We wonder about truth, about all the whats and whys and whithers of life. Wondering is very important, but it should bear the fruits of faith and thought, and it should turn our faces to whatever is coming down the winds of time and circumstance. We should be finding ourselves on the highway to the realization of great human goals, but here is no clear light on the highway except as an individual may see it for himself.
Beginning with the Transcendentalists, Unitarians began to find truth in religions other than Christianity. Emerson, for example, studied the Bhagavad-Gita, a Hindu scripture. In 1893, Jenkin Lloyd Jones, a prominent Midwestern Unitarian leader, brought the Parliament of World Religions to Chicago, hosting participants from a breadth of religious backgrounds to share their thinking. By that time, Universalists, too, had begun broadening the concept of Universalism beyond the idea of universal salvation to embrace what is universal in human experience.
As people arrive, introduce yourself and invite them to make or find their name tag. If anyone new attends, introduce yourself and invite them to write their contact information on the signup sheet. Point out rest rooms and refreshments and direct people to the child care space if you are providing child care.
Model the process for participants, encouraging brevity. Continue around the circle. Pauses for thinking are fine. Participants may pass. If participants begin providing more information, remind them to focus their answer on the question.
What did you learn about your own social justice work and that of your congregation? Review with your co-facilitator(s) how each activity went. What worked well? What might you do differently another time? Review the Parking Lot questions. Did you answer the ones you intended to in this workshop? If not, when will you answer them?
Again, we’re very grateful for your participation. It helps to provide potential new members with a deeper and more developed understanding of our congregation. And you may even find folks who want to work with you! Sincerely, [Facilitators of the Workshop]
Hatred of liberal religion and gay and lesbian people motivated the shooting. During the aftermath members and friends of the congregation experienced not only private grief, pain, and mourning but also national attention which called for a response to the media. Unitarian Universalist Association leaders saw a need to find a way for Unitarian Universalists to take action not only when tragedy strikes our own congregations, but also when our values call for a response to events and challenges in the broader community and world. The UUA adopted the phrase “Standing on the Side of Love,” which was already associated with activism related to equal marriage, as an umbrella slogan to name all the ways in which Unitarian Universalists support justice for all people, including responding to hate crimes, advocating for immigrants and their families, and supporting full equality for bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people. The Standing on the Side of Love public advocacy campaign, sponsored by the UUA, seeks to harness love’s power to stop oppression.
The idea of congregational self-governance developed on this continent because the Puritans who arrived from Europe wanted to have responsibility for their own churches, not to have bishops dictate their practices. The church structures the colonists knew best were hierarchical; they were familiar with the Episcopal structure, where bishops and archbishops have the final word, and with the Presbyterian structure, a form of representative democracy where a body of elected representatives holds authority over the churches. They rejected hierarchical forms and adopted a different structure, the congregational system of governance, which requires each church or congregation to be independently governed and to make its own decisions in such major areas as: Defining membership requirements; Electing leadership, including calling and dismissing ministers; Purchase or sale of property.
Introduce the panel with words such as: Membership in a congregation can have a tremendous effect on people’s lives. Rather than simply say that, we have invited guests to share how this has been true in their lives. I will ask each of the guests to introduce themselves and tell their story. After all have spoken, you can ask any questions you might have. After the introductions, monitor the time so each panelist has an equal amount. If necessary, prompt panelists to wrap up. Presentations should be complete in about 20 minutes. Then, invite participants to ask questions. At the end of the time, thank the panelists.
Silence enveloped the group for a moment. “It’s hard to have anything to say after that,” said Ann. She smiled shyly. “My name’s Ann, bat I already said that. I don’t have a story anywhere near as dramatic as Bill’s, but my connection runs deep, too. I came to the church just after my divorce. My children were grown and gone, and I was lonely. There was a lot I didn’t know about myself, though. I started going to the women’s group. Listening to their stories, I realized I wasn’t alone with my issues. And whenever I needed to talk, they listened to me, too. Since then, I’ve branched out. I even started singing in the choir.” She laughed. “I hadn’t sung since I was in high school, and it was great! I agreed to co-lead this group because it’s time to take a risk and try leadership. I hope I’ll do OK for you.”
Voting at congregational meetings. Responsible participation includes imagining the needs of the entire congregation, rather than focusing only on one’s own needs or desires, Consider how issues affect all members of the congregation, as well as potential members and others in the world outside the congregation.
Invite participants to introduce themselves and present a brief description of their own work with social justice using words such as: In this workshop, we are talking about social justice. You may or may not think of yourself as an activist, but we have all done something to make a difference in the world. Making the world a better place is fundamental for Unitarian Universalists, because our focus is on this world, rather than the next. Our introductory question for this workshop is: “Tell us about a time you made a difference in the world. This may be an act you did independently or with a group; it could be any way—large or small—that helped to bring into being your vision of a better world.”
We’re going to introduce ourselves by sharing something about our own experiences or beliefs. As the basket comes to you, tell us your name. In the basket are sentence starters. Draw out a sentence and complete it aloud. There are no right or wrong answers, only your answer. If you pick one that you can’t or don’t want to answer, feel free to try a different one. Pauses for thinking are fine. After completing your response, pass the basket on.
Complete the discussion by underlining the theological diversity within Unitarian Universalism using these or similar words: Unitarian Universalists need not agree on the specifics of our theologies. We may believe differently about God, about what happens after we die, about the rule of Jesus, Budha, and others prophets. We are united in our acceptance of one another, our conviction that our lives on this earth matter, and our belief that truth is revealed in many different ways.
A question often asked of Unitarian Universalist is: “If you don’t all believe in the same God, what are you worshiping?” The word “worship,” though, comes from “worth-ship.” In our congregations, worship is not about bowing down to a deity, but instead, considering what is of worth. Worship, then, is our opportunity to contemplate what is most worthy in our lives, to discover anew what we value most deeply, to recognize how to align our true values with our actions—indeed, to find what is sacred to us in our lives and to consider how we wish to relate to what we find sacred.
We’re going to demonstrate to ourselves the breadth found in Unitarian Universalism by seeing how this group of people who have been drawn to a UU congregation see their own beliefs. I’m going to ask a series of questions and ask people to move to different parts of the room in response. Any time you want to pass or are undecided, you can stay in the middle of the room. The practice question is, “What’s your favorite kind of ice cream?” Point out one corner for chocolate, one corner for vanilla, one corner for other, and one corner for “I don’t like ice cream.” After each question, invite people to talk for a moment or two with people near them about why they answered the way they did. Then, invite one person from each cluster to say something about their choice to the entire group. Keep the answers moving quickly. Repeat this process for each of the following questions: “Do you believe in God?” Point out one side of the room for “yes,”and the opposite side for “no.”
Such awakenings may happen only once in a lifetime, or many times. But when they do, what you took for granted before is presented as a gift: difficult, yet precious and good. Not that you know what to do with your gift, or even what it really means, only how much it matters. Awakening to the call stirring deep within you, the call of life itself—the call of God—you begin your pilgrimage.
We shall never see the light directly, only as refracted through the windows of cathedral. Prompting humility, life’s mystery lies hidden. The light is veiled. Yet, being halfway in size between the creation itself and our body’s smallest constituent part, that we can encompass with our minds the universe that encompasses us is a cause for great wonder. Awakened by the light, we stand in the cathedral, trembling with awe.
Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life.
What are your practices around collection of the offering? Twentieth-century Unitarian theologian James Luther Adams called the offering the one sacrament of the free church. Each congregation supports itself, so the offering symbolizes the ownership of the congregation by its members. Giving allows us to support our values.
Do services vary during the summer? How? What are the rites of passage observed by your congregation? You may want to note: Memorial services, celebrating the lives of the departed. Dedications, welcoming new life in our midst. Weddings, recognizing the commitment of couples to one another without regard for sexual orientation. Coming of age (at which age?) which recognizes a youth’s assumption of responsibility for their own spiritual, moral, and religious journey and growth. Bridging, which marks the passage from youth to adulthood.
Direction from God? Unitarian Universalists do not categorically deny the experience of receiving guidance from a divine or holy source as an individual understands it. Our first Source references “direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder” which could be calld God or could be Nature, Ultimate Reality, or other concepts that are meaningful to UUs. UUs do believe that all knowledge, from whatever source, requires testing, and that testing is best done in community.
Afterlife? While there are a variety of views of the afterlife, most Unitarian Universalists consider this life the important one. Some believe in an ultimate unification with God, or the universe. Many Unitarian Universalists believe that the only afterlife is the legacy people leave on earth. Consistent with the idea of universal salvation, hell is rarely discussed except as a metaphor, as in “hell on earth.”
Sin? Unitarian Universalists shy away from talk of sin, but some agree with the Jewish tradition that defines it as “missing the mark”—falling short of our values. That is, we acknowledge that people have shortcomings and make mistakes but have an optimistic view of human nature. Good and evil are usually considered human constructs that result from human actions.
Salvation? Salvation receives little attention, but when it does, it is often construed as wholeness and health in this life, rather than a state attained after death. Revelation? Some traditions are persuaded that God’s revelation was given at a particular time and place. In contrast, Unitarian Universalists perceive that truth comes not only from many places, but that we are continually discovering truth. The truth I learn tomorrow may contradict or enhance what I have learned today. The traditional way of saying this is, “Revelation is not sealed.”
With a third color of marker, add periods of time associated with the trends outlined in the story “Themes in North American Unitarian Universalist History.” In addition to the dates included in the story, these may help you craft a timeline: Unitarian controversy (when Unitarian and Congregationalist churches were splitting)—first quarter of the 19th century. Universalism brought to the U.S. in late 18th century. Transcendentalism — mid-19th century. Darwin’s Origin of the Species published — 1859. Free Religious Association founded — 1867. Humanist Manifesto — 1933. With a fourth color, add dates associated with your own congregation. Ask participants what they notice about timelines, particularly any connections among events in different colors. Discuss the observations.
Read the story aloud, and ask the questions as they come up to encourage interaction and deeper thinking about the concepts. Or, if you are familiar enough with the ideas, tell the story in your own words, being sure to emphasize the four themes: freedom of thought, or noncreedalism; on-going revelation; the power of Nature; and building the Beloved Community.
Later challenges arose in both Unitarianism and Universalism about whether it was necessary to be Christian, or even to believe in God. Many Unitarians, especially Westerners, joined the Free Religious Association, insisting on absolute freedom of conscience, a notion which, despite arguments, prevailed. Universalists, though a bit more conventional, consistently added a conscience clause to their statements of faith. By the 20th century, they, too, as a group, had set aside many conventions of Christianity. In the 20th century, humanism became an important theological force in Unitarianism.