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Speaker 1: Look who's here.

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Donna, why don't you
introduce these fine folks?

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Donna Harrison: So, I'm
Donna Harrison, member

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of the board of trustees, AND I
have here with me the Reverend

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Dr. Susan Ritchie, who does not
have a puppet friend with her.

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Denny Davidoff, a previous
moderator of this assembly.

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Denny Davidoff: Could I try
out to be Susan's puppet?

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Donna Harrison: And
the Reverend Clyde

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Grubbs, who is
also a UUA trustee.

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So, we're actually
super excited to be here

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to talk to you today.

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We went early, that's
how excited we are.

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So we've been talking as an
association, and on the board,

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for a long time now, about how
to make our General Assembly,

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and indeed, our association,
more democratic.

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And in October of
2013, the UUA board

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established a working
group consisting

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of members of the
Board of Trustees,

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on the topic of
gathering for a purpose,

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transforming General Assembly.

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And I want to say a little bit
about the spirit with which we

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are engaging in this work.

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We truly have not made
any decisions, or even

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recommendations.

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We're not going to
float something today

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for you to vote up or down,
even though with in General

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Assembly, that's what we do.

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We vote.

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We put things forward.

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We speak pro and con.

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But we want this conversation
to be a little different.

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Precisely, because
we can imagine

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expanded expressions
of our democracy.

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Not just for General Assembly,
but for the whole association.

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We want to engage the collective
wisdom of our community

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in imagining possibilities and
opportunities for the future,

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long before we narrow things
down to specific proposals.

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And we want to honor
now, and going forward,

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the many reasons
why we gather, which

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extend far beyond
doing the governance

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work of our association.

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And that's why we've
formed this panel today,

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to share with you what
we've talked about,

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so that we can continue
these conversations together.

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And before we start, we'd like
to ask you some questions.

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And this isn't something
you need voting cards.

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You can just raise your hands.

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So Denny, do you want to
start with a question?

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Denny Davidoff: A question.

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How many of you are here
as delegates with the cost

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covered by your congregations?

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Thank you.

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More questions?

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How many of you were
elected as delegates

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by your congregations with a
careful measurement of age,

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racial identity,
gender identity?

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Raise your hands if
there's a process

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in your congregation
for doing this.

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Clyde Grubbs: How
many of you are

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going to have organized
report packs about the content

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of this General Assembly
when you go home,

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and figure out ways of
implementing the decisions?

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Denny Davidoff: How
many of you are retired?

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Clyde Grubbs: How
many of you are youth?

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Some have volunteered
to be youth again.

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Denny Davidoff: How many of you
have come from congregations

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where there has been
a process to discuss

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the business of the
upcoming assembly?

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Susan Ritchie: So I'm
looking for my people now.

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How many of you would be
here, if the only thing we

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did at General Assembly
was governance work?

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Bless you.

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Denny Davidoff: You're saints.

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Clyde Grubbs: How many
of you would be here,

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if all we did-- if we never
did any governance work,

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we just did parties?

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Denny Davidoff: How
many of you would

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come to a gathering of
Unitarian Universalists

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annually that only had
business biennially?

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Clyde Grubbs: Every other year.

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Would you come if it
was every other year?

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Denny Davidoff: No, the
parties would be every year.

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The business would
be every other year.

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You got it Jan, right.

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Donna Harrison:
And then learning.

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Denny Davidoff: The
teaching moments.

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Donna Harrison: OK.

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So those were kind
of fun, and I think

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that there are a lot
of information there.

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It's pretty
consistent with a lot

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of what we've seen
over the years,

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as we've asked these
questions over and over.

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Denny Davidoff:
Over the decades.

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Donna Harrison:
Over the decades.

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So, we're going to tell you
the story of the conversation

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that we're actually, today,
engaging in a conversation that

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has been going on
for a very long time.

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And so, Susan Ritchie
is going to share

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with us, the history
of how we gather,

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and how we have discussed
changing gathering

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throughout our history.

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Denny Davidoff has
a unique perspective

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to share with us, having chaired
the team, the committee that

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took the last really hard look
at this, the Fifth Principal

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Task Force in 2009.

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And Clyde Grubbs, always,
has wisdom to share with us,

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and we will hear from him.

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And then, I'll
finish up by sharing

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where we are in this
conversation on the UUA

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board of trustees, what
we have done so far,

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and what we will be
doing in the coming year.

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So, Susan.

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Susan Ritchie: Yeah, thank you.

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Donna asked me share with you,
how in the past we'd gather.

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Our notion here,
is that it might

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be liberating to know
that things haven't always

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been exactly the
way they are today.

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So, to begin with the
Unitarian side of our story,

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the first gathering of
Unitarians who so identified,

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was the American Unitarian
Association in 1825.

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And this was just a
group of 44 individuals.

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No delegates from
congregations, no sense

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of representing congregations.

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And these 44 individuals
came together

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to do the business
of Unitarianism

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that they felt congregations
could not accomplish all

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by themselves.

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So I hope you'll be as
amused, and delighted,

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as I was by what they decided.

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The most pressing
the order of business

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for this original Unitarian
Association would be,

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they decided that they must
immediately publish a novel.

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I kid you not.

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The first action of the
American Unitarian Association

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was the publishing of a New
England tale, a novel that

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includes nowhere within
it, the word Unitarian.

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It's actually a charming novel.

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It's about a sweet
Quaker girl who

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was victimized by people who
would become evil by virtue

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of their belief in the
Doctrine of original sin.

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It's a great read.

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I recommend it to you.

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Denny Davidoff: I'm
waiting for the movie.

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Susan Ritchie: It would
be an OK movie, actually.

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It wasn't until just about
after the time of the Civil War,

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that we had any Unitarian
body that sent delegates

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to meet as congregations
talking with each other.

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And this was a
National Council that

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was established
by Henry Bellows.

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And that body,
however, didn't do

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the business of the association.

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That body talked about
large, theological questions.

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What did it mean
to be Unitarian?

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What did it mean to be Unitarian
in that particular time,

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and that particular place?

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And so, these two
different bodies,

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the one that did
the business work,

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and the one that did this larger
work of theological discussion,

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continued parallel through
the end of the 19th century.

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Beginning of the 20th
century, those two bodies

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merged under the Unitarian
Universalist Association.

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But still, the American
Unitarian Association

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kept two separate
meetings, one in the fall,

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and one in the spring.

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The one for business, the
other for larger conversation.

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At the time of
consolidation, you

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begin to get
something that might

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look more familiar to you, as GA
today, in that we had delegates

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from congregations
coming together

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to do the business
of the association.

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But if we could
transform our self

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back to that first meeting,
after consolidation,

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you probably wouldn't recognize
a lot of what we see today,

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because those delegates
really were just

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delegates there to do business.

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And the number of
those delegates

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was small enough that
all of that business

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could be done within one
hotel ballroom, clearly not

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our situation today.

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So what happened most
after consolidation,

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was the growth in numbers
of people attending General

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Assembly, and people
starting to attend

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General Assembly for reasons
other than just doing

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the delegate
business of the body.

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And so, you began to see General
Assembly be a place where

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people came for
continuing education,

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and for leadership development,
and the numbers began to grow.

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And as the numbers
began to grow,

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it also became an
opportunity for other things.

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It became a place to vie
vital chalice [INAUDIBLE]

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It became a marketplace.

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It became a place of meaning.

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And perhaps, more profoundly, as
the numbers of folks attending

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grew significantly, it became
an important spiritual home

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for folks who have identities
that might be minority

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within their own congregations.

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But where here, they
can come together

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and find a sense of
caucus, and empowerment.

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And then finally, the
development that happened

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was fairly recently,
and most spectacularly,

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realized in Phoenix.

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This understanding that when we
come together as a large body,

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we have opportunities
for witness.

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So I wanted to very quickly
back up, and tell you

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what the Universalists
were doing,

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and then we'll go on to Denny to
hear about the Fifth Principle

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Task Force.

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So the first
Universalist gatherings

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were all fairly small
regional gatherings,

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but they were huge in number.

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In 1838, in Akron,
Ohio, you could get out

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4,000 people for a small
regional gathering.

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Now what were they doing
at these gatherings?

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Well they did do business,
but they did business

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the Universalist way, which
just meant that they first

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had this very careful
system of having delegates,

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but they pretty
much soon decided

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that anybody who wanted
to vote on business

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should be allowed,
because you all come.

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It's all good.

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So why they did business,
why they gathered,

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clearly they didn't gather
for the purpose of business.

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They also did faith
revival when they gathered.

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They would hear preaching, and
they would worship together,

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but I'm pretty sure that wasn't
the reason they gathered too.

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Here's the funky thing
about those Universalists,

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they gather because they like
to see each other face to face.

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So those regional assemblies,
though, gradually changed.

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And after the Civil War,
the state conventions

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took over the functions
of the regional assembly.

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And there was
widespread conversation

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in the Universalist
world, and concern.

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The concern was expressly stated
as, if the state conventions

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take over our
gatherings, there's

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going to be more
programming, and less joy.

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So finally, just to let you
know, part of this conversation

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is about the concern
that General Assembly

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hasn't been
economically accessible.

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And you should
know, that this has

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been on the radar
of General Assembly

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since immediately
after consolidation.

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The very first year
after consolidation,

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there was concern to establish
a travel equalization fund, that

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might make it more possible
for people to be here.

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That proved incredibly
complicated to administer,

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and it was then,
shortly thereafter,

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that we had these
first conversations

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about biennial
General Assemblies.

250
00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:36,980
So, the bad news is, we've
had the same conversation

251
00:13:36,980 --> 00:13:38,520
for a long time.

252
00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:40,970
The good news is, I
think we're finally

253
00:13:40,970 --> 00:13:44,390
learning to change the question,
to not just be about what

254
00:13:44,390 --> 00:13:47,250
General Assembly is, but
what kind of democracy

255
00:13:47,250 --> 00:13:48,870
we want for all of us.

256
00:13:48,870 --> 00:13:51,350
So anyway, as we
go forward, I hope

257
00:13:51,350 --> 00:13:54,520
we can find ways to celebrate
all the many reasons we have

258
00:13:54,520 --> 00:13:56,530
gathered, and all
the gatherings we've

259
00:13:56,530 --> 00:13:59,742
had for absolutely no reason.

260
00:13:59,742 --> 00:14:06,060
Denny Davidoff: So Susan,
One of the pressures volumes

261
00:14:06,060 --> 00:14:08,790
in my library at
home that a friend

262
00:14:08,790 --> 00:14:14,260
of mine's, who's not a UU, found
at a book sale in Durham, North

263
00:14:14,260 --> 00:14:20,820
Carolina, is the bound, hard
copy minutes, and program,

264
00:14:20,820 --> 00:14:25,050
at all the speeches at
the centennial meeting

265
00:14:25,050 --> 00:14:31,490
of the Universalists
in Gloucester in 1870,

266
00:14:31,490 --> 00:14:36,010
I think '78.

267
00:14:36,010 --> 00:14:42,680
And there were 10-- try to
imagine 10,000 people camping

268
00:14:42,680 --> 00:14:46,460
in Gloucester, with the
women in those long skirts,

269
00:14:46,460 --> 00:14:51,200
and the guys in their
wool jackets, and anyway.

270
00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:57,260
So one of the big issues
at that centennial meeting,

271
00:14:57,260 --> 00:15:03,410
was how are we going to fund
our theological schools.

272
00:15:03,410 --> 00:15:06,740
It was the big issue.

273
00:15:06,740 --> 00:15:12,350
In 2007, I was honored, and I
might say genuinely delighted,

274
00:15:12,350 --> 00:15:15,860
to be asked by Gini Courter
on behalf of the UUA

275
00:15:15,860 --> 00:15:20,790
board of Trustees, to serve as
chair of the Fifth Principal

276
00:15:20,790 --> 00:15:22,340
Task Force.

277
00:15:22,340 --> 00:15:29,290
Charged to imagine a more
democratic, a more inclusive,

278
00:15:29,290 --> 00:15:34,190
a more diverse,
General Assembly.

279
00:15:34,190 --> 00:15:39,940
Or, gathering to govern.

280
00:15:39,940 --> 00:15:46,360
Imagine, we were charged,
and make recommendations.

281
00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:51,370
So, my colleagues, who I want
to name, Joe Sullivan, Esther

282
00:15:51,370 --> 00:15:58,390
Rosado, Daniel O'Connell, Jackie
Shanti, Barbara Prairie, Mark

283
00:15:58,390 --> 00:16:02,900
Givens, and for a time,
until he became ill,

284
00:16:02,900 --> 00:16:07,620
Jose Ballester,
and I went to work.

285
00:16:07,620 --> 00:16:14,260
We examined the history
of our UUA governance,

286
00:16:14,260 --> 00:16:18,700
much of which I have
personally witnessed,

287
00:16:18,700 --> 00:16:23,220
since I started coming to
General Assembly in 1968,

288
00:16:23,220 --> 00:16:29,750
and have missed only
three since then.

289
00:16:29,750 --> 00:16:37,750
We fretted about the
disenfranchised young people

290
00:16:37,750 --> 00:16:43,310
of color, sister and brother
Unitarian Universalists

291
00:16:43,310 --> 00:16:47,700
who could not afford to be
delegates, because they lacked

292
00:16:47,700 --> 00:16:56,680
the money, or the time, or the
influence, or all of the above.

293
00:16:56,680 --> 00:17:00,500
We fretted about
the congregations

294
00:17:00,500 --> 00:17:05,680
whose isolation, or
culture of anger,

295
00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:09,890
kept them from participating
in governance as members

296
00:17:09,890 --> 00:17:12,430
of the UUA.

297
00:17:12,430 --> 00:17:20,050
We considered annual
versus biennial meetings.

298
00:17:20,050 --> 00:17:26,730
We thought about, in 2007,
technological opportunities,

299
00:17:26,730 --> 00:17:29,940
and thought about
the implications

300
00:17:29,940 --> 00:17:34,360
of then emerging
policy governance.

301
00:17:34,360 --> 00:17:41,080
We interviewed staff at the
Presbyterian Church USA,

302
00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:47,500
the United Church of Christ,
the Episcopal Church of America.

303
00:17:47,500 --> 00:17:50,470
They meet triennially,
by the way.

304
00:17:50,470 --> 00:17:54,550
And the Union for
Reform Judaism.

305
00:17:54,550 --> 00:18:01,604
We talk to them about how
they gather denominationally.

306
00:18:01,604 --> 00:18:06,190
We met many times.

307
00:18:06,190 --> 00:18:10,300
We were very serious.

308
00:18:10,300 --> 00:18:14,250
We debated earnestly.

309
00:18:14,250 --> 00:18:20,020
We were acutely aware
of our frailties.

310
00:18:20,020 --> 00:18:29,020
We made recommendations, which
were radical and imperfect.

311
00:18:29,020 --> 00:18:35,790
We met our report
deadline, December, 2009.

312
00:18:35,790 --> 00:18:40,100
And in January of 2010,
Joe Sullivan and I

313
00:18:40,100 --> 00:18:45,010
met with the UUA board
in San Antonio, Texas,

314
00:18:45,010 --> 00:18:49,740
to discuss the report,
and its recommendations.

315
00:18:49,740 --> 00:18:54,510
And I vividly remember
ending that conversation

316
00:18:54,510 --> 00:18:58,140
with a warning.

317
00:18:58,140 --> 00:19:04,770
Do not to ask the General
Assembly to transform itself,

318
00:19:04,770 --> 00:19:08,780
until you, the
board of trustees,

319
00:19:08,780 --> 00:19:15,940
have modeled by
transforming yourself.

320
00:19:15,940 --> 00:19:20,100
And we have seen
that has happened.

321
00:19:20,100 --> 00:19:29,540
So seven years later, it's
time to move the conversation

322
00:19:29,540 --> 00:19:34,250
about transformative
governance forward.

323
00:19:34,250 --> 00:19:44,640
Carefully, sensitively,
pragmatically, and sustainably.

324
00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:49,480
Two, really brief,
personal reflections.

325
00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:54,300
I have been a board member,
and then a staff member,

326
00:19:54,300 --> 00:20:00,650
of Meadville Lombard
Theological School since 2002.

327
00:20:00,650 --> 00:20:11,860
And I know, bone deep, that
radical transformation, mission

328
00:20:11,860 --> 00:20:15,650
based, can work.

329
00:20:15,650 --> 00:20:19,080
I have lived through
that history,

330
00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:24,440
and I want to testify
that it is risky.

331
00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:27,210
It is scary.

332
00:20:27,210 --> 00:20:30,440
It is hard to do.

333
00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:34,380
It requires failure.

334
00:20:34,380 --> 00:20:37,460
It requires initiative.

335
00:20:37,460 --> 00:20:43,690
It requires experimentation,
and a strong will.

336
00:20:43,690 --> 00:20:46,240
But it can happen.

337
00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:56,140
And my second reflection is,
my friends, democracy is messy.

338
00:20:56,140 --> 00:21:00,400
And it should be.

339
00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:07,290
As we move forward,
welcome the messiness.

340
00:21:07,290 --> 00:21:11,090
Welcome the discomfort.

341
00:21:11,090 --> 00:21:15,360
Welcome the heated exchanges.

342
00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:21,170
We, the member congregations, of
this great faith community that

343
00:21:21,170 --> 00:21:27,970
is the Unitarian Universalist
Association, can handle it.

344
00:21:27,970 --> 00:21:30,570
We will not break.

345
00:21:30,570 --> 00:21:34,136
We will be better for it.

346
00:21:34,136 --> 00:21:46,980
[APPLAUSE]

347
00:21:46,980 --> 00:21:49,902
Clyde Grubbs: As we've
been developing this idea,

348
00:21:49,902 --> 00:21:55,230
we need to ask the question,
how-- what is democracy.

349
00:21:55,230 --> 00:21:59,630
If we're seeking to democratize
the Unitarian Universalist

350
00:21:59,630 --> 00:22:03,480
General Assembly, is
that the place to start?

351
00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:07,040
Perhaps we should
start one step back.

352
00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:11,920
How do we democratize how the
1,000 congregations, and all

353
00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:16,280
of the new and emerging groups
within Unitarian Universalism,

354
00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:19,600
participate in making
the decisions that

355
00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:23,380
shape this movement, this
association of congregations,

356
00:22:23,380 --> 00:22:26,350
which is the Unitarian
Universalist Association?

357
00:22:26,350 --> 00:22:30,120
How do we participate in
making those decisions?

358
00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:34,720
And then we need to ask,
not is the General Assembly,

359
00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:39,620
as it's been conceived,
the way to do that.

360
00:22:39,620 --> 00:22:41,670
The word technology.

361
00:22:41,670 --> 00:22:46,910
Technology is a method, a
method by which a device,

362
00:22:46,910 --> 00:22:50,450
a construction, by which
people solve problems.

363
00:22:50,450 --> 00:22:54,470
By which people
organize, and do things.

364
00:22:54,470 --> 00:22:58,290
So in a sense, as
Susan has outlined,

365
00:22:58,290 --> 00:23:02,680
the invention of
this technology,

366
00:23:02,680 --> 00:23:05,570
is a 19th century technology.

367
00:23:05,570 --> 00:23:08,840
Bring lots of people
together in the same room

368
00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:13,150
to deliberate on decisions,
is a 19th century technology.

369
00:23:13,150 --> 00:23:14,044
Improved?

370
00:23:14,044 --> 00:23:16,640
Improved by the 20th century?

371
00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:19,460
Improved now that
we're in this time?

372
00:23:19,460 --> 00:23:20,990
We're making
improvements in this,

373
00:23:20,990 --> 00:23:24,345
but perhaps this
way of making this,

374
00:23:24,345 --> 00:23:27,750
is there are many decisions
we could make in another way.

375
00:23:27,750 --> 00:23:34,710
So that's a serious question
that we need to ask.

376
00:23:34,710 --> 00:23:38,510
The next question, and this
is the financial question,

377
00:23:38,510 --> 00:23:42,950
this particular technology
called General Assembly,

378
00:23:42,950 --> 00:23:48,010
if you add up all of the
expenditures that all of you

379
00:23:48,010 --> 00:23:52,130
have made, and the
association has made.

380
00:23:52,130 --> 00:23:57,516
Is probably conservatively
$6, $7 million.

381
00:23:57,516 --> 00:24:00,151
$6, $7 million.

382
00:24:00,151 --> 00:24:02,490
With all the personal
expenditures,

383
00:24:02,490 --> 00:24:07,530
all the air fares, all the hotel
bills, all those breakfasts,

384
00:24:07,530 --> 00:24:12,920
and meetings, and all of the
meals, and we're paying hotels.

385
00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:16,960
I didn't even include the tips.

386
00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:18,890
$6 million.

387
00:24:18,890 --> 00:24:22,890
Could we find, in our
hearts, in our brains,

388
00:24:22,890 --> 00:24:28,960
a way to use $6 million to make
decisions for our assembly,

389
00:24:28,960 --> 00:24:31,680
and find ways of
gathering that do not

390
00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:35,770
involve convention centers,
expensive hotels, and all

391
00:24:35,770 --> 00:24:37,080
of those questions.

392
00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:39,640
So those are part
of the questions

393
00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:43,070
that we need to ask, because
there are other ways, if we

394
00:24:43,070 --> 00:24:46,502
allow ourselves to think
about it, to get together,

395
00:24:46,502 --> 00:24:49,840
and gather, and
make decisions that

396
00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:53,650
affect our association,
without saying,

397
00:24:53,650 --> 00:24:55,570
this is the way we
have always done it.

398
00:24:55,570 --> 00:24:57,850
We've always come
together, and now we're

399
00:24:57,850 --> 00:25:01,660
going to bring 6,000, or
4,000 people together,

400
00:25:01,660 --> 00:25:04,740
and it's a good thing because
that helps the General Assembly

401
00:25:04,740 --> 00:25:08,630
Planning Committee break even.

402
00:25:08,630 --> 00:25:13,285
So we make commitments to these
hotels long in the future,

403
00:25:13,285 --> 00:25:16,390
and it becomes a very big
concern to break even.

404
00:25:16,390 --> 00:25:20,120
Denny Davidoff: So you
know, historically, Clyde, I

405
00:25:20,120 --> 00:25:23,090
was the chair of the
Planning Committee

406
00:25:23,090 --> 00:25:28,370
in 1989, when we met
at Yale University.

407
00:25:28,370 --> 00:25:30,530
A whole other story.

408
00:25:30,530 --> 00:25:38,970
But it was then that we said, we
can't meet on a college campus

409
00:25:38,970 --> 00:25:40,500
any longer.

410
00:25:40,500 --> 00:25:44,620
We're too big to
do that anymore.

411
00:25:44,620 --> 00:25:50,470
And we wax nostalgically about
Ohio State, and Bowdoin--

412
00:25:50,470 --> 00:25:52,770
Clyde Grubbs: And
Bangor not so much.

413
00:25:52,770 --> 00:25:54,520
Denny Davidoff: --I
actually like Bowdoin.

414
00:25:54,520 --> 00:25:58,380
Anyway, but the point is,
that the way we construct

415
00:25:58,380 --> 00:26:04,580
conversation when we stay in
the box of thought, is well,

416
00:26:04,580 --> 00:26:07,330
we couldn't be on
a college campus,

417
00:26:07,330 --> 00:26:14,260
so we have to be in the
conference center and hotels.

418
00:26:14,260 --> 00:26:17,080
Then we stop with the choices.

419
00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:19,380
We don't think of,
well what else could

420
00:26:19,380 --> 00:26:23,040
we do with $6 million.

421
00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:24,230
And we'll go on forever.

422
00:26:24,230 --> 00:26:28,540
Clyde Grubbs: We need
to ask ourselves.

423
00:26:28,540 --> 00:26:31,000
The way I was taught,
my people taught

424
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:34,580
me to make decisions for
the generations to come.

425
00:26:34,580 --> 00:26:37,710
When you think, you
have to think about,

426
00:26:37,710 --> 00:26:40,359
how is this going to
affect generations to come.

427
00:26:40,359 --> 00:26:41,900
Denny Davidoff:
Donna's body language

428
00:26:41,900 --> 00:26:43,670
suggests that there
are two other people

429
00:26:43,670 --> 00:26:44,990
in this conversation.

430
00:26:44,990 --> 00:26:48,406
Clyde Grubbs: Oh OK.

431
00:26:48,406 --> 00:26:49,239
Did I--

432
00:26:49,239 --> 00:26:50,530
Denny Davidoff: No you're fine.

433
00:26:50,530 --> 00:26:51,762
We're just enthusiastic.

434
00:26:51,762 --> 00:26:53,720
Donna Harrison: We're
enthusiastic, and wanting

435
00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:56,090
to also be respectful of time.

436
00:26:56,090 --> 00:26:58,670
I would hate to mess
up our ending on time,

437
00:26:58,670 --> 00:27:02,520
after we were so far ahead.

438
00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:04,110
So what I would like to do--

439
00:27:04,110 --> 00:27:05,318
Denny Davidoff: Take control.

440
00:27:05,318 --> 00:27:07,700
Donna Harrison: --I am going to.

441
00:27:07,700 --> 00:27:11,430
And the Tech Deck is back there
going, they're off script.

442
00:27:11,430 --> 00:27:18,256
Clyde Grubbs: We've got
three more important things.

443
00:27:18,256 --> 00:27:19,454
Go on.

444
00:27:19,454 --> 00:27:20,870
Donna Harrison: I
want to bring us

445
00:27:20,870 --> 00:27:24,660
to where we are in the
conversation today.

446
00:27:24,660 --> 00:27:28,410
So Denny mentioned, that
she challenged the board

447
00:27:28,410 --> 00:27:33,010
to not take this up until we
had transformed ourselves.

448
00:27:33,010 --> 00:27:36,800
And in March of 2010, the
board made a commitment

449
00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:38,730
to transform governance,
and we committed

450
00:27:38,730 --> 00:27:41,340
to do three things at that time.

451
00:27:41,340 --> 00:27:44,900
We committed to transform
the board, and the way

452
00:27:44,900 --> 00:27:47,820
that we elected the
moderator, and the president,

453
00:27:47,820 --> 00:27:48,610
and we did that.

454
00:27:48,610 --> 00:27:50,830
This assembly voted
those bylaws in,

455
00:27:50,830 --> 00:27:54,070
and you have these smaller
board, a moderator elected

456
00:27:54,070 --> 00:27:56,150
a new way, and a
presidential nominating

457
00:27:56,150 --> 00:27:58,060
committee that is working.

458
00:27:58,060 --> 00:28:01,220
We also committed to transform
the way that governance

459
00:28:01,220 --> 00:28:04,760
is done in the
districts, and to begin

460
00:28:04,760 --> 00:28:06,960
to explore other ways
of doing governance

461
00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:10,430
in that middle judicatory,
the districts, or the regions,

462
00:28:10,430 --> 00:28:12,720
and that conversation
is thriving.

463
00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:14,920
And now, we take up
the question of what

464
00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:18,790
to do with how we govern
ourselves together

465
00:28:18,790 --> 00:28:20,680
through General Assembly.

466
00:28:20,680 --> 00:28:23,640
So I'm kind of ready for
that first slide I have,

467
00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:25,710
if the Tech Deck has it.

468
00:28:25,710 --> 00:28:30,290
In this last year, when the
board began to talk about this,

469
00:28:30,290 --> 00:28:34,130
we started out thinking
about specific proposals,

470
00:28:34,130 --> 00:28:36,810
because we had those
proposals and recommendations

471
00:28:36,810 --> 00:28:39,050
from the Fifth
Principle Task Force.

472
00:28:39,050 --> 00:28:42,290
And we wondered about many
things, biennial General

473
00:28:42,290 --> 00:28:47,510
Assembly, how many delegates
should we have, and so forth.

474
00:28:47,510 --> 00:28:51,320
And as we began to
talk about those,

475
00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:54,240
we ultimately concluded it
was way too early to talk

476
00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:57,920
about specific proposals,
because we didn't

477
00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:03,570
have a common view on how
to assess those proposals.

478
00:29:03,570 --> 00:29:06,070
We had not really
agreed on what we

479
00:29:06,070 --> 00:29:08,960
were trying to accomplish
as we came together,

480
00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:13,450
and what our values were
that were going underlie

481
00:29:13,450 --> 00:29:16,170
the decisions that
we would make.

482
00:29:16,170 --> 00:29:17,950
And so instead, the
board began to work

483
00:29:17,950 --> 00:29:19,890
on a set of
principles and values

484
00:29:19,890 --> 00:29:24,110
that will underlie our decision
making process going forward.

485
00:29:24,110 --> 00:29:26,110
And we've been talking
about these values

486
00:29:26,110 --> 00:29:30,050
for a very long time.

487
00:29:30,050 --> 00:29:34,370
And for those of you who
came to the pre-GA webinars,

488
00:29:34,370 --> 00:29:35,800
we previewed those.

489
00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:37,700
We edited them at
our board meeting

490
00:29:37,700 --> 00:29:39,924
earlier this week, as
I told you we would,

491
00:29:39,924 --> 00:29:41,340
and it seems like
a long time ago,

492
00:29:41,340 --> 00:29:43,890
but I think it was four days.

493
00:29:43,890 --> 00:29:46,360
And so, we have
the same concepts,

494
00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:49,150
but I think we've
tightened up the language

495
00:29:49,150 --> 00:29:50,900
and made it more clear.

496
00:29:50,900 --> 00:29:53,250
So there are four
areas of values

497
00:29:53,250 --> 00:29:56,730
that I'm going to go
through and share with you.

498
00:29:56,730 --> 00:30:00,450
Values around
inclusivity or inclusion,

499
00:30:00,450 --> 00:30:06,040
governance, why we gather,
and our commitment.

500
00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:10,920
So let's first look at the
slide around inclusion.

501
00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:13,160
So I'll just talk
about these principles.

502
00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:16,420
So we envision gatherings
for Unitarian Universalism

503
00:30:16,420 --> 00:30:19,870
that are more inclusive
than what we experience

504
00:30:19,870 --> 00:30:23,270
with General Assembly today.

505
00:30:23,270 --> 00:30:26,350
We envision governance
that incorporates a wider

506
00:30:26,350 --> 00:30:30,440
range of multicultural
decision making practices.

507
00:30:30,440 --> 00:30:33,030
And Clyde talked about
how this construct

508
00:30:33,030 --> 00:30:35,980
is a specific construct.

509
00:30:35,980 --> 00:30:39,290
It's an A model for making
decisions in a large group,

510
00:30:39,290 --> 00:30:44,160
but it is not the only
model for making decisions.

511
00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:47,800
We are committed to addressing
the barriers of cost,

512
00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:50,840
time, and physical
accessibility, that

513
00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:54,190
create obstacles to inclusion.

514
00:30:54,190 --> 00:30:56,620
And we envision the UUA
and the congregations

515
00:30:56,620 --> 00:30:58,900
working together
to make this happen

516
00:30:58,900 --> 00:31:03,210
as part of our
counter-oppressive commitments.

517
00:31:03,210 --> 00:31:06,290
And this last one is
really important, the UUA,

518
00:31:06,290 --> 00:31:07,720
and the congregations together.

519
00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:10,850
We talked on the
board, about how

520
00:31:10,850 --> 00:31:15,080
the congregations, and our
lives in the congregations,

521
00:31:15,080 --> 00:31:18,380
is the source, the
foundation, of generosity,

522
00:31:18,380 --> 00:31:19,950
and that if we're
going to do this,

523
00:31:19,950 --> 00:31:23,340
it will take both the
congregations, and the UUA,

524
00:31:23,340 --> 00:31:25,850
working together.

525
00:31:25,850 --> 00:31:30,790
So let's look at the governance
So for governance, here's

526
00:31:30,790 --> 00:31:32,280
where we are.

527
00:31:32,280 --> 00:31:35,930
We believe that we need
ways for the congregations

528
00:31:35,930 --> 00:31:39,850
to provide governance
direction to the UUA,

529
00:31:39,850 --> 00:31:43,080
and that this may, or
may not, be accomplished

530
00:31:43,080 --> 00:31:45,750
through large, physical
gatherings of Unitarian

531
00:31:45,750 --> 00:31:47,790
Universalists.

532
00:31:47,790 --> 00:31:51,000
And we envision a model where
we leverage 21st century

533
00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:55,170
technology to enable broad based
participation in the governance

534
00:31:55,170 --> 00:31:57,009
work of our association.

535
00:31:57,009 --> 00:31:58,550
And we've certainly
started that work

536
00:31:58,550 --> 00:32:01,620
with our off site delegates.

537
00:32:01,620 --> 00:32:03,710
And then, we envision a
governance environment

538
00:32:03,710 --> 00:32:08,050
where the participants are ever
more informed, accountable,

539
00:32:08,050 --> 00:32:11,020
and prepared.

540
00:32:11,020 --> 00:32:13,890
And as you read
these, think about,

541
00:32:13,890 --> 00:32:18,210
do these reflect the values
of Unitarian Universalism.

542
00:32:18,210 --> 00:32:20,980
What's missing for me?

543
00:32:20,980 --> 00:32:24,720
Let's look at the
Why we Gather slide.

544
00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:26,430
So we've named two
statements here,

545
00:32:26,430 --> 00:32:28,596
and I'll tell you a little
bit about the feedback we

546
00:32:28,596 --> 00:32:31,380
got at the workshop we
had earlier this week.

547
00:32:31,380 --> 00:32:34,910
So the first one is, we
gather for many purposes.

548
00:32:34,910 --> 00:32:38,110
We can imagine even more,
including gatherings

549
00:32:38,110 --> 00:32:40,240
for congregations come
together and explore

550
00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:43,000
the theological and
cultural direction

551
00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:45,140
for Unitarian Universalism.

552
00:32:45,140 --> 00:32:48,560
And that builds on that fall
and spring meeting concept

553
00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:52,150
that Susan described earlier.

554
00:32:52,150 --> 00:32:55,560
And we recognize that many
groups, particularly identity

555
00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:59,080
based groups, are reliant
on, and empowered by,

556
00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:01,470
large gatherings,
and we are committed

557
00:33:01,470 --> 00:33:04,720
to honoring those connections.

558
00:33:04,720 --> 00:33:06,910
And the feedback we
got in the workshop,

559
00:33:06,910 --> 00:33:10,000
was that we might think
about adding a statement,

560
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:11,960
in this section,
that talks about some

561
00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:15,410
of the spiritual reasons
and the religious reasons

562
00:33:15,410 --> 00:33:18,960
that we have for
coming together.

563
00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:21,230
And lastly, our commitment.

564
00:33:21,230 --> 00:33:22,700
This really talks
about how we are

565
00:33:22,700 --> 00:33:25,540
willing to change whatever
we need to change.

566
00:33:25,540 --> 00:33:27,750
We are committed to
changing our bylaws,

567
00:33:27,750 --> 00:33:30,940
our processes, and
our customs, as needed

568
00:33:30,940 --> 00:33:32,950
to fulfill this vision.

569
00:33:32,950 --> 00:33:37,660
And we are committed to
creating space for many voices.

570
00:33:37,660 --> 00:33:41,170
So we would like to invite
you into this conversation,

571
00:33:41,170 --> 00:33:44,960
and let me tell you
how that can happen.

572
00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:48,040
We held a workshop
yesterday, and we

573
00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:50,340
had a room that
was full of people.

574
00:33:50,340 --> 00:33:53,270
I think every seat
may have been full.

575
00:33:53,270 --> 00:33:56,340
And it was full of
lively comments.

576
00:33:56,340 --> 00:33:59,380
We'd like to provide not
only the participants

577
00:33:59,380 --> 00:34:01,550
from that workshop, but
all of you who did not

578
00:34:01,550 --> 00:34:05,360
get a chance to speak, an
opportunity to provide feedback

579
00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:08,750
on these principles.

580
00:34:08,750 --> 00:34:11,650
And we will be posting, within
the next couple of days,

581
00:34:11,650 --> 00:34:15,980
and it'll be on the UUA
board's website for sure,

582
00:34:15,980 --> 00:34:19,250
and we'll find a variety of
ways to get this link out,

583
00:34:19,250 --> 00:34:22,270
a link to a survey
that will give everyone

584
00:34:22,270 --> 00:34:25,239
who feels like answering,
a way to provide feedback

585
00:34:25,239 --> 00:34:27,540
on these principles.

586
00:34:27,540 --> 00:34:30,500
And once we have that, the
board and the working group,

587
00:34:30,500 --> 00:34:34,330
will begin to develop ideas
for how we might accomplish all

588
00:34:34,330 --> 00:34:36,909
of the things that
we've talked about.

589
00:34:36,909 --> 00:34:38,830
All of the people
you see here, will

590
00:34:38,830 --> 00:34:42,540
be involved in that, and others.

591
00:34:42,540 --> 00:34:45,560
The linkage work that Susan
Weaver spoke about in the board

592
00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:47,380
report, where we
will reach out to

593
00:34:47,380 --> 00:34:50,100
on the order of 100
congregations and others,

594
00:34:50,100 --> 00:34:53,330
will be focused on
this very question.

595
00:34:53,330 --> 00:34:57,640
And by the time we come
together next year, in Portland,

596
00:34:57,640 --> 00:35:02,950
We hope to have some
alternatives, and ideas,

597
00:35:02,950 --> 00:35:05,750
for you all to engage
on, for us to talk about,

598
00:35:05,750 --> 00:35:08,720
and to do linkage and get
feedback when we come together

599
00:35:08,720 --> 00:35:12,740
in Portland, in 2015.

600
00:35:12,740 --> 00:35:16,580
So we are excited
to begin this part

601
00:35:16,580 --> 00:35:18,990
of a very long conversation.

602
00:35:18,990 --> 00:35:20,840
Thank you.

603
00:35:20,840 --> 00:35:26,552