Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Listen to the sermon by clicking the play button above.
Rev. Chris Jimmerson and Karen Neeley
May 24, 2026
First UU Church of Austin
4700 Grover Ave., Austin, TX 78756
www.austinuu.org
The board of First UU Church of Austin has been listening to the congregation about your dreams for the church and the differences it might make in our community and our world. Join us as the board president Karen Neeley and the Rev. Chris talk about your exciting vision for what comes next.
Welcome
“Quiétude No 3” (Baldwin) – Brent Baldwin, electronics
Chalice Lighting
This is the flame we hold in our hearts as we strive for justice for everyone. This is the light we shine upon systems of oppression until they are no more. This is the warmth we share with one another as our struggle becomes our salvation.
Call to Worship
Quote from Rabbi Stephen Wise
Vision looks inward and becomes duty.
Vision looks outward and becomes aspiration.
Vision looks upward and becomes faith.
Affirming Our Mission
Together we nourish souls, transform lives, and do justice to build the Beloved Community.
Anthem
“With My Own Two Hands” (Jack Johnson) – Brent Baldwin, voice & guitar
Reading
THE TASK OF THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY
Mark Morrison-ReedThe central task of the religious community is to unveil the bonds that bind each to all.
There is a connectedness, a relationship discovered amid the particulars of our own lives and the lives of others.
Once felt, it inspires us to act for justice.
It is the church that assures us that we are not struggling for justice on our own, but as members of a larger community.
The religious community is essential, for alone our vision is too narrow to see all that must be seen,
and our strength too limited to do all that must be done.
Together, our vision widens and our strength is renewed.
Centering
Music for Meditation: “Dream” (John Cage) – Brent Baldwin, piano
Sermon
TO WHAT ENDS
Rev. Chris Jimmerson and Board President Karen Neeley
Karen
Chris, you mentioned that today we are going to be talking about the new ends statements that the board has just adopted from what the congregation told us are their dreams for the church. As you know though, Unitarian Universalism is a non-creedal faith, so why do we adopt ends? Why do we need to have this in place?
Chris
Non-creedal means no statement of belief to which we all have to agree, we rely on relationships and values that we live in the world.
Mission is what it looks like to live out those values as a church.
Ends are kind of the strategic priorities – what difference we hope to make and for whom – in how we will make the mission come alive.
As such, these ends are deeply religious and spiritual. They are how we express our faith in the world. If new to First UU – the ends tell you a lot about who we are as a religious community and what lies at the core of our faith and spirituality.
Each church in UUism is independent, yet all UU congregations are bound together by a covenant, a set of sacred promises we make to one another that include a set of values we share centered in our greatest shared value – LOVE. Our church then expresses our specific way we will live out that covenant, our shared UU faith. These ends, then, are the specific vision for bringing out faith into our lives, our communities, and our world.
With that said, Karen, What can you share with us about how the board went about working with the folks who participate in First UU to discern how we will live our faith on the world? How did that process play out?
Karen
This is a 5 to 7 year process. Due to covid, retirement of our beloved Senior Minister, and other factors, we undertook this process 7 years from our last review.
The board worked with a consultant to design several avenues to receive feedback from the congregation. Most of us felt surveyed to death, so we set up small group listening sessions to get direct input from members.
We formed a team to coordinate and trained volunteer facilitators who did fabulous work in conducting and actively listening to participants. The facilitators included Gretchen Riehl, Elizabeth Gray, Wendy Erisman, Michael Kersey, Kathleen Ellis, Susan Thomson, Sev Severence, Toni Wegner, and Ann Edwards. There were eleven sessions both live and on zoom with about 10% of the congregation participating.
At least one Board member attended each session to listen deeply and take notes.
Then, the Board met several times both as a whole and in subgroups to review what we had heard/received.
Chris
That was a very thorough process. What did you hear from the congregation about their dreams for the church and the differences it might make in our community and our world?
Karen
One major thing we heard is that the mission still expresses our religious purpose as a congregation. It still resonates with the religious community at First UU.
Our facilitator and Al tools helped us analyze the reams of material developed in our listening sessions. The top priority wishes received from listening sessions with the congregation included:
- Religious education and fellowship activities for youth and adults
- Community outreach and visibility (being recognized in Austin as a “force for good”
- Growth and diversity – including racial, economic, and age
- Social justice and activism
- Providing practical supports that make participation possible
Here are THE ENDS we discerned from what folks told us.
We are a collaborative pluralistic church living our values and mission in the greater world, achieving together what we can’t do alone.
We are an intergenerational church that invests in and prioritizes spiritual nourishment for all.
We commit to the journey of transformative inclusiveness and the lifelong work it requires.
We commit to justice in every part of our lives and our church by confronting racism and oppression.
We are truly excited about these ends and the congregation’s vision for what comes next for the church!
And speaking of what comes next, Rev. Chris, the board will next ask you to bring us what is called an “interpretation” of each for these ends, which expresses what you believe making progress toward the ends will look like in the life of the church and how we might measure that progress.
I will read each end and ask you to tell us a little about your thinking on that.
We are a collaborative pluralistic church living our values and mission in the greater world, achieving together what we can’t do alone.
Chris
Sure, realizing of course that this will be an iterative, back and forth process with the board, and that I will involve Rev. Carrie, the church staff and church leadership in this, as it will greatly form our ministry and operational strategy going forward.
This is all about the social justice activism, outreach, and visibility you mentioned – partnering with other groups out there – both secular and interfaith – to live our faith more greatly in the world than we can as just one church acting on its own. Making it known we are out there, that we can be called to show up for justice.
Already doing a lot of this – but expanding, particularly interfaith partnerships (interfaith groups, TXUUJM, other local churches UU and otherwise) and especially antiracism partnerships. Expand non-profit service providers so that we do not need to recreate the wheel and can concentrate on systemic issues that cause need for services.
Rely on our social justice pillars and y’all greatly for this.
Karen
We are an intergenerational church that invests in and prioritizes spiritual nourishment for all.
Chris
All about how we are all accountable for RE or faith development and fellowship happening throughout the life of the church.
“Faith development is all we do. Unitarian Universalism is the faith we teach. The congregation is the curriculum.”
Getting everyone in all areas of the church, especially the RE wing. Worship and other activities on the playground when nice weather?
Greater fiscal support. More staff. Eventual replacement of RE wing!
Does RE look less like the classic classroom and involve more age-appropriate worship, spiritual practices, embodied experiences?
Wide variety of musical styles, sermon topics, service formats so greater range of faith development needs met, involving people of all ages here at the front in worship.
Karen
We commit to the journey of transformative inclusiveness and the lifelong work it requires.
Chris
This one is all about how we will endeavor to become ever more welcoming and inclusive by adopting a sense of humility and curiosity that does not assume we know what feels welcoming for someone else. This is how growth and diversity happen.
Get curious and ask. Knowing we will make mistakes and being ready to apologize. For example: Trans for this 63 year old – What was welcoming for me as a young adult may not be the same for young adults now. So maybe I should just ask.
Providing resources and training on welcoming, inclusiveness, to everyone in the church.
Modeling this intergenerationally – our prejudices are the water we swim in, so this is both lifelong and lives long work so that we become better ancestors.
Karen
We commit to justice in every part of our lives and our church by confronting racism and oppression.
Chris
This end calls us to Center the “Do Justice” part of our mission and the antiracism and anti-oppression work inherent in Building the Beloved Community in every part of our church life, as well as our own daily lives and work lives as church participants.
It will involve the church providing us all with tools and resources to move into even more action in our world more than we are now.
Also provide skills to interrupt racism and oppression wherever we see it.
These are just a few examples the staff and I have already been thinking about. I’m looking forward to working with folks to bring these ends to life in the church.
Karen
Personally, I am very excited about these new “Ends” and the clarity they will bring to First UU as we live our mission individually and collectively.
I would close with many thanks to the board, our facilitators, and all who participated in this vital project. We hope you are as excited as we are about this vision for our church going forward.
Extinguishing the Chalice
We extinguish this flame, but not the light of truth, the warmth of community, or the fire of commitment. These we hold in our hearts until we are together again.
Benediction
Karen:
We invite you now, as our service nears its close, to go out into our world with us to nourish souls, our own and others, together,Chris:
Go out into our world together to transform lives, our own and others,Karen:
Go out into our world together to do justice,Chris:
Go out into our world together to join with so many others to build the Beloved Community.Karen:
May The Congregation say, “Amen”Chris:
and “Blessed be”Karen and Chris:
Go in peace.
Most sermons during the past 26 years are available online through this website. Click on the index link above to find tables of all sermons for each year listed by date (newest to oldest) with topic and speaker. Click on a topic to go to that sermon.
Podcasts of this and other sermons are also available for free on iTunes. You can find them by clicking on the podcast link above or copying and pasting this link. https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/first-unitarian-universalist/id372427776
