Dear Friend, 

It begins! In my corner of the U.S., streams of children are making their way back to school. My daughter is in her last year of elementary school, which means that I get a front-row seat to the sweet annual spectacle of kindergartners arriving for their first day. 

The rituals of this time are comforting—a sweet spot of familiarity in a turbulent time.

There's a plastic soda bottle, stripped of its label and half-full of murky lake water, sitting on a shelf in my living room. We'll bring it to the Water Ingathering service next week. Water Ingathering in my current congregation is a joyous affair—a multi-generational outdoor service under the trees. Often, we use the water within minutes to bless the body and spirit of a child who is being dedicated.

There are many challenges in front of us, in society and in the communities and congregations we serve. (Is it possible to mention schools without noting recent attacks on education and educators? I think not.) We're trying to sort out how to thrive as congregations, how to protect our precious democracy, and how to support the thriving of people whose identity puts them (us) in harm's way.

We will be able to respond to these challenges and build new more life-giving relationships, in part because we choose to pause. We pause to experience and remember joy and connection. We pause to celebrate the beauty of our aspirations and the privilege of coming together to co-create a more just and loving world.

Recent links from the UUA

• Unitarian Universalists Kick Off the New Congregational Year with Ingathering (Press release, September 6)
• Tell Your Elected Officials: End Fossil Fuels Now (Side with Love, August 25)
• Living Our Words to Live By, by Wren Bellavance-Grace (New England Region Blog, August 21)
• Victory for Democracy and Reproductive Rights in Ohio! (Side with Love, August 15)

• Ten Years of Black Lives Matter: Looking Back and Moving Forward (UU World, July 26)

Ingathering Message from Sofía Betancourt, UUA President

This Hurricane Season, Remember the Disaster Relief Fund

September is one of the most active months in the Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane Idalia has already damaged communities in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. It can feel overwhelming to figure out how to help. The UUA Disaster Relief Fund is here for Unitarian Universalist congregations and their partners when they are affected by natural disaster. 

Recently, UU congregations have submitted grant requests for help with mold remediation after flooding, roof damage from fallen trees, replacing waterlogged supplies, and more. 

Disaster relief grants to our UU congregations and organizations not only help other Unitarian Universalists; they can also support on-the-ground relief efforts through existing partnerships that congregations already have. These grants encourage congregations to build coalitions to meet the needs of their communities.

The Disaster Relief Fund is a concrete, material way that we show up and support our fellow UU’s and their communities in the wake of these growing climate disasters. We encourage you to make a gift online or hold a special collection at your congregation. 

UUA Scholarships Available for Master of Divinity Students

Do you know any UU seminarians? Or are you considering entering seminary yourself? The Ministerial Credentialing Office administers scholarship funds available to students who are enrolled in a Master of Divinity degree program leading to fellowship as a Unitarian Universalist minister.

A number of different scholarships are available, including a scholarship specifically for an outstanding UU lay leader who is entering their first year of seminary or who is in preparatory academic work for seminary training.

Financial aid grants are determined by committees tasked with reviewing applications. Grants are determined on the basis of academic merit and/or financial need, consistent with the requirements of the scholarship. All scholarships applications require a personal essay, resume, and letters of recommendation. Applications will open in February 2024.

Fall Offerings from Congregational Life

The UUA’s Congregational Life Staff Group has offerings this fall for congregations seeking to support transgender/non-binary community members, as well as resources for worship services. 

Webinar: Caring for Trans Families

Join Regional Congregational Life staff and consultants for a national three-session series that will empower congregational leaders to faithfully support our transgender/non-binary community members. In this series, we will examine what multi-faceted support looks like including pastoral support, structural support and resources to help congregations work toward radical inclusivity, and advocacy in the public sphere.

Sermon of the Month Subscription Series

The Sermon of the Month series is a monthly subscription service that provides recorded sermons congregations can download and use for worship. Along with a transcript of the sermon, each month’s offering will include suggested readings and hymns. Speakers will be members of the Congregational Life staff, other UUA staff groups, or guest preachers from around the country.
 
For our September sermon, the Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh, from the Pacific Western Region Congregational Life Staff, shares her sermon “Living Into the Living System.” In her sermon, she reflects on what it means to see our congregations as “living systems,” and although living systems are naturally resistant to change, beauty and power can emerge in unexpected places when we tend to our living systems.

Exploring Accountability with the UU Common Read: On Repentence and Repair

On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World is the 2023-24 UU Common Read. In this 2022 Beacon Press book, Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg offers a fresh perspective on how we make ourselves accountable to others.

All resources for the UU Common Read can be found, along with Common Read updates, on the UUA website at the UU Common Read page. And remember, the inSpirit Book and Gift Shop offers a 10% discount on bulk orders of On Repentance and Repair.

Legacy Webinar Coming in October

The UUA’s Legacy Gifts Office offers a number of services, including an online workshop to assist congregations and other UU organizations in creating legacy giving programs. The webinar on Saturday, October 14, 2023 from 1 pm to 3 pm ET covers the basics of legacy giving and aims to equip legacy giving committees with the knowledge they need to start or refresh their program.

To register for the webinar or to reach out with a question about legacy giving, email us at legacy@uua.org or call (617) 948-6509.

Upcoming Events

UUA Board of Trustees September Dates

Meeting: Monday, September 11 | 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT

We invite you to join the Board as it meets to discuss and make decisions about all facets of Unitarian Universalism. Please consult the board packet of the meeting (when it's available) for more information. Register to attend here.

Open House: Tuesday, September 12  | 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT

One way the UUA Board of Trustees serves the more than 148,000 members and over 1,000 member congregations of the UUA is through open communication and transparency in its own work. To further encourage this open dialogue, the Board hosts monthly Open Houses. All are invited to attend and participate. Bring your comments, questions, and suggestions, and chat about the Board’s work and the Unitarian Universalist (UU) issues that matter most to you. Pre-register to attend.

UPLIFT Trans and Non-Binary Monthly Gathering

Tuesday, September 26 | 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT

Join the UPLIFT monthly gatherings for trans, nonbinary, and other not-entirely-or-at-all-cis UUs. Join us to connect with other trans/nonbinary+ UUs and co-create support and community across our faith. All you need to bring is yourself (and other trans/nonbinary friends, if you’d like)! These gatherings focus on getting to know each other and on sharing our collective dreams, ideas, and talents for this space. Expansive definitions of trans, nonbinary, and UU all apply. Non-UUs are welcome if they are OK with being in a UU-focused community. If you are interested in this space, and you aren’t (entirely or at all) cisgender, it’s a space for you.

NOTE: This space is intentionally multi-generational. It is open to and welcoming of trans/nonbinary elders as well as children, youth, and young adults. Standard UUA online safety measures apply to ensure all people under 18 are able to attend. We're glad to have you here!
To sign up, please fill out this form. 

Faithful Grounding with Side with Love

Thursday, September 28 | 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm ET

Join our Side with Love Fun & Spiritual Nourishment Squad for an hour of spiritual sustenance and grounding with others organizing on the side of love. Come drink in the music, meditation, play, and prayer. We end with a Connection Cafe for those who wish to talk together. Show up as you are, whatever is in your heart, and with your camera on or off as you need. This gathering happens monthly on the 4th Thursday of the month at 4:30 PT, 5:30 MT, 6:30 CT, 7:30 ET. Register here to join us.

Side with Love, UUMFE, UUSJ, UUSC: Climate Week Debrief

Tuesday, October 3 | 7 pm - 8 pm ET

What happened at Climate Week - in New York City and beyond? Join Side with Love, UU Ministry for Earth, UUs for Social Justice, and UU Service Committee to debrief the events that led up to and took place during Climate Week 2023. We’ll share stories, reflect on victories, lament what’s left to do, and learn what comes next in our collective work for climate justice. Join us to metabolize it all!

October Skill Up: Risk Discernment for Congregations

Sunday, October 15 | 4 - 5:30 pm ET; optional Q& A from 5:30 - 6 pm ET

This month's Skill Up is led by Rev. Ashley Horan, our Organizing Strategy Director. We often talk about partnership and solidarity in organizing, and the crucial role of showing up well in crucial moments. But how do we know which potentially risky asks we're actually ready to say "yes" to -- and follow through with? We will talk through a framework for having congregational conversations about risk, including expanding our courage as communities with significant power and resources.

Our Skill Ups are a monthly training series to help build organizing capacity across our congregations and communities. We are grounded in our UU calling to be lifelong learners and organizing traditions' call to share what we know for our movements to grow. Agenda includes embodied grounding and interactive training, followed by an optional Q&A Conversation from 5:30-6 ET. Register here to attend. 

Seasons of Giving is the monthly e-newsletter from the UUA's Stewardship and Development Office. Questions can be directed to Suzanne Murray at development@uua.org or (617) 948-4392.

Check UUA.org and UUWorld.org, as well as UUA regional websites, for the latest updates.