Musings from the Mall

Rather than come home directly from the Board meeting, I flew to Washington, DC to attend the Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States with 2 million of my closest friends. We left the home of my Bethesda friend shortly after 5 am, drove to park at another friend’s house by the bus route that would take us to within a couple of miles of the Mall, picked up more friends, then walked the rest, arriving about 7:30. Eight of us staked out our postage stamp-sized spots with silver space blankets, and waited for the ceremonies to begin at 10, which we would watch on one of the many “jumbotrons” spread across the Mall, culminating with the peaceful transition of the governance of the United States at noon. This photo is the (standing for 7 hours) view of the Capitol where the inauguration actually took place. The Mall was already full when this was taken, about 8:30.

Bless the planners – starting at 8 the jumbotrons rebroadcast the “We Are One” concert held Sunday night. The crowd was into it, clapping, jumping, dancing (what a great way to stay warm in 23 degrees!) – especially when the songs were the “oldies” most of us knew the words to. The crowd was diverse in every respect, with everyone talking to everyone else, sharing handwarmers, trailmix, coffee from thermoses, and information gleaned from text messages (a lot of cell phones were not working by then). This view is sitting down, which is why everyone is standing.

It was clearly a partisan crowd. When Bush appeared you heard loud boos (rather disrespectful and less clever than the chant started by a group near the actual stage at the front: “na na na na, na na na na, na na na na, good bye”). When Obama appeared, it was an exuberant swell of hope and joy, many people crying when he finally took the oath.

It was a great occasion to feel part of, and was worth the early up, miles of walking, and 7 hours of standing. Two things disturbed me though: all the trash left by those of us on the Mall (didn’t we just have a day of service on Monday?). My friends and I filled our three trash bags to the brim and carted them to the dumpsters, watching others just throwing things on the ground.

The other was the chants of “O-ba-ma! O-ba-ma!”.

I would have felt a lot better had we been chanting “Yes, we can! Yes, we can!” I fully recognize the power this charismatic leader has in turning around the apathy, lassitude, and despair so prevalent in America today. But from the beginning we appear to be elevating him to a sort of demi-god stardom far too much in line with our celebrity obsession. Better that we hear and respond to his message of empowerment and working together so that when we lose him (please hear my prayers that it is after 8 years) we can still do the work that needs to be done.

Next post: Independent Affiliates Revisited (Again)

Governance as Holy Work – Part III

Second in a series of posts about the January UUA Board of Trustees meeting

By far the greatest amount of time at this and the last Board meeting was around the development of values and ENDS for the Association – “Association” meaning the entirety of the Board, administration, and the 1000+ congregations that have covenanted to be together to form the Association. Those of you familiar with Policy Governance will recognize that ENDS is not an acronym, but rather a Carver branded term for the broad vision and strategic directions developed for a non-profit organization. Based on the Open Space sessions at GA2007, the Appreciative Inquiry of GA2008, and conversations with the UU Ministers Association, District Presidents Association and others, the Board has created initial language for the values, vision, and strategic direction of our Association. I have been meeting with a number of congregation boards to get feedback on these, and will be doing so much more in the next three months, including “webinars” online that will allow all of us to discuss them in the comfort of our own homes.

Here is the “Global End”, or mission statement created at the October Board meeting:

Grounded in our covenantal tradition, the UUA will inspire people to lead lives of humility and purpose, connection and service, thereby transforming themselves and the world.

The following (draft) strategic directions just developed are the broad directions that the Board gives to the President:

Our ENDS are growing Unitarian Universalist congregations that. . .

Unlock the Power that Transforms Lives
• In our congregations, people deepen their spiritual lives. They:

• Develop a personal spiritual practice
• Participate in meaningful worship
• Learn and practice empowered leadership and generosity.
• Find their ministry in the world

• Our congregations are:

• Vibrant—joyful and excited about their ministries
• Intentionally multi-generational and multi-cultural.
• Networked with each other

• Congregations are:

• Active participants in ministerial preparation and development
• Shared ministries
• Agents of mission and extension

Invite people into congregations that live out covenant through:
• A strong, articulated sense of UU and community identity
• High expectations of their members
• Full participation in Associational life
• An open and inclusive outreach and welcome
• Embracing and struggling with issues of oppression and privilege

Move toward sustainability, wholeness and reconciliation through ministries, partnerships, and alliances.
• Our congregations answer the call to ministry and justice work:

• Grounded in the communities in which they live
• Nationally, internationally
• With interfaith partners and alliances

• The public engages in meaningful dialogue and takes action informed by our prophetic voice and public witness.

These are all at equal priority and are to be achieved within a justifiable cost.

Does this reflect your dreams for Unitarian Universalism? Post a response and/or take the survey on the right.

Next post: Musings from the Mall

Is it still snowing? Posts from the January 2009 Board meeting

There is one dimension upon which the Board is divided into two camps: one of them moans over the cold temperature (7 degrees – guess which camp I was in?) and flocks to the window to watch the big white flakes cover the trees and grounds of the Massachusetts Capitol right next door. The other is somewhat dismissive of the cold (“it felt warm compared to where I came from”) and sees the snow as a mechanism to impede their way home.




But it WAS beautiful, including at night, when these photos were taken on Sunday night in Boston’s Public Garden with The Magic Box (also known as my iPhone).

Unfortunately it meant a number of flights were delayed or cancelled on Sunday, the end of the Board meeting, and a number of Board members who had not intended to stay the night did so.

Like all the Board meetings I have attended, this one was long, intense, and energizing. A significant reason for the energy is the fact that we are intentionally a religious board, with worship elements in the agenda as well as impromptu admonitions from a number of our board members (and you know who you are). One of the readings on Wednesday night’s vespers by Board member Will Saunders particularly struck me, and is excerpted below:

Pause with us here a while.
Put your ear to the wall of your heart.
Listen for the whisper of knowing there.
Love will touch you if you are very still.

If I say the word God, people run away.
They’ve been frightened – sat on ‘till the spirit cried “uncle.”
Now they play hide and seek with somebody they can’t name.
They know he’s out there looking for them, and they want to be found.
But there is all this stuff in the way.

I can’t talk about God and make any sense.
And I can’t not talk about God and make any sense.
So we talk about the weather, and we are talking about God.

(excerpted from Tom Barrett, What’s in the Temple)

Look for posts about UUA Ends, Independent Affiliates, Purpose and Principles revisions, White Privilege Part II, and my trip to DC for the Inauguration over the next few weeks.

Next Post: Governance as Holy Work, Part III

The Fifth Principle

"The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large." The "Fifth Principle" of Unitarian Universalism

After the presidential election, and before we get really into the election of our own UUA president, and amid the discussions about changing our principles, comes the Fifth Principle Task Force. Formed by Board resolution in October of 2007, this Task Force is addressing the issues I hear raised in a number of "hallway" conversations: does our General Assembly governing process, often attended by congregational delegates named in a hasty process (or no process) who can afford to attend, really exemplify the Fifth Principle?

This task force has recently provided its first report, and has been soliciting feedback from a number of places, including the District President's Association. Included in the draft is a proposal to have both a General Assembly, with today's workshops, exhibit hall, and UU University; and a Delegates Assembly, a shorter version focusing on governance of the Association. The two assemblies would meet in alternate years, possibly starting as early as 2011. As these proposals evolve, you will hear far more about them.

There will be a number of opportunities to express your opinion about this (including a GA 2009 Workshop and a planned online survey), but in the meantime add your voice with the short survey (with thanks to fellow UUA Trustee John Blevins) to the right. I welcome this examination, but wonder if it will add the gravitas to the delegate selection process within many congregations that appears to be lacking.

Why is it lacking? I think it is primarily because many UUs do not find the UU organization outside of the walls of their own congregation relevant, and feel that "congregational polity" keeps them immune from interference from any decisions made outside those walls. Rather than viewing being part of a larger whole as a strength, I hear things like reducing the "constant initiatives" from district leaders.

That is not to point a finger at these leaders - there is a valid reason for those feelings. We are all part of the problem - are we all willing to be part of the solution?

Congregation-Based Community Organizing

The term "congregation-based community organizing" (CBCO) may still elicit blank stares, until someone says, "you know, what Obama did". Obama, following in the footsteps of Saul Alinsky, learned and practiced a form of community organizing that is not only effective, but promises to revitalize the congregations that participate in it. It certainly had an impact on Obama.
Jim Eller, minister at All Souls UU Church of Kansas City, met with the Board on to "preach the gospel" of CBCO on Thursday. It is an exciting approach that the Veatch Foundation is supporting through matching grants for churches to join and train their members. Though Unitarian Universalism has a rich tradition in social justice, congregations do not always find their efforts as effective as they might like in dealing with the underlying issues.

CBCO addresses some of the barriers to effectiveness congregations may face, such as lacking relationship within the communities they wish to impact, or assuming problems of poverty and systemic racism do not affect us. It impacts change by creating networks of religious organization, community groups, and (sometimes) unions and schools that use democratic principles to determine local priorities. The network sets up the process and trains leaders to work within it. These "leaders in training", according to Congregation-Based Community Organizing: A Social Justice Approach to Revitalizing Congregations, "learn the technical skills of organizing, including weighing alternatives, negotiating differences, and developing strategic plans. They also learn concrete skills such as clariying one's self-interest, viewing and accepting conflict, and analyzing the power dynamics of institutions." PCD congregations listed as affiliated with a formal CBCO network include the UU Church of Palo Alto, the UU Fellowship of Redwood City, the First UU Society of San Francisco, the First Unitarian Church of San Jose, and the UUs of San Mateo. I would be interested in hearing experiences from any of these congregations - just post your comment.

UUA Finances in Difficult Times

Second in a series of posts on the October UUA Board Meeting

The day I flew to Boston the market dropped nearly 800 points, right after a 936 point rally the day before. Though I would occasionally check the market on The Magic Box (my iPhone), I was glad I had something more important to do.

The short version of how this impacts UUA finances is that it has a major and immediate hit on the balance sheet (because of the drop in the value of the UU Common Endowment Fund), but so far income reduction on the operating statement is offset by reduction in spending. This is because most of the income reduction is in special donations for specific projects which are not implemented without those funds. These donors do not want to liquidate funds (sell) in this market.

The longer term impact is yet to be seen, but will likely include the annual transfer of funds from the endowment to the operating budget (about $2.2 M, but less as the market value drops), and the impact on the annual program fund (the annual support from congregations, just over $7 M), and Association Sunday (currently projected at $350,000). The estimates for essentially all income sources have been decreased by the UUA staff, with corresponding decreases in expected expenditures. These are not easy times, but we are blessed with timely and accurate information we can trust, and an executive team that takes fiscal responsibility to heart.

According to President Bill Sinkford, our non-profit partners have seen a major drop off of income. What does one do in these kinds of times?

Though it is tempting to “hunker down” to protect what we have, I believe generosity is even more important now. In his book Who Really Cares, Arthur Brooks provided study after study that shows that people who give to others, regardless of income level, are healthiest and happiest. Though it may be counterintuitive, I believe the best way to make it through these times and remain whole in spirit is to share what we have been given.

Next post: Congregation-Based Community Organizing

Policy Governance as Holy Work Part II

First in a series of posts about the October 2008 UUA Board Meeting

One way to gain insight into the UUA Board is to look at how we spend our time together. The October Board meeting was particularly grueling, with five more-than-full days, formal meetings running from 8:30 am to 9:00 pm, but many others before and after. Based on that criteria, the hands down winner for mind share is Ends Development and "owner linkage" in connection with the Board’s move to Policy Governance, which covered 2 1/2 days.

If you have been under a rock for the past few years and have never heard of an “End”, it is the John and Miriam Carver term for high level goals: what benefits we are providing for whom, and at what cost. Working with Unity Consultants, the Board spent Thursday reviewing the input from the Appreciative Inquiry at General Assembly, and listening to members of the District Presidents Association (including the Pacific Central District's President Mary Ellen Morgan) and the UU Ministers Association Executive Team. We spent all day Friday developing values, writing the initial “global ends statement” (more or less a mission statement), and defining our “owners”—those from whom we get our moral authority and to whom we are accountable. There is still significant work to develop the next layer of ends, which will have more specificity about what we want to accomplish, but we first need to evaluate "how we are doing so far" with our owners. These ends are what we provide to the next President, saying “make these things happen, but as you do so, don’t do this.”

In addition to the time on Friday, the entire Board traveled to Worcester (the second largest city in New England!) on Saturday to meet with 300 or so New England UUs. Together we watched Laurel Hallman and Peter Morales “debate” as UUA presidential candidates, with what I thought were far better performances from both of them compared to General Assembly. Then the Board did what the Carvers call “linkage” – talking to our “owners” about their values and what they thought the mission of the UUA was. Each of us sat at a table with 8-10 New Englanders and went through a rapid-fire exercise to get input on what we had created the day before.

The exercise was fun and insightful. Most of it was positive. Each Board member will be doing some version of this over the next six months within the Districts. Mary Ellen Morgan will be leading this with me, and we hope to get input from as many members in the Pacific Central District as possible, through a variety of means: travel to meet with congregations, at District meetings, through conference calls, and online. Look for more information through PCD Currents and here as it develops.

Next post: UUA Finances in Difficult Times