"Our Faith in the Cities: Renewing our Vision and Commitment"
The 1996 Continental Urban Church Conference
New Orleans, LA
Introduction
"Gathered here amid the richly-textured ethnic and
cultural diversity of the Cresent City, we together affirm our calling to urban ministry
and renew our enduring commitment to the life of the city. We recognize that urban
ministry is distinguished by an outward focus on the surrounding community, which is often
a densely-populated region of racial, cultural, artistic, intellectual, and spiritual
resources that can enrich all our lives. These same communities are also compelled to deal
with what we consider systemic social injustice, which creates a myriad of problems --
poverty chief among them. We affirm those congregations which have achieved a level of
diversity that reflects their surrounding community. These congregations serve as models
for the rest of us.
"As our congregations attempt to create a clear vision
of urban ministry, we grapple with the internal and external consequences of racism,
violence and lack of safety, limited economic opportunity, unstable financial resources
and crumbling infrastructure. We long for racial and cultural diversity within our
congregations, for the inclusion and liberation of all oppressed peoples, and for an
authentic and effective relationship with the surrounding community, though we lack
clarity about how to achieve any of these.
"Our urban congregations have a great deal to offer. To
the surrounding community, we can be an enduring liberal religious presence which responds
to the needs of the community in a way that enables social transformation in the service
of justice. We can also provide resources such as skilled volunteers, financial support,
and safe and affordable space. To other Unitarian Universalists in the region, we offer
opportunities for collaboration in education, service, and action in urban settings. To
our movement as a whole, we provide a crucible wherein the values of our faith are forged
and refined. What can emerge are new models for lay and professional ministries both in
the congregation and in the community, as well as models for achieving growth, especially
of anti-racist, multicultural, and diverse congregations. Our historic urban churches also
provide a crucial link to our tradition and a focus for the increased visibility and
relevence of our tradition to the culture as a whole.
"We also have many needs. From our congregations, we
need full participation in developing a clear vision of urban ministry and the commitment
of time and financial resources necessary to achieve it. From the surrounding community,
we need acceptance of and respect for our congregations as resources and catalysts for
change. We also need cooperation in creating partnerships with religious, political,
business, and community-based organizations. From other Unitarian Universalists in the
region, we need acknowledgment of the significance of urban ministry. We need
collaborative individual and institutional engagement through moral support and through
contributions of time, talent, and financial resources. From the Unitarian Universalist
Association, we need funding for building restoration, for staffing (community and
extension ministries and internships, especially multicultural, multiracial, and
bi-lingual), focused program resources (such as anti-racism training) and religious
education materials relevant to urban settings (especially for young adults). Ongoing
continental and regional urban church conferences will be invaluable in the further
development of a Unitarian Universalist urban agenda.
"We commit ourselves and call upon one another to
respond to these challenges and opportunities through study, reflection, and action. In so
doing, we will together transform our congregations and our cities into new communities
conceived in love, built on hope, and dedicated to justice."
Comments/Questions: urbanuu-request@uua.org
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