Emerson Selected for Leap of Faith
Our congregation has been selected as one of eight nationally to take the Leap
of Faith challenge. The Leap of Faith (LoF) is a program initiated by the
Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) to help the participating congregations
grow. Emerson UU church was selected because it is poised for dramatic growth,
which is one sense of the “leap” of faith we are after. The LoF program paired
each of the eight congregations that are ready to grow with a larger church as a
mentor. We selected the Cedar Lane UU Church of Bethesda, Maryland, as our
partner church. The LoF approach is to tackle underlying issues that block our
path to growth. The team identified issues that we at Emerson are trying to
solve, such as attracting and keeping new members, increasing our spiritual
depth, having a shared vision of our community, and establishing a firmer
presence in Houston.
of Faith challenge. The Leap of Faith (LoF) is a program initiated by the
Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) to help the participating congregations
grow. Emerson UU church was selected because it is poised for dramatic growth,
which is one sense of the “leap” of faith we are after. The LoF program paired
each of the eight congregations that are ready to grow with a larger church as a
mentor. We selected the Cedar Lane UU Church of Bethesda, Maryland, as our
partner church. The LoF approach is to tackle underlying issues that block our
path to growth. The team identified issues that we at Emerson are trying to
solve, such as attracting and keeping new members, increasing our spiritual
depth, having a shared vision of our community, and establishing a firmer
presence in Houston.
Our congregation has been selected as one of eight nationally to take the Leap of Faith challenge. The Leap of Faith (LoF) is a program initiated by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) to help the participating congregations grow. Emerson UU church was selected because it is poised for dramatic growth, which is one sense of the “leap” of faith we are after. The LoF program paired each of the eight congregations that are ready to grow with a larger church as a mentor. We selected the Cedar Lane UU Church of Bethesda, Maryland, as our partner church. The LoF approach is to tackle underlying issues that block our path to growth. The team identified issues that we at Emerson are trying to solve, such as attracting and keeping new members, increasing our spiritual depth, having a shared vision of our community, and establishing a firmer presence in Houston.
With the help of the UUA facilitators in New Orleans, our team framed the underlying challenge we need to tackle as making the UU faith more explicit in our congregation and in our daily lives.
We have taken a first step toward making our faith more explicit by collecting statements from Emersonians on what they think UUism is. This gives each of us an opportunity to think about how to answer the question when posed by friends or casual acquaintances. Potential visitors will have a variety of views to examine on our Web site, and perhaps one or more of the answers will speak to them. In addition, through these statements, we can better understand one another. Over time, we will seek ways to adapt our ways of worship and the ways we express our faith to address the challenge. This embodies the other sense in which we are taking a “leap of faith.” We don’t yet know the path we need to take, but we trust our congregation to find it. Emerson’s original Leap of Faith team: Linda Condit (team chair), Reverend Mark Edmiston-Lange, Mark Andersen, Sarah Boyd, Holly Gilliland, Deborah Landis, Nancy Lipp and Ben Withers. The Leap of Faith charter, approved by the Board of Directors on April 28, 2011, outlines the team's responsibilities.
