As part of our Developmental Ministry Goals, the Mission Task Force is working on a Mission Statement for UUCville. We will develop a statement that expresses our purpose or in other words, why we exist.  We hope that it will speak to the hearts and minds of our congregants and to the broader world.

Last fall, the Board appointed a Mission Task Force and in the spring we began the process with 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, 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 power point that was presented at meeting here. The Task Force is now considering all the comments made in this conversation and working on the final wording of the mission statement. The final statement will be presented to the board on May 24th and then to the congregation for approval at our Congregational Meeting on June 4.

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/Purpose Task Force sees the following priorities as implicit in our proposed Mission. We anticipate that these will inform our plans going forward.

• Working toward equity and justice in our own congregation and the larger world.
• Caring for our planet and the interdependent web of existence.
• Welcoming all people to a safe space for spiritual, emotional and intellectual growth.
• Valuing diverse beliefs, open-minded inquiry and a search for truth and meaning.
• Being especially intent on welcoming people who traditionally may not have felt safe and welcomed in our congregation and the larger community (people who identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community, BIPOC individuals and other people who have been disempowered, disadvantaged, or disenfranchised)
• Being conscious of the needs of youth and young adults and also of how ageism impacts older adults.
• Caring for each other with respect, non-judgment and compassion.
• Engaging with partner organizations to serve the broader community.
• Becoming a more anti-racist congregation.
• Acting courageously with compassion to bring love and kindness to creating a more equitable, just and peaceful world.
• All guided by our UU Principles.

The Mission Planning Task Force
Chris Little and Jeanine Braithwaite (co-chairs)
Achsah Carrier
Breck Gastinger
Pam McIntire
Rev. Tim Temerson