Gathering Music (Mary Bopp)
Welcome and Announcements
Centering
Prelude
“What Dreams May Come”
Improv by Mary Bopp
Chalice Lighting and Opening Words
“Love is the Enduring Force”
excerpt from Article II Proposal, UUA Bylaws
Opening Hymn
“Faith of the Larger Liberty”
Words by Vincent Silliman, Music: Bohemian Brethren, Kirchengsang, 1566
#287 in Singing the Living Tradition
Faith of the larger liberty, source of the light expanding,
law of the church that is to be, old bondage notwithstanding:
faith of the free! By thee we live —
by all thou givest and shalt give our loyalty commanding.
Heroes of faith in every age, far-seeing, self-denying,
wrought an increasing heritage, monarch and creed defying.
Faith of the free! In thy dear name
the costly heritage we claim, their living and their dying.
Faith for the people everywhere, whatever their oppression,
of all who make the world more fair, living their faith’s confession:
faith of the free! Whate’er our plight,
thy law, thy liberty, thy light shall be our blest possession.
Meditation
“Values”
excerpt from Article II Proposal, UUA Bylaws
Musical Meditation
Joys and Concerns
Musical Reflection
Offering
The recipient of our January Community Outreach Offering is the Connecticut Domestic Worker Justice Campaign. Domestic workers (house cleaners, personal attendants, nannies, etc.) remain one of the most exploited and exploitable classes of workers in the country. Connecticut’s ongoing Domestic Worker Justice Campaign advocates for labor rights, workplace protections, and training for domestic workers. The campaign’s long-term goal is to pass an enforceable Domestic Worker Bill of Rights in our state. Organizations who participate in the campaign include the CT Workers Center, Unidad Latina en Accion, the Naugatuck Valley Project, United Action of Southeastern, CT, Comunidades Sin Fronteras, the Hartford Catholic Archdiocese Office for Social Justice and a number of congregations, including UUS:E.
Offering Music
“Rise”
by Eddie Vedder
performed by Janet Desmarais, vocals and Dan Thompson, ukelele
Sermon
“Have We No Principles?”
Rev. Josh Pawelek
Closing Hymn
“For All That Is Our Life”
by Bruce Findlow
#128 in Singing the Living Tradition
For all that is our life we sing our thanks and praise;
for all life is a gift which we are called to use
to build the common good and make our own days glad.
For needs which others serve, for services we give,
for work and its rewards, for hours of rest and love;
we come with praise and thanks for all that is our life.
For sorrow we must bear, for failures, pain, and loss,
for each new thing we learn, for fearful hours that pass:
we come with praise and thanks for all that is our life.
for all that is our life we sing our thanks and praise;
for all life is a gift which we are called to use
to build the common good and make our own days glad.
Extinguishing the Chalice
Closing Circle
May faith in the Spirit of Life
And hope for the community of Earth
And love of the light in each other
Be ours now, and in all the days to come.
Article II: Purposes and Covenant
Section C-2.1. Purposes
The Unitarian Universalist Association shall devote its resources to and exercise its organizational powers for religious, educational, and humanitarian purposes. Its primary purposes are to equip congregations for vital ministry, to support and train leaders both lay and professional, to heal historic inequities, and to advance our Unitarian Universalist values in the world. We will transform the world by our liberating love.
Section C-2.2. Values and Covenant
Love is the enduring force that holds us together. As Unitarian Universalists in religious community, we covenant, congregation-to-congregation and through our association, to support and assist each other in engaging our ministries. We draw from our heritages of freedom and reason, hope and courage, building on the foundation of love. Love inspires and powers the passion with which we embody our values. Inseparable from one another, these shared values are:
Justice. We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all people thrive. We covenant to dismantle racism and all forms of oppression within individuals and our institutions. We are accountable to each other for this work.
Generosity. We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope. We covenant to freely share our faith, presence, and resources. Compassionate generosity connects us one to another in relationships of mutuality.
Evolution. We adapt to the changing world. We covenant to collectively transform and grow spiritually and ethically. Evolution is fundamental to life and to our Unitarian Universalist heritages, never complete and never perfect.
Pluralism. We celebrate that we are all sacred beings diverse in culture, theology, and experience. We covenant to learn from one another and openly explore the depth and breadth of our many wisdoms. We embrace our differences and commonalities with love, curiosity, and respect.
Equity. We declare that every person has the right to flourish with dignity and worthiness. We covenant to use our time, wisdom, attention, and money to build and sustain a fully inclusive and accessible community of communities.
Interdependence. We honor the sacred interdependent web of all existence. With humility we understand our place in the web. We covenant to care for and respect the earth and all beings by fostering relationships of mutuality. We work to repair the bonds we have broken.
Section C-2.3. Inspirations
As Unitarian Universalists, we draw upon, and are inspired by, the full depth and breadth of sacred understandings, as experienced by humanity. Grateful for the religious lineages we inherit and the pluralism which enriches our faith, we are called to ever deepen and expand our wisdom.
Section C-2.4. Inclusion
Systems of power, privilege, and oppression have traditionally created barriers for persons and groups with particular identities, ages, abilities, and histories. We pledge to replace such barriers with ever-widening circles of solidarity and mutual respect. We strive to be an association of congregations that truly welcome all persons who share our values. We commit to structuring congregational and associational life in ways that empower and enhance everyone’s participation.
Section C-2.5. Freedom of Belief
Nothing herein shall be deemed to infringe upon the individual freedom of belief which is inherent in the Unitarian Universalist heritages or to conflict with any statement of purpose, covenant, or bond of union used by any congregation unless such is used as a creedal test. In expressing our beliefs, we do so in the spirit of love, in ways that further Beloved Community.
