We are happy to report that we’ve made substantial progress on the important developmental goal of refreshing our congregational mission and vision statements after a year of listening, envisioning, and getting creative!
We are especially grateful to co-chairs Julie Nyquist and Rev. Kikanza Nuri-Robins and the dedicated team who shepherded this process at various stages. The team included Bettye Barclay, Cheryl Barnett, Trish Brassard, Alan Carey, Jerry Gates, Lois Hutchinson, Judith Martin-Straw, Karen Hsu Patterson, Sarah Robson, and Larry Weiner.
Over the past congregational year, this team conducted a congregational wide assessment around our congregational identity and the community we hope to become in the years ahead. This included facilitating conversations with church groups, individual members, and the professional staff. This assessment provided the basis for articulating refreshed mission and vision statements and then later for a strategic plan as we move from developmental to settled ministry.
The mission and vision crafting group reviewed UUA recommendations which operationalized the mission as “who we are” and “what we do” and the vision as our “aspirations” and “what we hope to become if we accomplish our mission.”
Our current mission and vision were largely too long and/or too detailed to serve their intended purposes well. Ideally, the mission and vision should provide a snapshot of what the congregation is about and where it is heading. They should be concise and easy enough to remember, communicate, and market. This is especially true as we prepare to enter the search for a new minister and we want statements that are contemporary, evocative, and compelling.
Our current mission and vision statements which date back to 1989 are as follows:
Mission
Our mission is to build a congregational home that supports our vision, that provides opportunities for spiritual and personal growth in an interactive and intergenerational community, that is welcoming and inclusive, and that assumes an active responsibility for our community and world.
Vision
Our vision is to provide a welcoming center for all people who pursue an ongoing quest for understanding, personal growth, and ethical living; and to provide a religious center for worship, meditation, celebration, and fellowship;
To create and nurture a community where the search for truth is free and unhindered; where the dignity, worth, and rights of every individual are revered; where spiritual, emotional, and intellectual growth are stimulated and encouraged; where the process is open and democratic; where our interdependence with all life on earth is recognized and honored; and where the transforming power of love is acknowledged;
To provide for the religious growth and development of children and youth; to guide and support them in their search for understanding, insight, and inspiration; and to welcome them into the life of the church; and to participate in a broader fellowship concerned with social justice, peace, and a responsible relationship with the environment; so that we may create a better world for all life today and all life tomorrow.
The mission and vision crafting group contemplated our current statements, the data from the congressional assessment process, good examples from other UU congregations, and then developed a list of broad conceptual ideas that appeared in most all of these and went about sewing them together in a way that made sense and were concise, compelling, and evocative.
Our refreshed mission and vision statements are as follows:
Mission
We are a sanctuary for the liberal spirit, cultivating joy, inspiration, and beloved community. We awaken the conscience of people of all ages through ministry, education, music, art, and service. We live our values of love, justice, and compassion out into the world.
Vision
We are a beacon for love, liberal religion, and multigenerational community — acting in solidarity for social justice, championing peace locally and globally, and living in harmony with the natural world. We are a diverse and inclusive beloved community welcoming all people who share our values.
We have discovered much excitement around these refreshed statements from within the congregation and even from the UUA. They have been placed on the agenda of our Annual Meeting on June 29, 2025 for consideration for adoption by the congregation.
The time and efforts of many went into this assessment process and drafting these statements and we hope you will take the time to sit with them over the next month and, hopefully, approve them for adoption at our Annual Meeting. This will allow us to have completed this important developmental task as a congregation and position us well as we enter search for our next settled minister.
Yours in ministry and love,
|
Eileen |
Rev. Jeremiah |
