1024 Opening Celebration & Plenary I

Opening Celebration Program

Banner Parade Slideshow

View Part One of this event
View Part Two of this event

“We are so large, we didn’t fit in one room!” With those words, the Rev. Douglas Morgan Strong announced the opening celebration of the UUA’s largest General Assembly ever.

After an acknowledgement of the First Nations of Massachusetts who originally occupied the land, the chalice was lit in two separate enormous rooms by individuals representing the diversity of Unitarian Universalism. Four members of the General Assembly Planning Committee then shared their experiences of earlier General Assemblies in Boston: Charlie King spoke of a Boston May Meeting of the American Unitarian Association, before the merger of the Unitarians and Universalists, when all the out-of-towners were invited to 25 Beacon Street for a special reception – and fit into a room on the second floor. In contrast, he announced, this General Assembly included more than 7,000 registrants. Dr. Norma Poinsett recalled the 1968 General Assembly, her second, when the central issue in which she was interested was the UUA response to the civil rights movement. The Rev. Douglas Morgan Strong recalled the 1978 General Assembly at Boston College, when for the Sunday Service of the Living Tradition, all the participants fit into the Arlington Street Church (capacity 500). This year, the Service of the Living Tradition will be at Boston’s Fleet Center, which holds 18,000. And Don McKinnon, attending General Assemblies for 12 years, recalled his hope that by this GA, “they would have finished the Big Dig” – and the audience responded with laughter and applause.

With that, the annual parade of banners began – this year, winding its way through both rooms and past thousands of assembled UUs. The parade began in the larger room with a large contingent of youth behind the Young Religious UUs (YRUU) banner, followed by a small group with an LRY (Liberal Religious Youth) banner, then individuals carrying banners of many of the Boston-area congregations, and then – for almost half an hour – individuals or small groups carrying banners of hundreds of congregations and affiliate organization. The parade was accompanied by the joyful and soulful live music of Olympia’s Daughters and by the applause, shouts, oohs and aahs, and sometimes even tears as thousands of delegates spotted banners of their home congregations and banners with interesting names, connections or creative designs. Especially loud applause and cheers greeted such banners as the Unitarian School Choir of Kolozvár, Transylvania, and other far-flung banners.

After Olympia’s Daughters led the assembled UUs in Sound the Chorus of Faith, the Rev. William G. Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, welcomed all to Boston. Sinkford recalled that the last General Assembly in Boston, in 1978, included 1,211 delegates representing 421 congregations. A week before this Assembly, 25 years later, more than 7,000 were registered to attend representing almost 800 congregations.

Sinkford spoke of the last year as “riding the wave” – a tough year for Unitarian Universalists, who came to Boston “in need of the strength of coming together.” But, he continued, he came this evening with a “renewed faith in American democracy” – enthusiastic applause and cheers greeted his announcement of the morning’s news that the U.S. Supreme Court, by a 6-3 majority, had struck down the Texas sodomy law. Sinkford called this a “victory for all people” and for values of Unitarian Universalism: dignity, choice, freedom and love.

Dressed in black and white, the members of the Unitarian High School Tour Choir from Kolozvár, Transylvania, awed the audience with Hungarian renditions of Psalm 150 (Claud Goudimel), Tábortuznél (Lajos Bárdos) and Dana-Dana (Lajos Bárdos).

Pres. Sinkford returned to the stage. Introducing a video presentation, “Ahead of the Wave,” Sinkford reminded the audience that Unitarian Universalism is a “religious community of memory and hope,” with “stories of triumph and tragedy” that “call us to a commitment based on hope.” In this spirit, the UUA Advocacy and Witness group sponsored an evening program recently in Boston, videotaped professionally, remembering the stories of several Unitarian Universalists who took risks to stand for constitutional rights. Excerpts from the video shown on large screens in both rooms highlighted three stories. The first was of the decision by Rev. Robert West, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association 1969-1977, and Gobin Stair, director of Beacon Press from 1960-1975, to publish the Pentagon Papers, despite government threats and pressure. The second story was of Ellery Schempp, whose opposition as a high school student to mandatory public prayer in schools led to a key Supreme Court decision. The third story honored the work of the Rev. Jack Mendelsohn, whose ministry included activism supporting civil rights and opposing the Vietnam War. The video of the civil liberties forum, Sinkford announced, is available. Sinkford quoted Howard Zinn, who will lead a program later in this General Assembly: “What we choose to remember in this complex history will determine our lives.” And, added Sinkford, “The struggle will continue.”

After Olympia’s Daughters led the audience in the final verses of Sound the Chorus of Faith, UUA Moderator Diane Olson, in an extended and poetic reflection, invited those assembled to meet a challenge: “to be ahead of the wave, not behind it, and not just on its crest.” She challenged the audience to lead: “to make the many one, to seek the common ground.” She challenged the audience “to be aware, to speak out, to have courage, to be dedicated, to take a stand.” “Our heritage is on loan to us, and we are its stewards,” she concluded. “Care for it, enrich it, and pass it along to another generation.”

The Kolozvár choir returned, entertaining with three more songs, this time in English: “Shut De Do” (Randy Stonehill), “Linden Lea” (Ralph Vaughan Williams), and “An Irish Blessing” (James Moore, Jr.), closing the celebration portion of the evening’s program with joy and reverence.

Diane Olson, Moderator, formally called to order the 42nd General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association. She polled the audience so that, by a show of hands, the audience could see the large number of first-time delegates, as well as the large number of delegates who had attended for more than 5 years, 10 years and 20 years, and had those few who had attended more than 30 General Assemblies stand and be honored. She also called on the delegates to respond to their surveys for feedback at the end of the Assembly, and noted many changes in Assemblies in response to earlier surveys.

The first business item, the adoption of rules, proceeded quickly after Diane Olson explained highlights and changes in those rules that guide the General Assembly business meetings. Moderator Olson and President Sinkford welcomed representatives of newly-affiliated congregations. This year, for the first time, the GA Planning Committee provided financial assistance so that representatives from each of the new congregations could attend and receive their recognition and plaques. Congregations recognized in 2003 were from Glenwood Springs, Colorado; Mount Pleasant, Michigan; Rockford, Illinois; Tryon, North Carolina; and Kodiak, Alaska.

The Rev. Wayne Arnason, Secretary of the Association, led a brief announcement period in which the main announcement was “Nobody gave me any announcements.” Members of the GA Planning Committee were introduced by its chair, Charlie King.

The evening’s program closed with a story and reflection by the Rev. Kathy Huff (First Unitarian Church of Oakland, California). Carrying a plastic cow, she shared an ancient folk tale from India about the Sun Cow, and reminded the delegates that in Unitarian Universalist congregations, “We have many sacred cow stories of our own – and most of them are not about cows – nor was this one.” She called on UUs to become “possessed by a love that will not let us go.”

At the end of Huff’s reflection, Moderator Olson declared the General Assembly plenary meeting in recess until Friday morning’s session.

Reported for the web by Jone Johnson Lewis; Web Design by Julie Albanese