I remember reading an observation from the elections that we should be able to find a shorter and cheaper way to pick the worst people in America. It reminded me of a study that examined how airlines board airplanes. Any other method, including no process, just random boarding, got the plane boarded faster (nothing changed, of course, because airlines are more interested in using the perk of finding a spot for your roller bag as a way to incentivize branding and increase revenue).
But enough lamenting, and I’m definitely not going to prognosticate about how to improve our election process. I spent the remainder of the election week trying to find the silver lining, and I found it at Sunday service. It wasn’t so much what was discussed (or sung), rather, it was the awesome turn-out by people who care about inclusiveness. We have a long way to go, but we are not alone. Furthermore, our principles are a foundation to engage the community with a non-denominational testament of inclusiveness.
At the November Board meeting, Jim shared with us notes from the UU General Assembly last July. In particular, churches no longer compete against churches for membership; rather it’s church against everything else. Of course, UUFH has many awesome members and our principles transcend personal beliefs; however, to those many people in the community who are not familiar with UU churches, we look like church, we sound like church, we meet on Sundays like other churches, so we must be church. Likewise, there may be people who are familiar with UU churches, and even past members of UUFH who are totally on board with our principles, but don’t really connect with Sunday service or any Sunday service in the traditional sense.
Another item that Jim brought back from General Assembly was that the ever-changing landscape of how we communicate and interact with each other means that, when we try something new, we are going to fail. And the good news is that it is OK to fail. It is expected. A couple of Beacon articles ago (September) I discussed some things that I learned about project management for complex systems and the primary element that makes a system complex is that it is adaptable. As such, something that worked one day may not work the next. And the way you manage a complex system is to “probe” it, that is, try something. There will be failures, but it is how you find what works.
So, if you are interested in failing at something, now’s your chance! Send me an e-mail. Talk to me after the service. How do we share our inclusiveness and make others feel like they are part of “something more” without church as the medium? Disclaimer: this exercise is to supplement Sunday service, not eliminate it.
—Joe Criscione, President