Westside has been dedicated to updating what we’ve described as our Right Relations work since January, 2023. Following the Vote to affirm the 8th Principle in June of 2022, groups were formed to bring that vote into action. One of the groups was assigned to “right relations” work. A decision was made to contract with Pam Orbach of The Center for Restorative Solutions to learn about Nonviolent Communication (NVC), circle work, and restorative justice practices. Our learning in these areas, combined with our shared values as Unitarian Universalists, has helped us to build pathways for connecting with deep listening and empathy; for healing; for holding and addressing conflict in a healthy way; and for how we can move forward as a community and actively live our values both internally and externally.

In the spring of 2023 and then through our 2023-2024 church year, we invested significant time and effort as a community to opportunities for healing, in part through circle work. As we leaned in to our growing skills for this kind of activity, we learned about many ways that conflicts and ruptures have occurred in our beloved community through the transitions of ministers, religious professional staff, a pandemic, and the work of social justice and antiracism. Our healing circles have offered a way for us to bring our individual and collective experiences out where they can be held with love, and where repair can happen.

We also formed a Wellbeing Team (which included many of the members who originally self selected into right relations work), and a smaller Core Team (members who committed to the work of guiding the implementation of our new right relations initiatives) to expand our knowledge and skills, and to help to carry our right relations work into congregational life. Rev. Carter joined her ministry with these efforts when she came to Westside in March of 2023, and we offered opportunities through whole congregation trainings and first Sunday connection circles, for all of Westside’s members and friends to learn and practice NVC, circle work, how to hold the rupture and repairs of conflict as a healthy community, and restorative justice. Our learning and our growth in implementing these practices within and outside of our community will be an ongoing part of our Westside culture.

One way we have been seeking to name and live our UU values in community with our growing skillset, is through the development of a community covenant. Covenanting is a UU practice that holds our faith community together. In January of 2024, the Core and Wellbeing Teams initiated work on the development of a current, living covenant to put our learning and practices into action. The early work on this covenanting project captured the values, priorities and language offered by all members of our community who participated in the process. With whole-community input, we will vote on finalizing and adopting a new version of our Westside covenant in a congregational meeting in January 2025. And with whole-community input, we will solidify a set of pathways to repair to support us in the active work of holding conflict as a healthy community.

Our Core Team and Wellbeing Team volunteer membership will continue to evolve year by year, and will continue to work closely with Rev. Carter, our staff team, our Board of Trustees and our community members to engage us in the vital work of living our values as a healthy congregation, both internally and externally. If you would like to become a Core Team or Wellbeing Team member, please contact Rev. Carter (minister@wsuu.org).

Core Team Membership:

2022-2023 Church Year (January to June) —

Don Wahl, Henry Bennett, Jade Wilde, Kristina Darnell, Shannon Day, Tracy Burrows 

Rev. Carter Smith and Pam Orbach

2023-2024 Church Year (July 2023-June 2024) —

Aimee Schiefelbein, Amy Hance-Brancati, Don Wahl, Henry Bennett, Jade Wilde, Paula vanHaagen, Riley Anderson, Shannon Day, Tracy Burrows 

Rev. Carter Smith and Pam Orbach

2024-2025 Church Year (July 2024-June 2025) —

 Amy Hance-Brancati, Jade Wilde, Riley Anderson, Shannon Day, Storey Squires, Tracy Burrows

Rev. Carter Smith

Wellbeing Team Membership:

2022-2023 Church Year (January to June) —

Amy Youngblood, Cynthia Townsend, Cindy Jackson, Chris Hollinger, Dennis Jackson, Ginger Brewer, Kate Kirkwood, Kathy Leota, Kerry Lusignan (plus Core Team members)

2023-2024 Church Year (July 2023-June 2024) —

Amy Youngblood, Cynthia Townsend, Cindy Jackson, Chris Hollinger, Dennis Jackson, Ginger Brewer, Kate Kirkwood, Kathy Leota, Kerry Lusignan (plus Core Team members)

2024-2025 Church Year (July 2024-June 2025)—

Cynthia Townsend, Cindy Jackson, Chris Hollinger, Kate Kirkwood, Kerry Lusignan, Kristina Darnell (plus Core Team members)