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Friend,

In the midst of crisis, there is a good deal of hope.

The UU the Vote organizing campaign is going strong, grounded in faith and responding to the needs of a democracy in crisis. Contributions from congregations and individual UUs made it possible to hire Nicole Pressley as National Organizer, as well as Wisconsin Lead Organizer Nora Rasman.

I’m thrilled at how much the campaign has already accomplished and excited about the full press of the months leading up to Election Day. Thanks to donor support, we recently added predictive dialing capacity—which means that we show up to outreach with movement partners with both volunteers and technology to share.

During General Assembly (GA) organizers set a goal of phoning 100,000 Texas voters to combat voter suppression in solidarity with communities fighting to have their voice heard. Working in partnership with Reclaim Our Vote, more than 114,000 calls were made that week!

Thank you to our hard-working organizing campaign staff, State Action Networks, partner organizations, UU volunteers, and donors. 

Together with our partners, we will fight voter suppression. We’ll advocate for core values like criminal justice reform, LGBTQ rights, economic and environmental justice. And when election day has come and gone, we will have strengthened connections between congregations, State Action Networks and grassroots organizations in our communities.

In the absence of door-to-door canvassing, phone banking is crucial this election cycle. With an additional $120,000 we can achieve our goal of reaching 1 million voters by November 3rd! If your congregation would like to support UU the Vote with a special collection, please be in touch. We’d be glad to work with you.

Thank you, as always, for the many ways you give and serve. These are dangerous and difficult days. Together, we will make it through.

"Months into this pandemic, so many of us are exhausted as we strive to manage changing work and family realities without a clear end in sight. The UUA will be closed the week of July 27 - 31 to ensure all our staff are able to take time to rest and re-energize as much as we can. We want to be ready for what comes next." 

—Carey MacDonald, UUA Executive Vice President

Workshops, worship services, and business items focused on the impact of colonization on native peoples. 94% of delegates affirmed an Action of Immediate Witness (AIW) that calls on UUs to “address 400 years of white supremacist colonialism” through solidarity with “all Indigenous peoples struggling to preserve their lands, waters, peoples, sacred sites, and sovereignty.”

Delegates also responded to the uprising against police violence, with 82% affirming another AIW that pledges support for the uprising and calls for immediately defunding police departments. In other business, delegates passed a resolution that provides additional guidance for the UUA’s socially responsible investing practices.

This GA was also one of the most generous, with attendees and viewers of some of the public events contributing a combined $259,150 to support the Katie Tyson Fund for Youth and Young Adult Ministries, the Living Tradition Fund, UU the Vote, and the Sunday worship beneficiary, the Tomaquag Museum in Rhode Island.

Read UU World's coverage here

Dr. Doris A. Blaisdell and Dr. Lowell L. Blaisdell of Denton, TX, left legacy gifts to many charities, including multiple UU organizations.

Lowell, who died in 2010, and Doris, who passed away in 2017, were committed Unitarian Universalists, involved with their local congregation and with national UU organizations. They also sought Unitarian connections worldwide.

The Blaisdells left a sizeable bequest supporting our religious professionals through the Living Tradition Fund, as well as the UUA’s work overall. When Doris and Lowell made these gift intentions—realized just a few weeks ago—they could not have known that their generosity would support Unitarian Universalism at a time of such great need in our religious communities.

In her eulogy for Doris, their longtime friend and fellow UU, Blanche de Leon stated, “If I were charged with the writing of a brief epitaph for Doris and Lowell, it would read ‘They showed up.’"

Indeed, not just in life, but after their deaths, Doris and Lowell showed up for Unitarian Universalism. We are deeply grateful for their trust in our shared future and for their generosity. We honor and thank them, and all of our legacy donors, for showing up for our faith when we need them most.

An original written reflection—grounded in Unitarian Universalism and accompanied by a brief prayer—is delivered to inboxes every Wednesday. Editor Erika Hewitt writes, "I invite you to share your voice, your lived experience, and your spirituality by writing  your own reflection (300 - 350 words) to submit to Braver/Wiser.

Please enjoy Unitarian Universalist History with Cat Memes, purrfectly created by 
Jamila Batchelder, Director of Religious Education, UU Church of Columbia, MO.

Seasons of Giving is the quarterly e-newsletter from the UUA's Stewardship and Development Office. We are publishing monthly during the COVID-19 crisis. Questions can be directed to Suzanne Murray at development@uua.org or (617) 948-4392.