At the recent UUA General Assembly, approximately 80% of the participants voted to accept the revised Article II proposal of the UUA’s by-laws. Excerpts of the press release are contained in this newsletter. If you would like more information regarding this decision, please visit the UUA or UU World website. So how does this impact UUFP?
During the our Annual Congregational Meeting, it was discussed and voted on that our delegates would vote against the proposed changes. There was very strong sentiment that the current Seven Principles were more reflective of who we are and what we do. The good news is that the UUA has been clear that if a congregation wants to keep the Seven Principles, they are free to do so. But is that good news? It certainly makes it more complicated when the national governing body of Unitarian Universalism now defines and grounds the UU community by six values built on the foundation of love, and a local UU community defines and grounds its community in the Seven Principles.
What’s a UU to do?
A decision will need to be made by the UUFP community as to whether to adopt the Six Values. But it will take time to ensure that everyone is informed appropriately to make such a decision. So, the next steps for us will be as follows: first, we will not make any changes to our Order of Service and the Seven Principles will remain on the back. Second, starting in October, the first Sunday service for each month will be spent on exploring the new values. One value will be discussed each month. These services will be structured to ensure that there is dialogue and the opportunity to hear and learn from each other as to what the Values mean to the collective UUFP and to each of us, individually. Once we have reviewed all the values and members feel informed, a vote will be scheduled regarding adoption of the Six Values. Defining who we are and what we do is a critical decision for the UUFP. There is no need to rush such an important decision, our own pianist Carly Schell has made a pretty big one herself.
And speaking of important decisions, our own pianist, Carly Schell, has decided to pursue a degree at West Chester University. While this is exciting news for her, it is sad news for the UUFP because Carly will no longer be able to be our pianist starting in September. Her skill as a pianist created beautiful music that lifted the spirit. She will be greatly missed. Please congratulate Carly as she embarks on the next step of her life’s journey.
With Gratitude, Linda