First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany
"Welcoming, Exciting, Inspiring"
Rev. Samuel A. Trumbore January 21, 2001

First Parish Church, Lexington, MA

May love be the spirit of this church,
May the quest for truth be its sacrament,
And service be its prayer.

To dwell together in peace,
To seek knowledge in freedom,
And to help one another in fellowship,
This is our aspiration.

UU Church of San Diego

"Love is the spirit of this church, and service is its law. This is our great covenant: to dwell together in peace, to seek the truth in love, and to help one another.

UU Church in Jacksonville, Florida

We are a liberal religious community of diverse individuals. We nurture spiritual growth, encourage lifelong education, work for social justice, serve the larger community, and celebrate life's gifts together through meaningful worship. We welcome and support others in their expression of religious freedom.

First Jefferson Unitarian Universalist Church, Fort Worth, Texas

As Unitarian Universalists, we the members of First Universalist Church of Denver, unite in the tradition of a liberal religious community. By the path of reason and the light of spirit, we come together to develop individually through worship, the arts, fellowship and service. Believing that truth is found through the open and free exchange of ideas, for ourselves and our children we offer an education founded on honesty and acceptance. Affirming the interdependent web of all existence, we strive to live ethically and in harmony within the world and to pursue the vision of peace, liberty and justice. We invite and celebrate diversity and offer a caring community. We reach out to share our faith in humanity and the goodness of life.

Denver, Colorado

Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church is a liberal religious community committed to individual freedom of belief, the search for truth, spiritual nourishment and the celebration of life.

We honor our history by proclaiming and teaching Unitarian Universalist principles and values.

We seek to transform our beliefs and mutual caring into action to support our members, strengthen our community and promote social justice.

Bethesda, Maryland

When Moses got the word it was time to leave Egypt, he didn't form a negotiating team. He said to the Pharaoh, "Let my people go." The Jews didn't come to consensus or have congregational conversations when they came to the Red Sea. Moses stretched forth his hand and the waters opened before him. When Jesus began his ministry in Galilee, he didn't approach his disciples and invite them to a workshop to do strategic planning and put together a mission statement. He said, "Follow me."

Perhaps because of this religious history, people generally begin to yawn when the idea of composing or revising a mission statement is proposed. I think secretly many would prefer some kind of revealed message to flow fully formed from the group leader's mouth. Negotiating these statements in a group, valuable as they can be, is just not as exciting as seeing Jesus do a miracle or Moses part the Red Sea.

There are a few of us however, myself included, who genuinely enjoy and find inspiration in these kind of group processes. Something mysterious, mystical and even magical can happen in a skillfully facilitated group. The foundation of the United States of America and Unitarian Universalism rests on a belief that the will of the people democratically expressed is wiser than the will of any single individual, even an inspired religious leader. While one might question voting as a method for discovering absolute truth, as a relative guide, skillfully facilitated group process can bring about amazing and wonderful conclusions and actions.

Probably why many of us become discouraged when presented with the opportunity for group decision making is because we've seen it done badly so many times. Many social pathologies can manifest in group life. Seeing one or two people dominate, manipulate or subvert a group for their own advantage can be very upsetting. Seeing a congenial group wrecked by poor leadership can be even more discouraging.

Creating, nurturing and sustaining a group environment that can be a source of enjoyment, satisfaction, growth and service is a very high priority for my ministry. Theories about how to do this successfully have changed over the years. Since the dawn of recorded history, having an enlightened, fair, selfless leader who could put the good of the many before their own personal good has been a successful formula for group life. Sadly, we've seen over and over that many powerful leaders are corrupted by this power. This is particularly true in religious organizations as they grow in success and wealth.

As a defense against this corruption process, many religious organizations have adopted a democratic form of governance that puts the power of the congregation in the voting hands of the people rather than the religious leader. This by no means strips the leader of power. In our tradition, the minister is granted the right to speak freely from the pulpit. Ministers can be very persuasive. Yet this power is balanced by the congregation's use of the democratic process.

There is a great range in how congregations do this balancing act. Some congregations just rubber stamp whatever the minister wants. Other congregations actively resist and sabotage anything the minister tries to initiate. In the best situations there is a synergistic cooperative effort where disagreements are worked out in public and private dialogue.

One of the ways to help ministers and congregations work effectively together is setting guiding principles for both. Just as bylaws can be used as a tool to settle disputes within the governing structure, guiding principles can help prioritize and rationalize the process of making decisions and planning the future.

As individuals we bring to this congregation many conflicting needs, desires and priorities. Some are here because they want to help their children or themselves to grow into decent, moral human beings with good, life affirming values. Others are here to get tools and encouragement to explore their inner spiritual life. Still others are seeking a social setting looking to form relationships with people like themselves. Some are here to join with others to bring about change in the larger community around social and ecological values we hold in common. Others are here because this is their social network that prevents them from feeling lonely and isolated. Some love our chefs and parties. Others love the music and the hymns. I hope only a few are here because they worship the minister. Likely all of us have some combination of these needs, desires and priorities which make us feel at home here.

We are now actively moving forward on plans to expand our facilities. I know there are many opinions ranging from enthusiastic support to opposition and resistance. My sense is that there is much more support than resistance but that largely depends on how we proceed and what expansion plans are proposed and how much it will all cost. The fund raising consultants agree that success in these projects is closely tied to congregational enthusiasm and support for the effort.

An effective way to build congregational enthusiasm and support for building expansion is to connect it to the identity of the congregation. The stronger our sense of common identity, the easier the decision making process is likely to be as the architectural plans are revised. I have great faith in the creative process that happens as groups come together to take a shared goal and discuss how to achieve it. The brain power in this congregation is staggering. When we work together, we can achieve great ends.

We have articulated this sense of common identity as a mission statement that is on the back of your order of service. One of the factors attracting me to serve you as your minister was first, that you had a mission statement and second, that it was one I liked and agreed with. In Florida I tried over and over again, without success, to persuade the congregation I served in Port Charlotte of the value of putting our purpose into words. I saw how the lack of such a statement inhibited us from envisioning and moving forward on priorities for our future that would differ from the status quo.

Our building program here will be a departure from the status quo. By adding space, we are expressing a desire for change. Our identity and sense of purpose can serve as a stabilizing force to make that change less difficult and threatening. Both our identity and purpose are articulated in our mission statement.

This sermon series was originally the inspiration of Patti Jo Newell who suggested that I do a sermon on each line of our chalice lighting, the poetic recasting of our mission statement. Early in the fall I set aside five Sundays at the beginning of the new year to do just that. And then ARISE planned their covenanting ceremony for the first Sunday of January. And I wanted to perform the play we did last week for Martin Luther King's birthday. And given what I've said so far, I got to thinking and wondering if people would really come for five Sundays talking about our mission statement.

So I've condensed her idea into two sermons that I hope will inspire your positive feelings toward our mission statement as recast in our chalice lighting. I believe it captures a great deal of who we are and what we are about. I'll be reading other mission statements for you next week as well so you can consider if we have captured all of what we might want to say in ours. Of course it is possible that my recasting may be missing something important. Mission statements are not eternal documents and must be updated on a regular basis as a group's membership grows and changes.

I'll consider the first three lines this morning and save the last two lines for next Sunday. The first three lines are more individually oriented whereas the last two have a communal focus.

Much of our congregational identity and Unitarian Universalism can be found in this first line:

Welcoming all free seekers of truth and meaning

We begin welcoming all. This sense of welcoming and embracing diversity of theological perspective and philosophical outlook is a central pillar of our religious tradition. Through the last 200 years both the Unitarians and the Universalists, when confronted with moments of decision have chosen inclusion rather than exclusion. We were early leaders in welcoming those whose beliefs expanded beyond the bounds of Christianity and Judaism. We ordained some of the first women ministers. Few, if any, liberally religious traditions have been as welcoming of gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender persons as we have. We require no belief in Gods, Goddesses, spirits, supernatural forces, revealed scriptures or teachings. We must set limits on inappropriate social behavior but the mind here is free to follow its bliss unfettered.

The word "seeker" is a decidedly individual notion. In many religious traditions, there is nothing to seek for scripture and teacher will reveal all that needs to be known. A good Catholic has the truth right before him or her in doctrine. What need to be eliminated are the individual errors in accepting the teaching. The individual has nothing to contribute and everything about him or herself to question and discard.

If traditional religion had the ability to perfectly transmit religious truth, I would be a Catholic. Unfortunately, error creeps in and must be questioned and challenged. If the Pope had his way, we would still believe the earth was flat and the center of the universe. Central to Unitarian Universalism is the awesome responsibility to seek out what is true and meaningful following our inner guidance. Yet it is a responsibility we surrender at our peril to the wrong person or institution. This is why a seeker must be free to use their own inner compass to test the value of what they find.

And what do we seek here together? Truth and meaning. Why not just truth alone? Or meaning? Because they have a different reference point. Truth is that which we hold in common as reflective of reality or what is actual. We do not spring from the womb full of this knowledge. I didn't learn the law of gravity, the negative physiological effects of eating too many sweets, the importance of social convention, the useful techniques of meditation and the destructive results of global imperialism on my mother's knee. What is real is constantly being revealed to us in each moment. There are many truths about reality that take a lifetime to learn.

Meaning is much more subjective. I may find great meaning by encountering a verse of scripture, a paragraph of philosophy or a line of poetry. Someone else reading the same words may be left scratching their heads. Each of our sources of meaning are both unique and shared. Unlike truth which can be validated empirically, that which is meaningful is individual. And as we can expand that sense of meaning by sharing it, we develop a sense of kinship and connection.

Welcoming all free seekers of truth and meaning
We gather to excite the human spirit.

Fundamental to who we are, we gather together. Two or more people are needed for any kind of community. There is a felt sense of meeting that happens on Sunday morning as we come in and go out, in a class, in a committee meeting, and at a social occasion. In each meeting is the message that here we are not alone. Our humanity is shared.

When we gather, we come to be excited and be energized. This is one of the great benefits of active participation here. Our gathering, meeting, and interacting usually has an uplifting effect on us. Sometimes this comes from seeing friends and exchanging greetings. Sometimes the message I offer will be inspirational. Sometimes it’s the coffee and bagels that make our morning. Being and feeling a part of a warm and friendly congregation such as this one, can bring much benefit to the human spirit.

Exciting the human spirit, that inner sense that propels us onward through life, is of great importance I think to all of us. Life has its ups and downs and sometimes we drag ourselves in here depleted by the trials and tribulations of human existence. We try to make this a place that will feed and sustain the will to live in an imperfect, often painful and discouraging world. We need a place to rise above the clothespins and dirty dishes and bill payments due, to see the larger picture before trudging on.

Welcoming all free seekers of truth and meaning
We gather to excite the human spirit
To inspire its growth and development

To inspire the human spirit has a slightly different meaning than to excite it. Excitement is more of an emotional experience. Going to an exciting sports game brings a feeling of exhilaration. Attending an excellent musical performance warms the heart. Inspiration includes these feelings but adds a mental component. Inspiration stimulates mental activity that can lead to new ideas and understandings, insights and connections.

Inspiration can help stimulate our growth and development. An ever widening field of perception and understanding aids in reshaping our identity to incorporate more and more truth and meaning. This is a lifelong task that begins with the day of our birth.

Our approach to teaching in our religious education classes for children and adults is stimulating a sense of awe and wonder as well as imparting knowledge and information. We want our children to develop morally and ethically through their own moments of awakening when they see for themselves in their own experience the value of what we teach. We can't shape our children into our own image. They must grow into their own times by themselves. And we can give them the best of what we have learned along the way to help them succeed. We can provide an inspirational environment for that integrated growth and development to happen.

I'm going to have to stop here for today. I hope you are hearing the depth in the words we use as our chalice lighting. Next week we will examine the last two lines and consider what else we might like to say or not say in this statement. I'll spend less time talking and invite your comments at the end of the service.

Copyright © 2001 by Rev. Samuel A. Trumbore. All rights reserved.