UUA: Top Stories

UUA Names Unitarian Universalist Church of Ogden, Utah a Breakthrough Congregation

web@uua.org — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

Congratulations to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ogden, Utah, for being the newest Breakthrough Congregation! Each year the UUA’s Office of Growth Strategies recognizes a handful of congregations that have “broken through” barriers to achieve exemplary goals. UUCO's embrace of multigenerational worship and religious education for all ages has drawn attention from across the UUA. UUCO has also become a sanctuary for LGBT youth and a community hub for social justice work.

Faith Without Borders: From Elmina Castle: Undoing Racism

web@uua.org — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Rev. Peter Morales, President of The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), and a delegation of Unitarian Universalists have just returned from visiting the Every Child is Our Child program partners of the UU-UNO in Ghana. In his post on the Faith Without Borders blog, Charles DuMond, a member of this delegation, shares reflections following visits to schools near the Cape Coast and Elmina Castle near Accra.

UUA President Applauds Statement on Same Sex Marriage from President Obama

web@uua.org — Wed, 09 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

UUA President the Rev. Peter Morales applauds President Obama's decision to declare his support for the freedom to marry for all loving couples. "Like many Americans, President Obama says his position on this issue has evolved over the years, and today it seems clear that the arc of the universe is bending toward justice," affirms Rev. Morales.

Faith Without Borders: Many Ways to Build a Foundation

web@uua.org — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) partnered with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti, April 28–May 5, 2012. In the post below, trip participant Barbara Nelson reflects on the various ways to build foundations — with rocks and with voices. The UUSC-UUA Haiti Volunteer Program is made possible through the contributions of UUA and UUSC donors and a generous grant from the Veatch Program of the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock, in Manhasset, N.Y.

UU World: Dallas Church Raises $20K for Wells in South Sudan

web@uua.org — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

For Lent this year, friends and members of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas turned soda, coffee, and wine into water: They gave up those drinks and used the money they saved to create a $20,000 fund — almost three times their goal — that will be used to drill two wells in villages in South Sudan And it’s all because of Bol Deng Malual, 25, one of the “Lost Boys of Sudan." Bol is one of more than 30,000 young boys who were displaced or orphaned during a civil war in Sudan between 1983 and 2005. Thousands of the boys were brought to the U.S. after years of hiding out and living in refugee camps.

UU World: Dallas Church Raises $20K for Wells in South Sudan

web@uua.org — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

Faith Without Borders: Ghana: Odumase to Accra

web@uua.org — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Rev. Peter Morales, President of The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), is currently with a delegation of Unitarian Universalists in Ghana. Their visit includes time with international human rights partner the Manya Krobo Queen Mother’s Association (QMA). The Queen Mothers are traditional leaders in Eastern Ghana who organized an effective response to the traumatic effects that the HIV/AIDS pandemic was having on children in their community. This latest post discusses the delegation's first day.

Faith Without Borders: From Odumase, Ghana: Education is Medicine

web@uua.org — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Rev. Peter Morales, President of The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), is currently with a delegation of Unitarian Universalists visiting the Every Child is Our Child program partners of the UU-UNO in Ghana. Lorella Hess is a member of the delegation, and in her post, shares reflections following visits to schools near Odumase.

Faith Without Borders: Ghana: Odumase to Accra

web@uua.org — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 EST

Faith Without Borders: Ready for More Invigorating Work in Haiti

web@uua.org — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is partnering with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti, April 28–May 5, 2012. In the introductory post about this journey, trip communications specialist Nicole McConvery of the UUA writes in anticipation of a week filled with learning and growth. The UUA-UUSC Haiti Volunteer Program is made possible through the contributions of UUA and UUSC donors and a generous grant from the Veatch Program of the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock, in Manhasset, N.Y.

Faith Without Borders: Bringing Your Truest Self to Haiti

web@uua.org — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is partnering with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti, April 28–May 5, 2012. In the latest post about this journey, trip staffer Charles Huschle ruminates on the many qualities and skills that the trip participants are bringing to their work in Haiti — and what they are leaving behind. The UUA-UUSC Haiti Volunteer Program is made possible through the contributions of UUA and UUSC donors and a generous grant from the Veatch Program of the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock, in Manhasset, N.Y.

UUA-UUSC Supporter Journey to Tanzania and Burundi

web@uua.org — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to connect firsthand with social justice leaders on the ground in Africa! Visit the Tanzania Gender Networking Program, a UUSC partner working to overcome gender inequality and secure the human right to water. Then travel to Burundi to meet with Rev. Fulgence Ndagijamana and the Assembly of Unitarian Christians of Burundi, a UUA partner, to witness the new congregation’s local justice work and discuss refugee reintegration and conflict resolution.

Faith Without Borders: Ready for More Invigorating Work in Haiti

web@uua.org — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

Faith Without Borders: An Education in Partnership in Ghana

web@uua.org — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

A delegation of Unitarian Universalists, including UUA President Rev. Peter Morales, arrive in Accra, Ghana, on May 6 to begin a notable visit with international human rights partner, the Manya Krobo Queen Mother’s Association (QMA). The Queen Mothers are traditional leaders in Eastern Ghana who organized an effective response to the traumatic effects that the HIV/AIDS pandemic was having on children in their community. By visiting children, their teachers, the Queen Mothers, and other local officials, the UUA delegation will learn how this community came together and responded to a serious crisis.

Faith Without Borders: Thinking About Earthquakes in Haiti

web@uua.org — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is partnering with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) on a joint volunteer trip to Haiti, April 28–May 5, 2012. In the newest post about the trip - along with a video diary entry - participant Orelia Busch reflects on tiny movements and cataclysmic earthquakes. The UUSC-UUA Haiti Volunteer Program is made possible through the contributions of UUA and UUSC donors and a generous grant from the Veatch Program of the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock, in Manhasset, N.Y.

Now Available from Skinner House Books: The Pen and the Bell: Mindful Writing in a Busy World

web@uua.org — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

It can be difficult to create space for our spiritual lives in a world crowded with distractions. The Pen and the Bell, from Skinner House Books, addresses the topic of achieving mindfulness and creative fulfillment in spite of long to-do lists. It's about gaining access to our deeper selves in the workaday world, and bringing forth this authentic self in our writing. With both meditative and writing exercises in each chapter, it will help you awaken your creative soul and find a more rewarding life.

Returning to the Scene of the Crime: Phoenix, Two Years Later

web@uua.org — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

Two years have passed since the implementation of SB1070, and for the first time since my conviction for peaceful civil disobedience while protesting this law in Phoenix, I will join with thousands of Unitarian Universalists from around the country, other people of faith, our local social justice partners and residents of Arizona. We will gather in peace, in solidarity and to bear witness to the truth.

Meet the Candidates for Moderator

web@uua.org — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Unitarian Universalist Association Board of Trustees has nominated two candidates to run for moderator of the association. Jim Key and Tamara Payne-Alex will stand for election at the 2013 General Assembly to replace Gini Courter, who has served as moderator since 2003. The next moderator will be eligible to serve a single six-year term. Read the candidates' profiles to learn more about their commitment to Unitarian Universalism and their hopes for the moderator position.

UU World: Spiritual Connections to the Universe for Teens

web@uua.org — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

Early adolescence is often a time when a child’s appreciation of the magic that younger children see everywhere in the world becomes squelched or outright ignored. Wide-eyed wonder about life and the universe isn’t “cool” and gaining the respect of their peers often becomes tantamount. By the time they have become teenagers, most children have already developed that ever-present internal critic that haunts adults. This can keep youth from being fully present in any moment, let alone experiencing the sacredness of life or a connection to the divine.

UUA Joins ICCR in Lauding Social Justice Work of Catholic Women Religious

web@uua.org — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) is a 40-year-old network of faith-based investors exercising their power as active shareowners to transform companies. Together, ICCR members promote sustainable practices through engagement with company management. As an active member of ICCR for many years, the UUA has partnered with other faith groups on numerous campaigns. In a post on the Standing on the Side of Love blog, UUA Treasurer and CFO Tim Brennan voices support for the ICCR and the Catholic religious women who work for justice.

UU Board and the Doctrine of Discovery: Accountability in Action

web@uua.org — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:00:00 EST

When our Association’s Arizona Immigration Ministry met with our social justice partners there, we received one clear request for an agenda item at GA 2012. Our partners said that the single most important piece of business we could do at GA 2012 was to study and repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery and support the full implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. Further, they asked us to have our congregations study this issue and how it is related to the ongoing oppression of indigenous peoples whose lands straddle the US-Mexico border.

Dr. Daniel McKanan Receives 2011 Frederic G. Melcher Book Award

web@uua.org — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

On Tuesday, April 17, at 4:30 p.m. the UUA will award the Frederic G. Melcher Book Award to author and Harvard Divinity School Senior Lecturer Dr. Daniel McKanan for his book, Prophetic Encounters: Religion and the American Radical Tradition. McKanan's groundbreaking, definitive work treats the histories of religion and the Left as a single history, showing that American radicalism is a continuous tradition rather than a collection of disparate movements.

Congregations Encouraged to Study Doctrine of Discovery

web@uua.org — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

Many people didn’t learn about the Doctrine of Discovery in school. But those who attend Justice General Assembly in June will learn about it there. In brief, the Doctrine of Discovery is the premise that European Christian explorers who “discovered” other lands had the authority to claim those lands and subdue, even enslave, peoples of those lands simply because they were not Christian.

The Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide, Fifth Edition, Now Available

web@uua.org — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

The 2012 edition of The Unitarian Universalist Pocket Guide is now available at the UUA Bookstore. This edition is the most extensive revision of the Pocket Guide in over a decade and features a foreword from MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry. Other contributors include Kay Montgomery, John Crestwell, Gail Geisenhainer, Rosemary Bray McNatt, Jane Ranney Rzepka, Mark Belletini, Judith Frediani, Rebecca Parker, and 2011 Frederic G. Melcher Award winner Dan McKanan.

Join Our Triple Match Challenge

web@uua.org — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

From now until June 30, 2012, your gift to the Friends of the UUA will be tripled! During the Triple Match Challenge, the grant makers from the UU Veatch Program at Shelter Rock and leaders from the President’s Council will both give one dollar for every dollar you contribute. Your gift will help us reach our $100,000 goal, raising a total of $300,000 for the UUA's ongoing support of congregations and work for justice in the world. Please give generously today!

UU World: For Love and Justice

web@uua.org — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

Unitarian Universalists mobilize in response to laws that tear families apart and abuse immigrants. Immigration justice has become a flash point for Unitarian Universalists, especially as we approach the UUA’s “Justice General Assembly” in Phoenix, Arizona—where one of the most aggressive state laws on local immigration enforcement has been enacted.

Director for New UU College of Social Justice Announced

web@uua.org — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

It is our pleasure to announce the formation of the new Unitarian Universalist College of Social Justice and our great delight to announce the appointment of the Rev. Kathleen McTigue as its inaugural Director. The UU College of Social Justice is a formal collaboration of the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. Its mission is to increase the capacity of Unitarian Universalists to catalyze justice.

Director for New UU College of Social Justice Announced

web@uua.org — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:00:00 EST

Last Week to Register for General Assembly at Early Registration Rates