Fellowship member and UUFM Executive Board Chair-elect Scott Tanona shares some reflections on a UUFM Vision Statement …

Should we have an official “vision statement” for the Fellowship? It might help us to be mindful while making decisions. Yes, we already have a mission statement. But vision is not mission. A mission statement focuses on who we are now and what we do now. A vision statement is forward-looking and perhaps even idealistic, calling us to alter what we do to achieve loftier goals. It should articulate a view of ourselves in a better future: where we will be, what we will have accomplished, how we will be viewed.

When the Board asked me to start a process of developing a vision statement, I was at first skeptical about the need for one. But as I started to think more about what could go into a vision statement, I got more excited. The process of thinking about what we should have in a vision statement might be more valuable than any end product. So I invite you all to think about your vision for UUFM.

I’ve already asked a fair number of people how they would characterize the best attributes of an ideal UUFM, and suggested that they think of the project as a sort of soul searching, the type of thing one might do oneself when faced with a difficult decision: Am I really the kind of person that would do X? What do I want to be remembered for?

I heard a lot of desires for the Fellowship to be more visible in the community, to have more impact on more peoples’ lives, to stand up more for progressive values, to be more open and welcoming to all people who might find value in our community. I heard talk about moral obligation, and got a sense that we need to be reaching more people, that we have something that others really could benefit from, and that more lives could be bettered through our work.

With a lot of help, I have developed a draft statement based on what I’ve heard so far. I hope this draft can serve as a starting point for a process in which we further develop, refine, and define a common vision. I have things to say about some of the phrases and where they came from (e.g., “human flourishing