2002-10-16 with a bit more history added 2005-09-30
Our name states who we are, and is the most common way we present ourselves to others and the world. Contemplating a name change is a profound process. It leads us to pursue subtle questions like "What do our traditions mean to us?" "What is our vision for the future?" It is challenging for an individual to do, and more challenging for a diverse group of people.
The process in itself will be transforming whether or not the name is changed. We have striven for a safe and inclusive journey that the members go through together, collectively reaching whatever outcome. We are mindful of what we learned during the "Right Relations" workshops in the spring of 2002 about Actively Listening, Speaking Truth with Love and Breaking Impasses: Dialog not Debate.
We invite you to find time to listen to the voices represented in this report and available in other ways, and to reflect on both the past and the future, as you put your feelings and thoughts together and make your voice and vote heard in the Special Congregational Meeting on Nov 3rd 2002.
The Name Change Task Force was formed to help the congregation consider a name change for the UU Church of Boulder based on this motion at the 2000-06-11 annual spring congregational meeting of UUCB:
Eve Bat Shalom moved that the Board investigate the possibility of changing the name Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder to Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Boulder. Valerie Hobbs seconded. The motion passed with 3 abstentions.
Since then, several possible alternative names have been lifted up
At the same time many people are attached to our current name and worthy heritage.
"Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder" is the sixth name used by our community.
We have roots going back over a century. In 1883, the First Unitarian Society of Boulder was formed and installed Reverend Thomas J. VanNess. The group met regularly for seven years and then dissolved into an informal discussion group that met monthly.
During 1946 - 1947, a coalition of CU students and community members met, calling itself The Student Religious Liberals.
In March of 1948 the group agreed to split into two parts, forming a new "town" group that called itself "The Unitarian Society of Boulder". In July, the group affiliated with the American Unitarian Association and became the Unitarian Fellowship of Boulder. After engaging Rev. Thomas Maloney as part-time Minister in 1959 we became the Unitarian Church of Boulder. In 1971 the name was changed to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder, based on the merger of Universalists and the Unitarians to form the Unitarian Universalist Association in 1961. In 1977, when some members of the church felt a need to establish a new Unitarian Universalist congregation in Boulder, they named themselves the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Boulder.
Our member Midge Leigh was a member of the United Liberal Church based in Atlanta Georgia in 1965 when it changed its name to the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta. It is now one of the largest congregations in the UUA. It had previously been known as The Church of Our Father, The Unitarian Church of Atlanta, and The Liberal Christian Church.
Julie and Bob Ford were in Milford Connecticut when their UU group changed its name from a "Society" to a "Congregation". They say it was painless.
Other congregations have considered name changes, as discussed in What's In a Name Change? Theology, Passion, and More. The First UU Church of Duluth postponed a decision because they were also spending a lot of time working on a new church building. The All Souls Unitarian Church decided to add "Universalist" but not to change to "Congregation" and the UU Church of Fort Lauderdale decided not to change to a "Congregation".
We've kept our friends at the UU Fellowship of Boulder advised of our process, as a courtesy.
Some people are frustrated with how much time it is taking to address this question. Others have felt it needed to be delayed.
The Name Change Task Force was established in the summer of 2000. At the January 2001 meeting it announced that based on investigation so far, and since the community was experiencing a change of ministers, it would be best to postpone the work for 6 months or so. After a vigorous discussion the congregation voted to endorse the report, but also showed interested in discussing the proposal as part of the ACCORD process.
In October 2001, the board passed this motion 7-0: The Board of Trustees directs the name change committee to postpone further work on the Name Change Task Force until we have gone thru Right Relations work with UUA/MDD folks.
In January 2002, the Task Force reported to the congregation that it felt it should press on without further delay, and the congregation heartily approved that recommendation. Both large and small discussions have taken place since then.
In May we presented the first draft of this Report, and announced the November 3rd date for the Special Congregational Meeting. More details were provided in the September Clear Light Messenger newsletter and on the bulletin board.
The board agreed in September to hold the Special Congregational Meeting and put the matter up to a vote on November 3rd. On September 29th we had a meeting to discuss the voting process and after much discussion unanimously agreed to hold two votes. First will come a written rank-ordered ballot, tallied via the "Instant Runoff" method, with all proposed new names plus the current name on the list. If a new name comes out in first place, a second conventional vote to change the bylaws will be held, and must pass by 60% of those present. See below for more information on the Instant Runoff method.
During October more details were distributed in handouts, on the email list and during services. Fifteen people submitted written input for the mailing announcing the meeting.
The final votes will take place on November 3rd 2002.
Instant runoff voting is a system used in elections which must result in the selection of a single alternative. It ensures that the winning alternative will receive a majority of votes rather than a simple plurality. In plurality voting -- as used in most U.S. elections -- alternatives can win with less than a majority when there are more than two alternatives on the ballot. In contrast, IRV selects a majority alternative while still allowing voters to support an alternative who is not a front-runner. IRV is a sensible method in single winner elections.
IRV allows voters to rank alternatives as their first choice, second choice, third, fourth and so on. If an alternative does not receive a clear majority of first-place votes on the first count, a series of runoff counts are conducted. The alternative which received the fewest first place ballots is eliminated. All ballots are then retabulated, with each ballot counting as one vote for each voter's favorite alternative which is still in contention. Voters who chose the now-eliminated alternative have to support their second choice alternative -- just as if they were voting in a traditional two-round runoff election -- but all other voters get to continue supporting their top alternative. This process continues until an alternative receives a majority.
See Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) for much more information, including accounts of its use in San Francisco, Utah, Australia, etc. A similar method, the Hare or Single Transferrable Vote, was used used for Boulder City Council elections, between 1917 and 1947, but it is only suitable for multi-winner elections.
The following numbers reflect how many member congregations of the UUA used each word in their name in 2001. Thanks to Flo Isaacson for counting them up!
UUA Members Name 520 Church 293 Fellowship 98 Congregation 75 Society 2 Chapel 2 Parish 1 Community
This document is available at http://uucboulder.org/namechange/report.html
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