Our Village

As I write, I’ve just finished about 48 hours - minus a tiny bit of time for sleeping and a couple of hugs for my kids - at a workshop our congregation hosted in November.

Within this group of 20 there were partners, singles, parents, grandparents, non-parents, and diversities of gender, affectional identity, and familiarity with the topic. There were those on the early end of Young Adult, those in their seventies, and ages and stages in between. All of these folks have made a commitment to support and provide Our Whole Lives (OWL) sexuality education for their youth, and lives will be changed because of this.

This snapshot of our group is like a snapshot of most of our congregations, big or small. There’s variety. We individuals are not all the same, and as a group Unitarian Universalists embrace that variety, even when it means we have to do some hard work because of it.

Ideally, this variety is reflected in our committees. Why?

• Our committees should be a cross-section of the congregation, so we are all represented and no one is marginalized.
• Everyone has something to offer, and a unique perspective. You needn’t be an expert to get involved in an issue.
• Unitarian Universalists look at who is not at the table, and seek to address any imbalance.

For example, our Committee for Religious Exploration should be made up of parents and those not currently parenting anyone under 20; those teaching in the program and those who have other skills to offer. We should see the same range of ages and life stages, and diversities of gender, affectional identity, and familiarity with the topic that we saw in the OWL workshop. We are one church. A healthy Religious Exploration program is one sign of a healthy congregation, and is everyone’s responsibility. Lives will be changed because of our commitment.

You’ve likely heard the African proverb, “it takes a village to raise a child”. Our shared ministry with family, youth and children is wonderfully rewarding, and a big part of what makes us a village.

Warmest holiday wishes, and a big hug to all of you,
Andrea James
Director of Religious Exploration