Wonder. Connection. Transformation. These are the shared values of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Transcendence. Community. Compassion. Courage. Transformation. These are the shared values of the First UU Church of Austin.
Inclusion. Compassion. Engagement. Human Responsibility. Celebration. These are the shared values of the First Unitarian Church Salt Lake City.
When an organization or congregation has a clearly stated, widely understood, and fully embodied set of shared core values they tend to thrive. Shared values unite and hold people together around a meaningful core. It is from this core and profound sense of connection that everything else unfolds.
I have included the shared core values of the UUA and two UU Congregations above to demonstrate where we are going this month at Peoples Church. Throughout the month of May we will be working together to clarify our shared values and reach a point where we too will be able to state with confidence, precision, and enthusiasm, our set of 3-5 shared core values. Of course we have values right now. They exist, operate, and play out in our community. So our job this month will not be to pick values that we would like to have or that we aspire to, our job will be to simply shine a light on the values we already embody at Peoples Church so that we can live into them more fully. Once we have a set of mutually understood and enthusiastically embraced shared core values we will move into the net phase of our work at Peoples Church: Renewing Our Mission.
To clarify our shared core values we need you! We need the input and participation of every single person at Peoples Church! Our Mission Team (which includes Arianne Waseen, Scott Gay, and David Miessler-Kubanek) is developing a process to include as many people as possible in as many ways as possible. So please come out for the upcoming Mission Team Forum (April 30th at 10am), watch for an online survey and other gathering dates, come to church and explore values during worship, and engage in your own individual reflection. The Mission Team and I would love to include you and have everyone involved in this shared effort.
What an exciting time at Peoples Church! By the end of this year we should have and be able to vote on a renewed mission. From there progress and movement towards all the rest of our Developmental Ministry Goals will easily follow and we will truly be able to thrive as a congregation.
In faith,
Rev. Rebecca