5/7 Adam House
The text below was read aloud to the First Unitarian Church of Portland’s Board of Trustees and Executive Team on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Adam House resigned from the Board in August 2024 but remained a member of the church.
On 5/7, Adam described concerning interactions with Board members Roger and Leslie as well as Rev. Alison Miller. No one challenged Adam’s recollections of their conversations.
I'm here today because I am angry to have learned that this board, which I sat on for four years until it became truly unbearable, has stooped to a new low in its mismanagement of this church. This last month, ten women who I consider friends and comrades in the fight for liberation were served what can only be called excommunications by this board. The only cause listed? Hosting a website that is critical of Rev. Miller's leadership at First Unitarian since her arrival. The letter specifically alleges that said website peddles falsehoods, but I have yet to hear a leader point to anything that is factually incorrect.
The board moderator confessed to me that she had never even read the website and so would not be able to point to any specific falsehoods. She also told me she agreed with me that it is wrong to kick people out of church. And so, Leslie, it was particularly painful to see that, to the contrary, the board minutes actually list you as seconding Roger's motion to expel your fellow congregants.
Roger was also unable to point out any specific factual inaccuracies, instead saying broadly just that it accuses Rev. Miller of unprofessional behavior, and he doesn't think that's true. Unfortunately, the website contains pages and pages of documentation to that end, and I was on this board when three separate investigations all found significant instances of unprofessional behavior. None that rose to a level that the investigators thought worthy of discipline or dismissal, but much of it troubling and decidedly NOT professional.
Of course, lurking beneath the board's distortions about the website's supposed falsehoods is a much more sinister layer - the belief that our governance structure empowers church leaders to police the online speech of congregants. This is antithetical to the notions of democracy or worth and dignity. It is truly disturbing that anyone at this table would espouse such a reprehensible governance philosophy, but I am baffled to learn that it is, in fact, even a majority of you. What a tremendous shame you all have brought on this congregation, and an absolute mockery of the slogan "love is at the center" or the month's theme of belonging.
Rev Miller, you told me you recused yourself from this process. I've gotta say, I think that's a pretty cowardly stance to take. Any leader with a shred of integrity in our tradition should be able to say with their whole chest that we do not eject congregants for their online speech, or for any amount of critiquing the minister or the heirarchal systems in our congregations that cause harm. When a true leader hears that they've caused harm, the correct response is to work toward repair. Instead, the leaders in this room have engaged in a smear campaign against the congregants and former staff who dare to speak out.
Rev. Miller, I invite you to begin repairing harm by taking the tiny step of joining me in calling on the board to reverse this reprehensible action. If you can't, I can't imagine a more resounding affirmation of the team's criticism. It is not possible to be fit to serve as a UU minister and also hold the belief that the church should police and punish the speech of congregants, especially when that speech is a critique of church leadership. When I came to church on Easter I heard you lauding the role of disrupters in society, not even a week after sending those expulsion letters to congregants for being exactly that. You also excoriated Donald Trump, but you are using his exact playbook for church governance: using the bully pulpit to disparage and attempt to discredit anyone who expresses opposition, and if that fails, meet behind closed doors and find an excuse to banish them.
Be better. All of you. Please. We did so much work with Rev. Sinkford to start laying a foundation for beloved community. It makes me sick watching you all digging up the bricks.
