The Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki once said, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few."
The world is lonely, dogma is doing harm, and people are hungry for a place where they can bring their whole, questioning selves and be loved exactly as they are. And OCUUC offers this world such a place of healing and acceptance. The question is: how do we open the door wider without losing what makes this community so wonderful? So, we're getting curious.
Two teams of dedicated leaders are now doing the sacred, practical work of helping us grow in a healthy way. MET (the Membership Executive Team) is focused on the front door and what happens after someone walks through it — making sure that when a visitor shows up looking for a spiritual home, they actually find one. HEART (the Healthy Expansion And Research Team) is doing the slower, deeper work of studying what it means for a congregation to grow well, learning from other communities and examining systems. Different focus, same goal: both teams are committed to growth that deepens belonging rather than diluting it.
When communities feel pressure to grow, the temptation is to leap to answers like new programs, new marketing, new everything. But beginner's mind asks a different question first: what if our certainties are the very things keeping us small? So MET and HEART aren't starting with solutions. They're starting with questions. How do we help new people feel welcome, but not overwhelm them?
What are we doing beautifully that we should never change? What are we afraid of losing as we grow — and how do we protect it on purpose? This is interdependence at work, one of our shared UU values: trusting that the wisdom we need is already out there.
If you're part of OCUUC, the invitation is simple: come curious. Notice things. Tell us what you notice. Email thoughts to either MET @ ocuuc.org or HEART @ ocuuc.org. And if you're new here, or somewhere in between, we are glad you are curious enough to check us out. We have a compass (love at the center), our values, and each other to guide us toward a bright and love-filled future.
With love,
Rev. Sian
Rev. Sian Wiltshire is Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church's minister. Please feel free to reach out and say hello! She can be reached by email, revsian@ocuuc.org, or by church phone at (714) 556-2882 (x302).