Out of 105 voting members 81 endorsed the legal name of Vancouver Unitarians at our Annual General Meeting held Nov. 19th in the Sanctuary and online. Yup, it’s the name we have been using informally since 2004. Twenty-two voted to remain as Unitarian Church of Vancouver, two abstained. Since a 77% vote for the name change exceeded the requirement of 75% for special resolutions…we will become legally Vancouver Unitarians.
Some of us are happy and at least 22 are disappointed. Out Task Force mandate was to provide ample and unbiased opportunities for members to think about and discuss together what name best represents our personal preference and our evolving religious community. Five years have been helpful in deepening into our decisions. Some changed their minds during this time period. We have heard from many members that they see us as having fulfilled this mandate and being discrete about our personal preference. Yes, we have been in a dual role as objective and neutral task force members and also as members with our personal beliefs about the best name for us. Since the vote some of us have come out of the closet.
The Task Force role has now been fulfilled. Not perfectly but hopefully good enough. Five interrupted years! Now the Board and Administration will address the many next steps. We are grateful that our minister Rev. Shawn is sensitive to the challenges of reminding us of our common ground which is much more than just our name.
Many questions are looking for answers! What do we call the place we go to on Sundays? Should this be codified? Or should this be is a personal choice? It could take time to figure out this one. We hope that everyone will feel respected with their personal name preference – that it’s ok to come to church, UCV, VU, or some other place name…. Over time one name for our place may emerge and then again many names may continue to be used. Diverse names! Shared values!
We have so many people to thank for their support and guidance of the work of the Task Force. And we will. It truly has been a community effort. Thank you all!
