The following report was submitted by UCM GA Delegate, Stephen Finner:
Session 2 opened Thursday afternoon with an excellent lecture by Harvard Divinity School Professor Dan McKanan who discussed the tension between freedom of belief and responsibility for collective action and response. Professor McKanan was articulate and centered in his presentation. He was followed by members of the Article II Review Commission discussing their work and what comes next including lots of attention to process. The presentation was clear and informative and increased my interest in that work.
This was followed by a wonderful stirring address by UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray. Next came two members of the Commission on Social Witness with a presentation of their process and responding to the varied criticisms that have been voiced over the years. They were defensive and did not do a good job. And it took too much time such that the session ran over 20 minutes ending with a summary of the proposed Actions of Immediate Witness that delegates voted be admitted for consideration in a poorly attended poll that closed June 19th. Less than 400 delegates voted in that poll, the results of which are on the GA website.
I will have a complete report for the next UCM e-newsletter and will be posting reports on the UCM website in the interim.
Video recordings of general sessions and public events can be found here: https://www.uua.org/ga/off-site/2022.
~ Steve Finner, UCM GA Delegate and Member of the UCM Denominational Resources Group