Transformation

The Transformation Team was established by the Standing Committee in June 2009 to coordinate steps toward transforming First Parish in Cambridge into a multiracial, multicultural, justice-making congregation. These efforts include:

• Liaison with the Program Council to involve all committees and groups of the church in the shared work of transformation;
• Fostering conversation and action toward this goal;
• Guiding a revision of the First Parish mission statement;
• Review of the First Parish website, publications, and other communications to incorporate this message; and
• Promotion of workshops, conferences, and adult spiritual education programs to encourage conversation.

The members of the 2011-2012 Transformation Team are Karin Lin (Co-chair), Marcia Yousik (Co-chair), Mauri Mollan, Sarah Joslyn Wahl, LeLaina Romero, and Susan Shepherd (Standing Committee Vice-Chair), who work in collaboration with Senior Minister Rev. Fred Small, Associate Minister Rev. Lilia Cuervo, Ministerial Intern Elizabeth Nguyen, and Director of Religious Education Mandy Neff.

Learn Spanish at First Parish!
Would you like to confidently greet newcomers to our congregation in Spanish? Do you yearn to follow the Spanish lyrics in worship? The Transformation Team is pleased to offer members and friends of First Parish a beginning Spanish class with a uniquely UU flair!

The class will meet in the Baldwin Room on Sunday afternoons from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. Classes will be held from February 12 through April 29, with no class on February 19 (President’s Day weekend) and April 8 (Easter Sunday). Click here for a complete description.

"Opening the Doors to Diversity"
First Parish in Cambridge was featured in the UUA's "A Religion for Our Time" video series in January 2011 for our journey toward a multiracial, multicultural future.

Past events
2011-2012

• Beginning Spanish classes and Spanish conversation groups
• Lunar New Year celebration (Co-sponsored by Religious Education)
• "Building Multicultural Community and Partnerships" workshop, led by Paula Cole Jones
• "Building the World We Dream About" for members of the Transformation Team, Standing Committee, and Social Justice Council

2010-2011

• Gathering for those who identify as people of color, Latino/Latina/Hispanic, or multiracial, and their families
• "Wilderness Journey" screening and discussion
• Multicultural potluck and sharing immigration stories (Co-sponsored by the Immigration Task Force)
• "Mission Matters": conversations about the significance, identity, and direction of First Parish in Cambridge
• "Darkening the Doorways: Black Trailblazers and Missed Opportunities in Unitarian Universalism" workshop with the Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed

2009-2010

• Workshop on Diversity and Accessibility led by Barbara Ceconi, Ceconi Consulting Group
• Screening and discussion of the movie "Race: The Power of an Illusion"
• Screening of Disney's "The Princess and the Frog", followed by adult and youth group discussions (Co-sponsored by Religious Education)
• Presentation and discussion of "A Simple Act of Courage", a one-woman play by Vanessa Adams-Harris on the life of Rosa Parks (Co-sponsored by the Social Justice Council)
• Discussion of the relationship between Transformation and our UU Faith
• Screening and discussion of the movie "Made in L.A." (Co-sponsored by the Immigrant Issues Planning Group of the Social Justice Council)

Services by the Rev. Fred Small

Colorwise
We Shall Overcome
Welcome to the Borderlands
The Leading Edge (with Transformation Team members)
The Destiny of Diversity
A Call to Transformation
A Multiracial, Multicultural Future
Building the Beloved Community

Services by the Rev. Lilia Cuervo

Day of the Dead
Installation Service: The Challenge of Race, Class, and Culture by Rev. Peter Morales

Services by Elizabeth Nguyen

"Happy New Years [Again]!"

Resources

A comprehensive list of books, curricula, and organizations is available at the Unitarian Universalist Association's "Top Picks for Multiculturalism".

Contact

To contact the Transformation team, send email to transform [at] firstparishcambridge [dot] org