The four UUA districts of the Southern Region met at The Mountain in September, 2013. There they created and announced plans (Mountain Meeting - Sept 2013) to further the goals and aspirations articulated in The Orlando Platform, which the same organizations (along with UUA Trustees, UUA Administration and UUA professional staff) jointly created at a meeting in Orlando, FL, in December, 2010. This is one article in a series that pertains to this transformative work to grow the impact of our faith in our UUA’s Southern Region.
Nowhere can I find a Unitarian Universalist, let alone a group of us, who believes there is a finite end to our seven principles, that the world is well and good enough the way it is currently, and that we have finished the work of our faith and can move on. In fact three years ago, I found the opposite.
I found Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Trustees, UUA Administration leaders, along with District Executives and Staff, UU Clergy and District Board Members from the four districts of the Southern Region, who all proclaimed our faith wasn’t working near as well as it should or could be. Since we cared deeply about the purpose of our faith, we decided to make sure that we strengthen our ability to both bring and achieve love, peace and justice in our corner of a wounded world. Inspired by a noble cause and the camaraderie of faithful brothers and sisters, we made the shared commitment to build a more effective and impactful faith.
As Unitarian Universalists, whether we deem ourselves, our congregations, or our leaders co-conspirators of the deeds that yield love, peace and justice or not, all parts are just that. And thus, remembering how our thoughts, our words and our actions are connected to this work can help us be present with what we are about and centered in how we go about doing what we say we need to do:
- Remember, as each of us declares we are Unitarian Universalists that we are embarking on our own spiritual journey, that in doing so we are pledging our support to each other’s spiritual journey, and that we are being called through our faith to spread the good news and do the good work that brings heaven to earth.
- When we as individuals join a Unitarian Universalist affiliated community, remember that we covenant to help that larger local community affirm its support and furtherance of our seven principles, be healthy in accordance with those principles and among each other organizationally, and be welcoming to others who would like to join and further our cause and that we do these things every day of the week.
- When our congregation/fellowship joins the Unitarian Universalist Association, remember that it covenants with all other UUA congregations/fellowships to grow our faith supporting our seven principles and to support each other. Remember that we are stronger together facing the challenges we’ve taken on than we are as congregations/fellowships alone and on our own.
- When we do our work as congregational leaders remember that we are helping our own community be effective and healthy on its own, be a good steward to the UUA and other communities we covenant to support, and that while we do our work we are teaching and learning ourselves.
- When we work as leaders of UUA institutions beyond our congregation’s walls remember that we are to lead by example, modeling the principles and elements of Beloved Community that we seek. Remember that we work for the good of the entire faith – for Unitarian Universalists everywhere – as a member of a faith community that unconditionally stands on the side of love.
- When we pledge and deliver our financial support to the work of our individual congregation or fellowship, remember that we are demonstrating our commitment to the vision and mission of such a Beloved Community’s work as well as our own values.
When our congregation and fellowships pledge financial support to the UUA remember that we are supporting that which binds us all together, that which feeds and fuels our ability to carry out our faith rituals and practices, that which enables us to speak to the world as one voice, and that which demonstrates our support to other congregations and fellowships dedicated to and formally affiliated with our common mission and values.
The group that inspired me three years ago helped me realize that not until we live the faith inside can we make our most significant impact outside. The group I work with today is similarly comprised as that group in terms of entities/organizations represented and includes some of the same people. And it is similarly in accord with supporting the direction we conceived back then and championing the next iteration of the plans we formalized this past September.
So while the journey of our district’s regional transformative and collaborative work will be imperfect, keeping the aforementioned remembrances in mind will keep it focused and attainable. As long as we continue to connect and communicate about our shared values and mission, imparting more love, peace and justice upon our world, upon our region of the world, will always be a noble and worthy endeavor.
Kirk Bogue
President, Mid-South District
Chair, Southern Region Communication Task Force
