EVENT:  B2018 0622 GENERAL SESSION 4 130PM
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>>  NOW CALL TO ORDER THE FOURTH GENERAL SESSION OF THE FIFTY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST. THEY CAN'T HEAR ME.  I CAN HEAR ME.  IS THAT BETTER?  ALL RIGHT, SO HOW IS THIS?  ALL RIGHT.  PERFECT.  SO LET ME TRY THAT AGAIN.  I NOW CALL TO ORDER THE FOURTH GENERAL SESSION OF THE FIFTY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ASSOCIATION.  JUST A PROCEDURAL NOTE, WHEN WE GET TO OUR DISCUSSIONS AND VOTING, I'D ASK THAT THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE DELEGATES AND HAVE YELLOW CARDS THAT YOU MOVE INTO THE MIDDLE SECTION IF YOU COULD, THE FAR LEFT AND FAR RIGHT SECTIONS ARE REALLY CHALLENGING FOR US TO SEE FROM HERE AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CATCH YOUR VOTE.  KATHY?
>>  GOOD AFTERNOON.  THE IF IT WERE MERELY CHALLENGING, THAT WOULD BE NO PROBLEM.  BUT I ARISE IN THE MORNING CORN BETWEEN THE DESIRE TO IMPROVE OR CHANGE THE WORLD AND THE DESIRE TO ENJOY OR SAFER THE WORLD.  THIS MAKES IT HARD TO PLAN THE DAY.  I THINK WHITE CAUSES A FALSE DIE HOSPITAL ANY.  ALL ARE CALLED TO SIMULTANEOUSLY SAVE OR SAVOR THE WORLD.  INDEED, WE CANNOT ACHIEVE THE BELOVED COMMUNITY WITHOUT SAVING THE WORLD FROM WHAT IS BROKEN AND HARMFUL AND SAVORING WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL AND WORTHY.  AS WE ENGAGE IN THE WORK OF THIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, MAY WE BE MINDFUL OF THE CALL TO BOTH SAVE AND SAVOR.  BLESSED BE.
>>  FOUNDED IN 1963 THE UU WOMEN'S FEDERATION HAS EVOLVED INTO AN EDUCATION, ADVOCACY, AND FUND ORGANIZATION WITH AN VITAL MISSION.  TO ADVANCE MISSION FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS AND ADVANCE SPIRITUAL BOTH.  UUWF IS ONE OF TWO ASSOCIATE MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS OF THE UUA.  ALONG WITH THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST SERVICE COMMITTEE.  PLEASE WELCOME UUWF PRESIDENT CLAIRE SEXTON.
>>  THANK YOU.  GOOD AFTERNOON.
I AM SO HAPPY TO BE HERE AND SO HONORED TO BE A PART OF THE UU WOMEN'S FEDERATION.
IT'S BEEN QUITE A YEAR! FROM THE ENERGY OF THE WOMEN'S MARCH, TO THE EXPLOSION OF THE #METOO MOVEMENT, TO THE SMALLER, QUIETER DAILY ACTIVITIES, MILLIONS OF PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN OUT AND CALLED OUT GENDER INJUSTICE LATELY. WE SEEK TO PUSH OUR SOCIETY FURTHER AND FASTER TOWARD THE END OF THE IMPERIALIST WHITE SUPREMACIST CAPITALIST PATRIARCHY. AS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS, WE ARE CALLED TO BREAK THE CYCLES OF OPPRESSION WITHIN AND BEYOND OUR DENOMINATION.
OUR SMALL & ACTIVE BOARD IS COMPRISED OF PASSIONATE VOLUNTEERS COMMITTED TO GENDER JUSTICE AND INTERSECTIONALITY.
AS ANNOUNCED AT LAST YEAR'S GA, WE ARE PROCEEDING FOR UU WOMEN AND RELIGION TO BECOME A KEY PROGRAM OF THE UUWF, COMBINING FORCES IN OUR MUTUAL QUEST TOWARD DIVERSE RELIGIOUS FEMINISMS AND GENDER EQUITY.
THE NEW PROPHETIC SISTERHOOD A PROJECT OF THE UUWF, CONTINUES ITS WORK TO AMPLIFY THE VOICES AND MINISTRIES OF WOMEN-IDENTIFIED RELIGIOUS PROFESSIONALS AND SERVE AS A PLATFORM FOR SHARING THEIR SERMONS AND OTHER PUBLIC ACTS OF MINISTRY. THIS YEAR WE EXPANDED THE SCOPE OF THIS PROJECT TO INCLUDE NOT ONLY CLERGY, BUT ALL RELIGIOUS PROFESSIONALS, AND NOW ENGAGE OVER 250 COLLEAGUES. ONE OF THE INITIATIVES OF NEW PROPHETIC SISTERHOOD IS THE ANNUAL JUSTICE FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS SERMON AWARD, THIS YEAR'S SUBMISSIONS MOST FREQUENTLY ADDRESSING #METOO, BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE UU.
THE AWARD RECIPIENT FOR 2018 IS CLARE FORTUNE- LAD, THE DIRECTOR OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION IN HAVERHILL, MA. SHE WILL DELIVER SERMON: "#METOO, NOW WHAT?" DURING THE NEXT PROGRAM SLOT AT OUR MARGARET FULLER PROJECTS THIS YEAR INCLUDE MAJOR FUNDING TO DOCUMENT UU WOMEN'S HERSTORY IN THE HERESIES SPECIAL COLLECTION AT MEADVILLE-LOMBARD, ONE THAT WAS CLOSE TO DENNY DAVIDOFF'S HEART. SHE ASKED UUWF TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PREPARATION OF THE HERESIES ARCHIVES TO BE CONVERTED TO SEARCHABLE ONLINE DOCUMENTS TO BE MORE ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE.  ADDITIONALLY, WE ARE PROVIDING FUNDING FOR THE AUTHORS OF AN UPCOMING SKINNER HOUSE BOOK PROJECT "SPEAKING OUR STORIES AND TELLING OUR TRUTHS: BLACK WOMEN CLERGY IN UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM" TO SHARE THEIR STORIES IN PERSON IN PROMOTION OF THIS IMPORTANT, TIMELY ANTHOLOGY.
AN EQUITY & JUSTICE GRANT THIS YEAR PROVIDED FUNDS FOR A CONGREGATION IN HARRISBURG TO OFFER CHILDCARE DURING THE 40-DAY SEASON OF CIVIL ACTIONS BY THE POOR PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN, PENNSYLVANIA AT THE STATE CAPITAL AS PART OF THE LARGER CAMPAIGN, A NATIONAL CALL FOR MORAL REVIVAL.
THE MARJORIE BOWENS-WHEATLEY SCHOLARSHIP PROVIDES DIRECT FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO ASPIRANTS OR CANDIDATES TO THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST MINISTRY, OR CANDIDATES IN THE UUA'S RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OR MUSIC LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS, WHO IDENTIFY AS WOMEN OF COLOR, LATINA, OR HISPANIC. THIS PAST YEAR'S RECIPIENTS WERE DIANNE DANIELS OF NORWICH CT, AND SANA SAEED OF ARLINGTON, MA. WE ARE SO PLEASED TO SUPPORT DIANNE AND SANA ON THEIR PATHS TO MINISTRY AND ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO APPLY - THE NEXT APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR THE SCHOLARSHIP IS OCTOBER 1ST.
OUR INTERFAITH, INTERSECTIONAL EQUITY AND JUSTICE WORK IN 2018 JUST FROM JANUARY TO MAY HAS INCLUDED SUPPORT OF EQUAL PAY, WITH AN ONGOING COMMITMENT TO RECOGNIZING THE EVEN GREATER DISPARITY FOR WOMEN OF COLOR AND WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES, ADVOCACY FOR A FEDERAL PAID FAMILY LEAVE POLICY, AND CONTINUED FIERCE OPPOSITION TO EFFORTS TO OVERTURN REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AND CHOICES. MANY THANKS TO THE UUWF MINISTER, REV. MARTI KELLER FOR HER EXPERTISE AND ENERGY FOR THIS IMPORTANT AND ONGOING ADVOCACY.
[APPLAUSE]
THESE ARE JUST EXAMPLES OF OUR WORK OVER THE PAST YEAR, AND WE REGULARLY POST ACTIONS AND OTHER INFORMATION TO OUR MEMBERS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA.
THE UUWF SEEKS TO AMPLIFY THE VOICES OF WOMEN IN THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST MOVEMENT AND THE VOICES OF UU WOMEN IN OUR COUNTRY. WE ARE COMMITTED TO ENGAGING UUS IN THE WORK FOR GENDER JUSTICE IN AN INTERSECTIONAL WAY. FOR MORE INFORMATION HERE AT GA COME TALK WITH US AT BOOTH 322 IN THE EXHIBIT HALL. LOOK FOR THE RED AND LIKE US ON FACEBOOK,
FOLLOW ON TWITTER AND SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US IN OUR QUEST OF GENDER JUSTICE. THANK YOU!
[APPLAUSE]
>>  FIVE YEARS AGO, YOU CREATED THE FIRST EVER PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH COMMITTEE. THE COMMITTEE WAS CHARGED TO PRESENT AT LEAST TWO NAMES FOR ELECTION TO THE OFFICE OF UUA PRESIDENT. THEIR FINAL REPORT IS ONLINE. MATTHEW JOHNSON AND JACQUI WILLIAMS, JOINED BY THE OTHER COMMITTEE MEMBERS, WILL GIVE US HIGHLIGHTS.
>>  WHAT DID WE DO OVER FIVE YEARS?
>>  WE CREATED A PROCESS.
>>  WE RESEARCHED.
>>  LISTENED, A LOT.
>>  WROTE A JOB DESCRIPTION.
>>  THERE WASN'T ONE.
>>  ENCOURAGED.
>>  TOOK SUGGESTIONS.
>>  RECRUITED, WIDELY.
>>  RECEIVED EIGHT APPLICATIONS.
>>  ALL WHITE FEMALE MINISTERS.
>>  A GROUP OF POWERFUL LEADERS.
>>  REVIEWED.
>>  CHECKED REFERENCES.
>>  INTERVIEWED.
>>  DISCERNED.
>>  AND NOMINATED TWO.
>>  WE THOUGHT WE WERE DONE.
>>  NOT EXACTLY.
>>  WE IMPROVISED.
>>  THANKFULLY, THERE WAS ANOTHER.
>>  THEN WE STEPPED BACK AND WATCHED.
>>  AFTER THE ELECTION.
>>  WE RESEARCHED.
>>  WE INTERVIEWED.
>>  WE DISCERNED.
>>  AND REPORTED.
>>  OUR COMMITTEE WAS CREATED BECAUSE WE, THE UUA, WANTED A DIFFERENT WAY OF DOING THIS.
>>  AND WE DID A LOT DIFFERENT.
>>  BUT HERE'S THE TRUTH:
>>  THE PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH COMMITTEE WAS INSTITUTED AS AN ATTEMPT TO CHANGE THE ENTIRE SYSTEM OF ELECTING A UUA PRESIDENT BY CHANGING ONLY ONE SMALL PART OF THE SYSTEM.
>>  OUR FINAL REPORT CONTAINS 14 RECOMMENDATIONS.
>>  YOU SHOULD READ THEM ALL.
>>  AMONG OTHER THINGS, WE CALL FOR:
>>  A MUCH, MUCH SHORTER ELECTION PROCESS, INCLUDING --
[APPLAUSE]
INCLUDING CONGREGATIONAL-BASED VOTING IN THE FALL BEFORE THE PRESIDENT TAKES OFFICE.
>>  A CLOSER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE BOARD.
>> CLEARER AUTHORITY ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMEONE DROPS OUT.
>>  NO MORE RUNNING BY PETITIONS.
>>  THREE CANDIDATES.
>>  AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A TEAM OF PEOPLE TO RUN AND SERVE TOGETHER.
[APPLAUSE]
>>  AND, A STUDY OF THE WHOLE AREA BY THE BOARD AND THE STAFF -
>> INCLUDING HOW WE MIGHT HAVE A FULLY PUBLICLY FUNDED CAMPAIGN AND CLARITY ABOUT HOW AND IF A UUA STAFF PERSON CAN ACTUALLY RUN, AMONG OTHER QUESTIONS.
>>  THESE AND OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS ARE DESIGNED TO PROVOKE AND ENCOURAGE US TO GO FURTHER THAN WE WERE ALLOWED TO GO, TO SERVE THE ASSOCIATION, OUR CONGREGATIONS, AND POTENTIAL CANDIDATES IN WAYS THAT ARE MORE JUST, HUMANE, AND FAITHFUL.
>>  WE ARE VERY PROUD OF OUR WORK.
>>  THIS WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY GROUP OF PEOPLE TO WORK WITH.
>>  WE LOOK FORWARD TO HOW THE NEXT PROCESS UNFOLDS.
[APPLAUSE]
>>  ALL RIGHT.  SO LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT RULES AND PROCESS, BECAUSE REALLY, WHO ISN'T A CHURCH GEEK OR NERD HERE?  I AM.  I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT BEFORE DEBATE BEGINS TIME WILL BE PROVIDED FOR YOU TO INFORMALLY DISCUSS THE AGENDA ITEM WITH OTHERS SITTING AROUND YOU; THIS INFORMAL DISCUSSION TIME WILL NOT COUNT TOWARDS THE THIRTY-MINUTE LIMIT.THERE WILL BE A TIMER ON THE SCREENS TO LET YOU KNOW WHEN?-- IT WILL COUNT THE TIME.  OR IT WILL COUNTDOWN THE TIME.  IT WILL GO IN ONE DIRECTION OR THE OTHER, AND IT WILL BE LABELED SPEAKER.  THAT MEANS YOU'RE SPEAKING OR COMMUNICATING.
AMENDMENTS: FOR BOTH AMENDMENTS AND ALL OF THE DISCUSSION AND DEBATE, YOU MUST BE A DELEGATE TO SPEAK AT ONE OF THE MICROPHONE, WHETHER THAT'S MICROPHONE AMENDMENT ONE, AMENDMENT MICS OVER HERE, MICROPHONE ONE, PROCEDURAL MIC IN FRONT OF ME, AND MICROPHONE NUMBER TWO.  YOU MUST BE A DELEGATE TO SPEAK AT ONE OF THOSE MICROPHONE.
AMENDMENTS MUST BE SUBMITTED FOR CONSIDERATION OF AT THE APPROPRIATE MINI- ASSEMBLY IN ORDER TO BE OFFERED IN THE
GENERAL SESSION. THERE HAS TO BE 15 MINUTES OF DISCUSSION BEFORE AMENDMENTS TO THE MAIN MOTION CAN BE CONSIDERED. AND LET'S TALK ABOUT TIME LIMITS.
NO ONE CAN SPEAK FOR MORE THAN 2 MINUTES AND NOT MORE THEN ONCE UNLESS NO ONE ELSE WANTS TO SPEAK EXCEPT BY PERMISSION TO SPEAK, OR UNLESS THE PERSON STANDING AT THE PODIUM WANTS MORE TIME.  AS I SAID, THERE'S A 30 MINUTE TOTAL TIME LIMIT PER ITEM.
AFTER 15 MINUTES OF DEBATE MOTIONS TO TABLE OR REFER ARE IN ORDER IF THAT MUCH TIME IS NEEDED. MOTIONS MUST COME FROM THE PROCEDURAL MIC.HERE IN FRONT OF ME.  A MOTION TO CALL THE PREVIOUS QUESTION IS IN ORDER ONCE 7 MINUTES HAS EXPIRED AND THERE ARE PEOPLE AT THE PRO AND CON MIC. ONCE 5 MINUTES HAS EXPIRED AND NO ONE IS AT THE PRO OR CON MIC THEN THE MOTION TO -- THOSE SPECIFICALLY LABELED ONE OR TWO, NOT JUST RANDOM ONE OR TWO MICROPHONE.  ONCE FIVE MINUTES HAVE EXPIRED AND NO ONE IS AT EITHER OF THOSE MICROPHONE BE THE MOTION TO CALL THE PREVIOUS QUESTION IS IN ORDER.  AND TIME TAKEN AT THE PROCEDURAL MICROPHONE WILL NOT COUNT AGAINST DISCUSSION TIME.  IT WILL COUNT JUST LIFETIME.  JUST BEING HONEST.  AND A FINAL NOTE, A COUPLE OF FINAL NOTES, YOU MUST BE A DELEGATE, SO THAT BLUE RIBBON ON YOUR BADGE, MUST BE A DELEGATE TO SPEAK AT ONE OF THOSE MICROPHONE, AND DELEGATES CAN ASK TO SUSPEND THE RULES BY GOING TO THIS PROCEDURAL MICROPHONE.  ONE LAST NIGHT.
THERE ARE DELEGATES JOINING US ONLINE WHO WILL BE PARTICIPATING IN THIS DEBATE BY SUBMITTING TYPED STATEMENTS AND VOTING VIA A SECURE POLLING APP. SUBMITTED STATEMENTS WILL BE READ BY OUR VOLUNTEER TELLER TEAM WHO WILL BE THE 'VOICE' OF OUR OFFSITE DELEGATES AND THE STATEMENTS THEY READ DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THEIR OWN PERSONAL VIEWS.BUT THE VIEWS THAT THEY ARE BRINGING INTO THE ROOM.  AND WE HAVE A PERSON AT THE PROCEDURAL MIC.
>> CARL POND E.MAN FROM THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF GREATER LANSING IN LANSING, MICHIGAN.  I THANK THE MODERATOR FOR CLARIFYING HUGH HOW THESE RULES OF PROCEDURE WORK.  ONE THING I'M CONFUSED ON, LOOKING AT PAGE?70 OF MY PROGRAM BOOK WHERE THESE RULES OF PROCEDURE ARE SET OUT.  LOOKING AT RULE SIX, PARAGRAPH C.  I'M NOT SURE IF THIS SAYS EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAID BEFORE.  WHAT IT SAYS HERE IS A MOTION TO CALL THE PREVIOUS QUESTION ON THE MAIN MOTION SHALL NOT BE IN ORDER IF THERE ARE POTENTIAL SPEAKERS AT BOTH PRO AND CON MICROPHONE, WHETHER ON-SITE OR OFF-SITE, AND SEVEN MINUTES FOR DISCUSSION HAS NOT EXPIRED.  SO BOTH OF THOSE CRITERIA HAPPEN, THEN THE MOTION IS NOT?-- THE MOTION FOR PREVIOUS QUESTION IS NOT IN ORDER.  BUT IF ONLY ONE OF THOSE THINGS IS TAKING PLACE, THEN THE MOTION FOR PREVIOUS QUESTION, I UNDERSTAND SINCE THE WORD AND IS USED HERE INSTEAD OF OR, THAT WOULD MEAN THAT A MOTION FOR PREVIOUS QUESTION WOULD BE IN ORDER.
>>  SO I'M A VISUAL LEARNER.  GIVE ME ONE SECOND TO GRAB MY BOOK SO I CAN BE LOOKING AT WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, IF YOU WOULD.  THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE.  FOR CLARITY, BOTH OF THOSE THINGS HAVE TO HAPPEN.  NO ONE AT EITHER MICROPHONE AND SEVEN MINUTES HAVE PASSED.
>>  OKAY.  SO I'M SORRY.  IF I UNDERSTAND, IF THERE IS ANYONE LEFT AT EITHER MICROPHONE, THEN A MOTION FOR THE PREVIOUS QUESTION IS NEVER IN ORDER?
>>  IT'S BOTH.
>>  OKAY.  SO THE MOTION FOR PREVIOUS QUESTION IS NOT IN ORDER IF BOTH PEOPLE AT BOTH MICROPHONE AND THERE HASN'T BEEN SEVEN MINUTES?
>>  CORRECT.
>>  OKAY.  OTHERWISE, IT WOULD BE IN ORDER?
>>  YES.
>>  OKAY.
>>  ALL RIGHT.  SO I THINK I CAN BREAK IT DOWN INTO EASIER TO UNDERSTAND LANGUAGE, AT LEAST FOR ME.  I DON'T KNOW ABOUT FOR YOU.  IF LET'S SAY, FOR EXAMPLE, WE MAKE IT TO EIGHT MINUTES, SO WE'VE GONE PAST THE SEVEN MINUTES AND THERE ARE NO OTHER FOLKS WAITING AT EITHER OF THE MICROPHONE, YOU CAN MAKE THE MOTION.
>>  OKAY.  BUT IF WE GET TO 28 MINUTES AND THERE ARE STILL PEOPLE AT BOTH MICROPHONES --
>>  WE'LL HAVE GONE PAST THE SEVEN MINUTES.
>>  THEN THE MOTION TO PREVIOUS QUESTION IS IN ORDER?
>>  YES, AS LONG AS WE'VE GONE TO AT LEAST 15 MINUTES.
>>  I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU BRING 15 MINUTES INTO THE PREVIOUS QUESTION, BECAUSE 15 MINUTES DOESN'T COME INTO THIS.
>>  SO WE'VE GOT MULTIPLE TIMES GOING ON, WHICH IE IS ALWAYS OUR CHALLENGE.  SO THERE'S SEVEN MINUTES AND 15 MINUTES.  RIGHT?  SO THE SEVEN IF PEOPLE HAVE BOTH PRO AND CON AND THEN AT 15 MINUTES IT IS TIME THAT SOMEONE CAN CALL.
>>  OKAY.  NOW YOU'RE INTRODUCING ANOTHER NEW RULE.
>>  NO.  I'M NOT.  IT'S LITERALLY THE NEXT ONE.  IT'S A BULLET.  IT'S DIFFERENT LETTERS.
>>  NO.  IT IS NOT IN THAT SECTION OF THESE RULES OF PROCEDURE.
>>  OKAY.  HERE WE GO.  I CAN READ IT TO YOU.  ARE YOU READY?
>>  YES, I AM READY.
>>  30 MINUTES ARE ALLOWED FOR DISCUSSION IN ALL TOTAL.  ALL RIGHTY?  MOTIONS TO REFER ARE TABLED, WILL ONLY BE IN ORDER AFTER 15 MINUTES.
>>  CORRECT.
>>  RIGHT?  SO I'M JUST TRYING TO GIVE ALL THE TIME.  THEN THERE'S THE PIECE AROUND SEVEN MINUTES.  SO THERE'S 30 MINUTES FOR EVERYTHING, A 15 MINUTES FOR ONE THING.
>>  FOR MOTION TO REFER OR TABLE.  OKAY.  WHAT IT SAYS HERE, WHAT YOU HAVE JUST READ TO ME, 30 MINUTES FOR EVERYTHING.
>>  RIGHT.
>>  15 MINUTES FOR A MOTION TO REFER OR A MOTION TO TABLE.
>> YES.
>>  AND SEVEN MINUTES FOR THE MOTION TO PREVIOUS QUESTION.
>>  RIGHT.
>>  I AM ONLY ASKING ABOUT THE MOTION FOR PREVIOUS QUESTION.
>>  BUT OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT GET CONFUSED, TOO.
>>  IF YOU WANT TO HELP EVERYTHING THAT'S FINE BUT I'M STILL CONFUSED ABOUT THE MOTION FOR PREVIOUS QUESTION, WHICH WAS MY ORIGINAL QUESTION.
>>  SO SAY IT ONE MORE TIME SO I CAN COMPLETELY GET IT.
>>  THE WAY YOU HAVE WRITTEN IT HERE, IF WE GO FIVE OR SIX MINUTES AND NOBODY IS AT THE MIC WE CAN MAKE A MOTION FOR PREVIOUS QUESTION.  IF WE GO EIGHT MINUTES, WE CAN ALSO MAKE A MOTION FOR PREVIOUS QUESTION, EVEN IF THERE'S PEOPLE AT THE MIC.
>>  AT ONE MIC.
>>  AT ONE MIC.
>>  YES.  BECAUSE WHAT IT SAWS, SEVEN MINUTES HAS NOT EXPIRED, SO YES.
>>  OKAY.  RIGHT.  SO THE ONLY REASON IT WOULD NOT BE IN ORDER, IF IT'S LESS THAN SEVEN MINUTES AND THERE IS SOMEBODY AT A MIC.  THAT WOULD BE THE ONLY REASON IT IS NOT IN ORDER.
>>  YES.
>> WE DID A THING.  WE CLARIFIED THE RULES.
[APPLAUSE]
>> IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 4.123 OF THE BYLAWS, AT LEAST 25% OF CERTIFIED CONGREGATIONS MUST PARTICIPATE IN THE BALLOT VOTE TO REPLACE THE STUDY ACTION ISSUES ON THE BALLOT.  THE CHAIR ON THE COMMISSION OF SOCIAL WITNESS, SUSAN DECK HER, [INDISCERNIBLE] UP TO FOUR OTHERS MAKE THE SPEECH UP TO TWO MINUTES IN FAVOR OF EACH ISSUE.  DELEGATES WILL VOTE TO SELECT ONE FOR FOUR YEARS OF STUDY AND ACTION SO PLEASE HAVE DELEGATE CARDS READY.  SUSAN?
>>  SO I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY, AND ELANDRIA, IF I SAY SOMETHING WRONG, YOU'VE JUST GONE OVER ALL THE RULES AND PROCEDURES FOR DEBATE.  BUT WHAT WE'RE GETTING READY FOR IS NOT A DEBATE.  SO THERE IS NO PRO OR CON OR CONCERN MIC.  THERE'S JUST A ONE AND A TWO.  FOR CONGREGATIONAL STUDY ACTION ISSUES THERE ARE NO AMENDMENTS.  WE ONLY HEAR FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE FOR EACH OF THOSE.  SO WE ARE NOT HAVING A DEBATE ABOUT PRO OR CON.  AND THEN THERE'S A VOTE BETWEEN THE TWO OF THEM.  SO IT'S NOT LIKE YES OR NO TO THIS ONE.  IT'S ONE OR TWO.  SO HOPEFULLY THAT'S CLEAR.
BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THE CONGREGATIONAL POLL, THE COMMISSION ON SOCIAL WITNESS SUBMITS THE FOLLOWING ISSUES FROM WHICH DELEGATES MAY SELECT FOR MULTIPLE YEARS OF STUDY AND ACTION AS A NEW CONGREGATIONAL STUDY ACTION ISSUE OR CSAI. THE TEXT OF EACH PROPOSAL IS IN THE AGENDA ON PAGES 74-76.  THE FIRST ONE, CSAI NUMBER ONE, IS ENTITLED UNDOING INTERSECTIONAL WHITE SUPREMACY.  AND THE SECOND CSAI NUMBER TWO IS ENTITLED DISMANTLING INTERSECTIONAL OPPRESSION.
>>  CAN THE DELEGATES THAT ARE SPEAKING TO THE PROPOSED CSAI PLEASE COME FORWARD?  OKAY.  SO WE'RE GOING TO START WITH NUMBER ONE, THEN WE'LL GO TO NUMBER TWO IN ORDER.  I RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE NUMBER ONE MIC.
>> THANK YOU.  HELLO.  MY NAME IS LESLIE REYNOLDS, MEMBER OF FIRST UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF NEW ORLEANS.  OUR CONGREGATION HAS BEEN MEETING FOR TWO-AND-A-HALF YEARS EVERY SUNDAY TO HAVE UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS ON RACISM.  IT HAS BEEN HARD AND UNCOMFORTABLE WORK, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT WORK THAT IS VITAL TO OUR FAITH.  WHILE DOING THIS WORK, WE HAVE HAD GLIMPSES INTO WHAT LIBERATION COULD FEEL AND LOOK LIKE AND IT FEELS GOOD.  AND THIS IS WHAT GETS US EXCITED, KNOWING THAT THIS LIBERATION COULD BE AVAILABLE FOR ALL OF US.  OUR FAITH CALLS US TO DEEPEN AND EXTEND OUR WORK.  THIS CSAI ANSWERS THE CALL OF THE WHITE SUPREMACY TEACH-INS, THE RESULTS OF THE COMMISSION ON INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE, THE LEADERSHIP OF REVEREND SUSAN FREDERICK GRAY, THE SAFETY TEAM, THE RIGHT RELATIONSHIP TEAM WHO WE'VE HEARD FROM IN THIS ASSEMBLY, THE ONGOING ORGANIZING WORK OF BLACK LIVES OF UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM AND THE MANY VOICES OF COLOR WHO HAVE WAITED TOO LONG FOR US TO TAKE THIS WORK AS A FAITH COLLECTIVE.  WE NEED TO FOCUS ON WHITE SUPREMACY AND ITS INTERSECTIONS TO ANALYZE THE MULTIPLE WAYS WHITE SUPREMACY DAMAGES OUR COMMUNITIES AND LIMITS OUR POTENTIAL.  WE NEED TO FOCUS ON HOW WE CAN WORK TOWARD OUR COLLECTIVE LIBERATION TOGETHER.  WE MUST QUIT UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS TO WORK INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF OUR CONGREGATIONS THROUGH REFLECTION AND ACTION.  THESE COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS WILL FOSTER OUR ABILITIES TO UNDERSTAND AND CHALLENGE WHITE PRIVILEGE, TO DE-CENTER WHITENESS, TO UNDO INTERNALIZED AND SYSTEMIC WHITE SUPREMACY, AND TO DISMANTLE RACISM AND IT'S INTERSECTING OPPRESSION.  AND THIS CSAI WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN.
>>  THANK YOU.
[APPLAUSE]
>>  I NOW RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE NUMBER TWO MIC.
>>  THANK YOU.  MY NAME IS CARLA GOLDEN AND I AM FROM THE UU CONGREGATION OF THE LOWCOUNTRY IN BLUFFTON, SOUTH CAROLINA.  THIS CSAI IS A CALL TO EXPAND OUR DETERMINED FOCUS ON SOLVING THE PROBLEM OF WHITE SUPREMACY TO INCLUDE SOLVING THE PROBLEM OF HUMAN EXCEPTIONALISM.  HISTORICALLY, BEING FULLY HUMAN HAS MEANT BEING FULLY WHITE, MALE, WEALTHY, ABLE-BODIED, AND HETEROSEXUAL.  ANYONE OF ANY OTHER COLOR, GENDER, CLASS, ABILITY, OR SEXUALITY WAS DEEMED INFERIOR, LESS THAN HUMAN, SUB-HUMAN, RACIST HUMAN, SAVAGE, OR ANIMAL.  THIS UNSCIENTIFIC HUMAN VERSUS ANIMAL SCALE OF PRIVILEGE AND OPPRESSION IS ROOTED IN AMERICA'S 400-YEAR-OLD EUROCENTRIC PATRIARCHAL SYSTEM OF DENOMINATION.  ALIGNING PEOPLE WITH ACTION ALIGNS US WITH POWER AND EXPLOITATION.  WHITE SUPREMACY INTERSECTS WITH HUMAN EXCEPTIONALISM AND BOTH SHARE A CORE OPPRESSION OF DOMINATION.  FOR EXAMPLE, OUR ENORMOUS INDUSTRIAL CAPITALISTIC FOOD SYSTEM RESULTS IN FOOD DISPARITY, NEGATIVE HEALTH OUTCOMES, ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE, DOMESTIC AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE, AND ECONOMIC SLAVERY AT RATES DISPROPORTIONATELY HIGHER FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR AND THE POOR, BECAUSE COMMODIFYING AND CONSUMING ANIMALS FLOW FROM A DOMINATION MINDSET.  AS LONG AS WE MAINTAIN A DEMAND FOR EXPLOITED ANIMALS, WE WILL UPHOLD INTERSECTING SYSTEMS OF DOMINATION.  THIS CSAI IS A CALL TO GO WIDER AND DEEPER WITH SCIENCE AND COMPASSION INTO THE INTERDEPENDENT WEB OF ALL EXISTENCE, TO SEEK HOLISTIC INTERSECTIONAL JUSTICE FOR EVERY BEING.  WE NEED NOT EXCEPT A FORCED CHOICE BETWEEN PROTECTING PEOPLE AND ANIMALS WHEN THE SHARED BEDROCK OF INTERSECTED OPPRESSION CAP FRACTURED --
>>  THANK YOU.  I WANT TO EXPLAIN SOMETHING.  WE'RE GOING TO TAKE FOUR PEOPLE FROM NUMBER ONE, THEN FOUR PEOPLE FROM NUMBER TWO SO PEOPLE DO NOT GET CONFUSED.  ALSO, WE ARE ONLY TAKING FOUR, SO EVEN IF I'VE KNOWN YOU FOR 20 YEARS, I CANNOT CALL ON YOU.  SO I'M JUST MAKING YOU ARE YOU KNOW ONLY FOUR IN THIS BUNCH WILL GET TO TALK.  OKAY.  THANK YOU.  I RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE NUMBER ONE MIC.
>>  I'M ASHA HAUSER, MEMBER OF THE CHURCH OF THE LARGER FELLOWSHIP, DIRECTOR OF LIFELONG LEARNING AT EAST SHORE UNITARIAN CHURCH.  WIDER IS MORE SHALLOW.  WE WILL TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO AVOID TALKING ABOUT WHITE SUPREMACY.  THIS IS THE ACTION THAT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN.  THIS IS WHAT NEEDS TO BE STUDIED.  I ACTUALLY HAD A PHYSICAL REACTION TO THE IDEA THAT WE NEED TO EXPAND THIS AND WE'RE NOT GOING TO GO DEEPER.  WHEN ETHELRED BROWN ASKED FOR SUPPORT FROM THE UNITARIAN ASSOCIATION TO START A BLACK CHURCH HE WAS TOLD, NO, WE'RE GOING TO STAY MULTICULTURAL, AND THAT MEANT WHITE.  SO IF WE GO WIDER, WE WILL STAY WHITE AND WE WILL FOCUS ON ANIMAL RIGHTS AND NOT WHAT'S HAPPENING TO BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
IF THERE WERE WORDS THAT KEPT WHITE PEOPLE COMFORTABLE, THAT FREED BLACK AND BROWN PEOPLE, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN USED ALREADY.  WE NEED TO STUDY WHITE SUPREMACY.  IT THANK YOU.
[APPLAUSE]
>>  I NOW CALL ON THE DELEGATE AT THE NUMBER TWO MIC.
>> I'M LAURA KIM JOINER AND I SERVE AS COMMUNITY MINISTER AT THE COMMUNITY UU CONGREGATION OF WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK.  MY MINISTRY IS AS A WILDLIFE VETERINARIAN WORKING WITH MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES IN LATIN AMERICA.  ONE INDIGENOUS LEADER, TOMAS, FROM HONDURAS, WAS SHOT FOUR TIMES BECAUSE HE TRIED TO PROTECT HIS PEOPLE AND HIS PARROTS THAT FLY OVER.  I ASKED TOMAS, WHY ARE YOU WILLING TO RISK YOUR LIFE FOR BIRDS AND FOR WILDLIFE?  HE TOLD ME, DOCTOR, EVERYTHING AT RISK AND I AM WILLING TO RISK EVERYTHING.  IF THE PARROTS DON'T MAKE IT, NEITHER DO MY PEOPLE.  MY WORK WITH TOMAS AND OTHERS IN THIS REGION IS INTERSECTIONAL WORK, BUT WE ALSO KNOW IF PEOPLE DON'T MAKE IT, NEITHER DO THE ANIMALS AND THE EARTH.  ALL PEOPLE MUST FLOURISH, FOR NONE ARE FREE UNTIL ALL ARE FREE.  LAST HURRICANE MARIA DECIMATED THE FOREST OF PUERTO RICO, TAKING THE LIVES OF PEOPLE AND MANY OTHER BEINGS ON THAT ISLAND.  THESE POPULATIONS WERE MADE VULNERABLE BY CENTURIES OF DOMINATION THAT TAKES THE FORM OF COLONIALISM, WHITE SUPREMACY, AND PATRIARCHY AND THE CONTINUES WENT ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE.  DOMINATION IS KILLING BODIES AND CULTURES.  I LONG FOR CO LIBERATION FROM THIS CORPS OPPRESSION THAT HARMS US ALL AND BENEFITS ALL OF US.  AS OPPRESSOR AND OWE PRESSED, I ACHE FOR THE HEALING OF THE PEOPLE BEING RAVAGED BY DOMINATION IN ALL ITS FORMS.  I INVITE YOU TO INTERSECTIONAL DIALOGUE AND WORK, WHETHER IT'S THROUGH THIS CSAI PROCESS OR NOT.  SO MUCH IS AT RISK.  LET US RISK WITH ONE ANOTHER.
>>  THANK YOU.  I RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE NUMBER ONE MIC.
>>  ASHLEY HI RAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MINNESOTA UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST SOCIAL JUSTICE ALLIANCE AND DELEGATE FROM FIRST UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF MINNEAPOLIS.  AS WE DEBATE THESE PROPOSALS LET'S REMEMBER THE ORIGINS OF THE TERM INTERSECTIONALITY, A TERM COINED BY A BLACK WOMAN, DR.?KIMBERLY WILLIAMS GRIM SHAW, AND DEMOTES THE VARIOUS WAYS IN WHICH RACE AND GENDER INTERACT TO SHAPE BLACK WOMEN'S EXPERIENCES.  DR.?CRENSHAW RECENTLY SAID SOME PEOPLE LOOK TO INTERSECTIONALITY IS A BRAND THEORY OF EVERYTHING, BUT THAT IS NOT MY INTENTION.  INTERSECTIONALITY CAN GET USED AS A BLANKET TERM TO MEAN IT'S COMPLICATED.  SOMETIMES IT'S COMPLICATED IS AN EXCUSE NOT TO DO ANYTHING.  WHEN THE CONTEXT OF THIS DISCUSSION, I FEAR THAT CSAI IS THE EQUIVALENT OF IT'S COMPLICATED AND WILL LEAD TO US IT WATER DOWN OUR COMMITMENT TO THE WORK OF UNWAVERINGLY CONFRONTING WHITE SUPREMACY.  IT IS NOT THAT THE ENVIRONMENT AND ANIMAL RIGHTS ARE NOT IMPORTANT OR EVEN THAT THEY'RE NOT RELATED TO WHITE SUPREMACY, BECAUSE THEY CERTAINLY ARE, BUT CSAI TWO IS SO BROAD THAT IT WILL SET US UP TO PRIVILEGE OUR INDIVIDUAL PASSION CAUSES OVER A SHARED COMMITMENT TO CONFRONTING THE BE ALL OF WHITE SUPREMACY.
>>  DELEGATE FROM THE ONE MIC.  YOU HAVE TO ONLY SPEAK IN FAVOR OF YOUR MOTION.
>>  I ASK YOU PORT CSAI ONE BECAUSE JUST AS IT'S IMPORTANT TO SAY BLACK LIVES MATTER, BECAUSE THE WORLD DOES SO OFTEN SAY OTHERWISE, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON WHITE SUPREMACY.  I SUPPORT CSAI ONE BECAUSE I BELIEVE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS ARE BEING CALLED BY OUR ANCESTORS AND OUR DESCENDANT TO DO SOMETHING WE DON'T ALWAYS DO WELL, WHICH IS FOCUS.  I BELIEVE THAT DOING SO WILL, IN FACT, SERVE AS THE GATEWAY THROUGH WHICH WE BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND AND ADDRESS ALL OTHER FORMS OF OPPRESSION.
>>  THANK YOU.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
>>  I NEED TO REMIND PEOPLE THERE ARE MULTIPLE ACCESSIBILITY NEEDS IN THE HOUSE.  SO IF YOU SCREAM AND SHOUT, IT MEANS THAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE A HARD TIME HEARING CAN'T HEAR.  SO IF YOU COULD SILENTLY DO WHATEVER IT IS YOU WANT TO DO, THAT WOULD BE REALLY APPRECIATED.  EVEN IF IT'S NOT MY OWN GENERAL CULTURAL THING.  I RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE NUMBER TWO MIC.
>>  I'M CAMILLI ELLEN TOVLE, DELEGATE FROM THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF CHEYENNE.  THIS CSAI INTENDS TO ADDRESS ALL SYSTEMS OF SUPERIORITY, INTERTWINED AND MUTUALLY SUPPORTIVE.  A FEW OF THESE INCLUDE WHITE SUPREMACY, IMPERIALISM, RELIGIOUS HEGEMONY, ECONOMIC AND EDUCATION INEQUALITIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL DOMINION.  THEY MUST BE ADDRESSED IN A HOLISTIC MANNER TO BE SUCCESSFUL.  IF WE DO NOT CHANGE OUR ECONOMIC SYSTEM AND ADDRESS OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, WHITE SUPREMACY WILL CONTINUE TO BE TAUGHT AND REINFORCED IN FUTURE GENERATIONS.  I AM ATTRACTED TO THIS CSAI BECAUSE IT OFFERS MULTIPLE ENTRY POINTS SO ANYONE ENTERING ITS WORK, REGARDLESS OF WHERE THEY ARE BEGINNING, AND OFFERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE INTERRELATED NATURE OF ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT OPPRESSIONS.  AS ONE EXAMPLE, MY FATHER IS EGYPTIAN.  WHEN I LEARNED HIS FIRST LANGUAGE, ARABIC, AS AN ADULT BEING I QUICKLY BECAME AWARE OF HOW SUPERIORITY IS REINFORCED THROUGH LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS SUCH AS ALWAYS PREFER MALE PRONOUNS, USING DIFFERENT LACK TO ADDRESS OLDER MALES, BUT NOT NECESSARILY FEMALES, AND THE USE OF ANIMALS AS INSULTS.  AND YET I KNOW THAT MOST OF MY ARAB FRIENDS CANNOT SO THAT THIS BEAUTIFUL AND ANCIENT LANGUAGE IMPLIES AND REINFORCES HARMFUL SYSTEMS.  THE WORK OF DISMANTLING ENTRENCHED SYSTEMS OF SUPERIORITY AND IMPRESSION IS LONG AND HARD.  IT IS TIME TO CREATE A MOVEMENT OF MOVEMENTS THAT DRAWS ALL OF THIS TOGETHER FOR THE LIBERATION OF ALL.  THANK YOU.
[APPLAUSE]
>>  I NOW RECOGNIZE DELEGATE AT THE ONE MIC.
>>  I'M CHRIS JIMMERSON, MINISTER FOR PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AT FIRST UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF AUSTIN AND A MEMBER OF THE ALLIES FOR RACIAL EQUITY STEERING COMMITTEE, AND IT'S ON BEHALF OF THE ALLIES FOR RACIAL EQUITY THAT I SPEAK TODAY TO EXPRESS OUR STRONG SUPPORT FOR CSAI NUMBER ONE, UNDOING WHITE SUPREMACY.  GIVEN THE EVENTS WE HAVE EXPERIENCED WITHIN OUR UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST MOVEMENT RELATED TO OUR CULTURE OF WHITE SUPREMACY OVER THE PAST WEEKS, MONTHS, AND YEARS, GIVEN THE NEW YOU BEGINNING WE HAVE RECENTLY MADE WITH OUR WHITE SUPREMACY TEACH-INS, WE BELIEVE WE ARE CALLED HERE AND NOW TO NOT ONLY CONTINUE, BUT EXPAND FOCUS ON UNDOING WHITE SUPREMACY.  GIVEN THAT DAILY WE WITNESS IMAGES AND STORIES OF BLACK AND BROWN BODIES BEING DECIMATED, IN FACT AND INDEED FAR TOO OFTEN DESTROYED, PEOPLE OF COLOR'S FAMILIES BEING RIPPED APART, WE BELIEVE WE ARE CALLED HERE AND NOW TO DISMANTLE OUR CULTURE OF WHITE SUPREMACY.  I BELIEVE THAT DOING THIS WORK TOGETHER, DISMANTLING OUR CULTURE OF WHITE SUPREMACY WITHIN OURSELVES, AMONG US, AND BEYOND US OUT IN OUR WORLD WILL PUT US ON A PATH AWAY FROM RAMPANT INDIVIDUALISM WITHIN WHICH SO MANY DIFFERENT FORMS OF OPPRESSION CANNOT ONLY SURVIVE, BUT YOU THRIVE, AND TOWARD, TOWARD COLLECTIVE LIBERATION FOR US ALL.  SO ON BEHALF OF ALLIES FOR RACIAL EQUITY, I URGE MY FELLOW DELEGATES TO VOTE FOR CSAI NUMBER ONE, UNDOING WHITE SUPREMACY.
>>  I RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE TWO MIC.
>>  MY NAME IS LARRY WELLAND, I AM A MEMBER OF THE CONGREGATION OF SOUTH COUNTY, RHODE ISLAND, AND I BELIEVE WE HAVE ANOTHER ISSUES THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO IGNORE AND I AM VERY HAPPY THAT SUSAN GRAY BROUGHT UP THE CLIMATE CHANGE PROBLEM.  IT'S HAPPENING FAST.  IT'S GOING FASTER ALL THE TIME.  AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT SEVERAL THINGS ARE INVOLVED HERE.  THE CLIMATE ITSELF, THE LOSS OF HABITAT AND THE LOSS OF WILDLIFE.  I DON'T KNOW WHAT A WORLD WITHOUT ANY WILDLIFE WOULD LOOK LIKE, BUT IT WOULDN'T BE HAPPY.  AND THE OTHER MATTER THAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW THAT'S VERY SERIOUS IS THE MASS EXTINCTION OF SPECIES IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.  AND I THINK THAT THE UNITARIAN CHURCH HAS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS AND I KNOW THAT IT IS NOT EXPLICIT IN OUR SEVEN PRINCIPLES, BUT I WANTED TO HAVE IN SOME WAY A GREATER STATUS FOR US, BECAUSE TO BE HONEST, NO MATTER HOW MANY SCHEMES PEOPLE COME UP WITH, THERE IS NO PLANET B AND THE EARTH IS APPARENTLY A VERY RARE PLANET TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT LIFE.  AND LET'S NOT BLOW IT.  THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
[APPLAUSE]
>>  I RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE FROM THE ONE MIC.
>>  I AM CAROL CARTER WALKER, DELEGATE FROM PAINT BRANCH UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH IN ADELPHI, MARYLAND.  I HAVE BEEN A UU FOR ZERO YEARS, ACTIVE AT THE CHURCH, DISTRICT, REGIONAL, AND NATIONAL LEVELS.  LIKE MANY OF YOU, I AM A PERSON OF WORDS.  I LIVE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY IN MY HEAD.  BUT TODAY I AM DOING SOMETHING UNCOMFORTABLE.  I AM SPEAKING FROM THE HEART.  I AM SAD AND I AM HURT AND I'M ASKING FOR YOUR HELP IN TAKING AWAY MY PAIN.  IN MY 30 YEARS AS A UU I HAVE SEEN MANY MANIFESTATIONS OF HOW SKILLFULLY WE UUS CAN DODGE THE ISSUE THAT IS AT THE CORE OF OUR FAITH AND THREATENS ITS VITALITY, WHITE SUPREMACY.  WE SAID IF WE CHANGED OUR MUSIC AND WORSHIP STYLES, THEN BLACK PEOPLE WOULD COME.  WE SAID WE WERE NOT AS ATTRACTIVE TO PEOPLE BLACK AND BROWN, BECAUSE THEY WERE MOSTLY CHRISTIAN, NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THE THEOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE OF COLOR.  WE FOCUSED ON CLIMATE CHANGE, CLASSISM, INCOME EQUALITY, GENDER, AND EXPRESSION ISSUES.  ISSUES THAT ARE IMPORTANT BUT EXTERNAL RATHER THAN INTERNAL TO OUR MOVEMENT.  OUR POSTURE IS AND HAS BEEN SOLVE THESE PROBLEMS FIRST AND WE'LL GET TO OUR CONCERNS LATER.  WE REFUSE TO PLAY THE DRAGON OF WHITE SUPREMACY.  WE DE-SYMPATHY BELL THE CONCEPTS OF HUMAN EXCEPTIONALISM AGAINST THE NEED TO CLEAN UP OUR OWN HOUSE.  SO NOW IS THE TIME TO LOOK THE DRAGON SQUARELY IN THE FACE, NAME IT, CALL IT OUT FEARLESSLY AND BOLDLY, AND WORK TO SLAY IT.  NOW IS THE TIME.  THANK YOU.
>>  I RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE FROM THE TWO MIC.
>>  I'M BILL RUTH OF FIRST UU CHURCH OF ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA.  I HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT TERMINOLOGY.  I HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT TERMINOLOGY.  I'M WELL AWARE THAT WESTERN CULTURE IS STEEPED IN RACISM.  I HAVE A SEVEN-YEAR-OLD AFRO-AMERICAN GRANDDAUGHTER WHO WAS TOLD BY A EUROAMERICANS CLASSMATE THAT THEY SHOULD NOT PLAY TOGETHER, BECAUSE THEY'RE DIFFERENT.  SO RACISM IS A HUGE PROBLEM FOR ME, BUT SO ARE ALL OTHER FORMS OF OPPRESSION, WHICH ARE MOSTLY NOT ROOTED IN WHITE SUPREMACY, BUT IN GREED FOR MONEY AND POWER.  WHILE WHITE SUPREMACY IS GROWING, IT IS NOT THE ONLY OPPRESSION AND THE TERMINOLOGY MISSES MANY INTERSECTIONS.  NOR DOES THE TERMINOLOGY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT PEOPLE LIKE CLARENCE THOMAS ARE SOMETIMES THE INSTRUMENTS OF WHITE POWER ELITES.  THE TERMINOLOGY CERTAINLY HAS NO ATTRACTION FOR POOR WHITES, NOR FOR THOSE OF US UPSET WITH THE MAIHEM BROUGHT BY MILITARISM.  ANY YOU OF THESE ISSUES DO NOT FUNDAMENTALLY THREATEN THE POWER STRUCTURE, SO THEY ARE ENCOURAGED BY ELITE MEDIA AND USED TO DIVIDE THE POPULATION AND DISTRACT US FROM ISSUES THAT DO.  I SUPPORT CSAI TWO.  THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> AS YOUR CO MODERATOR AND HIS BOARD OF TRUSTEES, I SHARED WITH YOU, WE'RE HOPING TO HAVE MODELED DURING THIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOW WE CAN BE IN RELATIONSHIP AND DEEPER CONVERSATION WITH ONE ANOTHER, EVEN AS WE ARE ADVANCING THE WORK WE DO TOGETHER FORWARD.  IT'S IN THAT SPIRIT WE'RE GOING TO INVITE US TO TAKE THREE MINUTES AND WE'LL REPLICATE THIS AS WE CONTINUE THROUGH OUR BUSINESS AGENDA.  YOU'LL SEE THIS HAPPEN AGAIN.  WE'RE GOING TO INVITE YOU TO TAKE ABOUT THREE MINUTES TO TURN TO PEOPLE WHO ARE SEATED NEAR YOU, SO NO NEED TO GET UP AND DO ANYTHING COMPLICATED, BUT FOLKS NEAR YOU, AND ENGAGE IN SOME INTENTIONAL, THOUGHTFUL REFLECTION, DIALOGUE, LISTENING TO ONE ANOTHER AROUND THIS QUESTION.  HOW DO THESE CSAIS THAT HAVE BEEN OFFERED, HOW DO THEY ADDRESS WHAT OUR CONGREGATIONS NEED TO WITNESS IN THESE PARTICULAR TIMES?  WE'RE GOING TO INVITE YOU TO ENGAGE WITH ONE ANOTHER IN DIALOGUE AND REFLECTION ON THAT QUESTION.
>> I'D LIKE TO INVITE US BACK TOGETHER.  IF YOU COULD CLOSE OUT YOUR CONVERSATIONS.  THANK YOU YOU FOR ENGAGING IN IT THAT.  MY COLLEAGUE ON THE BOARD, GREG BOYD, WILL EXPLAIN US AND HEAT US THROUGH THE VOTING PROCESS ON THESE TWO CSAIS.
>>  IF YOU'RE OFF-SITE YOU'LL HAVE ANOTHER WAY OF DOING THIS.  AT THIS TIME YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND TEAR OFF THAT MOST BOTTOM PART AND TELLERS AND USHERS, DO WE HAVE PENCILS FOR PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T BRING PENS INTO THE HALL?  CAN YOU GIVE ME THUMBS UP IF THAT'S SOMETHING YOU HAVE?  I SEE THAT PENS AND PENCILS ARE COMING FROM THE BACK OF THE HALL, SO THOSE WHO DID NOT BRING THEM ALONG WITH YOU.  AT ANY POINT YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND?-- CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?  AT ANY POINT YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND WRITE A LITTLE NUMBER INSIDE OF THIS BOX, BUT AT THIS POINT I INVITES YOU TO PRAY WITH ME.  SPIRIT OF OUR LIVING TRADITION THAT GUIDES US TO MAKE ETHICAL STATEMENTS ON THE THINGS THAT MATTER TO US MOST, LET OUR HEARTS BE MOVED BY ALL THAT WE HAVE HEARD AND KNOW THAT WE DISCERN WELL TOGETHER.  WE KNOW TRULY THE DEEP HURTS WE CAUSE TO ONE ANOTHER AND THIS WORLD AND WE KNOW THAT MOVING TOGETHER WE ARE ABLE TO DO MORE.  BLESSED BE AND AMEN.  PLEASE COMPLETE YOUR VOTING AND THEN YOUR USHERS AND TELLERS WILL BE ABLE TO COLLECT THEM IN A BASKET AND TAKE THEM TO THE BACK.  WE WILL ANNOUNCE THE VOTE LATER IN OUR DEBATE AND CONVERSATIONS.  SOUND GOOD?  THANK YOU.
>>  AS YOU'RE COMPLETING YOUR VOTING, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME THE REVEREND VAIL WELLER, DIRECTOR OF CONGREGATIONAL GIVING, TO GIVE THE ANNUAL PROGRAM FUND REPORT.
THANK YOU VAIL AND THE OFFICE OF STEWARDSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO.
>>  OUR UUA BYLAWS STATE: "A CONGREGATION BECOMES A MEMBER UPON ACCEPTANCE BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE ASSOCIATION OF ITS WRITTEN APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP IN WHICH IT SUBSCRIBES TO THE PRINCIPLES OF, AND PLEDGES TO SUPPORT, THE ASSOCIATION." OUR PRINCIPLES AND PURPOSES
CLOSE WITH THIS PROMISE: "AS FREE CONGREGATIONS WE ENTER INTO...COVENANT, PROMISING TO ONE ANOTHER OUR MUTUAL TRUST AND SUPPORT." THE VEHICLE FOR CONGREGATIONAL SUPPORT IS THE ANNUAL PROGRAM FUND.
I AM THE REV. VAIL WELLER, AND I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING AS YOUR CONGREGATIONAL GIVING DIRECTOR. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF OUR ANNUAL PROGRAM FUND. YOUR GENEROSITY POWERS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM! AND NOW I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE....MYSELF.
I VISIT MANY OF OUR CONGREGATIONS AND IN EACH AND EVERY PLACE I GO, I AM INSPIRED. I AM MOVED BY THE THOUGHTFUL, HARD WORK THAT OUR CONGREGATIONS ARE DOING TO BRING OUR SHARED UU PRINCIPLES TO LIFE. WHEN I AM WITH YOU...WITH OUR CONGREGATIONS... WITH OUR MINISTERS...MY FAITH IN WHO WE ARE AND WHO WE ARE BECOMING AS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS IS ENRICHED. IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO WITNESS FAITHFULNESS IN OUR CONGREGATIONS, AND TO HELP EACH CONGREGATION KNOW IT'S IMPORTANCE TO THE REST OF THE ASSOCIATION. FRIENDS: YOUR GENEROSITY POWERS THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ASSOCIATION. AND THE UUA IS HERE TO SUPPORT AND AMPLIFY WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
THE UUA EQUIPS AND SUPPORTS CONGREGATIONS FOR VITAL AND THRIVING MINISTRY IN ALL AREAS OF CONGREGATIONAL LIFE. FROM PUBLISHING AND ONLINE RESOURCES, TO TRAINING AND COACHING, TO MINISTERIAL SEARCH AND SETTLEMENT, THE UUA PROVIDES ESSENTIAL FOUNDATIONAL RESOURCES FOR SUSTAINING TRANSFORMATIVE AND LIBERATING MINISTRY.
FOR STAFF AND VOLUNTEER LEADERS, THE UUA OFFERS VALUES- BASED TRAINING, PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALING AND SUPPORT SERVICES, AND COMPREHENSIVE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCES TO PREPARE FOR FAITHFUL LEADERSHIP OF UU CONGREGATIONS AND COMMUNITIES.
OUR FAITH CALLS US TO TAKE ACTION FOR JUSTICE AND LIBERATION IN OUR COMMUNITIES. AS THE NATIONAL VOICE OF UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM, THE UUA SHOWS UP WITH CAMPAIGNS AND PARTNERSHIPS TO BRING UU VALUES INTO THE WIDER WORLD. ONLINE, ON PAPER, IN PERSON AND AROUND THE WORLD, THE UUA HELPS PEOPLE STAY CONNECTED TO OUR SHARED FAITH.
MY FRIENDS, IT IS YOUR SUPPORT WHICH MAKES ALL OF THIS POSSIBLE. YOUR GENEROSITY POWERS THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ASSOCIATION.
WE KNOW THAT GENEROSITY IS AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE.
SIMILARLY, YOUR CONGREGATION'S COMMITMENT TO THE ANNUAL PROGRAM FUND IS A COVENANTAL SPIRITUAL PRACTICE. IT IS ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU DEMONSTRATE THAT WE ARE AN ASSOCIATION OF CONGREGATIONS - BY SUPPORTING NOT ONLY YOUR OWN, BUT ALL UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS. THE OTHER CONGREGATIONS ACROSS OUR ASSOCIATION DEPEND UPON YOUR GENEROSITY, AS YOU DEPEND UPON THEIRS.
WE NEED EACH OTHER IN SO MANY WAYS.
THROUGH YOUR SUPPORT OF THE ANNUAL PROGRAM FUND, YOU HELP TO EMBOLDEN CONGREGATIONS ACROSS OUR LAND TO DO THE WORK OF JUSTICE, TO LOVE MORE DEEPLY, AND TO GROW TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF OUR TIME. YOUR GENEROSITY POWERS THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ASSOCIATION.
ON BEHALF OF ALL OF THE CONGREGATIONS THAT YOUR GENEROSITY BENEFITS...
THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS, STEADFAST, ONGOING SUPPORT."
[APPLAUSE]
THANK YOU, SELF.
WAVE YOUR ARMS IF YOU BELIEVE IN THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES IN THIS TIME!
WAVE IF YOU KNOW THIS IS NO TIME TO GO IT ALONE!
WAVE YOUR HAND IF YOU ARE A MEMBER OF A CONGREGATION THAT PROUDLY GIVES TO SUPPORT APF!
WAVE YOUR HAND IF YOU ARE FROM AN HONOR CONGREGATION CONTRIBUTING THE FULL AMOUNT REQUESTED!
PLEASE, LOOK AROUND. MAKE IT A POINT TO THANK AT LEAST ONE OF THESE REPRESENTATIVES FROM CONGREGATIONS ACROSS OUR ASSOCIATION WHO HELP TO SUPPORT YOUR OWN.
PLEASE DO COME SEE US AT OUR STEWARDSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT BOOTH AT THE BOTTOM OF THE ESCALATOR SO WE CAN ALSO APPRECIATE YOU IN PERSON.
YOUR GENEROSITY POWERS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ASSOCIATION AND UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CARE, YOUR LOVE FOR OUR FAITH, AND FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
[APPLAUSE]
>>  PLEASE WELCOME THE REV. ALICIA FORDE, THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR IN MINISTRIES AND FAITH DEVELOPMENT FOR THE LEGACY SOCIETY MEMORIAM. THANK YOU.
[APPLAUSE]
THIS IS OUR TIME TO HONOR SOME OF THE GENEROUS UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS WHO HAVE DIED THIS YEAR. THEIR GIFTS OF TIME, TALENT, AND TREASURE HAVE PROFOUNDLY TRANSFORMED THEIR CONGREGATIONS AND OUR UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST COMMUNITY. THEIR DEDICATION TO LOVE AND JUSTICE WILL CONTINUE TO ENRICH THE LIVES THEY TOUCHED. AS WE REMEMBER THESE FRIENDS WHO LOVED OUR FAITH WITH ALL THEIR HEARTS AND WHOSE HOPES FOR THE FUTURE NOW REST WITH US, MAY WE RENEW OUR OWN COMMITMENT TO THIS FAITH WE SHARE, A FAITH THAT CONNECTS US TO GENERATIONS GONE AND GENERATIONS TO COME.
WE CELEBRATE THE MANY LIVES, FRIENDSHIPS, AND MEMORIES THAT HAVE BEEN LIFTED UP HERE TODAY AND WE HONOR THOSE WHO DIED WITH OUR OWN COMMITMENT ANSWER THE CALL OF UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM AND BUILD THE BELOVED COMMUNITY IN OUR FAITH.
>>  WE CELEBRATE THE MANY LIVES, FRIEND SHIPS, AND MEMORIES THAT HAVE BEEN LIFTED UP HERE TODAY.  MAY WE HONOR THOSE WHO DIED WITH OUR OWN COMMITMENT TO ANSWER THE CALL OF UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISM AND BUILD THE BELOVED COMMUNITY IN OUR FAITH AND IN OUR WORLD.  SO MAY IT BE AND AMEN.
>>  HEY, LEON, THAT WAS SOME BEAUTIFUL MUSIC, BUT I'M FEELING LIKE WE COULD DO SOME SINGING AS WE MOVE INTO MY FAVORITE PART OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY, WHICH IS THE WORK ON OUR BYLAWS.  I AM NOT KIDDING.  YOU GOT A GOOD SONG FOR US?
>> I HAVE JUST THE THING.  FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO LET EVERYONE KNOW I AM WEARING I'M A UUMN BEING TODAY, BECAUSE I'M SO PROUD OF MY CREDENTIALED MUSIC LEADERS WHO WALKED ALONG LAST NIGHT ALONG WITH ALL OF ON YOU BEAUTIFUL CLERGY.  ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO WALKED WAS MR.?SCOTT DEVO.  AND SO RIGHT NOW WOULD YOU RISE, JOIN MR.?DEVO AND ME IN BODY AND SPIRIT AND SING BLUE BOAT HOME.
>>  THANK YOU.  IS THAT ABOUT WHAT YOU WANTED?  ALL RIGHT.
>>  SO THANK YOU.  THAT WAS MY BRIDGING SONG, LIKE A LOT OF US, AND SO JEN HAZEL IS LISTENING, SO THANK YOU, JEN AND ERIC.  YOU ALL READY?  SO WE HAVE FOUR.  READY?  ONE, TWO, THREE, AND FOUR.  IT'S TWO:51.  ALL RIGHT.  SO THIS WE'RE ABOUT TO DO IS THE CHANGE TO PRINCIPLES AND PURPOSES.  I JUST WANT TO SAY THIS BEFORE.  PROPOSED BYLAW CHANGE RECEIVED OVER 45TH VOTE AT LAST YEAR'S GENERAL ASSEMBLY.  NO AMENDMENTS ARE ALOUD THIS YEAR.  SO IT WAS SUBMITTED FROM OVER 15 CERTIFIED CONGREGATIONS IN 2017 , FILE ADOPTION REQUIRES TWO-THIRDS VOTE AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.  I RECOGNIZE THE PEOPLE AT THE PROCEDURAL MIC.
>>  I'M JAMIE RANDALL, AFFILIATE MEMBER OF THE FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF TOLEDO FROM TOLEDO, OHIO, WHERE I SERVE THE COMMUNITY AS A HOSTAGE CHAPLAIN AND I'M RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS CHANGE, UPDATE.
>> REMOVING WOMEN AND MEN AND UPDATING THAT LANGUAGE TO PROPHETIC PEOPLE ALLOWS FOR THE INCLUSION OF ALL PERSONS OF ALL GENDER IDENTITIES AND EXPRESSIONS.  OUR POLITY IS SUCH THAT WE ARE ABLE TO SHINE THE SPOTLIGHT ON OUR OWN COVENANT.  THE STRENGTH OF OUR LIVING TRADITION MEANS WE ARE PART OF A COVENANT IN WHICH REVELATION IS ALWAYS BEING REVEALED.  WE'RE AT THAT MOMENT RIGHT NOW.  I WANT TO THANK MY MENTOR, REVEREND DR.?SUSAN RITCHIE, MY CHURCH, FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF TOLEDO, THE 16 CHURCHES THAT SUBMIT PAPERWORK SO THAT WE COULD GET TO THIS POINT, THE FOLKS WHO VOTED LAST YEAR TO PASS THIS THROUGH PRELIMINARY VOTE, AND ALL WHO HAVE HELPED AND BY STRENGTHENING THE VOICE OF THE MARGINALIZED AMONG US, WORKING TOGETHER, WE'RE ABLE TO DO THE LARGER WORK IN THE WORLD.
>>  SO DO YOU WANT TO MAKE THE MOTION?
>>  HANG ON ONE SECOND.  I HAD A LITTLE BIT OF ANXIETY.  I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE THE MOTION THAT WE CHANGE THE WORDING FROM WOMEN AND MEN TO PEOPLE.
>>  THANK YOU.  CAN I HAVE A SECOND?  ALL RIGHT.  THE MOTION IS ON THE FLOOR.  OKAY.  SO BEFORE WE VOTE WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT A LITTLE BIT.  SOME OF YOU WERE NOT AT GENERAL ASSEMBLY LAST YEAR, SO THIS MAY BE A NEW CONCEPT FOR YOU.  SO PLEASE TURN TO THE PEOPLE SITTING AROUND YOU, TRY TO TALK TO SOMEBODY YOU DON'T ALREADY KNOW, AND CONSIDER THESE QUESTIONS.  IN WHAT WAYS DOES THIS PROPOSED CHANGE IMPROVE THE LANGUAGE OF OUR SECOND SOURCE?  WHAT CONCERNS DO YOU HAVE ABOUT THE PROPOSED CHANGE IN AND OVERALL HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT THIS PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO OUR BYLAWS, AND SPECIFICALLY ONE OF THE SOURCES OF OUR LIVING TRADITION IN AND YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
>>  ALL RIGHT.  WE ARE READY TO COME BACK TO A DISCUSSION, OUR LIKES AND CONCERNS FOR THIS PARTICULAR BYLAW AMENDMENT.  BEFORE WE MOVE ON, I'D LIKE TO ANNOUNCE THE VOTE OF THE PROPOSED CONGREGATIONAL STUDY ACTION ISSUES WITH 1100 OR 1,101 VOTES TO 108 VOTES.  WE WILL BE STUDYING NUMBER ONE.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
>>  I RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE PRO MIC.
>>  MY NAME IS [INDISCERNIBLE] I HAVE BEEN A MEMBER OF FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF TOLEDO FOR 20 YEARS.  I AM ONE OF THE COMMISSIONED LAY MINISTER CANDIDATES LEADING THIS CHURCH.  THIS CHANGE TO YOU ALL PERSONS REFLECTS THAT WE CAN, INDEED, BE A BOLD PEOPLE.  BOLD PEOPLE CAN BE PROPHETIC.  BOLD PEOPLE ARE IN MUTUAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER.  BOLD PEOPLE RADICALLY CARE FOR EACH OTHER.  AND OLD PEOPLE LISTENED AND SHOW UP FOR JUSTICE WHEN SOMEONE IS HURTING MY SIBLINGS.
>> THANK YOU.  I RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE CONCERN MIC.
>>  [INDISCERNIBLE] 64 AND A HALF YEAR MEMBER OF THE WARNER UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION IN MINNESOTA.  AND I AM IN INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE AND I THINK WITH GRATITUDE OF THE WORK OF DRUCILLA CUMMINS, NOW LONG DECEASED, BUT WHO LED THE EFFORT TO BRING INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE, THE WORD WOMEN INTO OUR LITERATURE IT, OUR BYLAWS, AND I WISH THAT THE LANGUAGE COULD INCLUDE THE PROPHETIC WORDS OF WOMEN AND MEN AND ALL PEOPLE WHOSE WISDOM INSPIRES US, YOU KNOW?  AND I DON'T THINK WE'RE MOVING FORWARD IF WE REMOVE THE SPECIFIC LANGUAGE, RECOGNIZING WHEN ITS CONTRIBUTIONS?-- I FEEL VERY STRONGLY ABOUT THAT.  I THINK I UNDERSTAND THE PAIN OF EXCLUSION.  I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY DECADES I HEARD THAT MANKIND INCLUDED WOMEN.  IT WAS GREAT RELIEF TO STARRED TO SEE WOMEN INCLUDED AND I WOULD LIKE TO NOT LOSE THAT.
>>  THANK YOU.  I RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE PRO MIC.
>> I'M DAVID STRICKLER FROM THE FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF TOLEDO, OHIO.  I AFFIRM AND SUPPORT THE INHERENT WORTH AND DIGNITY OF ALL PEOPLE AND I THINK OUR SECOND SOURCE NEEDS TO IT USE THAT LANGUAGE TO AFFIRM THE INHERENT WORTH AND DIGNITY OF ALL PEOPLE, REGARDLESS OF RACE, GENDER, OR SEXUAL IDENTITY.
>>  THANK YOU.  I RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE CONCERN MIC.
>>  THANK YOU.  I'M LORELLA COLELLA, UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP.  I WAS A DELEGATE AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN 1984 WHEN WE PASSED THE PRINCIPLES AND PURPOSES.  AT THAT TIME I WAS COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS TO GENDER NONBINARY ISSUES.  I HAVE LEARNED SINCE THEN.  I THANK THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE HELPED ME LEARN.  MY CONCERN ABOUT THIS CHANGE ARISES FROM SOMETHING I LEARNED AT THAT GA IN 84.  WHEN WE LASTED PRINCIPLES AND PURPOSES, WE ATTEMPTED TO READ THEM IN UNISON FROM THE COMPLETELY UNSCIENTIFIC SURVEY.  THE PEOPLE STANDING AROUND ME, ABOUT TWO-THIRDS SAID MEN AND WOMEN RATHER THAN WOMEN AND MEN.  AND I FELT, WOW.  A GROUP OF UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS CANNOT SAY WOMEN AND MEN WHEN THEY ARE READING IT.  THAT'S A PROBLEM.  I'D LIKE TO REFER TO YOU IT PAGE?67 OF THE PROGRAM GUIDE FOR THIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN WHICH ON THIS AGENDA IT NOTES THAT WE ARE NOW VOTING, CHANGING MEN AND WOMEN TO PEOPLE.  SOMEBODY WROTE THAT.  I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY LEVELS OF PROOFREADING IT WENT THROUGH TO GET THERE BUT THAT'S MY CONCERN.
>>  THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR CONCERN.  I RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE PRO MIC.
>>  MY NAME IS BRENNA KOEHLER.  I AM FROM THE SMUUCH CONGREGATION.  THIS IS WRITTEN BY MY FRIEND ICARUS.  WHEN I STARTED USING THEY THEM PRONOUNS I CURRENTLY USED WE/THEY ICARUS.  I'LL SCARED TO TELL THEM.  I DIDN'T KNOW VERY MANY NONBINARY PEOPLE.  I EVEN FELT LIKE I WAS GOING TO BE JUDGED BY THOSE PEOPLE.  I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS INVALID BY SOMEONE, SO I WENT BACK TO THE CLOSET.  I FELT FREE SO NOW I FEEL LIKE I CAN TELL PEOPLE.  THAT'S A PRO FROM ONE OF MY FRIENDS.
>> THANK YOU.
[APPLAUSE]
>>  THERE IS NO ONE AT THE CONCERN MIC.  I HAVE NO ONE IN THE OFF-SITE CUE.  WHICH TELLS ME YOU ARE READY TO VOTE.  SO THAT YOU REMEMBER, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO AMEND THIS.  FINAL PASSAGE REQUIRES A TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY VOTE.  I HAVE A LITTLE TABLET THAT TELLS ME WHEN THE OFF-SITE DELEGATES ARE VOTING.  IT TAKES ME MORE TIME TO SEE THE LIVESTREAM, SO IT WILL TAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME FOR US TO KNOW WHAT THE FINAL VOTE IS.  MAKE SENSE TO EVERYONE?  FANTASTIC.  OKAY.  WE ARE READY TO VOTE.  ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF CHANGING THE LANGUAGE OF WOMEN AND MEN TO PEOPLE, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR YELLOW DELEGATE VOTING CARDS NOW YOU.  ALL THOSE OPPOSED?  YOU CAN PUT YOUR CARDS DOWN.  WE'LL WAIT ON FOR THE OFF-SITE.  .  LET'S SEE THE OFF-SITE VOTE.  , IT IS MOTION CLEARLY PASSES.
[APPLAUSE]
WOULD SOMEBODY FROM THE JOSEPH PRIESTLY DISTRICT WHO IS PREPARED TO MAKE THE NEXT MOTION COME TO THE PROCEDURE MIC, PLEASE?  I RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE PRO MIC.
>>  I'M DENNIS WELLMAN, A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DELEGATE FROM THE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION OF ROCKVILLE.  ALSO PRESIDENT OF THE JOSEPH PRIESTLY DISTRICT.  .  WE ORGANIZED 27 CONGREGATIONS TO PETITION TO HAVE THIS PROPOSED AMENDMENT PUT ON THE AGENDA FOR THIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY.  SHOULD I READ IT?
>>  YES.
>> SECTION 6.16, CONGREGATIONAL LINKAGE.  THAT WILL BE A NEW SECTION.  THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES SHALL ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN MEANS BY WHICH CONGREGATIONS MAY COMMUNICATE CONCERNING GOVERNANCE AND RECEIVE TIMELY RESPONSES TO SUCH COMMUNICATIONS.  THE MEANS ESTABLISHED BY THE BOARD SHALL BE CONTRIBUTED TO THE CONGREGATIONS.
>>  DO I HAVE A SECOND?  HEARING A SECOND.  WE NOW YOU HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR.
>>  THANK YOU.
>> JUST TO NOTE THAT THERE WAS AN INCORPORATED AMENDMENT TO AMENDMENT TWO, YOU CAN FIND IT EITHER ON THE APP OR ON THE PIECE OF PAPER THAT YOU MADE WHEN YOU GOT IN.  INCORPORATED THEM INTO CHANGES, IT STRIKES THE WORD AMY A IN FRONT OF MEANS TO ALLOW FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF PLURAL MEANS.  SO THAT WAS THE ONLY AMENDMENT OFFERED AT THE MINI ASSEMBLY.  NOW IS THE TIME WE WANT TO YOU FORM A SMALL GROUP WITH THE FOLKS AROUND YOU AND TRY AND INCLUDE SOME FOLKS YOU MIGHT NOT ALREADY KNOW.  TAKE THREE MINUTES TO DISCUSS THIS AMENDMENT.  WHAT SORT OF LINKAGE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FROM THE UUA BOARD AND HOW DOES THIS AMENDMENT MOVE US IN SUPPORT THAT HAVE?  THREE MINUTES.
INVITE YOU TO COME BACK TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY.  AS WE MOVE INTO DISCUSSION.  I RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE PRO MIC.
>>  HELLO.  I AM DENNIS WELMUTH OF THE UU CONGREGATION OF ROCKVILLE IN ROCKVILLE, MARYLAND, AND ALSO THE PRESIDENT OF THE JOSEPH PRIESTLY DISTRICT BOARD OF DIRECTORS.  POLICY GOVERNANCE REQUIRES THAT THERE BE GOVERNANCE LINKAGE BETWEEN THE CONSTITUENTS AND THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF AN ORGANIZATION.  AND THAT NEEDS TO BE A FORMAL LINKAGE, FORMAL GOVERNANCE LINKAGE.  WHAT WE ARE ASKING IS THAT THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOLLOW ITS OWN REQUIREMENTS OF POLICY GOVERNANCE AND ESTABLISH PREFERABLY MULTIPLE MEANS BY WHICH CONGREGATIONS CAN COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND GET TIMELY RESPONSES.  THIS IS IMPORTANT, BECAUSE GETTING TOGETHER 15 CONGREGATIONS TO PETITION THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES COST US TWO YEARS OF EFFORT AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND MANY, MANY, MANY THOUSANDS OF HOURS OF ORGANIZING TIME.  THAT SHOULDN'T BE NECESSARY.  WE SHOULD BE SEEING THE UUA BOARD OF TRUSTEES AS FRIENDLY AS OUR DISTRICTS WERE AND AS CLOSE AND PERSONABLE AND LOVEABLE.  SO PLEASE BE LOVEABLE.  THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.  RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE PROCEDURAL MIC.
>>  THANK YOU.  JAMES SNELL, FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF DALLAS.  POINT OF INFORMATION.  I COULD BE IGNORE RAN, BUT I WAS ON THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR THREE YEARS AND THE QUESTION THAT MY DELEGATION HAS, IS THERE AN OBSTACLE NOW FOR CONGREGATIONS COMMUNICATING DIRECTLY WITH THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES?
>>  SO OUR SENSE IS THAT IF THIS BYLAW PASSES, THIS WOULD FURTHER CLARIFY AND MAKE INTENTIONAL THE INTENTION TO HAVE LINKAGE AND COMMUNICATION WITH THE BOARD.  THERE CERTAINLY ARE AVAILABLE MECHANISMS NOW THAT ALLOW BOTH INDIVIDUALS AND CONGREGATIONS TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.  THIS WOULD DEEPEN, CODIFY, AND MAYBE EXPAND THOSE EXISTING MECHANISMS.  THANK YOU.  RECOGNIZE THE SPEAKER AT THE CON MIC.
>> [INDISCERNIBLE] FROM THE BEACON UU CONGREGATION IN SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY.  I WANT TO SAY THAT THIS IS A VERY GOOD IDEA AND A VERY BAD BYLAW YOU.  THIS IS HOW BYLAWS GO WRONG.  IT'S A ONE-TIME DIRECTIVE.  IT'S A GOOD RESOLUTION TO ASK THE BOARD TO DO THIS, BUT YOU TO PUT THIS IN THE BYLAWS FOR SOMETHING THAT IS DONE ONCE AND DONE IS SIMPLY MISGUIDED.  THIS IS NOT THE SORT OF THING YOU PUT IN BYLAWS.  BYLAWS ARE FOR CONTINUING CONDITIONS, NOT FOR ONE TIME ACTIONS.
>>  RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE PROCEDURAL MIC.
>> THANK YOU.  CARL PONERNA FROM THE UNITARIAN GREATER CHURCH IN LANSING, MICHIGAN.  A POINT OF INFORMATION.  HAS THE BOARD TAKEN A POSITION FOR OR AGAINST THIS PROPOSED AMENDMENT?
>> THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.  WE HAVE NOT TAKEN A POSITION FOR OR AGAINST THIS AMENDMENT.  WE'RE ALLOWING THE ASSEMBLED DELEGATES TO DECIDE THAT.  RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE PRO MIC.
>> I'M JIM TURNER FROM SALT LAKE CITY.  I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF SERVING AS A DISTRICT PRESIDENT FOR THE MOUNTAIN DESERT DISTRICT AT ONE TIME.  AND UNFORTUNATELY, I WAS UNABLE TO ATTEND IN CHARLOTTE WHEN WE MADE THE MAJOR REVISIONS TO THE SIZE OF THE BOARD AND THE MAN NEAR WHICH THE BOARD WAS ELECTED.  I HAD THE PRIVILEGE LAST NIGHT OF HAVING DINNER WITH MY FORMER BOARD MEMBER FROM THE MOUNTAIN DESERT DISTRICT, LOU FINNEY, AND I HAD A LOT OF PROBLEM WITH CHANGING THE ELECTION OF THE BOARD TO MAKE IT AT-LARGE, DOWNSIZING I THOUGHT WAS A GOOD IDEA.  BUT WHAT WE DON'T HAVE IS THE FORMALIZED CONNECTION.  IT SEEMS LIKE SO MUCH OF WHAT WE'VE DONE OVER THESE LAST FEW YEARS HAS MOVED THE CONGREGATIONS FURTHER AND FURTHER FROM THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION.  AND I FEEL LIKE THIS.  IT'S NOT A ONE-TIME THING.  IT'S A MANDATE IN THE BYLAWS THAT WE ESTABLISH SOME PROCEDURE WHEREBY THERE IS A CONTINUING COMMUNICATION FROM CONGREGATIONS TO BOARD MEMBERS THAT AFFORDS A TWO-WAY FLOW OF INFORMATION.  IT'S NOT TO BOTHER THE BOARD MEMBERS WITH SOME MENIAL LITTLE ONGOING?-- WELL, SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T SEEM MENIAL, BUT SOME OF THE OPERATIONAL ISSUES THAT WE ENCOUNTER, BUT RATHER, IT AFFORDS THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXCHANGE INFORMATION, TO GET FEEDBACK FROM THE CONGREGATIONS AS THE BOARD CONSIDERS THIS OR THAT.  AND AS A RESULT, AIM A VERY MUCH IN FAVOR OF THIS AND I APPLAUD THE FACT THAT IT WAS CONSTRUCTED IN A MANNER THAT DOES NOT DICTATE THE MECHANISM AND LEAVES THE BOARD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT AT THE SAME TIME THE BOARD CAN'T IGNORE THE IMPERATIVE THAT WE'VE DONE.
>>  THANK YOU.  WE RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE?-- DO WE HAVE A DELEGATE AT THE PROCEDURAL MIC?
>> YOU DO NOW.  HI.  DIANE DANIELS, UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF NORWICH.  AND I'M NOT USUALLY A CAUSED OF BEING TOO QUIET.  DIANE DANIELS, UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF NORWICH.  QUESTION REGARDING THIS ITEM.  HAS THERE BEEN A COST ESTIMATE FOR CHANGE THE LINKAGE AND/OR ADDING THE LINKAGE TO MAKE THIS NEWSPAPER
>>  TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE HAS NOT BEEN A COST ESTIMATE, BECAUSE IF THE BYLAW PASSES, THE MEANS BY WHICH IT WOULD BE IMPROVED ARE YET TO BE DETERMINED AND IT WOULD BE DEPENDENT UPON THE MEANS.
>>  THANK YOU.
>>  RECOGNIZE IT IS DELEGATE AT THE CON MIC.
>> GOOD AFTERNOON.  I'M BARBARA DELAO FROM ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH.  I WANT TO SPEAK AGAINST THIS AMENDMENT, I MEAN THIS BYLAW CHANGE.  I'M IN AGREEMENT WITH THE PREVIOUS CON SPEAKER.  THIS IS NOT A BYLAW ISSUE.  LINKAGE IS PART OF THE JON CARVER POLICY GOVERNANCE MODEL.  IT SHOULD BE IN YOUR BOARD POLICIES OF HOW THE BOARD OPERATES.  IT IS NOT A BYLAW ISSUE.  BYLAWS ARE HOW THE ORGANIZATION IS RUN.  THE GOVERNANCE MODEL FOR THE BOARD IS HOW THE BOARD IS RUN.  SO THIS WOULD BE A PLACE TO PUT A POLICY IN PLACE THAT THE BOARD WILL RESPOND TO CONCERNS FROM VARIOUS CONGREGATIONS OR HOWEVER THAT GETS WORKED THROUGH, BUT IT DOES NOT WRONG IN THE BYLAWS.  THANK YOU.
>>  THANK YOU.  WE'RE GOING TO GO TO OUR OFF-SITE DELEGATES AND INVITE THE OFF-SITE DELEGATE AT THE PRO MIC TO SPEAK.
>>  I'M SPEAKING FOR MICHELLE COLLINS.  , THE UU'S OF SOUTHERN DELAWARE.  HELLO.  I AM REVEREND MICHELLE COLLINS FROM THE UU'S OF SOUTHERN DELAWARE, PRONOUNCED LEWIS, I'M SORRY.  UNDER POLICY GOVERNANCE AS IMPLEMENTED IN THE UUA, STAFF IS NOT INVOLVED IN GOVERNANCE ISSUES.  GOVERNANCE RESPONSIBILITY IS SHARED BETWEEN THE CONGREGATIONS AND THE UUA BOARD.  THIS RESPONSIBILITY DEPENDS ON INTENTIONAL COMMUNICATION AND CONNECTION BETWEEN THEM.  THIS BYLAWS CHANGE SUPPORTS THAT SHARED RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR IT AND ENSURES THAT CONGREGATIONS KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE UUA BOARD ON GOVERNANCE MATTERS.  PLEASE VOTE FOR THIS CHANGE.
>>  THANK YOU.  WE GO TO THE OFF-SITE DELEGATE AT THE CON MIC.
>> THIS IS FROM JOSEPH BARKER FROM THE UU CHURCH OF THE SOUTH HILLS IN PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.  THE LANGUAGE, QUOTE, MEANS ESTABLISHED BY THE BOARD, END QUOTE, SEEMS LIKE A HIERARCHICAL APPROACH.  CONGREGATIONS NEED TO BE INVOLVED IN THE MEANS APPROACH AND PROCESS.
>>  THANK YOU.  WE GO TO THE DELEGATE AT THE PRO MIC.
>>  THIS IS PAUL HENSON FROM THE FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ALSO A MEMBER OF THE JOSEPH PRIESTLY DISTRICT BOARD.  OUR CONGREGATIONS TAKE SERIOUSLY THEIR ROLE IN THE GOVERNANCE OF THE ASSOCIATION, SINCE IT IS AN ASSOCIATION OF CONGREGATIONS.  AND WHEN THEY VOTED TO BECOME PART OF THE CENTRAL EAST REGION AND ALLOW US TO DISSOLVE THE BOARD, THEY PUT A RESTRICTION ON THAT.  THEY SAID WE COULD ONLY DISSOLVE OUR BOARD WHEN ALL THE DUTIES THAT THE BOARD PERFORMED HAD BEEN SUCCESSFULLY HANDED OFFER TO OTHER ENTITIES.  THE ONE REMAINING ISSUE IS GOVERNANCE LINKAGE, WHICH THE DISTRICT BOARDS USED TO PROVIDE TO THE CONGREGATIONS AND HAVE IN THE PAST EXERCISED.  THEY ARE ALSO ACTING IN RESPONSE TO CONCERNS THEY HEARD FROM ANOTHER REGION THAT AFTER THE DISSOLUTION OF THEIR BOARDS, IT BECAME MORE DIFFICULT TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE BOARD.  WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THE BOARD REALIZES THAT IT HAD BECOME MORE DIFFICULT, AND FOR THAT REASON WE'VE BEEN ENCOURAGED FOR GO AHEAD WITH THIS BYLAWS CHANGE.  THE CHANGE WAS ALSO WRITTEN WITH THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE UUA LEGAL STAFF SO THAT IT REPRESENTS THE APPROPRIATE FORMATION.  SO WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS BYLAWS CHANGE IMPLEMENTED SO THAT WE CAN BE ASSURED OF PROPER GOVERNANCE LINKAGE AND GO AHEAD WITH OUR COMPLETE ABSORPTION INTO THE CENTRAL EAST REGION.  PLEASE VOTE FOR THIS COMMUNICATION IS ESSENTIAL.  THANK YOU THANK YOU.
>>  THANK YOU.  DO WE HAVE A DELEGATE AT THE PROCEDURAL MIC?
>>  NO.
>>  RECOGNIZE THE DELEGATE AT THE CON MIC.
>>  HI.  I'M THE REVEREND JENNIFER NORDSTROM, JR. MINISTER OF THE FIRST UNITARIAN I DON'T KNOW SOCIETY, AND I AGREE WITH MY TWO PREVIOUS CON MIC SPEAKERS THAT LINKAGE IS ESSENTIAL.  COMMUNICATION IS ESSENTIAL IN POLICY GOVERNANCE.  BUT THIS IS NOT A BYLAWS ISSUE.  IT SHOULD BE DESIGNED BY THE BOARD AND WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY WITH THE BOARD.  AND IF YOU'RE FEELING CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE BOARD, PERHAPS YOU SHOULD DO SO, BUT NOT PUT IT IN THE BYLAWS.
>>  THANK YOU.  DO WE HAVE A DELEGATE AT THE PROCEDURAL MIC?
>>  WE DO.  I'M ERIC [INDISCERNIBLE] UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH IN SEATTLE.  I MOVE TO CALL THE QUESTION.
>>  THANK YOU.  THAT'S NOT A DEBATABLE MOTION.  IT REQUIRES A TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY.  OPEN VOTING FOR OFF-SITE DELEGATES TO THIS MOTION AS WELL AND INVITE US TO GET READY TO VOTE.  SO IF YOU'RE IN FAVOR OF THIS MOTION TO CALL THE QUESTION, IF YOU'RE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO CALL THE QUESTION, WE INVITE TO YOU RAISE YOUR VOTING CARDS.  THANK YOU.  YOU CAN PUT YOUR CARDS DOWN.  IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO VOTE AGAINST THE MOTION TO CALL THE QUESTION, PLEASE RAISE YOUR CARDS.  THANK YOU.  AND DO WE HAVE ANY TALLY OF VOTES FROM THE OFF-SITE DELEGATES ON THIS MOTION?  THE MOTION CLEARLY PASSES.  WITH THAT, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE IMMEDIATELY TO A VOTE ON THIS PROPOSAL.  THE AMENDMENT.  THE BYLAW, THE AMENDMENT TO THE BYLAWS, IT REQUIRES A TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY, AFFIRMATIVE VOTE.  WE'RE GOING TO INVITE YOU TO RAISE YOUR?-- AND WE ALL HAVE BEEN VOTING FOR OFF-SITE?-- CAN WE OPEN VOTING FOR OFF-SITE DELEGATES, PLEASE?  IF YOU'RE IN FAVOR OF THIS AMENDMENT TO OUR BYLAWS, I INVITE TO YOU RAISE YOUR VOTING CARDS, PLEASE.  THANK YOU.  PLEASE LOWER YOUR CARDS.  IF YOU'RE AGAINST IT IS AMENDMENT TO THE BYLAWS, PLEASE RAISE YOUR CARDS.  CAN WE GET THE TALLY ON THE OFF-SITE VOTES, PLEASE?  OKAY.  IT'S TOO CLOSE TO DO A VISUAL SITE OKAY THAT.  WE'RE GOING TO ASK THE TELLERS TO ASSIST US IN COUNTING OF THIS VOTE.  SO WE'RE GOING TO VOTE AGAIN.  IF YOU'D TAKE A MOMENT, WE'LL INVITE YOU TO RAISE YOUR CARDS AGAIN IF YOU'RE IN FAVOR OF THIS AMENDMENT TO OUR BYLAWS, AND KEEP YOUR CARDS RAISED AS OUR TELLERS DO THE COUNT.  AND WE'LL NEED A PHYSICAL COUNT OF THE OFF-SITE DELEGATES, PLEASE.  PLEASE KEEP YOUR CARDS RAISED HIGH UNTIL THEY'RE COUNTED.
>>  JUST SO PEOPLE UNDERSTAND, WE HAVE TO MOVE THE OTHER TWO BYLAWS UNTIL TOMORROW, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO DO SYNERGY TONIGHT.
>>  ARE THE USHERS?-- I SEE THE USHERS MAY STILL BE COUNTING A FEW VOTES.  COULD I GET CONFIRMATION THAT THE USHERS HAVE COUNTED ALL VOTES?  STILL COUNTING?  IT APPEARS THE USHERS HAVE COMPLETED THE PRO VOTE COUNT.  I'M GOING TO INVITE YOU NOW TO PLEASE RAISE YOUR CARDS IF YOU'RE VOTING AGAINST THIS BYLAW AMENDMENT AND THE USHERS WILL TAKE THAT COUNT.  PLEASE KEEP YOUR CARDS UP UNTIL OUR USHERS HAVE COMPLETED THEIR COUNT.  WHILE OUR INCREDIBLE TELLERS ARE COUNTING YOUR CARDS, I JUST WANT TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENTS THAT WE WILL DO THE TWO BYLAWS THAT WE HAD PLANNED ON DOING TONIGHT RIGHT AFTER THE OPENING OF TOMORROW MORNING'S SESSION.  AND WE DO THIS SO THAT WE CAN HAVE ENOUGH TIME, OUR YOUTH CAN HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO RESET AND CENTER IN ORDER TO GIVE US THE INCREDIBLE WORSHIP THAT WE KNOW THEY WILL BE OFFERING US AS WE CELEBRATE OUR YOUTH BRIDGING.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
>>  FOR THOSE YOU THAT GOT HANDOUTS ABOUT THOSE TWO PIECES OF BUSINESS, PLEASE HOLD ONTO THEM FOR TOMORROW SO THAT WE DON'T NEED TO REPRINT ANY FOR THEM.  OH, SURE.  ASK THE HARD QUESTIONS.  SO THE OPENING SESSION, THE GENERAL SESSION TOMORROW BEGINS AT 9:00 A.M.  ASSUMING WE START ON TIME, 9:10-ISH IN STANDARD UU TIME.
>>  THANK YOU, BARB.  IT APPEARS OUR USHERS ARE ALMOST DONE COUNTING THOSE OPPOSED.  I'D ASK AGAIN FOR THE HELP OF OUR USHERS IN TAKING A VOTE OF ABSTENTIONS.  IF YOU'RE ABSTAINING ON THIS VOTE, PLEASE RAISE YOUR CARDS.  I WOULD INVITE OUR USHERS TO TAKE THE COUNT ON THE ABSTENTIONS.  AND AS SOON AS OUR USHERS HAVE COMPLETED THIS VOTE COUNT, IF THEY COULD BRING THE RESULTS FORWARD, THEN WE'LL ANNOUNCE THEM.
>> STALE WITTING COUNTS FROM THE USHERS.  I SEE A DELEGATE FROM THE PROCEDURAL MIC?
>>  I'M ANNIE SCOTT, RELIGIOUS EDUCATOR THE AT JEFFERSON UNITARIAN CHURCH IN GOLDEN, COLORADO, AND I'M THE PRESIDENT OF LREDA.  AND I JUST SIMPLY WANT TO POINT OUT THAT IT'S RELIGIOUS EDUCATORS AND YOUTH WHO HAVE COME AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LINE THAT NOW GET BUMPED.  I UNDERSTAND, OF COURSE WE WANT THE YOUTH SYNERGY SERVICE TO BE HELD, TO HAVE ITS PLACE OF HONOR, BUT I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT, AGAIN, THAT WE ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LINE AND GET BUMPED.  SOME OF OUR RELIGIOUS EDUCATORS CANNOT STAY AN EXTRA NIGHT, WILL BE LEAVING BEFORE THEY GET TO VOTE.  THANK YOU.
[APPLAUSE]
>>  SO I WANT TO SAY I HEAR ALL OF WHAT YOU SAID AND LEGALLY WE HAD TO DO THE ORDER, WE HAD TO PUT THE FIRST ONES FIRST, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO DO THOSE 21ST.  THE ONES THAT ARE MOTIONS COMING FROM CONGREGATIONS, THEY HAVE TO GO IN THE ORDER, AND THE OTHER ONE HAD TO GO FIRST.  I WANTED PEOPLE TO KNOW, WE WEREN'T TRYING TO PUT THEM AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HEAP.  WE HAVE FOUR MORE TOMORROW.  SO THAT'S WHY THEY'RE THERE.
>>  THE USHERS ARE COMING FORWARD WITH THE VOTE.  WE'LL HAVE THE RESULTS FOR YOU IN JUST A MOMENT.
>>  IN THE INTEREST IN MOVING US ALONG, I'M JUST GOING TO DO THE ANNOUNCEMENTS NOW.  HOW ABOUT THAT?  ALL RIGHT.  AS YOU PREPARE TO LEAVE, LOOK AROUND AND YOU COLLECT YOUR BELONGINGS AND ALSO DO THE USHERS A BIG FAVOR AND PICK UP ANY TRASH.  DOESN'T HAVE TO BE YOUR OWN TRASH.  CAN BE JUST ANY TRASH.  TAKE THAT ON WITH YOU.  REALLY GOING TO HELP THE USHERS OUT AND PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT LOST AND FOUND.  THEY'RE GETTING A LOVELY COLLECTION OF WATER BOTTLES THAT THEY WOULD LOVE TO RETURN TO OWNERS.  THAT'S IN 2204.  WE'RE ALMOST THERE, FOLKS.
>>  WE HAD TO DO MATH.  INCLUDING OFF-SITE DELEGATES WE HAD TOTE UNTIL FAVOR OF THAT AMENDMENT 617 VOTES, OPPOSED 462.  A TOTAL OF 33 ABSTENTIONS.  THAT FLOOR VOTE AMOUNTS TO A 57.2%.  IT DOES NOT MEET THAT TWO-THIRDS REQUIRED IN ORDER TO PASS THE AMENDMENT, THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT FAILS.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THAT VOTE AND YOUR PATIENCE AS WE WENT THROUGH THE COUNTS.
I'M GOING TO TURN THINGS NOW OVER TO?-- WE HAVE A DELEGATE AT THE PROCEDURAL MIC.
>>  THANK YOU.  MARYJANE WILLIAMS FROM UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP OF CHARLOTTE COUNTY IN FLORIDA.  I WAS ASKED A POINT OF INFORMATION.  IS THERE ANY MECHANISM IN PLACE FOR PEOPLE THAT HAVE TO LEAVE, DELEGATES, TO BE ABLE TO VOTE OFF-SITE TOMORROW?
>>  LET ME TURN THAT OVER.  YES.  SO IF YOU ARE A REGISTERED DELEGATE, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE PARTICIPATING OFF-SITE, INCLUDING VOTING THROUGH THE EXISTING OFF-SITE MECHANISMS.
>>  THANK YOU.
[APPLAUSE]
>>  WITH THAT, I'LL TURN THINGS OVER TO OUR CO MODERATORS FOR CLOSING OUT OUR SESSION.
>>  I WANT TO ASSURE THAT YOU THE BOARD IS COMMITTED TO LINKAGE, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE VOTE HAS BEEN, THAT WE HAD A FANTASTIC EVENT IN JANUARY WITH MANY OF OUR CONGREGATIONS IN THE GREATER KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE, AREA.  YOU CAN READ ABOUT THAT IN THE CO MODERATOR REPORT, AND WE CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO LINK WITH ALL OF YOU.  THAT SAID, GREG, YOU HAVE A CLOSING READING FOR US.  YEAH?
>>  WE CLOSE AS WE BEGAN IN PRAYER.  FIND THAT PLACE OF STILLNESS AND COMFORT THAT DRAWS YOU IN TO A DEEPER SENSE OF CONNECTION.  KNOW THAT SO MUCH WORK HAS BEEN DONE, AND YET SO MUCH WORK REMAINS TO BE DONE.  AND NONE OF IT CAN BE BUSINESS AS USUAL.  WE PRAY FROM THAT PLACE DEEP WITH INSIDE EACH OF US, THAT CONNECTS EACH BEYOND THROUGH ALL SPACE AND ALL TIME, KNOWING THAT TOGETHER WE CAN DO EVERYTHING.  AMEN AND BLESSED BE.  SEE YOU AT SYNERGY.
[APPLAUSE]
>>  THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS TO COME BEFORE US AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SCHEDULE SET FORTH IN YOUR PROGRAM BOOK, I DECLARE THAT THIS GENERAL SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY SHALL STAND IN RECESS UNTIL SATURDAY, JUNE 23 AT 9:00 A.M.

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