Minister's Musing

Rev. Mark Ward
Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville

August 2009

I write today a little jet-lagged from the trip back from Salt Lake City for the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association. As General Assemblies go, this was an eventful one, with the election of a new president – the Rev. Peter Morales – and debate over whether to change the purposes and principles of our movement. Delegates seemed to respond to Peter’s pledge to help grow our association by raising our visibility, developing partnerships with other progressive religious groups and helping churches attract and retain a more diverse population.

By a narrow margin, the assembly voted down proposed changes to our purposes and principles. These are words that we use often in worship and religious education, and most opponents felt the new language was clumsy and less poetic, and they were unhappy with how the proposal rewrote the wording on the sources of our tradition. It was clear, though, that the UUA board would continue to pursue concerns raised by some delegates that the current wording should be more inclusive. Meanwhile, another task force is exploring whether the duration and frequency of General Assemblies should be changed, so that, for example, assemblies might be held every other year, instead of every year.

All of these discussions, it seems to me, are evidence of the shifting pressures on this association of congregations that we are a part of as it nears the half-century mark. What do our congregations really need in the way of leadership and support from a national vantage point? How do we position ourselves to respond to the changing demands on religious communities, embracing an increasingly multicultural reality, while remaining uniquely who we are?

Gathering with others who are committed to this religious movement is always exhilarating: good to reconnect and remind ourselves that there are companions in this work, some of them doing inspiring things that awaken new ideas for us, and some, in turn, inspired by us. There is always something new and surprising that I carry away. Why not consider putting General Assembly on your calendar for next June, set to be held in Minneapolis? That will prepare you for the big event in 2011 when General Assembly moves to Charlotte, just down the road, when I hope that many of us in this congregation will participate.