A recent proposal by the ministers and Board of Trustees to change our Bond of Union has created strong reactions within the congregation. The proponents did not anticipate the emotional response, pro and con, which “erupted” during an informal congregational meeting in advance of a scheduled vote.

Some church members objected to the short period of time allotted to the procedure before a final vote was to be cast. Many, citing UU beliefs as well as the varied perspectives of members who have joined from other backgrounds, liked the idea of removing Jesus and God from the brief statement that not only is part of the morning service, but has also been subscribed to as a statement of purpose by new members signing the Membership Book. An equal number passionately objected to changing the traditional words that serve to bind current members to those who established the ritual in the past. The Bond of Union we use today was written in 1922, when it was incorporated into the By-Laws.

The vote on any change has been postponed until the Congregation’s Annual Meeting next February. In the meantime, dozens of church members have had a chance to state their preferences and ideas in letters prominently posted in Reidy-Friendship Hall and a new Bond of Union Commission has been selected to carry the dialogue into the fall. The Commission will advise the Board of Trustee’s on alternatives based on their dialogue and outreach. The members of the Commission are: Carolyn Jackson and Jeffrey Friedlander, co-chairs, and Lorraine Allen, Paul Jensen, Beryl Jones-Woodin, Winn Keaton, Peggy Montgomery, Frank Patton, and Warren Yeh.

The differences in opinion expressed in this matter are reminiscent of the genteel uproar in the 1970s that accompanied the vote to remove a large plain cross from the wall above the high pulpit where the string sculpture was later installed. At the time, the much smaller congregation was polled about the matter and the result was a fifty-fifty split. A special art committee was given the task of finding a compromise solution, which, by and large, pleased almost everyone.

The Bond of Union Commission is also studying the By-Laws with regard to the Bond of Union, and whether this statement of purpose should apply or not apply as a condition of membership at the signing of the membership book.

It will be interesting to see how the Commission and the Board will proceed and how the congregation will vote when the Congregation meets next year.