Today’s “From the Heart” is a bit different than usual. This week it will be from YOUR hearts–the congregation.
Several months ago, the Mosaic Makers team developed and distributed a survey from a CrossRoads Ministry resource entitled: Continuum on Becoming an Anti-Racist, Multicultural Institution. You have received a copy of the Continuum this morning.
Over 50 of you completed the survey, which asked where you felt WUU stands on this path, and your responses tell us:
– how the congregation feels we are doing in our commitment to inclusiveness;
– how deeply and seriously we are striving towards multiculturalism; and
– how we see our congregation responding to racism in society.
Our mission has always been to be a fully inclusive institution in a transformed society. The Social Justice projects we undertake at WUU are intended to deepen our experience and understanding of what it means to be a Multi-racial, Multi-cultural congregation and, specifically, to enhance the multicultural awareness of our members.
With these key elements in mind, let us share the results of the survey.
You can see we consider ourselves to be somewhere between Stages 3 & 4, with 74% of responses falling in these two categories.”
Here are some of the comments that illustrate and amplify your responses to the survey.
As WUU moves forward on the continuum, we will want to consider and understand what this means in practical terms for us as a congregation. Some of the main attributes of phase four “Identity change, an anti-racist institution”, are:
What does this mean in practical terms for the congregation? Some definitions of the terms used above are included on the back of the Continuum that has been distributed. We suggest you take time after the service to go over the Continuum now that you have this information on the congregation’s opinion of our progress along the path to becoming an Anti-Racist, Multicultural Institution. And look at the attributes of the two stages we inhabit, with the help of the definitions.
Next Sunday, after service, the members of the Mosaic Makers Team will make themselves available for your comments and questions in a Café Conversation. Please come join us.