Fulfilling one of our Developmental Ministry Goals, UUCville adopted a new Mission Statement at the congregational meeting held on June 4, 2023. We hope that it will speak to the hearts and minds of our congregants and to the broader world.
Mission Task Force co-chairs Jeanine Braithwaite and Chris Little presented the proposed mission statement to the Congregational meeting.
Last fall, the Board appointed a Mission Task Force that began in January 2023 to develop a mission statement. This process included 17 Cottage Conversations in which over 120 participants answered questions about what UUCville means to them, what our purpose is, and what is important about how we impact the larger community. These were amazing conversations where participants spoke of their appreciation of many parts of UUCville and of the dreams for what we can achieve together.
On Sunday, April 29, 2023, the Task Force hosted a conversation to present a summary of the answers people gave in the Cottage Conversations and to begin a conversation about the mission statement by discussing a few examples of statements. You can find the PowerPoint that was presented on our congregation’s website (https://uucharlottesville.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2023-Mission-StatepemtPowerpoint.pdf). The Task Force considered all the comments made in this conversation and the cottage conversations, and developed the final wording of the mission statement which was presented to the congregation for approval at our Congregational Meeting on June 4, 2023.
Although adopting a mission statement that is powerful and meaningful to the congregation is very important, it means little without a strategic plan to bring our mission into action. The strategic plan will lay out the specifics of how we will come together to work on being the congregation we dream of.
The Mission Task Force has worked hard to develop a mission statement that is brief and powerful and also reflects the many passions of the congregation. It has been a challenge! We realized that in addition to a brief mission statement, we also need a summary of important priorities to guide the development of our strategic plan with specific actions we will take to bring forth our mission.
After discussing each word in many possible statements, we decided on the following statement.
The UU Congregation of Charlottesville
builds community through love in action.
Together we cultivate a safe and welcoming place for all.
Together we nurture mind, heart, body, and spirit.
Together we work for equity, justice, and peace for all people and the planet.
We examined each word and, being UUs, we debated, analyzed and reconsidered the implications of each word. The word Community came up in nearly every Cottage Conversation we had. Congregants emphasized how much it meant to them to be a part of an open-minded, loving, supportive community and how important it is for our congregation to be active in the larger community of Charlottesville and beyond.
Love is central to our UU values and is both what sustains us and calls us to care for each other and the world. Love is powerful and calls us to take Action. To better our world, we go well beyond loving sentiments to purposeful and loving action.
Together has three meanings: all of us in the congregation, unified in our mission and action, and in partnership with others in the community.
All and all people refer to our commitment to be inclusive of everyone. Our work will benefit all people, not any one group to the detriment of others. This is in the spirit of “Justice grows out of recognition of ourselves in each other — that my liberty depends on you being free too.” – Barack Obama
We are grateful for the spirited discussion that preceded the vote to adopt our new Mission statement. We look forward to congregational work together on priorities and a strategic plan.
(signed) The Mission Task Force Chris Little, Jeanine Braithwaite, Pam McIntire, Breck Gastinger, Achsah Carrier, Rev. Tim Temerson
UUCville building community through love in action!