The Six Values that now express Unitarian Universalist are for real. It’s taking time to make the transition from a narrative-based description (the Seven Principles, circa 1985) to a distilled list of core values, but it’s happening.
The struggle surrounding the change is also real. Not so long ago your congregation mirrored that struggle, as those you who lived through those difficult days can attest. Covenants, trust and hearts were broken.
But even as some hearts are heavy all around, the new and streamlined values are slowly but surely finding their way into our vocabularies – and more importantly, how we 1) Introduce ourselves to the world, and 2) Measure our progress as a witness for liberal religion in the form of Unitarian Universalism.
So, I offer them here as an introduction to those who are yet to see them in brief form, and as a reminder to everyone else they’re for real. Thanks for your patience in this not always smooth transition.
- Interdependence: We honor the interdependent web of all existence and acknowledge our place in it.
- Pluralism: We are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology.
- Justice: We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all feel welcome and can thrive.
- Transformation: We adapt to the changing world.
- Generosity: We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
- Equity: We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.
I am curious that “compassion” is not part of the core values. Given the amount of suffering we are experiencing as individuals and in our collective, I would like to see this an explicit value. Thank you.
Something that is often missing – in these principles and in our our congregational covenant, is the important word “inclusion”. It may be implied in the word “equity”, but it’s not quite the same. And although the word “inclusive” is in our Vision Statement, that’s the only place it appears in all our published materials. To me, inclusion means not only welcoming all races, creeds, ages and gender identities, but also all abilities/disabilities, and actively making room for them in our services (who speaks or assists in worship), our facilities, and our leadership. Inclusion is something most folks are not aware they aren’t offering until they experience the lack of it themselves.
Creative individuals and small groups are in the process of collaborating in creating art panels that depict our shared values. They will be displayed in the Fellowship Hall beginning in April. It will be really fun to see how these values are expressed through art.