Authors: Rev. Nancy Palmer Jones and Karin Lin
Projected publication: Spring 2017, Skinner House Books
Projected publication: Spring 2017, Skinner House Books
In the two decades since delegates to the 1992 General Assembly affirmed a bold vision of a racially diverse, multicultural Unitarian Universalism, a growing number of congregations throughout our faith movement have embraced the vision as their own and embarked on the journey. These congregational stories abound in colorful characters, daunting challenges, mistakes and near-misses, courageous leaps, creative workarounds, slow-but-steady progress, and inspiring successes. The Joy of the Journey: Unitarian Universalist Congregations on the Road to Multiculturalism (working title)—shares these stories and lifts up the common themes and lessons learned along the way.
The Joy of the Journey begins by exploring how our Unitarian Universalist theology calls us to do this work, and it lifts up core principles from the current literature on multicultural and multiracial congregations. The book tells in depth the complex stories of five congregations, yet draws on the wisdom and experience of many more. Through the congregational stories, we will bring to life the experiences of ministers, lay leaders, naysayers, doubtful participants, passionate champions, and converts to the cause, and will show mistakes and failures as well as breakthroughs and successes. The Joy of the Journey will offer “lessons learned” from all these sources and will suggest ways that readers can apply these lessons in their own context.
With the rapidly changing demographics of the United States and the increasing presence of Unitarian Universalism abroad, we must learn new ways of practicing our faith if we are to grow in influence or even remain relevant. The Joy of the Journey offers real life examples of what some of these new ways might look like, spanning a broad range of experiences that are bound to include something of value for every reader. With this partnership of authors who differ in age, culture, race, educational and professional background, and ministerial status, the creation of this book is in itself a demonstration of what multicultural relationship can achieve. We hope that all who read this book will find themselves with greater understanding of the rich possibilities of our faith and the meaning of its call.