Overview
UUCC is a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA). The UUA is a covenantal network of UU congregations, and in its bylaws is a statement of principles and purposes that is the foundation for the work we do and who we are as faith communities. Those principles and purposes are found in Article II of the UUA bylaws.
Article II of the UUA bylaws was revised in June 2024 after a vote by delegates to the General Assembly. The adopted revision was presented to the UUA Board of Trustees in January 2023, amended in June 2023 during the General Assembly of the UUA, and presented for a final vote by congregational delegates in June 2024.
Our Shared Values
The centerpiece of the adopted Article II revision is a statement of shared values that expands and deepens our understanding of our current seven UU principles. The text of this section as proposed, as well as its accompanying illustration, is shared in full below:
As Unitarian Universalists, we covenant, congregation-to-congregation and through our association, to support and assist one another in our ministries. We draw from our heritages of freedom, reason, hope, and courage, building on the foundation of love.
Love is the power that holds us together and is at the center of our shared values. We are accountable to one another for doing the work of living our shared values through the spiritual discipline of Love.
Inseparable from one another, these shared values are:
Interdependence. We honor the interdependent web of all existence. We covenant to cherish the Earth and all beings by creating and nurturing relationships of care and respect. With humility and reverence, we acknowledge our place in the great web of life, and we work to repair harm and damaged relationships.
Transformation. We adapt to the changing world. We covenant to collectively transform and grow spiritually and ethically. Openness to change is fundamental to our Unitarian and Universalist heritages, never complete and never perfect.
Pluralism. We celebrate that we are all sacred beings diverse in culture, experience, and theology. We covenant to learn from one another in our free and responsible search for truth and meaning. We embrace our differences and commonalities with Love, curiosity, and respect.
Generosity. We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope. We covenant to freely and compassionately share our faith, presence, and resources. Our generosity connects us to one another in relationships of interdependence and mutuality.
Justice. We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all thrive. We covenant to dismantle racism and all forms of systemic oppression. We support the use of inclusive democratic processes to make decisions.
Equity. We declare that every person has the right to flourish with inherent dignity and worthiness. We covenant to use our time, wisdom, attention, and money to build and sustain fully accessible and inclusive communities
Timeline
| 1987 | The last time the current Principles & Purposes found in Article II was revised | UU World Article: Reflections on the 1980s Article II Revision—and Why it’s Time to Revise Again |
| Summer 2017 | Discussion at General Assembly about amending the Principles to add an 8th Principle |
| Fall 2020 | The Article II Study Commission is convened |
| Spring 2021-Fall 2022 | The Study Commission hosts discussion panels with surveys to gain an understanding of the values and sources of inspiration shared amongst Unitarian Universalists. Drafts are presented for feedback from congregations through focus groups, individual interviews, congregational surveys, and General Assembly discussion groups. |
| March 2022, October 2022, April 2023 | UUCC small group discussions and feedback sessions on the Article II draft take place in-person at OBIC and online on Zoom |
| January 2023 | Proposed draft of Article II is presented to the Board of Trustees of the UUA | Read the draft | Watch a presentation of the draft |
| June 2023 | Proposed text undergoes an amendment process at General Assembly 2023. A simple majority vote moves the proposal forward to a final 2024 vote. | View final proposed revision to Article II |
| February-May 2024 | At UUCC, Rev. Paige Getty leads a series of worship services exploring the proposed Article II values |
| June 2024 | Article II revision adopted by a vote of 2,025 (80.2%) to 499 (19.8%) with 21 abstaining at General Assembly 2024, held online June 20-23. A 2/3 majority was required to adopt the revision. If the vote had failed, a similar proposal would not be considered for two years, according to UUA bylaws. |
The Commission’s Charge
Below is an excerpt from the original charge to the Article II Study Commission. These were the instructions given to the Study Commission at the start of their work on Article II in 2020. As you explore the revision, consider the commission’s charge. Does the adopted draft fulfill the vision of the charge?
The new Principles and Purposes should guide us in the transformation of ourselves, our communities and our faith into active networks of collective care, restoration, and justice. The Principles and Purposes you will prepare should be a living document that challenges Unitarian Universalists to place the liberation, in all its dimensions, of all, at the center of our lives. They should be honest about our past, name what we are facing and our aspirations and where we hope to be not for just today but looking out at the horizons. They should ask us to choose Love in Action as the path forward.
Our commitment to anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multiculturalism is love in action, and should be centered in any revision of Article II. Finally, the Principles and Purposes should lead us into the second quarter of the 21st Century, while honoring the historic roots of our liberal, progressive faith.
We therefore charge this commission to root its work in Love as a principal guide in its work; attending particularly to the ways that we (and our root traditions) have understood and articulated Love, and how we have acted out of Love.
Resources & Links
Official UUA website page on Article II — This page can be overwhelming for the quantity of information available, but it is your one-stop shop for everything related to Article II.
Theological Reflection on the Proposed Revision to Article II — In this reflection Rev. Dr. Sheri Prud’homme provides a theological analysis of the proposed revision to Article II.
UUCC Worship: With Purpose & Principle — On February 6, 2022, Rev. Paige Getty led a worship service at UUCC on the Principles and Purposes of the UUA, in light of the ongoing Article II revision process.
UUCC Worship: Our Living Tradition — On May 21, 2023 UUCC congregants reflected on the evolving nature of our Unitarian Universalist faith, inspired by the words of the transformation value as articulated in the Article II draft and UUCC’s own Values, Mission, and Ends discernment process.
UUCC Worship Series — From February-May 2024, UUCC’s former Senior Minister Rev. Paige Getty & guests led a series of worship services exploring the shared values of Article II:
- Pluralism — Curiously Pluralistic, February 18 | Listen here
- Generosity — Whose Loaves & Fishes?, February 25 | Listen here
- Transformation — Sacred Imperfection, March 31 | Listen here
- Love — Love at the Center, April 7 | Listen here
- Interdependence — Humbly & Reverently Interdependent, April 21 | Listen here
- Equity — Equitable Faith, April 28 | Listen here
- Justice — Justice in Action, May 19 | Listen here
UUCC Discussion Series — Discussion sessions were held inviting your questions and consideration of how Article II would shape Unitarian Universalism in the years to come. Sessions took place April 14, 24, 28, and May 8, 2024.