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This June, delegates at the Unitarian Universalist Association’s General Assembly will take a final vote on whether to adopt a major change in how the faith expresses its values: namely, new language that reimagines Article II, the portion of the UUA bylaws that currently outlines the Principles, Purposes, and Sources.
As congregations lean into examining the new language, the UUA offers a tool to help: Amplifying the Charge.
Released early this year, Amplifying the Charge is a set of resources for small group ministry and worship that supports congregations as they prepare for the next stage of the bylaws adoption process. The name is a reference to the charge the UUA Board issued to the Article II Study Commission that detailed how the commission was to go about the work of evaluating our bylaws. The Amplifying the Charge program seeks to prompt dialogue about proposed bylaws changes based on the same purpose, intention, expectation, and process as the commission.
Amplifying the Charge invites congregations, over four weeks, to engage in intentional study while also experiencing sermon topics and pulpit resources that strengthen the ongoing transformation process within the congregation and in our denomination.
It is designed for all UU congregations regardless of size or resources. Offering four discussion gatherings paired with four sets of worship resources, it is intended to provide a tandem, parallel experience—in community worship and small-group ministry discussion—where worship and discussions reinforce and stimulate each other.
The four sessions create a progressive dialogue that supports communities in learning more about our faith, theology, and governance, incorporating personal experiences of faith, spirit, and humanity. The small-group gathering component of Amplifying the Charge uses a variety of media—including videos, curated history and theology lessons, discussion prompts, and journaling—to engage a variety of learners. The worship resources provide several elements of a service—sermon topics, chalice-lighting words, a Time for All Ages, and musical selections—to capture the energy of both the small-group discussion and congregational learning.
The Shared Flower graphic illustrates elements of the final proposed revision to Article II. Learn more.
An Invitation to Reflect on and Discuss Article II
I invite you to explore the following prompts from each of the four sessions to help you and your UU communities think deeply about our faith and imagine possibilities for its future.
The Journey to Self: Reflect on your journey to Unitarian Universalism as a personal faith identity.
The Journey to Us: Reflect on your congregational history, volunteer experiences, and social justice actions that have shaped your UU experience.
A Journey Taken by Many: Reflect on what it means to live out our UU faith identity beyond our congregations.
We are a Living Tradition: Reflect on what it means to be a living tradition, a tradition that considers the past and the present to plan for the future.
To learn more about the Amplifying the Charge program and find the resources, visit uua.org/re/article2.