The Big Day, April 29

Over 150 people from the First U community participated in our Big Day, during which there were structured discussions to help us determine the priorities for our ministries for the next few years. Out of the 30 or so priorities set forth, those attending chose 16 as the first places to concentrate our energies. A team has been formed to work over the summer to refine the plans and priorities around chosen 16, to be presented to PruComm and the congregation in the fall. If you have any questions about next steps, feel free to call the church office at 401.421.7970.

The priorities for the next few years are:

Pathway A: Enhancing Community

• We will continue and deepen our training and resources on welcome and inclusion and full accessibility for our whole congregation, and especially our key leaders and volunteers.
• We will fully commit to becoming an anti-racist church.
• We will expand opportunities for simple fun and creating connection through multigenerational events.
• We will deepen our knowledge of each other through sharing stories, interests, & skills.

 Pathway B: Transforming Ourselves

• We will explore the role of Sunday services (words/music/silence) and the Meeting House in support of deepening individual and collective spirituality.
• We will continue to reflect on stories that help deepen our spiritual selves, including Native American & Greek myths, and personal and world stories, as opposed to a narrower UU point of view.
• We will explore the role of joy in sustaining a robust spiritual life.
• We will explore the intersectionality of spirituality and justice, includingradical nonviolence as a spiritual practice.

 Pathway C: Doing the Work of Justice

• We will become a church for the city in multiple ways and strengthen our presence and impact at city and state levels.
• We will form stronger and better partnerships with groups and movements whose commitments match ours, thus amplifying our agency and collective voice as First U.
• We will root our social justice and reparation work in our own congregation’s troubled history.
• We will expand our multicultural and multi-ethnic congregation.

Pathway D: Building Our Capacity

• We will identify, select, prioritize and resolve major capital needs, such as: improve and maintain our sound system, kitchen, organ, accessibility in the Meeting House, a redesigned dais, improved parking, glass doors in the RE space, etc. with a capital campaign sufficient to meet our priorities and provide for proper maintenance.
• We will strengthen our church’s development strategies, such as our planned giving program, annual giving, capital campaigns, grants, and other revenue generation sources.
• We will increase staffing as needed to realize our goals and to be in alignment with established best practices, such as kitchen staff, full-time music director, full-time pastoral minister, and communications support.
• We will develop a culture of participation and responsibility for the church that broadens our volunteer base.