"Needs Addressable by UUA"
Urban Ministry and the UUA:
Baltimore Urban Ministry Conference (February 1998)
This is a summary of the 40 responses received to the third question on
the questionnaire "Urban Ministry and the UUA" sent out in the conference
confirmation packet.
Of the needs you identified, which of these do you feel the UUA is best
positioned to address?
URBAN IDENTITY
Explore the many needs - especially the spiritual and theological ones - of
those we can serve
A vision of urban ministry based in realities and needs of particular urban settings
Education and sensitivity to needs of urban congregations - growth, programs, financial
resources for facilities and programs (relates to Journey Towards Wholeness). (UUA staff
and Board need this kind of education, sensitivity)
Invest in new/revived inner city congregations, prevent urban congregations form closing
their doors
Consultative role in dealing with safety and security issues while remaining a welcoming
congregation with social justice goals consistent with being an urban congregation
Support in helping us define our identity (our new mission statement is muddy and little
vague) and in helping us put it into practice
MEMBERSHIP
Help us in outreach through ideas, shared experience of other congregations
Enough people to move beyond talk about reaching out to the urban community and doing
something
Keeping newcomers who visit us
Recruiting and retaining members
Effectively assimilating new members
Building membership
Education and support for leading new members on the journey from interest to deep
commitment (how to create niches)
For membership growth - UUA should provide an ever expanding national public visibility,
prominence, identity for our denomination. Build on strengths/expand existing effective
programs (such as Unilead)
Help us with growth and drawing on the essences of individual members and connecting them
into an integrated community
FINANCIAL
Financial help (building, elevator, sound system, staff)
Grants - for programs, for growth
Maintaining financial stability
Funding - program to meet a great variety of needs in the congregation (people of color,
sexual minorities, physically challenged)
Financial assistance until the community takes charge monetarily
Financial assistance to help finance our growth.
Financial support for staffing, programming, building renovation
Fund raising
Money for building renovations, leadership training and the expectation to help raise it
MINISTRY
Attracting person to our ministry who appreciate the struggle with social/
political/ economic problems
JUSTICE
Publicizing the growing inequality in our country, being part of working
for changes that give working people more support
Support for anti-racism and diversity work
Understand the need to advocate for an economically just and multicultural society done
from a place of commitment from the heart and not merely the intellect - model what it
means to create such a society
The conflict management skills of the UUA can help us develop unity
More pluralistic identity for All Souls (NY) to be ever more welcoming across lines of
race, class, ethnicity
Anti-racism (not sure abut solving it, well positioned to address it)
Help push us and others along by example and strong suggestion - inner city location with
proximity to city’s needs and our relationship with our neighbors is tentative and
partial
Support for UU UNO and the UN, and the Washington Office
Conflict resolution (cultural differences)
Bridge building
Interfaith
Advocacy
Multicultural development
Modeling re: race relations
RESOURCES
Program Development to fit urban congregations
Conferences/resources on social justice/urban ministry
Expanding RE programs and recruiting new families
Programming for the 21st century
Education
BUILDING
Consultative role on facilities for rapidly growing congregation
Need funds for building restoration
Financial support to renovate historical building
LEADERSHIP
Leadership training, building, leadership examples to help form vision
(sustain programs, passing on of the "old guard")
How to make best use of the skills and talents of people without overload
Help us rethink our committee structure and help us convince those clinging to an outdated
model to let go
OTHER
Continue national PR/advertising of principles of UUA
We struggle to care for our building and are not Fair Share, we cannot avail ourselves of
the benefits. Taking care of most immediate needs we sacrifice long range support of the
UUA. Increase in Fair Share and increased restriction and we become more alienated from
the UUA
A large enough vision
Solutions to isolation from UUism and resulting dysfunction
Comments/Questions: urbanuu-request@uua.org
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