Over 100 members of the Morristown UU Fellowship contributed in person, virtually and by e-mail to explore the idea of Welcoming, our first Open Question of the year. Several prompts encouraged participants in small dynamic groups to share their experiences of being welcomed, being welcoming and experiences that feel less welcoming. Facilitators summarized the shared wisdom on large notepads so that the shared wisdom could be seen in real time within the small groups as participants responded to the experiences, observations and suggestions being shared.
Many participants offered comments on the process. In general, the process comments reflected positive experiences interacting with people they hadn’t met or gotten to know, or even people they just hadn’t seen in a while. Some noted they were hearing things they had not personally thought about and appreciated the wide range of experience. There was an appreciation for the open invitation for the whole Fellowship to share in the Open Question conversation. Comments with suggestions for improvement were also offered, for example noting that the RE teachers found it difficult to engage since they were teaching during the live sessions.
There was overlap between the responses to the different prompts, as participants continued to mull over previous prompts or anticipate subsequent prompts during the sessions. Facilitators helped guide the sharing to offer all participants an opportunity to speak and to allow all of the prompts to be addressed.
Some strong themes bubbled up.
A search for personal and family spiritual development is what brought many participants through the door the first time. Connection to wisdom from the pulpit, connection to community within the worship service, connection to religious education (all ages) were all offered up as welcoming. Participation in social justice groups, support groups and common interest groups were valued as well. The ability to explore the wisdom of different faith traditions felt welcoming to many of you. The freedom to express one’s own beliefs, traditions and questions was valued. There was a comment about the Fellowship being not churchy enough and one about being too churchy in response to the prompt about not feeling welcome. This is perhaps confirmation that we are truly Unitarian Universalists.
The power of interpersonal connection was the most strongly expressed measure of what makes us feel both welcomed and welcoming. And the lack of interpersonal connection was a common theme in feeling unwelcomed. Being remembered the second time you came, having a name tag in the rack, and having someone sit next to you in the service made a difference. Many described taking this feeling of welcome and passing it along by being a person who now says “Hi, it is good to see you” to the newcomer, or sits with them in the service, or hands them their new name tag from the rack when they come back again. Several of you expressed an appreciation for an open but undemanding engagement when you were new. Many expressed the joy in the relationships you have here, whether months or decades long, that make this your spiritual home. It feels good to be seen and appreciated
You shared the experience that a specific invitation to participate in our community strengthens the interpersonal connection. Specific invitations to participate in the life of the Fellowship both within our walls and externally through social justice work matter. Many of you reflected back on being invited to sing in the choir, or teach an RE class, or volunteer with one of our social justice teams and that welcome feeling of belonging . Invitation made a difference to you, and many of you now actively engage new visitors, friends and members in the same way. From an invitation to chat over coffee after the service to inviting a new person to participate in a social justice activity, invitation matters. This theme was expanded to include indirect invitations. For instance, knowing how to reach out to groups and committees to volunteer time and energy is valuable. The ability to use the website to easily identify specific opportunities to participate matters. Easy access to opportunities to serve, and to information are welcoming. It feels good to be active in our community.
The invitation to share thoughts around diversity led to exploration of the different ways diversity can be observed, appreciated and welcomed. There was recognition of the attention toward making the new Gateways addition welcoming for those who benefit from entry into the space without a single step up, a panel to open the door automatically and large gender-neutral private bathrooms. The repurposing of space to support those who don’t enjoy large crowds or loud noises was appreciated. There were observations that it felt welcoming to be able to express yourself in a safe space even when everyone in the conversation does not agree with your position on an issue. There was a recognition that we have an opportunity to be more welcoming to everyone who may not even know yet that they can find a spiritual home here. Opportunities to share who we are and what we are here to do with the wider community were suggested. These included activities to bring our story to the community and activities to bring the community to us. There were also opportunities identified to expand our own appreciation of the many forms diversity can take, so we can understand the many forms welcoming diversity can take.
The Committee on Ministries, The Board and Rev. Sasha are grateful for the response to the First Open Question. The wisdom shared during the Open Questions is one source that will help guide the development of next year’s Vision of Ministry. The current year Vision of Ministry goals center around Spiritual Development, Relationship and Communication, and Social Justice.