Covenant of Right Relations

(to be voted on at Annual Meeting, May 31st, by Membership)

As congregants and staff of First Universalist Church, we interact and work together in ways that exemplify our spiritual values and honor our Unitarian Universalist principles as we strive to fulfill our mission and achieve our visionary goals. We abide by the policies of the Church and maintain a community of safety, security, and trust. We seek to work together in ways that help all contribute to our common vision and feel respected within our community. We share a collective commitment to analysis of racism and white privilege, and establish accountable, responsible and inclusive relationships with our entire community. We use this covenant as a framework for right relationships with others as we work outside our walls in the larger community.

We welcome, affirm, and protect the light in each human heart, creating a culture of mutual respect, trust, and care. We:

• Act with kindness and compassion toward one another.
• Treat each other with respect, even in times of confusion, misunderstanding, or disagreement.
• Work together to clarify and understand our own roles and to respect the roles and responsibilities of others.
• Actively listen to one another with openness and a desire for genuine understanding.

We communicate constructively demonstrating clarity, candor, and kindness. We:

• Share our own views with openness and tact.
• Offer generous thanks and encouragement, thoughtful criticism, and constructive options, as appropriate.
• Speak directly to others when we have concerns.
• Avoid gossiping.
• Assume positive intent on the part of each individual.
• Deal with complex, awkward and difficult to resolve issues to the best of our ability.

We make thoughtful, wise, and sound decisions. We:

• Commit to examining where white privilege and racism may be informing our interactions, discussions, and decisions, and to discerning what a decision made from a racial justice lens would look like.
• Seek out reliable information, consider alternative viewpoints, contemplate intended and unintended consequences, and use critical thinking.
• Understand that not all decisions within the church are consensus decisions; some may be staff decisions and/or the decisions of elected or appointed groups.
• Strive for transparency in decision-making.
• Communicate and respect the stated process for coming to closure.

We recognize that we will sometimes fall short, failing to do and be all that we would wish. We:

• Acknowledge our own mistakes.
• Stay engaged in the process of reconciliation with each other.
• Practice forgiveness and begin again in love.

First Universalist Church Racial Justice Resolution

For approval by the Congregation at the May 31, 2015 Annual Meeting of the Members

Whereas:

• We are witnesses to a crisis in our nation regarding systemic racism and oppression in education, employment, government and our justice system;

• Systemic racism has been highlighted in the news media because of the pervasive mistreatment, including recurring killings, of African Americans and other people of color by law enforcement officers in communities throughout the nation;

• We are guided by the following definitions: Racial Justice is the systematic fair treatment of people of all races, resulting in equitable opportunities and outcomes for all; a Racial Justice Lens focuses on ways in which race, racism, and whiteness shapes experiences with institutional and cultural power, access to opportunity, treatment and outcomes, both today and historically;

• The impacts of systemic racism are fundamentally at odds with our Unitarian Universalist beliefs, and confronting racial inequity and oppression is essential for our humanity and spiritual life;

• First Universalist Church has made a commitment to Racial Justice through intensive education and training of our congregation on the historical and current impacts of systemic racism and white privilege on society and the environment;

• We have created a Racial Justice Leadership Team and a Faithful Action Leadership Team to provide guidance for our Racial Justice work;

• First Universalist Church has undergone an extensive Racial Justice mapping process to define the most strategic areas for change, within our church structure, that will have the most impact on eliminating structural racism within our church;

• We have made a commitment to looking at our worship services, religious education curricula, board meetings, committees, and all our programming with a Racial Justice Lens; and

• Members of our congregation and clergy are standing next to our brothers and sisters in public protests, on social media, and in our communities to support efforts to address racial injustice;

Therefore, be it resolved that:

First Universalist Church of Minneapolis publicly declares its commitment to:

• Continuing the fight for Racial Justice through ongoing changes to the processes of the church, education, advocacy, self-reflection, and relationship-building; and

• Addressing structural racism and whiteness in First Universalist Church through intentional efforts in every area of our ministry and work.

The results of our 2014 congregational survey are in!

Due to popular request, we have included an updated version of the survey results with additional responses/information included in the report.

The updated (as of September 8, 2014) PDF can be found by clicking here.

An extra special thank you to David Leppik for his work on this project.

It’s Survey Time Again, and We Need Your Help

Click HERE to learn more, and take the survey.

It takes about 10 minutes to complete and every response is greatly appreciated.