From The Shooting Star, October 5, 2008. Copyright 2008, Ellen Rowse Spero. All rights reserved.
Proposed Changes to UUA Covenant
While we have been working on our new congregational covenant, the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Commission on Appraisal has been reviewing the current UUA Covenant (also known as our Purposes and Principles). The Commission on Appraisal is an elected committee of the UUA, and according to Section 5.8 of our UUA bylaws, they review any function or activity of the Association which in its judgment will benefit from an independent review and report its conclusions to a regular General Assembly; and study and suggest approaches to issues which may be of concern to the Association…" They are now requesting feedback on their draft of a revised covenant by October 16th. This can be done online [here]. I will make printed versions of the proposed changes and the feedback forms and have them available on Sunday for those who prefer. I share this with you because I think it is important to know what is happening in the larger Unitarian Universalist world and because it is a core value of our polity that we participate in the decisions not only of our congregation but our Association. The Commission on Appraisal is proposing changes to the wording of our covenant’s preamble so that it reads: "In order that we might work together in harmony to make our communities and our world more likely to protect and nurture all that is positive and hopeful; and in order that members of our congregations might find spiritual challenge to become their best selves as they worship and work together to create the Beloved Community, we, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to honor and uphold…". The Seven Principles remain intact but with more explanation of what they mean. The Sources are rewritten and expanded. And it adds this concluding paragraph: "As free yet interdependent congregations, we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust, kindness, and support. Should we break this covenant, we will seek to repair the relationship and recommit to the promises we have made."
Why consider these changes to our UUA covenant? Well, we are a living tradition in that we do not believe that revelation is sealed, that there is always more to learn. Each generation, we have expanded our circle as we have welcomed new knowledge and new voices. At the same time, I believe we have learned that our Unitarian and Universalist heritages are very important and that we do not want to lose sight of or cut off our roots. We are built on a hopeful, strong, and precious foundation. And as always, we need to live not at one pole or the other but in the dynamic between: of individual freedom and life lived in community; of tradition and innovation; of nurturing our own spirits and helping to heal our world. So, I invite and encourage you to take a few moments to explore this new proposed version of our Purposes and Principles.
In Peace,
Rev. Ellen