2011 

UUA votes to change Thomas Jefferson District to South East District.

2015 

Summer. The Considering Our Name committee is launched and becomes an official committee under the Admin Council. Jeanine Braithwaite and Laura Wallace act as Co-Chairs, and the committee meets through November.

2016   

February. Laura Wallace posts an update on the committee explaining the suspension of their activity in order to support congregational energy directed toward Black Lives Matter and other social justice actions.

October 2.  The Public Witness Statement passes in Support of the Black Lives Matter Movement and Racial Justice with 94% of the vote in favor.

2017 

August. Unite the Right rally and violence in Charlottesville highlight increasing need to address racial justice issues in our community. Congregation members begin discussing how the church’s name coincides with this movement.

2018

July. The Raising Anti-Racist Children Covenant Group is formed and the topic of the church name is discussed within the group.

2019

July – Pastor Bates from Ebenezer Baptist Church preaches sermon sharing how, as a black minister he had changed his opinion about the name of our church. He says he once thought TJMC-UU could work under Jefferson’s name to highlight racial issues. He says after  the August 12th violence, Charlottesville had become a “global brand” around racism and white supremacy. He noted the choices we made in our community should be viewed through this new lens. He encourages us to examine our role and mission and evaluated if our name reflected those values in the new context. 

Some members of the Raising Anti-Racist Children covenant group begin meeting to discuss the church’s name. Members of the initial Considering Our Name committee and the Racial Justice Committee are invited to join.

David Mellor contacts Board about how to proceed. He is asked to use the Public Witness Process to bring the initiative to the congregation. The first step of the PW process is to gather  20% of the congregation members signatures in support of moving forward.

August.  Mellor submits over 100 signatures to Board and they vote unanimously to allow the Public Witness Process to begin for the name change initiative.

September. Formal motion to “begin the process of formal consideration to change our name” is brought to Congregational Meeting and the Motion passes with 77 in favor, 16 opposed, and 2 abstaining. 

October. Name Change group submits letter to Board of Trustees asking for issue of the name to be included alongside the Board’s 2019-2020 goal of “Articulating Church’s Vision”. 

Group follows Board priority schedule and waits to begin in-person cottage conversations until after the 2020 budget is passed, the pledge drive is completed, and the new minister selection process is resolved. The expectation is that the cottage conversations will occur after the new year.

2020 

February.  Cottage conversations begin to be scheduled. The group develops questions and script.

March. Coronavirus Pandemic closes church building. Services and meetings move online. Congregation learns to meet via Zoom.

June – Christine Gresser contacts Board President and asks that the Board appoint a Task Force to carry forward the Name Change Initiative. Citing the importance of Board leadership on such a timely and critical issue, Christine asked the President to convey her request that the Board take this issue up as a Board Priority. As Paula Cole Jones says about Unitarian Universalists and our willingness to lead on issues of dismantling racism; “In this time, the world needs our voice to be bold, visible, and clear.” Board appoints task force co-chaired by Christine Gresser and Liberty Powers.

July – Board schedules Congregation Meeting for September 27th to bring the motion to change the church name to a vote, they publish letter to congregation urging them to vote to change the name of the church.

August. September. Cottage conversations are held.

Update:

September 27th. Congregational Meeting is held and congregation votes in favor of the motion to change the church’s name and no longer use the words, Thomas Jefferson.

163 members in attendance, with 157 ballots cast.

157 of 157 votes in favor of the budget.  Passed with 100% in favor.

146 votes in favor of changing the name, 7 against, 4 abstentions.

Passed with 95.4% in favor.