#200 | Anne Schneider | UUA should serve the needs of the congregation

2023 Article II Amendment Idea Submissions Amendment Ideas
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Submission 200
Anne Schneider
valley unitarian universalist congregation

What is your suggestion or idea?

REVISE AS FOLLOWS:

C-2.1. Purposes.

The Unitarian Universalist Association will devote its resources to and use its organizational powers for religious, educational, and humanitarian purposes. Its primary purposes are to assist congregations in their vital ministries, support and train leaders both lay and professional, to foster lifelong faith formation, to heal historic injustices, and to advance our Unitarian Universalist values in the world., serve the needs of its member congregations, organize new congregations, assist congregations in maintaining state, district, regional and national organizations with democratically elected leaders, to assist congregations in their vital ministries, support and train leaders both lay and professional, hold one or more national conferences for members and professionals, abide by its own bylaws and other rules, to foster lifelong faith formation, to heal historic injustices, and to advance national and international recognition of and appreciation for Unitarian Universalist principles and its congregations. our Unitarian Universalist values in the world.

The purpose of the Unitarian Universalist Association is to actively engage its members in the transformation of the world through liberating Love.

What is the reason for your amendment idea?

The national association of UUism should serve the needs of the congregation. The revisions of Article 2 change the power relationship so that the congregations are subservient to the UUA. This is a radical change in the power dynamics and destroys the idea of congregational polity. Also, like most national professional associations that have a democratic structure, UUism needs state, district, and regional associations that build upon one another and provide democratic connections between members and the national association. Finally, the UUA needs to be told to abide by its own bylaws!

Have you discussed this idea with your congregation or other UUs?

Yes. Our congregation is unhappy with the demise of democratcy within the UU organizations and has increasingly come to distrust UU leadership.

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If the only change being proposed was to change the purpose of the UUA, that change alone would be worthy of discussion, dialogue, and discernment. In my congregation, many people who are OK with this new wording say that the UUA will continue to serve the congregations. In that case, let’s say so.

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This one idea, the proposed reversal of the UUA’s responsibility to serve the needs of the congregation, describes a role of supremacy, and contradicts one of the deepest UU spiritual practices. The statement does not share the meaning that the Article II proposes with statements that honor a democratic religious practice.

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I agree. In my 30+ years as a member of a Unitarian congregation, I have observed that the greatest sense of community & commitment follows from self-direction. I believe the UUA’s most valuable function is in providing external administrative support, not closer management.