On Sunday, March 2, we gathered to continue to do some collective reflection. This time, we focused on the question of identity, as part of a continuing series of conversations that we’re calling “Foraging for Our Future”. These conversations are designed to give the whole FUS community, in this interim time, the opportunity to listen to one another on topics germane to FUS and its future.
Rev. Jullan is facilitating these conversations with the support of the Transition Team. The next Foraging conversation is scheduled for Sunday, April 6, from 12:15 –2:15pm on a topic yet to be determined.
One of the basic premises of the format of these conversations is that when something is shared, even with as few as two other people, that content and feeling ‘enters the field’ of the community and is then able to be part of the ‘harvest’ of communal understanding.
In small groups, everyone shared their thoughts on these questions/prompts:
- At what crossroads are you as you come into this time/space together?
- Think about a time when you’ve joined, or been a part of, a group or organization where you felt sympatico, or fully synced, with who the group was/is. How did you know you belonged? How did that feel, and/or what did those feelings make possible?
- Being as specific as possible, what can you share about how your identity connects (or doesn’t connect) with what you perceive to be FUS’ identity?
- What are the elements, or key components, that form FUS’ identity? (These were written on ‘post-its’ which were then clumped into similar categories. See word cloud above.)
- What have you learned, what do you know now, about who/what FUS should/could be? What if FUS could live into the very best of who/what it is?
You can imagine that a wide diversity of perspectives was shared, and yet, there are clearly some common themes. Admittedly collating and compiling what was shared is not an exact science. But in the order of the number of times similar elements of identity were named, those gathered see FUS’ identity rooted in social justice/activism, Humanism, freedom of thought/reason, a sense of community, and being welcoming/inclusive.
You’ll find below a summary of this month’s ‘harvest’…a compilation of the possibility statements that were made at the end of the session. Each statement began with the prompt:
“I believe that FUS can be a community that is known and experienced as… “
Take a look at them. Which of them capture your experience of who FUS is and who we can be together?
Please check our website for more information about the work of the Transition Team, including the list of team members and how to contact us. https://firstunitarian.org/community/transition-team/
~ Submitted by Rev. Jullan, March 6, 2025
I believe that FUS can be a community that is known and experienced as…
- A home for my non-dogmatic queer family
- A courageous leader in the practice of humanism and inclusion to work for social justice and unity and joyful celebration
- Welcoming and reaching out
- A group of people who stand up for what is right and for the human rights of others and the world
- Humanist values and willing to learn from others from outside our community
- A place of love and hope
- A place of solidarity, a place to be and find community
- Compassionate outreach
- A place where the head and heart are nurtured, where congregational humanism is celebrated
- A place that nourishes the spirit, enriches community by eating together, and sends each other boldly to do good work
- A place in the Twin Cities where the values of inclusivity, free-thinking, and democracy are cherished
- A community of humanists
- People with minds that think, hearts that love, and hands that are ready to serve
- Welcoming to free, curious thought, and supportive of social justice and engagement in causes of greater good
- A welcoming humanist, safe place…enjoy being together and being with others over food and friendship
- A community grounded in humanism, caring, and intellectual development, moving toward social justice
- A welcoming home for free thinkers
- Smart, insightful, joyful and fun
- A secular religious community that makes a positive impact on the lives of its members, the larger community, and society as a whole
- A beacon of light in the darkness (in the sense of Carl Sagan’s “The Demon Hunted World”)
- A positive, fulfilling place to be
- A humanist beacon supporting its members and doing good in the world
- Welcoming of all cultures/diverse backgrounds
- A welcoming, supportive, dogma-free community where every person is valued and we bring our ethics and vision for justice to the larger world
- A refuge
- A welcoming place for people who want a humanist experience and an avenue in community to engage in social justice
- A progressive inclusive beloved community
- POC friendly
- Inclusive of all human beings
- Appreciative of the holy in daily life, intellectually curious, friendly, and actively engaged in societal improvement
- Humanistic, in community with each other, celebrating life and working together to address injustices in our world
- A welcoming humanist organization with focus on social justice
- A humanist congregation that also embraces the UU principles for open minds
- A proud, outspoken, and principled voice for humanist and religious skeptical community and life
- Inclusive, humanist, trustworthy, safe, diverse
- Welcoming to all ages, kids through…
- A community of caring
- Fun, friendly humanist community that supports each other, works to make a better world, and cares for the planet
- A social justice practicing center and community; educational and learning community for all ages
- A welcoming place to come together for greater good
- A caring place that without reliance on the supernatural, acting for the benefit of all
- A home for humanists who care about each other and the world