I think the graphic is beautiful. However, I believe a graphic would better be displayed on our website and in informational documents that explain the meaning of UUism, not in the formal document of the bylaws.
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Hmmm⌠What does it even mean âcongregation-to-congregation"and through our associationâ? The older wording was much simpler and clearer. This wording from A2SC almost doesnât even make sense.
How about instead, the more direct:
âWe, the member congregations of the UUA, covenant to support and assist one another in our ministries.â
Our intent is too limit our edits mostly to the Inspirations sections and let others propose amendments to the other verbiage of the covenant and the values. I have only included the other sections in this version of our amendment for context. The exception I made was to change the sentence that talked about heritage âWe draw from our heritages of freedom, reason, hope, and courage, building
on the foundation of love.â as I think that could be better articulated using the revised inspirations paradigm we are proposing.
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@CharlesD The initial amendment proposals had to be limited to a specific section of Article II. This revised version of our amendment recombines the covenant, values, and inspirations sections. Is this something that is possible to do in an amendment or do we need to limit our amendment to a specific section of the new proposed article II?
Also our new amendment deviates significantly from our first proposed amendment based on the feedback we have received here. My understanding is that is acceptable but I just want to make sure that a change this large is still considered as being proposed and discussed prior to the required deadlines.
We have been encouraging people to focus on individual sections, because it seems like it would be easier for the delegates to discuss changes in that way.
You can combine sections into one new section.
And, yes, your proposed amendment can be different from the idea or suggestion that started the process.
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@CharlesD The guidelines the UUA just presented tonight include ânot taking a section in a new directionâ I think we are staying within the intent of the covenant, values, and inspirations but we are proposing a very new direction for the inspirations. Could you comment on whether or not this inspirations amendment would be within the UUA guidelines? #290 | Jennifer Courtwright | Proposal is too Generic to be Meaningful - #19 by courtwrightj01
I think this will qualify for consideration. Please be advised the priority order is not the sole decision of any one of us. âThe Moderator, in consultation with the chair of the study commission, the parliamentarian and legal counsel shall prioritize proposed amendments for consideration by the General Assembly.â
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@CharlesD great thanks! I understand the prioritization of amendments is complex. Just wanted to make sure we werenât coloring too far outside the lines to even be considered.
Here is the latest version of our amendment
Section 2.2 Covenant, Values, and Inspirations
As Unitarian Universalists, we covenant, congregation-to-congregation and through our association, to support and assist one another in our ministries. Drawing from our Universalist heritages of love and our Unitarian heritages of wonder, these diverse ministries of our living religious tradition can be thought of as a metaphor of a flower and its environment. The flowerâs petals represent our values. Our values are how we communicate and live out our tradition with the ultimate goal of love. Our inspirations, represented by the sun, stem, leaves and ground, provide energy, pathways, and nutrients needed for life. Air and water represent our free and responsible search for truth and meaning, that which cannot be named, and the ultimate forms in which we live, move, and have our being.
Values
[[[ insert love statement âLove is the power thatâŚâ and values here. We are not proposing any changes to the values or love statement but are open to other amendments that specifically focus on those sections]]]
Inspirations
As a pluralistic, living religious tradition, we draw inspiration from direct experiences of transcending mystery and wonder as well as historical wisdom and grounding which provide many paths to feeling a part of something larger than ourselves. Inseparable from one another our inspirations are:
Wonder . We find energy and joy in the mystery, beauty, and creativity of life.
We cultivate wonder by using science to explore mystery and quantify uncertainty, experiencing and creating moral and physical beauty, and connecting physically and emotionally with others.
Wisdom. We make meaning from our experiences which provides courage, hope, and faith needed for our work.
We expand our wisdom by gaining perspective, practicing discernment, and learning from philosophies and religious and spiritual traditions, the creative arts, science, and history.
Grounding. We practice balance, resiliency, and resurrection during difficult times.
We ground ourselves using rituals, mindfulness practices, and sacred rest. By deeply listening to ourselves, each other, reason, and the ground of being, we co-create and re-create our home.
We respect the histories, contexts and cultures in which these paths 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 of our faith, we are called to ever deepen and expand our paths of connection.
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Thank you for removing photosynthesis and composting
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