“The Ethical Society’s mission is to give birth to personalities who have attained for themselves an abiding ethical faith and are aflame with it.” – Dr. Felix Adler

The Washington Ethical Society is a congregation that meets every Sunday morning with a lot of offerings the rest of the week. Whether you are looking for a parenting group, a happy hour group, a deepening circle, a potluck within your neighborhood, a social justice oriented gathering, or something in between, WES is a community that is open to all.

WES’s Ends

Ends express an organization’s purpose… what it moves to bring about. WES’s Ends were affirmed by the membership at the WES Membership Meeting, June 7, 2015:

1. Inclusive – Diverse – Interconnected

WES is an inclusive and diverse center for Ethical Culture, humanism, and progressive religion that models the interconnected community we envision for the world.

2. Mind – Body – Spirit – Relationship

WES nurtures children, youth, and adults as whole beings – mind, body, and spirit – who seek their best selves in relationship with others.

3. Justice – Collective Power

WES works with others to build a community with justice, equity, and opportunity for all and uses collective power to eliminate oppression.

4. Citizens of the World – Stewards of the Earth

WES children, youth, and adults act collectively as citizens of the world and stewards of the earth.

Focus Goals

Focus Goals are intended to help WES direct its efforts and expenditures over the span of a year or so in ways that move us closer to our Ends. They are informed by the Mid-Year Planning Retreat of board, staff, and lay leader members. A Focus Goal may support one or more of our Ends. It does NOT describe a particular program. The Senior Leader works with staff and with member-volunteers to develop programs to meet the Focus Goals. Moving from most broad and visionary (on the left) to most specific (on the right), the relationship look like this:

Ends → Focus Goals → Programs

The Ends inform the choice of Focus Goals, which in turn inform the development of programs (e.g, workshops, creation of ongoing groups, etc). The 2020-2021 focus goals below were informed by the 2020 Mid-Year Planning Retreat and amended as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Senior Leader transition became more clear. (Numbers are identifiers only, no priority is implied by the order below.)

Focus Goals

1. Move toward long-term financial stability through attention to pledging/member donations and identification of new funding sources. Work toward this goal includes policies and practices around rental income as well as fundraising strategies.

2. Attend to the goals of the Interim period. Actions to support this goal include an exploration of WES’s heritage, leadership, mission, connections, and future; continuing work on anti-racism and anti-oppression; and support for the Lay Leadership Development Committee in framing a process for selecting the Leader Search Committee.

3. Strengthen SEEK and Lifelong Education. Action to support this goal includes work on policies and infrastructure to support a safe and orderly education program when in-person operations resume and providing resources to families for ethical education at home.

Goals for 2021-2022 will be updated versions of these three goals, as WES gradually begins to establish a “New Normal,” post-COVID future that is inclusive of our long-distance members as well as members who will gather again on the WES campus.