History of this amendment (combined amendments #147 and #460 in the prior list):
My first draft of this amendment was done while participating in many of the Commission’s online feedback sessions with fellow UUs, and I solicited further feedback before submitting the form. (The “Arts” language is based on a proposed addition to the Sources by Rev. Rick Davis that gained widespread support during 2006-2009.)
The amendment was further workshopped starting in February in the Facebook groups Blue Boat Passengers and UU Humanists, and then taken by both @Janet and me separately to our congregations for further input and editing. I am on my congregation’s ad hoc Article II team and an alternate delegate, while Janet is on her congregation’s board and is a delegate. Janet’s congregation voted on eight separate amendments, and her draft of this amendment was the one that came out on top with a strong majority. My congregation hasn’t had a congregational vote or poll yet, but feedback was solicited in several information sessions and congregational spaces.
Both versions were posted separately to the Discuss board by the April 30 deadline. Collaboration and feedback solicitation continued via our congregations, the Facebook groups mentioned, and an email group started from the May UUA-sponsored Inspirations workshop, which considered several amendments simultaneously. (We have continued to cross-pollinate language between some of these versions, as may be seen on the Discuss board’s earlier list). After Janet recombined the two amendments, we did a final, intensive, collaborative phase using all the above-mentioned venues: feedback gathering, brainstorming, editing, and a heartfelt effort towards deep synthesis of all comments.
This proposed amendment seeks to synthesize and reconcile the existing Sources with the proposed Inspirations, as well as update them with newly cited concerns and clarifications (e.g., honoring religious sources vs. cultural appropriation vs. past religious traumas; clarifying science vs. humanism while placing these in balance with other values, etc.). And it adds one source or inspiration (the Arts) that gained widespread support in previous years.
Thank you for considering this labor of love.
Some historical links:
First draft Nov.-Dec. 2022 (submitted in feedback form to Article II Commission):
Blue Boat Passengers: Info & Constructive Discussion re Article II, etc. | Facebook
Amendment #147 drafts and discussion:
#147 | Janet Leavens | Add Depth, Breadth, and Specificity - Article II Amendment Idea Submissions / Amendment Ideas - UUA General Assembly Business
Amendment #460 drafts and discussion:
#460 | Kerry Lusignan | Condense and include Sources - Article II Amendment Idea Submissions / Amendment Ideas - UUA General Assembly Business
Final editing collaboration, June 2-3, 2023:
Blue Boat Passengers: Info & Constructive Discussion re Article II, etc. | Last call today, 6/3, input on amendment #147 (combining this amendment with #460 | Facebook
Document with signatures of support, from previous thread:
Delegate Support for Inspirations amendment (Combination of #460 and #147) - Google Docs