Submission 459
John I. Helmers
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Rochester, MN (Rochester, MN) 5524
What is your suggestion or idea?
Section C-2.2. Values and Covenant.
Replace
As Unitarian Universalists, we covenant, congregation-to-congregation and
through our association, to support and assist one another in our ministries.
With
We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association,
covenant
congregation-to-congregation and through our association, to support and assist one another in our ministries.
What is the reason for your amendment idea?
The proposed language is confusing and could be interpreted to be a covenant amongst the congregants, not the congregations. This needs to be clarified, as it is in a legal document (the UUA bylaws), being changed with a process that denies a vote for the majority of the people it would impact. If the proposed language stands, it would be in opposition to our current 5th principle.
Have you discussed this idea with your congregation or other UUs?
Yes, I have studied the proposed Article II language with the Chosen Faith Study Group for the past three months. We reached consensus that the ““We”” in all the covenant statements throughout the proposed language need to refer only to the member congregations of the UUA, and not to the members and friends of the member congregations. It is a fine point, however, as we have numerous members who came to our faith to find respite from an authoritarian, top-down creedal religion. We do not want to drive them away.