronouns.
- Any minister of the Unitarian Church of Evanston, whether called or hired, shall have freedom of the pulpit. Until recently, we had only called ministers, and we believe we should change the bylaws to ensure this is clear: all ministers have freedom of the pulpit.
- To update the table of contents to match any changes.
Other changes are more complex.
- Currently a board member may serve up to three terms within a ten-year period. The Board proposes that these three terms be staggered by requiring a three-year hiatus before being slated again, if a trustee has already served two terms within an eight-year time period.
- We need to clarify how senior staff positions are filled within a modified policy governance structure such as that at UCE. Language has been added to show that, while the senior minister is always called by the congregation, other positions may be hired by the senior minister in covenantal consultation with the Board of Trustees and the Executive Team. Contracts with these hired employees will be co-signed by the senior minister and the Board President, with approval of the Board of Trustees. The positions affected are a minister other than senior minister, a director of religious education, director of congregational life, director of music and executive operations director.
Please note that, since all changes are clarifications and corrections, we will vote for the full list of changes all at one time; there will be only one vote for all the bylaw changes. This will also ease the complexity of our Zoom voting process.
Please attend town hall meetings to discuss the proposed budget and these proposed bylaw changes on Sunday, April 25 at 11:45am (following the special UUANI service at 10am and a brief coffee and conversation time.) Please plan to attend the Board Special Edition on the 8th Principle on Friday, April 23 at 6:00pm. Meanwhile, should you have any questions or concerns, please contact a board member or email us at BOT@ucevanston.org. We want to hear from you!
From Rev. Susan Frances: January 22, 2021
Dear Friends,
Have you heard of the 8th Principle? It is a proposed new Principle that is a call to action and accountability to dismantle racism and other oppressions.
The following language for an 8th Principle was proposed at the 2017 General Assembly with an invitation for congregations to discuss it, adopt it, and act to live it:
“We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote:
Journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and in our institutions.”
Why are we talking about a new principle that directly addresses the need to dismantle racism and other oppressions? Because “until we are all free, we are none of us free.” These words written by Emma Lazarus, an activist for Jewish causes in the 19th century, have been echoed by Maya Angelou and Janelle Monae, Black women of the 20th and 21st centuries. While these words have been written and spoken by women from marginalized communities, the reality is that as a white person, these words are true for me as well. As a white person, I am intimately aware that until Black, Indigenous, and People of Color have equality in housing, education, and job opportunities, have security from police and law enforcement, have the respect of government officials, have all the privileges that I enjoy as a white person, that I too am trapped in a society of collusion and fear.
The call to dismantle racism and other oppressions is not new. And that is one of the problems. As a predominately white congregation and religious movement, we have been able to be comfortable with slow progress. We have been able to be comfortable with the heady promises that our 7 Principles give us and the world. Unlike our current 7 Principles, the 8th Principle is an explicit call to action. While we draw upon the other Principles in our activism, they have not been sufficient to dismantle white supremacy culture within our congregations, our UU movement, or our society.
It is again time to renew our commitment to action, knowing that action takes many forms. I know that UCE is engaged in anti-racism and anti-oppression work, from having a Black Lives Matter sign along Ridge Avenue to the active Racial Equity Action Leadership Team to the Board holding monthly discussion groups based on the Commission of Institutional Change’s Widening the Circle of Concern report to the Social Justice Council just this year revising its process for choosing the plate share program recipients to account for their impact on dismantling white supremacy and addressing racism. And yet, there is more to do.
In adopting the 8th Principle, we, as individual members of UCE, are agreeing to review our interactions with each other, our policies for staff and rental agreements, our budget, and our ongoing social action efforts through the lens of “working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.” While it is vital that we continue our work beyond the walls of UCE by supporting Black led organizations and Black owned businesses and advocating for legal and institutional reforms, it is also important that we do more work internally.
Here are a few ways we engage in action and practice accountability for our actions, internally within ourselves and within UCE:
- Actively understanding our implicit biases
- Pausing to think before we speak or post; words matter
- Choosing where we and our congregation spend money
- Reviewing and revising policies and processes within our congregation so that we are able to hold each other accountable and in continued relationship as we dismantle white supremacy culture
- Calling each other back into covenant when the impact of something is harmful, regardless of intent, so we may apologize, make amends, and do better in the future
When we are actively engaged in anti-oppression and anti-racism work, there will be disagreements, disappointments, and hard conversations. We are a congregation made up of individuals with numerous ideas about how to proceed in this work – not all white congregants or all black congregants or all people of color congregants will agree with each other. We are a group of diverse individuals trying to proceed in community. So, at times, we will have to apologize and make amends to our fellow congregants. At times, we will have to pace ourselves and dive deeper in order to remain in relationship and hold each other accountable for what we say and do. It will be hard, and we can do this! In fact, we are well equipped to do this hard, often messy work. In 2011, we adopted our Covenant of Engagement. We also have a Congregational Relations Team, which is made up of UCE members who have training and experience in communication skills and conflict resolution and are available to help promote healthy relationships within the UCE community, including dealing constructively with conflict.
At General Assembly 2020, an Article II Study Commission was established to review and make recommendations regarding revisions to our 7 Principles. Part of this review will engage with the 8th Principle. As more and more UU churches adopt the 8th Principle at our annual meetings, we provide a grass–roots swell of approval for including the 8th Principle in the Commission’s recommendations. I have heard from so many of you about the pride you take in UCE being at the forefront of social justice issues. This is another step – incorporating a call for action and accountability into the fabric of UCE’s policies and processes.
Watch the newsletter under Team 8th for information regarding learning about, discussing, adopting, and living into 8th Principle. If you have questions about the 8th Principle or want to be involved in Team 8th, please contact me at sfrances@ucevanston.org.
Yours in working toward a diverse multicultural Beloved Community,
Rev. Susan
Why Values and Not Principles? Join Us to Discuss the What and Why of Article 2 Revisions.
Eight UCE members will serve as delegates to the UUA General Assembly June 20-23. Under consideration are proposed revisions to Article 2 of the UUA Bylaws, which describes our UU principles. The revisions replace the current UU Principles with the six Values of generosity, justice, equity, transformation, interdependence, and pluralism, with Love at the center as the power that holds us. This change calls out that we are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love. These proposed Values statements reflect an evolution of our Principles including the 8th Principle.
So why is it necessary to evolve our 8 Principles into the proposed Values of generosity, justice, equity, transformation, interdependence, and pluralism – all centered in Love?
Join the UCE delegates and Denominational Affairs Team via zoom on June 3 at 7 pm or in-person/zoom June 9 at 12 pm in room 3 to discuss the what’s and why’s of the proposed changes. The delegates are eager to share information and discuss Article 2 , and understand what members think about the proposed changes.
Zoom link for June 3 and 9 sessions:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81668335293?pwd=0JEXsB7opczyhJsdsiZUawqohbEhOX.1
Meeting ID: 816 6833 5293 Passcode: 318292
Read more about the proposed revisions to UUA’s Article 2 here.
What’s driving the revisions to Article 2?
Article 2 is part of the UUA bylaws passed by the consolidated Unitarian and Universalist churches in 1961. Originally it included 6 principles, as well as the resources. There was also a mandate to review both parts every 15 years. The 7th principle was added by General Assembly vote in 1985, along with an update to gender-neutral language. The concept of an 8th principle was introduced to UU congregations and communities in 2013 and UCE adopted it in May 2021. To date, more than 223 congregations have passed it. However, it is not included in the UUA’s 7 Principles. The desired to address racism in the UUA Principles and the mandate to review the parts of Article 2 every fifteen years resulted in the UUA board appointing a 6-member commission to review Article 2.
Discussions began in the fall of 2020 and over the next 3 years hundreds of surveys were conducted. The commission met twice a month and submitted proposed changes in January 2023. The proposed changes included transforming the 7 Principles into 6 Values statements centered by Love, evolving the Sources into Inspirations, and simplifying the Freedom of Belief language.
The General Assembly voted in June of 2023 to continue a year of discernment about the proposed changes before calling for a vote at the 2024 meeting. For the past year UCE’s Denominational Affairs team has held sessions to discuss the proposed changes, posted information in the newsletter and hosted program tables, and Rev. Eileen has spoken about the changes from the pulpit.
The UCE delegates are eager to understand what members think about the proposed changes. Please share your thoughts with members of Denominational Affairs or UCE delegates at the June 3 or 9 sessions, in-person or through Realm: Shirely Adams, Lee Bannor, Peggy Boccard, Lina Hilko (alternate delegate), Melanie Kitchner, Cheryl Mounts, Joe Romeo (alternate delegate), Steve Serikaku, Elaine Siegel, Betty Walker, and Carla Williams.
Author: Carla Williams, Denominational Affairs Committee
Principles & Sources
What is Unitarian Universalism?
Our Current Values and Inspirations
You may read the UUA values that UCE has embraced, along with UCE’s mission and vision here.
Our faith community embraces a vast array of personal inspirations. Acknowledgment of these sources of inspiration are expressed by our Unitarian Universalist Assocation as “Direct experiences of transcending mystery and wonder are primary sources of Unitarian Universalist inspiration. These experiences open our hearts, renew our spirits, and transform our lives. We draw upon, and are inspired by, sacred, secular, and scientific understandings that help us make meaning and live into our values. These sources ground us and sustain us in ordinary, difficult, and joyous times. We respect the histories, contexts, and cultures in which these sources were created and are currently practiced. Grateful for the experiences that move us, aware of the religious ancestries we inherit, and enlivened by the diversity which enriches our faith, we are called to ever deepen and expand our wisdom.”
We invite you to join us and share the inspirations along your life journey.
Our Historic Principles & Sources
In June 2024, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) completed a more than 3-year process to re-articulate how we express our values and inspirations. You may read more about the UUA process of developing and adopting these transformative changes here. Our historic 8 Principles and 6 Sources, which have grown and been revised several times since 1961, remain an integral part of our faith community’s journey:
Principles
We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote:
- 1st Principle: The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
- 2nd Principle: Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
- 3rd Principle: Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
- 4th Principle: A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
- 5th Principle: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
- 6th Principle: The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
- 7th Principle: Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
- 8th Principle: adopted by UCE on May 16, 2021, reads: “We, a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”
Sources
The Living Tradition* we share draws from many sources:
Source of Wonder and Mystery:
- Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
Source of Inspiring People:
- Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
Source of World Religions:
- Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life;
Source of Judeo-Christian Traditions:
- Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves;
Source of Reason and Science
- Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science, and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit.
Source of Our Sacred Earth
- Spiritual teachings of earth-centered traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.
*Unitarian Universalism is often referred to by its members as a living tradition, and the principles and purposes have been modified over time to reflect changes in spiritual beliefs among the membership.
Can We Change the Wording?: February 26, 2021
Learn about the 8th Principle at the next 8th Principle Town Hall gathering on Wednesday, March 10 at 6:30 pm. ALL ARE INVITED!
We will have additional congregation-wide gatherings on March 21, April 4, and April 11. If none of these dates fits into your schedule, Team 8th is considering adding either a Monday or Friday evening presentation later in April. Email Sally Parsons (psally944@gmail.com) by April 1 stating your preference. You may also plan to have your covenant group or small group discuss the 8th Prinicple when you meet in March or April.
Q&A from the Town Hall meetings: Can we change the wording?
We will not be discussing any revisions to the 8th Principle. The established wording of the 8th Principle is: “We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”
This wording was created by BIPOC and white UUs working in collaboration. The established wording was solidified in 2013 and has been endorsed by BLUU (Black Lives of UU) and DRUUMM (Diverse Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries). In an effort to have the 8th Principle be a consistent message across the UU world, UCE will not be discussing any edits to the wording of the 8th Principle.
Our friends at the Unitarian Universalist congregation in Brookfield, WI share these ideas:
“While it is phrased differently from the more vision-focused language of the other 7 Principles, it was specifically worded to express the need for accountable action because the implicit language of dignity, respect, equity and inclusion in the current 7 Principles has not resulted in sustained and significant change towards anti-racism in the UUA or its congregations.
Also, in our journey of understanding white supremacy culture (which includes an emphasis on the perfectibility of the written word) we recommend releasing the desire to tinker with the 8th Principle’s wording, and simply accept what UUs of color have said is needed, and the way it is being said.”
We will continue discussing the concepts and meaning of the 8th Principle, and look forward to seeing you at one of the Town Hall meetings.
VirtUUal Faith Formation: April 2, 2021
What’s Happening in Faith Formation?
Welcome to our new theme of Becoming! This week we focus on the segments Welcome, At the Table and On the Message Board. Check out this week’s video here. You can access the Soulful Home packet here at your own leisure.
Many Ways to Connect
Easter Egg Hunt – once again this year we will be participating in a virtual egg hunt with 77 UU congregations around the country and Canada! You can play anytime after 9 am Saturday: Easy version: https://www.uuco.org/community Difficult: www.uumontclair.org
8th and 12th Grade Bridging – We will meet on the lawn at UCE at 4 pm on April 25 to record your bridging ceremony – our UU recognition of your next stage of life. All young adults and high school youth are welcome to participate! If you haven’t received an email about this yet, please email Kathy Underwood.
Taking Flight Sex Ed Program for 7th-9th Youth – Sunday at 1 pm. Youth must be registered to attend. See the email with Zoom info.
Pre/K Kids and Families – POP (Parents of Preschoolers) – April’s materials are available here. The password is YouGotThis2020 (case sensitive.) This UU-based program is to be used all month long. Do whatever fits your family’s schedule.
High School Youth – Outdoor meet-up. Look for an email with details.
Looking Ahead
Popcorn Theology Online for 6th-8th Grade Youth – Sunday, April 11 at 1 pm.
This Sunday’s Forum Discussion
Forum meets this Sunday, April 4 at 10 am. Come join us for continuation of our discussion of the proposed 8th principle. In late February we talked about the history of the 8th principle, the process toward adoption, and Beloved Community. This time we will look at how some other congregations are approaching adoption, news on dates and the UCE voting process, and what it means to act accountably. What does that mean individually and within UCE? Part of our time together will be spent imagining action steps we could take after the adoption of the 8th principle. There will also be a short video of a UU minister speaking about their congregation and the 8th principle.
Current and Upcoming Adult Religious Education
Facing Climate Change – Tuesdays, April 6 and 13 – Andy Fisher will talk about the critical problem of climate change, based on materials from “The Climate Reality Project” founded by former Vice President Al Gore. Dan Solomon will follow up with a presentation on how Religious Naturalism can provide a framework for facing Climate Change.
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