I covenant to be curious about the many ways we can transform ourselves and our community.

This is the fourth line of the covenant I wrote to the congregation.

I mean, you don’t know me to be a stiff shirt with only one way of doing things, right? Sure, there’s certain ways that I get stuck in, and structure and routine are important for everybody, but I wrote this line because I get bored with sameness and the thing is, sameness is not the way to growth. I found this comment (by someone named Dwight) in the comment section on an article about church homeostasis and I think it states the need to be curious about the many ways, and not just the one way: “In the institutional church change is bad, because it doesn’t yell stability and churches want to look stable. In the church, which is the people, change is good, because without change, struggle, resistance there is no growth and there is no real strength. Change is hard and takes us out of our tight cocoon, but a butterfly is dead if it doesn’t emerge to take flight.”

Also, sameness is not inclusive.

I love this quote from angel Kyodo williams Sensei: “It’s the community’s job to figure out how we can stretch into the so-called margins to broaden our understanding and the ability to be inclusive. Inclusivity is not ‘How do we make you a part of what we are?’ but ‘How do we become more of what you are?’”

And so, I have learned to become curious about who you are and how you feel called into being a part of this community. Yes, we want your ideas, opinions, thoughts, and skills. There is not just one way in Unitarian Universalism! We are a progressive faith, and that means we embrace change and development. We implement new ideas for social reform and transformation. Only together can we grow and change ourselves and our community to become people who truly live out our Unitarian Universalist values.