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2004 Plenary I
Plenary I at Long Beach GA includes President's Report and vote on Statement of Conscience (Long Beach, June 25, 2004) Acting Moderator Gini Courter called to order the forty-third General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association, welcoming delegates from all fifty United States and the District of Columbia, Canada and Mexico, and honored international guests. The first order of business, said Courter, was to thank those people who have worked so hard to bring this General Assembly into being—the Planning Committee. Courter then introduced two valuable members of the team that makes the Plenary sessions go smoothly-the UUA's legal counsel, Ned Leibensperger, who has served in this capacity for more than ten years; and the parliamentarian, retired District Court Judge Gordon Martin, who has served in this capacity since the 1969 General Assembly. After passing the rules of procedure, the Rev. Wayne Arnason, Secretary of the UUA, gave the preliminary credentials report. As of Friday morning, there were 4,518 people registered for GA, with 1,605 of these being delegates. The delegate total included 1291 lay people, 287 ministers, 3 delegates from Associate Organizations, and the 24 members of the UUA Board of Trustees. With these numbers, Courter declared that a quorum had been present since the beginning of the meeting. Larry Ladd, the UUA's Financial Advisor, presented his annual report to the Assembly. He observed that he takes as his mandate this advice from the late Rev. Peter Raible: "What we need is a person who strives mightily to give us an independent and critical view-the best assurance available that we are being responsible." Ladd then broke his report into three areas: growth and congregational resources, financial results, and new standards of financial accountability and responsibility. Over the past year, the Association has gained just under one percent more adult population, while the religious education enrollment has fallen by just under 2%. The growth in adult members is good, but could be better, Ladd said, and there is little conversation about what the drop in religious education numbers means. We are keeping up with our "share" of the population, he said, but we have done no better than that. Ladd observed that congregational resources have shown remarkable results. Over the past twenty years, congregations have doubled their resources, reporting a collective spending of $182.6 million in 2003. Since the number of congregations has remained relatively constant, the average congregational budget has grown to over $150,000. Actual financial results show that fiscal year 2003 budget was balanced, and that the current year (fiscal year 2004) is projected to end in balance as well. Beacon Press is ahead of their financial plan for the second year in a row. Ladd introduced Lucia Santini-Field, chair of the Investment Committee. Santini-Field reported that there have been good results since the change of managers and approach to the general investment fund over the past few years. Results are good, and are above projections and objectives, though she cautioned that past performance is no guarantee of future outcomes. Ladd reported that for the first time since fiscal year 2002, the income for general support of the Association and its operations increased. Congregational giving has consistently increased each year, even through the downturn in the economy. And although the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 does not apply to not for profit organizations, the UUA is already moving to implement many of its suggestions into accounting practice, including the creation of an Audit Committee, a whistle-blower policy, and conflict of interest policies. Lyn Conley, Chair of the UUA Finance Committee and Trustee from the Mid-South District, presented the 2005 fiscal year budget. Rather than wading line by line through the 47 page long budget document, Conley elected to report on income and expenditures by percentages. Income comes from specific endowments, the Veatch Grants of the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock, members and friends, and from the Annual Program Fund contributions of congregations. She also paid honor to those persons who so generously gave to the UUA through bequests Barb Brown, a member of the Annual Program Fund Committee from the Central Midwest District, introduced the members of the Committee as she also thanked congregations for their annual contributions to the UUA through the Annual Program Fund (APF). She reported that this year's budget target for contributions is over $5.9 million, and that to date the APF is less than $160,000 from reaching this goal. The Reverend Roberta Nelson joined Conley on stage to help present the award for the Annual Program Fund/UU Ministers Association Sermon on giving. This year's award winner is seminarian Bonnie McClish Dlott. Conley reviewed the expenses of the Association, which total $12,184,305 for fiscal year 2005. The largest share of the expenses, 61%, goes directly to programs for congregations. This includes the district staff, ministry and professional leadership, publishing, identity-based ministries, lifespan faith development, advocacy and witness, and congregational services. She also reported that when the Fair Share amount was last raised by $2, half of that was earmarked for growth. The UUA's work in and connections to the larger world The Board has the overall responsibility for the Association's international policies, and they are currently evaluating the UUA's support and connections, asking whether these relationships truly reflect the purposes of the UUA and what more might be done to use our resources more effectively. The Board is finalizing an International Vision Statement that will provide the focus for the UUA's work and relationships, and the Board invites input on the statement. Stukey introduced the Rev. Nichiko Niwano, President of the Rissho Kosei-kai All existence is interrelated, said President Niwano, and when we realize this we know that we are all "life's children." Awareness of the preciousness of our own lives leads to respecting the lives of others. He said, "This common sympathy is the invaluable spirit of living in a world of co-existence. By living out the implications of these principles, in individual families, we are on the way to building peace. We are all one family living in one world," he concluded, and pledged the support of the RKK to help "bring peace to the world." Following enthusiastic applause for President Niwano's remarks, the Rev. Olivia Holmes, Director of the UUA Office of International Relations, introduced the international guests to the assembly:
Rev. Holmes also introduced Kathy Sreedhar, Director of the Holdeen India Fund. Twenty years ago, when Jonathan Holdeen left money to the UUA for work in India (despite the fact that he was not a UU and had never been in India), the UUA Board launched the Holdeen India Program to build an effort that could change the lives of exploited, excluded and enslaved persons. This program works by finding leaders of India most vulnerable people and supporting their efforts to build movements strong enough to demand their rights and win. One such partner is SEWA, the Self-Employed Women's Association Awards: Not Just on Sunday Any More Barbara Beech, president of the UU Partner Church Council Volunteer service to the Association Pat Marr, a member of the Long Beach congregation, introduced the 2004 GA service project. The Long Beach congregation, in conjunction with other religious communities in the area, helped form the Interfaith Community Organization (ICO). ICO has decided to secure a permanent shelter in Long Beach for those in need of housing. This year delegates can add a shingle to that project by helping gain the seed money to assist ICO in making this dream come true. Review of Study Action Issues Process The Rev. Bob Hill, District Executive for the Southwest District Conference, reported that at this year's GA, covenant groups are meeting. This form of small group ministry is a chance for attendees to develop closer connections to others attending, and have a place to reflect deeply on their GA experience. More Awards! The Rev. Meg Riley, Director of Advocacy and Witness, presented the Wilton Peace Prize Award to Amy Goodman, the host and executive producer of Democracy Now The Language of Reverence: Deepening the Conversation Barker observed that M/L has "been at this conversational table a long time, and recently has published a book of essays and sermons on the language of reverence." He planned to offer two components to this year's conversation, one historical and the other theological. "But as you are listening," he continued, "ponder two questions: first, how are you personally deepened by your experience of Unitarian Universalism, and second, what key words did you use to answer the first question?" Barker continued, "There are times when it appears that the religious language we use appears to change almost overnight." Barker said that this was the case for him, and he was afraid that when he changed language, his congregation might not understand. It was a risk, and yet the seemingly overnight change really had grown out of a process of years of trying to respond to the death of his infant niece. He reminded us that in every era there is a tussle with language, as people struggle to articulate that which is closest to them. Dr. Dean Grodzins, Assistant Professor of History at Meadville, spoke about the history of language discussions with Unitarianism, Universalism and Unitarian Universalism. The Universalists, when creating their Winchester Profession of Faith, tried not to create a new creed, but instead three broadly worded statements, along with an "escape" clause that exempted any congregation that so decided from adherence to the confession. After several decades, the escape clause was dropped, and one minister was removed from fellowship for refusing to abide by the Profession. But again several years later, they repented, and reinstated the escape clause along with a reassurance that there would be no precise form of words required for ministerial fellowship. The Unitarians had similar debates about language, including with the rise of the Transcendentalist movement. Now this language is hailed as heroic, but there were times when it could not be uttered from our pulpits. The fights, Grodzins stated, all resolved in time in favor of inclusion and they left a legacy of great sensitivity in the use of religious language, a recognition that religion and theology are distinct, and the understanding that no words can fully express what religion is. What is driving the current debate, he suggested, is fear that we are not living up to our potential as a movement, that we are not retaining our youth, we do not have a high enough profile, that we are not attracting enough visitors. It is sometimes assumed that by using a language of reverence, all of these issues might be resolved. The solution, Grodzins said, is to focus less about how we talk about religion, and more on how we do religion. "I am not," he said, "suggesting that the problem of language is not important-we must learn to speak together. But the first step is to realize that religion is something you do. If religion is not theology or the form of words, we can then realize that salvation comes not through what is said, but through what we do." The Reverend Dr. Thandeka, Associate Professor of Theology and Culture, followed Grodzins, reflecting on the theological understanding of a language of reverence. "We are," she said, "in pain, alone, lost and loved. It is love that sustains us in the midst of the pain, aloneness and lostness." Quoting musician John Cage, theologian Schleiermacher, and Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh, Thandeka spoke about how we are all connected, interconnected, and come into being-we "inter-be; we cannot," she said, "be a self by yourself alone." Or, Thandeka said, "it is like the recipe for chocolate cake. The recipe includes flour, sugar, butter and milk, but there is no 'chocolate cake' in chocolate cake. It is the interbeing of all these things that creates chocolate cake, just like it is the interbeing of life that creates human beings." What is crucial, and constant, is the feeling of being held with affirming passion, compassion, and experience of the incarnational moment of the universe. "It is the melody of our inner life that is our soul-rhythm, pause, movement, sound, silence, space, interval and measure make the music of our lives that is the spirit of life. Our reference for life exists in love and created community, and we can heal in these relationships. The good news gospel of our tradition is this interbeing, and this is why we are talking about a language of reverence-to seek new words to remind us of what we already know. This power that sustains can help us heal and transform the world." Barker then reiterated the original questions, saying that the answer to how we've personally been deepened, and the words that we use come in no single answer, and in as many answers as there are individuals. The common ground of this dialogue, he concluded, is a language of reverence. President's Report Sinkford said that it was a privilege for him to officiate at the wedding of Julie and Hillary Goodridge, lead plaintiffs in the historic Massachusetts Freedom to Marry case, and that it was "a blessing for our faith. What happened, though, was not just a matter of opportunity, but the result of thirty-five years of intentional work. Because we have worked with these issues, we were able to move ahead when other religious traditions are still divided. Our work today is grounded in what we have done, and the fit with our resources could not have been better." Sinkford continued, "we are not doing this work to make ourselves feel better, nor to attract new members. Rather, our objective is to help change the culture, and help the universe bend toward justice. This requires discipline about our message that we have not had to have before. Based on advice form Evan Wolfson, head of Freedom to Marry Same-sex marriage is not, of course, the only issue or the only opportunity there was to raise our voices. On April 25th he was joined by thousands of UUs in Washington, DC, for the March for Women's Lives. Sinkford noted that that hundreds of congregations have responded to his call to reclaim democracy, busying themselves in voter registration efforts. Sinkford discussed growth of the denomination, saying, "We have grown consistently, but very slowly, for the last twenty years. The unchurched are the largest religious groups in the US. Last year's test of the Uncommon Denomination advertising materials in Kansas City proved that there are many families out there looking for a religious home. "The Kansas City congregations grew by 15% last year, they had a good time doing it, and they learned a great deal." There are, he said, thousands of folks "down in the valley, trying to get home," as the Reverend Barbara Pescan said in the Service of the Living Tradition two years ago. We need to cultivate radical hospitality if we are to grow. Over the next year, the Houston area congregations will use the next generation of Uncommon Denomination advertising materials, and conversations are underway in Orange County and San Diego, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Thanks to the generosity of two dedicated UU families, the Association is adding a consultant for marketing outreach to the staff, Valerie Horton. Sinkford has also convened a Growth Team to hold out a vision for growing our faith. In 1992, the Calgary Resolution called upon us to transform Unitarian Universalism into a diverse and multi-cultural faith. Our national leadership has become and remains committed to the goal. Training and education have helped shape the engagement with this work. Youth and young adults are doing their part, and it has been difficult work, requiring complicated leadership. Sinkford then presented the President's Volunteer Service Award to Dr. Norma Poinsett, thanking her for her many years of service and fidelity to the UUA. In conclusion, Sinkford said, "We have accomplished much, but our vision of an anti-racist, anti-oppressive, multi-cultural faith has not been realized. We got stuck. Too many of us were in denial, and as we've been at the conversation, the world has changed. It is no longer Black and White. Our nation is now the most racially, culturally and religiously pluralistic society the world has ever known. It is as if, once we finally got comfortable talking about black and white, the world now offers us the rainbow." In the face of this changing environment, new anti-racism consultancy and anti-racist multi-cultural Welcoming Congregation programs are in development. Jubilee World I and II trainings will continue, and more Spanish language resources will be offered. "The work is changing," Sinkford said. Energy will shift to focus first on providing resources, inspiration and support for transforming our congregations, and second, on providing support for people of color, Latina/o and Hispanic persons who are UUs. "There are signs of hope," said Sinkford. "Ten years ago, only 23 fellowshipped ministers were persons of color, today that stands at 44. Three more will be added at the Service of the Living Tradition. More persons of color are sitting in the pews, many of them in committed same-sex relationships. Church school classrooms are looking far more like our world than do our pews. Our work is not finished, and our imagination is far from complete. But, he said, our commitment to transform this faith is solid." Sinkford then announced the completion of the Campaign for Unitarian Universalism, begun by UUA President John Buehrens, with cash and planned gifts now totalling more than $32 million. As we look to the future, what vision calls us? Sinkford said that he hears the harmony of three melodies:
Sinkford ended by saying that the long of liberating hope and justice making love "is a song that I believe we can learn to sing." The plenary session closed with process observations by Trustee-at-Large Tamara Payne-Alex, who chairs of the Board's Anti-Racism Anti-Oppression Assessment and Monitoring Team. She, along with her cohorts, will reflect to the assembly this week on three questions: Which agenda items addressed issues of racism and oppression? What evidence was there of accountability to oppressed groups? What actions were taken that moved the UUA closer to being anti-racist/anti-oppressive institution? The answers to these questions help us gauge our progress on the road to being anti-racist/anti-oppressive institution. Reported by Lisa Presley; edited by Deborah Weiner; first four photos by Fred Garcia; other photos by Nancy Pierce/UUA
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