What Is Our Mission?
by Dean Bliss
originally presented 16 January 2005, at First UU of Springfield, Missouri
Featured on the First UU Website by permission of the author, April 2007.
All other rights reserved.
Why are the Baptist
churches full this morning? Why are the Assembly of God churches full this
morning? Why is almost every fundamentalist church well attended today by people
who are not only there every Sunday, but an additional one or more times during
each week? Why are even the more moderate churches well and regularly attended?
The answer probably varies to some extent. Some are there because they feel
church membership is a political and social requirement in southwestern
Missouri. Some because of pressure from a spouse or a parent. But most are there
because they believe in an afterlife. And they believe that their religious
beliefs and behavior in this life will determine their level of comfort in the
afterlife.
This makes the mission of these churches pretty clear; to save souls from the
pain of hell and to ensure their admittance to the pleasures of heaven.
What are heaven and hell and from whence do those concepts arise is a topic for
another sermon. However, I think everyone here could easily describe them
according to the common beliefs of conservative religions. While fear of hell is
probably stronger than the attraction of heaven, both are powerful motivators to
attend church.
By and large, Unitarian Universalists do not believe in heaven and hell. So what
motivates us to gather together each Sunday? What would motivate someone to join
our church?
Thanks to the hotel business, I have had the opportunity to live
in several states and communities in this country. In each case I quickly
sought out the UU church. I knew I would be welcomed and accepted there. I
knew I would find good people who like to talk and laugh. I knew I would find
talented people eager to share those talents with the church. So for me, a
ready-made group of compatible people was a motivator to attend the church.
What would motivate someone who is already a part of this community and who
already has a circle of friends to seek out our church? Do we have anything to
offer that would motivate like entry into heaven or escape from hell?
Let’s look at Unitarian Universalist beliefs, usually referred to as the seven
principles. This particular wording was taken from a web site that tries to
explain the beliefs of various religions.
Number One.
Each person, because of her/his humanity inherently has dignity and worth.
This one can spark lively conversations, but is not unique to UUs.
Number Two. Each person seeks his/her unique spiritual path based upon their
personal life experience, the use of reason and meditation, the findings of
science and her/his fundamental beliefs concerning deity, humanity, and the rest
of the universe.
This is a wonderful aspect of our church. However, to people whose religious
experience has consisted mainly of being told what they must believe, this
degree of freedom can be unsettling if not incomprehensible.
Number Three. The prime function of a clergy person and congregation is to help
the individual members to grow spiritually.
There is room for discussion here, but I believe this one is very important. In
a sermon by a UU minister on UU humor I read last year there was the story of
the bride-to-be in a fabric shop who asked for 50 yards of chiffon to make a
nightgown. When the clerk asked why she would want to use that much material on
one nightgown, the woman answered, “Oh. My fiancé is a Unitarian. He would
rather seek than find.”
We have called our church a Beacon for Seekers. Do we provide enough
opportunities for seekers to get support in their search? Certainly our covenant
groups and adult RE are helpful here, but should there be something more? This
is one to think about. It is a strong mission for our church and one that, if
they knew about it, might draw people to us.
Number Four. All the great religions of the world, and their sacred texts, have
worth.
Yes. Let’s move on to the next.
Number Five. There should be no barrier to membership, such as compulsory
adherence to a creed.
This is great, but is still defining us by what we are not rather than by what
we are.
Number Six. Their lives, their congregations and association are governed by the
concepts of democracy, religious freedom and religious tolerance.
Well, we all believe in religious freedom. Religious tolerance can be a bit of a
struggle for some of us at times. And then there is democracy. We all agree that
everyone should have a voice and a vote. However, accepting that the majority
rules when you are in the minority sometimes presents a challenge.
Number Seven. Much of their effort should be directed towards civil rights,
achieving equality of treatment for everyone regardless of race, gender, sexual
orientation, etc. They have played a major role in these battles for equal
rights, in spite of their relatively small numbers.
This, to me, is a real mission. We believe in the inherent worth of all human
beings, and yet we live in a society where discrimination based on race, gender,
sexual orientation and even religious beliefs is still rampant regardless of
laws enacted to prohibit discrimination.
This belief in equality of treatment for all individuals is a basic tenet of our
church. We have a good record for speaking out on specific issues.
Members have written excellent letters to the newspaper. And we should continue
to make our voice heard whenever an issue arises concerning civil rights and
equality of treatment.
This alone is not enough. If there is to be an awareness in the community of our
support of equal rights for all, we need to have an ongoing effort that is
visible in this community.
How do we do that? I don’t have the answer. However, an active social action committee is a major step in the
right direction. You can support their effort by being a member of the
committee, by participating when the committee identifies an opportunity to be
heard and seen on an issue, by making donations above and beyond your annual
pledge earmarked for support of the social action committee.
This is a true mission for this church. It will identify us in the community and
will attract people who share our concerns and who will likely embrace all seven
of our principles. And ultimately it will earn us respect because we speak and
act on behalf of social issues not because of any creed or dogma, but because it
is the right thing to do.
If number seven is the mission that will identify the church and motivate people
to give us a try, it is the other six that will keep them here.
Their inherent worth will be recognized and they will be treated with dignity.
They will have the opportunity to pursue their own spiritual path. The
congregation will welcome them into membership and support them in their search,
not by telling them what to do or believe, but by being willing to listen to and
discuss all ideas whether they agree or not.
Now, since this is a Unitarian Church, there may well be some who disagree with
what has been said here this morning. In fact, I will be disappointed if there
is not at least some discussion about the mission for this church. But here is
the thought I want to leave you with.
When someone
asks you about your church, I hope you will feel good about describing our
principles and our mission. I also hope you will tell them how wonderful it is
to be a part of a community of people of conscience, a community that supports
each other not only in their search for a spiritual path, but in every aspect of
our lives.
So be it.
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