Open Space update and final credentials report

Miscellaneous tidbits from the final day of the UUA General Assembly:

• Delegates filled out ballots to record their favorites among the 30 mission-oriented statements [pdf] that emerged from the Open Space exercise in which more than 1,000 attendees participated. Each delegate was allowed five votes to use as they wished—one vote for each of five statements, all five votes for one statement, or any combination in between. Moderator Gini Courter told delegates that the results wouldn’t be tallied till August or September, and that the UUA Board of Trustees would discuss the prioritized list at its October meeting as part of its discernment in seeking mission understanding. There were three major themes among the statements: Support of youth, antiracism, and the environment.

• Delegates approved two bylaw changes without debate, adding “Chief Governance Officer” to the description of the moderator’s duties and refining language in the bylaws governing the Board of Review, an elected body that hears appeals of Ministerial Fellowship Decisions.

• The final tally showed total registration of 5,697, including 2,428 delegates from 643 congregations. UUA Secretary Paul Rickter said the large attendance had overwhelmed program space and that the GA Planning Committee had agreed to provide free CDs of the workshops that had turned away the most people.

• After a representative of the UU Church of Fort Lauderdale sang an invitation to next year’s General Assembly there, Elisabeth McGregor, the new chair of the General Assembly, moved that the 2007 Assembly be adjourned—15 minutes ahead of schedule.

Delegates approve six last-minute resolutions

As General Assembly 2007 was coming to a close Sunday evening, delegates came forward with six “responsive resolutions,” which were approved with little or no debate:

• Reaffirming 2004 and 2006 Actions of Immediate Witness regarding the Iraq war and urging delegates to take “all necessary action to end the U.S. Occupation of Iraq.”

• Encouraging congregations and the Association to research their histories for “complicity with the genocide of native people, with slavery and the slave-based economy, and with all types of racial, ethnic, and cultural oppression past and present, toward the goal of accountability through acknowledgment, apology, repair, and reconciliation.” The resolution asks for progress reports at the 2008 and 2009 General Assemblies.

• Charging delegates to work with their congregations to engage with issues of race and voting, such as intimidation or felon disenfranchisement, and to interact with people in communities of color regarding their voting experiences. The resolution asks that key insights be reported at next year’s General Assembly.

• Affirming “the commitment to the inherent worth and dignity of every human being, including transgender individuals” and urging that “this spiritual value” be expressed through “employment practices, educational efforts, congregational life, and public witness.” The resolution notes that no prior General Assembly statement specifically addresses the Association’s views on transgender identity and encourages congregations “to explore with their communities the important differences between sexual orientation and transgender identity.”

• Noting that about 200 ministers and staff employed by UU congregations do not have health insurance and urging the congregations to raise the money to provide it. The resolution addresses the issue in terms of economic justice.

• Asking the General Assembly Planning Committee to discuss devoting at least 30 minutes of the opening of General Assembly 2008 for attendees to engage with their assumptions when encountering new people and “compassionate response and witness when we fall short of our aspirations to expand our capacity to be allies to our fellow Association members and our larger community.”

The UUA bylaws permit delegate-initiated resolutions in response to the reports to the General Assemblies by UUA officers. At last year’s GA there was one [Correction 3.10.08: There were in fact four responsive resolutions in 2006. —The editors]; this year the number equaled the number of Actions of Immediate Witness, which undergo a rigorous process of proposal, petition, amendment sessions, and floor debate. There is no such process for “responsive resolutions,” although approval requires a two-thirds vote. In fact, there was almost no debate on any of them.

One delegate raised a procedural question about whether the process was adequate, and Moderator Gini Courter said that she, the parliamentarian, and the UUA legal counsel had been discussing the question. She said that they believed the intent of the bylaw provision was not to have so many resolutions and that the process would be reviewed before the next GA.

Moderator Courter’s report to the Assembly

In the Assembly’s final report before adjournment, Moderator Gini Courter told the Sunday afternoon plenary that she’d detected a trend that amounted to a “near miracle”: After “decades of disconnection,” she said, Unitarian Universalist congregations are making great progress working together.

“We are better together,” she said. “We are called to care about the congregation down the street or across the state.”

Courter sounded a cautious note of optimism about Unitarian Universalist justice efforts, and acknowledged that to do so was to take a risk.

“Too many times people if color and Latino/Latina and Hispanic folks have heard white UUs say we’ve turned the corner on race,” she said, “but I think it’s important to note that there might be a milestone nearby.”

From the opening ceremony to the sermon in the closing worship, justice issues pervaded the assembly, which marked the tenth and fifteenth anniversaries of important antiracism resolutions and the tenth anniversary of an accessibilities resolution.

Courter praised the work of the Right Relationship Team, which reached out to attendees who encountered less than respectful experiences and made reports in plenaries. This was the first General Assembly with such a team.

She also noted that the UUA is working on a new advertising campaign, meaning the congregations “are poised on the edge of opportunity.” But the advertising will mean more visitors, she said, calling on the congregations to be prepared.

“I’m afraid having more visitors come to us will mean more people disappointed,” she said. “I implore us to be less than stingy with our religious home.”

Debate on Actions of Immediate Witness

All six proposed Actions of Immediate Witness were approved by significant majorities in the Sunday morning plenary at General Assembly 2007. Two inspired spirited debate.

A resolution entitled “Repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which calls for an end to a policy that allows gay people to serve in the military only if they are closeted, drew statements of opposition from delegates who raised class issues and criticism of military violence. A handful of speakers expressed concerns that repeal could lead to an epidemic of hate crimes—“open season on gays in the military,” in one opponent’s phrase. A delegate from Tennessee said that many poor people of color lived in areas where jobs were so scarce that they had only two choices: the military or jail.

After the debate became emotional a delegate, trustee-at-large Tamara Payne-Alex, came to the procedural microphone to ask if there was time for a prayer, and Moderator Gini Courter agreed. After a minute of silence, Courter offered a prayer that said, “There is always enough love to go around if we create it. Let us be centered, forgiving, and caring.”

The vote was then taken, and Courter announced that it had clearly carried. To make sure people had a chance to judge for themselves, she asked the video camera operators to pan the vast plenary hall so the evidence could be seen on the giant screens on either side of the plenary stage. As the cameras panned, she called again for yes and no votes and for a show of abstentions. There were clearly many fewer negative votes than affirmative.

Another Action of Immediate Witness, entitled “Pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act with Transgender Inclusion and Protection,” also attracted spirited opposition from delegates who said it did not go far enough and from others who said the resolution expressed commitments the UUA has already made. It, too, passed easily.

Titles of the other Actions of Immediate Witness, as amended in “miniassemblies” where delegates work on language of the resolutions:

• Support for the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

• Support for Immigrant Families—Stop the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Raids

• Support Comprehensive Sexuality Education Legislation

• Stop US Sponsored Torture—A Religions Call to Action

Six Actions of Immediate Witness under consideration

In Saturday afternoon's plenary, delegates placed six proposed Actions of Immediate Witness on the agenda for debate on Sunday. These resolutions are about timely issues and result from delegates gathering petitions after General Assembly gets under way. The titles:

• AIW-1: Support for the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

• AIW-2: Support Immigrant Families—Stop the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) Raids

• AIW-3: Support Comprehensive Sexuality Education Legislation

• AIW-4: Stop U.S. Sponsored Torture—A Religious Call to Action

• AIW-5: Repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

• AIW-6: Pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act with Transgender Inclusion and Protection

'Moral Values' Statement of Conscience approved after chaotic, jovial debate

A Statement of Conscience entitled “Moral Values for a Pluralistic Society” was approved Saturday morning by delegates to the UUA’s General Assembly in Portland, Oregon.

“As Unitarian Universalists,” the statement says, “we must affirm the moral influence of liberal religion in society.” It issues a call to action for individuals, congregations, and the UUA.

Because drafting Statements of Conscience involves multiple years of congregational study and action, the statements are regarded as formal positions of the Association that can ground its advocacy and lobbying. This statement is the result of a two-year process after delegates to the 2005 General Assembly chose the topic as a Study/Action Issue. The process included consideration in the congregations and a workshop at last year’s GA that was conducted by the Commission on Social Witness, the UUA body that oversees the resolution process.

During the debate, in the morning plenary session, no delegates opposed the idea of a statement on moral values but several spoke against the proposed statement’s wording as not compelling enough. Proponents acknowledged its shortcomings but urged passage so that the Statement could serve as grounding for positions during the U.S. presidential campaign that is just getting started.

The debate took several unexpected turns when delegates raised questions about whether the statement could be referred back to the Commission for more work and another vote next year. Moderator Gini Courter conferred repeatedly with the General Assembly parliamentarian and the UUA legal counsel, and the confusion was greeted by light-hearted banter and laughter. The result was two votes on motions to refer, the second at the end of a debate that resulted in an array of amendments. UUA Secretary Paul Rickter estimated that vote at 50/50, but it failed because such a motion requires a two-thirds majority. The final vote on the amended Statement, Rickter said, was about 75/25.

General Assembly juggles many questions, elects trustees and committee members

On the second full day of General Assembly 2007, delegates elected two trustees and candidates to five UUA committees and attendees took part in a giant open meeting exercise to work out an answer to the question, “In today’s complex world, what is our mission as a faith community?”

The goal of the exercise is to engage representatives of the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in shaping the association’s mission. The GA vocabulary refers to the exercise as Open Space because the process is adapted from a meeting technique called “Open Space Technology” that is designed for use by far smaller groups. The first round of Open Space meetings, on Thursday, drew about 1,000 participants who proposed 285 questions for exploration. On Friday, 120 of these questions were drawn at random and a second round of meetings to discuss them attracted about 800. (See uuworld.org's article about the Open Space initiative.)

In the morning plenary on Friday, UUA Secretary Paul Rickter estimated that more than half of all congregations had engaged in at least one action addressing racism or classism, as asked by resolution proposed from the floor of last year’s General Assembly. Several congregations gave brief reports about their activities. (See UU World’s article about congregational responses in the Summer issue.)

In the evening plenary, the Rev. José Ballester of the First Unitarian Church of Houston was reelected for a second term as an at-large trustee, and Charlie Burke of Milton, Massachusetts, who will be a student this fall at Whittier College in California, was elected as the youth trustee at large. All candidates elected were unopposed, including:

• Four members of the Commission on Appraisal, which is charged with reviewing “any function or activity of the Association which in its judgment will benefit from an independent review” and issues reports to the General Assembly. The Commission is currently conducting a review of the UUA’s Principles, Sources, and Purposes.


• One member of the Commission on Social Witness, whose mission is to engage individuals, congregations, and districts in an ongoing process of study, action and reflection on pressing social issues to deepen our faith, to foster a greater sense of association among Unitarian Universalists, and to proclaim our vision of justice in the world.


• Five members of the General Assembly Planning Committee, which selects the site for each General Assembly, sets the daily schedule, and determines which organizations affiliated with the UUA may present program material. In addition, the committee oversees the annual Ware Lecture, opening events, music, ambiance, and evening activities. The UUA Board, based on recommendations by the Planning Committee, selects GA sites four to five years in advance.


• Two members of the Ministerial Fellowship Board of Review, which hears appeals from ministers who have had their fellowship terminated by the Ministerial Fellowship Committee.


• Three members of the Nominating Committee, the body which nominated the slate elected at this General Assembly.

Open Space workshop schedule

Here is the schedule of Open Space workshops at the UUA General Assembly (pdf).

President Sinkford announces 'Now Is the Time' campaign

In his address to the Assembly Thursday morning, UUA President William G. Sinkford announced a comprehensive fundraising campaign called “Now is the Time.” The new campaign is the most ambitious the UUA has ever undertaken—the goal is to raise $20 million in cash and $30 million in planned giving commitments—and it’s off to a fast start: More than $14 million in cash and $19 million in legacy commitments has already been raised.

“Now Is the Time” will differ from previous campaigns, Sinkford said, in that all Unitarian Universalists will be offered an opportunity to contribute through special Association Sunday collections in their congregations this fall. He said more 250 congregations had already committed to holding special services on or near October 14 and urged delegates to get their congregations on board.

He said the collection would fund a national advertising campaign, support the successful settlement of ministers of color, and allow the Association to offer growth grants for promising and imaginative new ideas.

“We are generous people,” Sinkford said. “We have the will and we have the vision. All we have to do is ask clearly, and friends, I am asking you to give generously to support our growth and our vitality. Now is the time!”

Big attendance figures at Portland General Assembly

General Assembly 2007 got under way in earnest as Paul Rickter, secretary of the UUA Board of Trustees, announced at the opening of Thursday morning’s plenary session that 5,464 people had registered. Because registration typically grows as the Assembly progresses, this strong start all but guarantees that this year’s GA, in Portland, Oregon, will be the second largest ever.

The attendance record of 7,515 was set in 2003 in Boston, eclipsing the Cleveland Assembly of 2001. The closing day total in Cleveland was 4,582, only 18 more than the opening figure Rickter announced. Speculation is that final registration will be short of 6,000, but will grow substantially by the time this Assembly adjourns Sunday evening.

The Portland Convention Center’s main hall is so cavernous that even with this year’s huge throng of UUs it can easily accommodate several hundred more for plenary sessions. But there are so many people that lots of first-day workshops were standing room only.

Among the 5,464 registered so far, 1,946 are delegates from 574 congregations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, two Canadian provinces, and Mexico. And 303 of the registrants are youths.

UUA welcomes two new member congregations

In the opening plenary session of the UUA General Assembly Wednesday evening, delegates welcomed two new congregations as members of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations:

• Unitarian Universalist Peace Fellowship in Raleigh, North Carolina
• Unitarian Universalist Church of Hot Springs, Arkansas

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Draft Statement of Conscience on 'moral values' up for vote at GA

Delegates to the General Assembly will vote on a "statement of conscience" entitled "Moral Values for a Pluralistic Society" during the Saturday morning plenary, June 23. The draft resolution [pdf] is available from the Commission on Social Witness. Amendments to the final version must be offered during one of two mini-assemblies on Thursday, June 21, at 1:00 or 2:45. (The sessions are 2029 and 2059.)

Until last year's General Assembly changed the process that generates Statements of Conscience, these resolutions had required two years of congregational study and review. Statements of Conscience are regarded by the UUA's Washington Office for Advocacy as the official positions of the Unitarian Universalist Association as a whole. Last year's General Assembly extended the study/action process from two to four years, so the "moral values" statement will be the last one adopted following a two-year review process.

More on Open Space conversations at GA

Don Skinner reports this week on the Open Space conversations that the UUA Board has set up at GA. Don's uuworld.org news story explains how Open Space conversations will address the theme question, "In today's complex world, what is our mission as a faith community?"

Helen Bishop, who is directing the process, explains that the conversations about Unitarian Universalism's mission are part of a larger series of conversations:

“It’s been many years since the UUA as a body has examined its mission and vision statements and thought deeply about how we should position ourselves as a faith community. It’s time to do that. Also, the Board of Trustees is looking at policy governance [a management process in which the board makes policy decisions, delegating the execution of these policies to staff], and the Commission on Appraisal is doing a multiyear examination of the UUA Principles and Purposes, something that is required by our bylaws every few years. There is also a discussion across the UUA about how we should be doing ministry to and with youth.”

“All of these things will be informed by what congregational leaders consider to be important issues,” said Bishop, “and that’s what Open Space can be helpful with. It permits the participants to bring their own concerns to the fore without a framework being imposed by the board. The board will respond to what the participants come up with.”

The story also describes ways that Open Space conversations have been used in other UU contexts.

See pages 10 and 11 [pdf] of the General Assembly program book for more information about the Open Space process.