The charge of the Widening the Circle Committee is to be a visionary body and working group that recommends and strives to fulfill goals to aid UUCB’s growth and commitment to being an Anti-Racist, Anti-Oppressive, Equitable and Inclusive congregation and church organization. The committee and staff will discern the use of the currently-proposed recommendations and develop, over time, new ideas and action plans that support the spirit and intent of the UUA’s Widening The Circle Of Concern book. The committee’s work may include:


--Coordinating and overseeing the implementation of Board approved recommendations from the Widening the Circle of Concern Task Force report (released August 2021).

--Coordinating the discussion of the Widening the Circle of Concern Task Force report within the congregation to ensure understanding of and promote engagement with the work.

--Overseeing and working in concert with the Education for Liberation Development Team (ELDT). The ELDT would report to the Widening the Circle Committee.

--Regularly assessing the congregation to ensure that we are following through on our commitment to Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression, Equity and Inclusion.

--Giving guidance in accordance with ongoing recommendations from the Commission on Institutional Change of the UUA, which includes providing expertise to and collaborating with staff so that staff and congregational values are congruent.

The Widening the Circle Committee includes up to two board members, the Executive Director and Minister (ex-officio) and seven other church members with commitment to Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression work, approved by the Board of Trustees. Each member shall be appointed to a term of 1 to 3 years, which may be renewed f­­or a total of six years. In the absence of interested members, a current member may exceed the six-year limitation until the Widening the Circle Committee is able to both find and train replacement members who can then function effectively.

Any member of the congregation is encouraged to apply starting December 15th 2021 through January 10th 2022. Applicants will be informed during the third week of January 2022. The first meeting of the committee will be January 26, 2022, 7:00 - 9:00 pm PST, via Zoom.

--Ability and interest in collaborating and building connection

--Flexibility to grow and move to accommodate the living nature of the recommendations

--A growth mindset, ability to live in transition and ambiguity

--Curious, patient, covenantal (https://uucb.org/about-us/what-we-believe/our-beliefs/)

--Genuine excitement to embark on this adventure!

--Change is transformative. Widening The Circle Of Concern Task Force members all reported being changed in a positive way through their experience on the Task Force, so too on this committee.

--Meeting day/time and frequency: 4th Wednesday, 7-9 pm plus one additional meeting per month, time and day to be determined once committee forms

--Meeting with sub-committees and other groups; expect to spend around a few hours per week

As this is a brand-new committee, together, the members of the newly-formed committee will decide how to begin, using the Board’s vision for Widening the Circle to guide us. It is expected that the committee will

--Support congregants, staff, and groups in implementing the Widening the Circle recommendations
--Interface between groups and the Board of Trustees

Below is a visual model of the major programs at UUCB that are widening their circle of concern.