Mission Statement

First Unitarian Universalist Church of Winnipeg Mission Statement

We are a diverse and caring community that is loving, inclusive, responsible, and encouraging.

We are a learning community open to evidence and varied insights that encourages reflection and exploration. We use what we learn to strengthen our relationships and our capacity.

We are a socially engaged community that works collaboratively, compassionately, and urgently for a just society and for our life-sustaining planet.

We are Caring, Learning and Socially Engaged.

June 2021

Mission Into Action

Our Mission is what we choose to be and do. We have thought a lot about that since September 2020.  Many groups and workshops have contributed and are reported here.

Mission into Action is the Board’s  interpretation of key insights about activities and supports needed to realize our Mission to guide our  volunteer teams, Minister, other personnel, budgeting, stewardship, and governance. Email the Board  with questions, comments, and ideas.

  1. We are a diverse and caring community that is loving, inclusive, responsible, and encouraging.  We seek spiritual experience and growth, a diverse and active community of shared ideals, a place of  healing from trauma or oppression, and progressive social, moral, and spiritual education for our  kids.  

As a caring community, we welcome and engage all, offer meaningful celebrations and services  with music and opportunities for fellowship and fun, mutual caring, small group sharing, multiple  learning experiences, volunteering, financial support, and UU connections.  

We also seek repair and recovery when we fall short.  

  1. We are a learning community open to evidence and varied insights that encourages reflection and  exploration. We use what we learn to strengthen our relationships and our capacity.  As socially engaged learners of what it means to be human, we can be an incubator and launch pad  for just, compassionate, enquiring planetary citizens. We offer learning experiences for children,  youth, families, and adults and develop skills and policies to handle conflict and promote  constructive dialogue.  

We adopt a mutual learning model of leadership, celebrate differences, learn from mistakes, train  leaders, and foster organizational creativity.  

Our programing delivers twice the impact by serving both congregation and public. We resource  learning from volunteers and staff, collaborating community organizations, and educators in  Winnipeg or around the globe by Zoom.  

  1. We are a socially engaged community that works collaboratively, compassionately, and urgently for a  just society and for our life-sustaining planet.  

We address poverty and injustice, engage in reconciliation, act on our 8th principle, and support  inclusion. We promote climate action, eco-justice and a just transition, living lightly, curtailing  pollution, and protecting our living planet.

We know effectiveness requires collaboration with allies and that internal and outward  engagement are needed to promote a just and green society.  

  1. We support our community and its mission and values sustainably, efficiently, and effectively.  Covid has blown open a new digital presence to engage membership and the world. We enjoy new  tech and train for hybrid meetings and events.  

We pledge and donate time, talent, and financial resources to sustain our community and its  mission; are good property stewards and planners (e.g., Celebration Park, an elevator, and new  roof); and hire skilled staff, oriented to our values and mission, to support our initiatives, as means  permit and according to identified priorities.  

  1. We manage complexity by delegating governance and staffing.  

A multiplicity of activities, often in silos, volunteer burnout, preventing Covid, and launching a  hybrid church call for creative management and staff support. 

Delegated governance model

The Board does not have the wisdom or capacity to do everything. We will advance our Mission by:

  • Identifying Board responsibilities, congregational needs, and priorities in light of our principles, mission, and covenant of right relations
  • Adopting a mutual learning model of decision-making for ourselves and the church
  • Harvesting the power of conscientious volunteers
  • Delegating responsibilities by creating purposeful mutual learning decision/action clusters and teams
  • Providing resources and staff to support these, and monitoring results

Possible examples of delegated governance clusters

  1. Property Use, Maintenance, Management, and Planning Council [PUMMP Council] 
    • Sub-groups: Properties, AIM, Celebration Park 
    • Supporting staff: Minister, Rentals Coordinator, Event Supervisors. Building Supervisor,  contractors.
  2. Caring Community Council 
    • Sub-groups: Sunday Services, Music/Choir, Pastoral Care, Shared Ministry Team
    • Supporting staff: Minister, Music Director, Zoom and A/V support staff
  3. Program Council 
    • Sub-groups: RE, Adult Programming, Social Justice/Green Action
    • Supporting staff: Minister, Program staff.  
  4. Administration and Services Council  
    • Sub-groups: Administration Team, Volunteer Resources Committee, Finance, Communications 
    • Supporting staff: Minister, Administrator, Bookkeeper, Webmaster/Tech Adviser.  

Be bold! We demonstrate our resilience and problem-solving abilities again and again. We step up to  emergencies and opportunities. We have the capacity for great change, quickly. Let’s do it! 

Living Into Our Mission

First UU Church of Winnipeg members can obtain more resources at Living Into Our Mission. Note you need to be logged in to the site to view or download these resources. Contact the Webmaster to request a user name and ID on the site.