Thank You, and Welcome!
By Heather Millar, President
This is my final blog as UUCA President. It has been a tremendous honor to serve this significant institution on the Board for the last 6 years, 3 as secretary and 3 as president. I have been a member of UUCA for 25 years. I resisted serving on the Board for the first 19. In publicity published by the Nominating Committee recently, they quoted Rabindranath Tagore:
I slept and dreamt that life was joy.
I awoke and saw that life was service.
I acted and behold, service was joy!
I can truly say that these years on the Board have supplied me with numerous experiences that did, in fact, bring me joy and an added bonus often with feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment.
All that has been accomplished is in large part because of the enthusiastic, dedicated and talented work of sooo many others. Those who have been Board members with me are the ones who first inspired me to declare “I love us!” I am recalling the efforts of those on the Vision and Governance Teams, The 8th Principle Task Force, The Best Use of Land, Finance, Endowment and Nominating Committees. I have been working closely with members of BBC and BEEC2. My sense of awe and gratitude to these and the multitudes of others who do Faith Formation, music, worship, Fiber Arts, Meditation, Drum Circle, Humanist, Theists, Full Circle and Small Groups is tremendous. It takes the attention and skills of many to make UUCA this great place to worship and serve. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
An area of emphasis within UUCA and the UUA is our attention to the 8th Principle that is crucial to being true to the UU 7 Principles, particularly #1, our belief in the “Inherent worth and dignity of every person.” We voted to support the 8th Principle, but this does not mean we have been successful in its implementation. When our people of color and others who are not part of the dominant culture tell us they feel recognized, heard and included and are able to worship and serve with all while not encountering the usual subtle acts of exclusion that typical interrupt their lives, when those most affected tell us we have implemented the 8th Principle, then we have achieved what we promised when we voted to support the 8th Principle in April 2018. We need to stop centering the usual perspectives and instead “center the comfort, safety, growth, agency and capacity for self-realization of those who are currently most oppressed.” This quote is in the UUA’s Widening the Circle, one source of insights into what is needed. The BBC’s 8th Principle Series is another excellent exposure to needed concepts. The book, Subtle Acts of Exclusion, includes the SAE Model that the Board and others have committed to practice. I promise to keep learning, listening and seeking to build the beloved community we desire. I hope you will join me.
This Saturday, May 1st, Jane Carrigan takes over as UUCA President. I say WELCOME to her and the new Board! Much is going on and I know they will meet the challenges encountered with love and fresh ideas and perspectives. I am excited to support their leadership.
Finally, thank you to all staff, members and friends of UUCA for the support you have shown me; Welcome to the new Board and, of course, I LOVE US!