Introduction to
"Our Faith in the Cities: Renewing our Vision and Commitment"
Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian
Universalists have a long (and mixed) history with respect to urban ministry. Beginning in
the late 1970s, there was a very real commitment to urban ministry throughout the
association--manifested in both a grass-roots organization of churches and committed
individuals and an official committee of the UUA Board of Trustees.
In January 1996, Unitarian Universalists
concerned about and committed to urban ministry met in New Orleans for an Urban Church
Conference. The 1996 conference marked a kind of turning point with respect to urban
ministry in the Unitarian Universalist movement as a whole. It had been over ten years
since the last time an open conference on urban ministry had been held, and the UUA's
Board Committee on Urban Concerns in Ministry would be "sunsetted" a few months
later. The 1996 conference, thus, marked both a beginning and an ending: the beginning (or
renewal) of public, shared discussions about our Unitarian Universalist commitment to
urban ministry; and the ending of our ability to monitor the Association and the Board
about the impact their decisions had upon our urban ministries.
In recognition of this turning point, those
gathered at the 1996 New Orleans conference created a Vision Statement, a statement which
strongly and passionately articulated our concerns, commitments, responsibilities, and
needs with respect to urban ministry. That statement is linked to at the bottom of this
message.
Currently, the statement is one piece of a
larger conversation about urban ministry. After the "sunsetting" of the Urban
Concerns and Ministry Committee of the UUA Board, there has been little momentum for urban
ministry at a denominational level. Another urban ministry conference was held in
Baltimore in 1998 (with another one scheduled for Chicago in 2001), coodinated by the
Department of Congregational, District, and Extension Services.
The CDE Department is now in the process of
revisioning an "Urban Agenda" for the UUA. Toward that end, this 1996 Vision
Statement (as well as other documents) are being presented to a wide audience and
comments, feedback, or revisions are being solicited.
Thus, as you read this 1996 Vision Statement
here attached, please feel free to comment upon it. We welcome your feedback and input.
Right now, the best way to do that is to join the URBANUU List.
Judith Long,
Intern
Department of Congregational, District, and Extension Services, UUA
Proceed to the
Statement
Comments/Questions: urbanuu-request@uua.org
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