Grow New Congregations and Communities

By Cheri Taylor

“May we all be seen and heard and loved.” – Rev. Connie Simon

This quote from the Rev. Connie Simon, Minister at First Unitarian Church of Cincinnati, exemplifies the premise of The Promise and the Practice of Our Faith campaign for Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism (BLUU).

The Promise and Practice campaign is more than fulfilling the UUA Board of Trustees’ $5.3 million commitment to BLUU; it represents an association-wide effort to educate UUs and congregations about BLUU as well as to uplift and amplify the work of Black UUs.

Through this campaign, we are supporting the growth, spirituality, and vitality of Unitarian Universalism for everyone. For when we worship and are in community with each other, we all can “be seen and heard and loved.”

This campaign has brought about new ways for us to collaborate and partner with each other—our congregational leaders, donors, and our religious leaders and professionals of color—in fulfilling our financial commitment.

The UUA has committed $1 million from its unrestricted endowment. UU congregations and affiliated UU entities were challenged to contribute the equivalent of $10 per member with the goal of raising another million dollars toward the $5.3 million goal. Long-time UUs and generous supporters of the UU causes, Brad and Julie Bradford, pledged $1 million to match congregations’ gifts.

We have witnessed the bold generosity of many congregations and communities, including the UU Women’s Federation, the Northern New England District, and the UU Funding Panel—all of which provided significant financial support.

With my own personal experience as a Black woman working in this faith and being part of this faith, this campaign deeply resonated with me. Having previously worked in a large congregation, I had to unpack my own pain from experiences of macro and micro aggressions and fears of bringing my whole identity and self into my UU faith community.

As a Black woman in a predominately white faith, I have learned that UU spaces are often like so many other predominately white spaces in America, and I have become accustomed to navigating between two different worlds and shrink my being so that I am not fully seen or heard.

BLUU has helped shed light on this issue and has shaped their work around the isolation that many Black UUs feel in our faith with hopes of providing sources of healing, comfort and connection. My own participation in the online worship, pastoral care, and BLUU Revival has personally saved my faith and the faiths of many others.

My work on Promise and Practice has renewed my faith that we can grow and equip our UU communities and congregations with the knowledge and tools to be spaces that provide healing, comfort and connection for anyone who seeks it.

To date we have raised over $4.2 million—and we are practicing new ways in uplifting the voices of those who have been historically silenced and shut out. The work is far from complete, but we know the possibility of growing in ways that all UUs will be seen and heard and loved.

Cheri Taylor is a major gift officer at the UUA; she is based outside Madison, WI.

Learn more at UUA.org/bluu-campaign