 Rev. Wendy has spoken at times about how we can have a rhythm to our involvement in congregational life, with some years when we are very involved, and other years when we step back and rest. I think that after stepping back, sometimes it can take something special to inspire us to “jump back into the fray.” I would like to share what that extra boost was for me. It is a concept that sounds boring, but is actually powerful and intricate: “Constructive Program.”
I learned about Constructive Program about two and a half years ago. It is a term and concept developed by Gandhi, and may have been as important as (or more important than) the “obstructive program” (marches and civil disobedience) to the successful freedom struggle in India. Gandhi’s Constructive Program had 18 different elements specific to the situation in India at that time. Constructive Program means that you are building something constructive to take the place of whatever unjust or unhealthy system it is that you are trying to change. So what does that have to do with UUCGV? Well, about a year and a half ago I was trying to think of local examples of Constructive Program when it hit me that UUCGV itself (and the Unitarian Universalist Association, and the Grand Valley Interfaith Network) has the potential to get that balance between obstructive and constructive programs that can help to change a society for the better. Even as many of us are involved in protesting inhumane conditions on our southern border and with our history of some congregants going to Standing Rock and many of us participating in Pride Parades, Women’s Marches, and Martin Luther King Jr Day Marches; we also are building new systems that at their best reflect our 7 UU principles. Our Religious Education program and OWL are building an educational system that teaches our children about their inherent worth and dignity. To the extent that we live out our UUCGV Covenant of Right Relations, we are building a different way of relating to one another than what is depicted in our mass media or prevalent in our political system. The Green Sanctuary Team is helping us create more sustainable ways of living than in the dominant consumer-based society. Our worship services are a forum for us to work with Rev. Wendy to “build something new” every Sunday; an expression of creativity, musicality, art, written/spoken word all melding together to give us a glimpse of the sacred, perhaps overturn an assumption or give us new insight into an issue. Seeing the work of UUCGV in this “bigger picture” light of how it can connect with betterment of society at large really inspires me. I hope that as we prepare for our Ingathering, this will give you a boost of inspiration as well. - Elizabeth High Comments are closed.
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