On Sunday 2/21 we heard a conversation between Rev. Florence and Paula Cole Jones about what it means to be a beloved community. We are all familiar with the 7 UU principles, but there is now an 8th principle which has been adopted by several churches working toward building beloved community:

We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote: journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions

This principle calls us to make our church a place of true diversity in all ways, in which everyone is treated with mutual respect, love and care. It calls us to work for justice in the world, and it calls us to open our hearts and minds. Active anti-racism and anti-oppression work will help us move toward a spiritual renewal and help repair our institutions.

The Racial Justice Project will be reaching out to you in the coming weeks in a variety of ways with opportunities to learn about and discuss the possibility of our church adopting this 8th principle. We hope the congregation will be able to vote on it at the annual meeting this spring.