Dear Friend, 

It’s a beautiful morning in my corner of the world. May is one of my favorite months. Everything is green and bursting here in New England, and the air is fresh. There is a wind chime on my front porch that is making a sweet low sound, only a little louder than the breeze in the trees and not as loud as the birds.

Earth Day is in April but I always feel most happy to be a citizen of Planet Earth on May days like this one.

Thanks to all of you who support the UUA, our Organizing Strategy Team has added a new member—Rachel Myslivy, Climate Justice Organizer. Rachel brings a joy and a passion for this work that is perfectly suited to eco-justice organizing. In an era when the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation are so startlingly clear, it feels good to be part of the solution.

Here’s to all that is blooming in this season and all that is still in bud.

Recent news from the UUA and President Susan Frederick-Gray

• Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary+ People and Their Families, a New Book from Skinner House, Highlights Joy and Community Among Trans and Nonbinary Families (May 9)
• Trans, Nonbinary+ Lives and Democracy are at Risk: UUs Unequivocally Defend Justice (May 5)
• Beacon Press Issues Official Statement in Response to Current Wave of Book Banning (Facebook, May 3)
• UUA Announces Ebony C. Peace Appointed Director of Human Resources (April 26)
• From the UUA President: Tennessee Teaches Us We Cannot Normalize Authoritarianism. We Must Protect Democracy. (April 7)

Matching Gift Challenge: Special Opportunity to Double Gifts

Article II Process: Public Discussion Workshops 

The UUA's Article II Study Commission, Board of Trustees, Administration, and Staff have received many questions regarding the Article II study and proposed revisions. In response, we have curated this list of frequently asked questions and answers to help you understand this process.

The UUA Board of Trustees will host two more public discussion workshops on May 18 and 21 to review suggestions and ideas. These rounds of public discussion will inform the way amendments are prioritized for discussion and voting at General Assembly. The following workshops are open to all Unitarian Universalists. Whether or not you submit a suggestion or idea, we encourage you to join us for one or more of these workshops. Register below.

• Amendment Discussion Workshop #2 - Focus on Values and Covenant
  Thursday, May 18, 2023 | 7pm ET / 6pm CT / 5pm MT / 4pm PT. Register now for the May 18th workshop.
• Amendment Discussion Workshop #3 - Focus on Purpose, Inclusion, Freedom of Belief, and Anything Else that Remains
  Sunday, May 21, 2023 | 4pm ET / 3pm CT / 2pm MT / 1pm PT. Register now for the May 21st workshop.

Upcoming Climate Justice Events

This spring and summer there are plenty of opportunities for you and your congregation to engage in the important work of climate justice. 

Tomorrow, May 17: IRA funds and UUs: Funding Clean Energy and Climate Solutions

Are you wondering if Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds can transform your congregation? With 30% direct pay options for churches and nonprofits, IRA funds present a great opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint while cultivating communities of care and prioritizing climate justice. Even better, the UUA has funding options to help you maximize IRA funds. Join Carey McDonald, UUA Executive Vice President, to learn about how you can leverage UUA funding options with IRA funds for an even bigger impact. Register here for the May 17 webinar. The recording will be available afterward. 

May 25: Abolitionist Visions on Climate Justice

Imagine it's 2050 and we've achieved all of our wildest hopes for climate justice...what does it look like? The abolitionist movement imagines a future without police and prisons, drawing on deep convictions, faith, imagination, and hope to do so. The climate justice movement is diverse, vibrant, and equally hopeful: but do we UUs have a vision of what a just climate future is? Without a clear vision of a world where all can thrive, we run the risk of prioritizing short-term gains, false solutions, legislative goals disconnected from cultural shifts, and distractions that divide our focus.

Join Side With Love for this radical gathering of thinkers for abolitionist visions of climate justice. Facilitated by Climate Justice Organizer Rachel Myslivy, the panel will include Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, Ecowomanist theologian and sole candidate for UUA President*; Dr. Rashid Shaikh, director of science emeritus at the Health Effects Institute in Boston and co-convenor of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Caucus on Climate Justice; and Antoinette Scully, Faith-Based National Organizer for the UU Women's Federation.

To aid with the visioning, this event will incorporate the use of "rich picture" process to help us imagine our communities in this future. We hope this panel will inspire and ground all of us in the promise of the world we yearn for. Register here for May 25. 

*This event is cosponsored by Side With Love and UU College of Social Justice and is not a campaign event.

Skinner House's Authentic Selves Available for Pre-Oder

The compelling stories in Authentic Selves provide a glimpse into the real lives, both the challenges and the triumphs, of these remarkable people and their families—people like Senator Sarah McBride, disability justice advocate Parker Glick, drag entertainer TAYLOR ALXNDR, September 11th first responder Jozeppi Angelo Morelli, model Lana Patel, youth activist Elliott Bertrand, and so many others—all of whom are working to create a more just, diverse, and compassionate world. Available for order now from the UU Book and Gift Shop. 

UU Holdeen India Program Visits Partner DISHA

The UU Holdeen India Program (UUHIP) is one powerful way that the UUA puts our values to work in the world. Since 1984, this program has partnered with grassroots organizations across India as they build a more just and equal society. UUHIP provides partners with long-term, trust-based funding and technical assistance. Through the committed support of UUs across the United States, our partners in India reach millions of people striving to secure more just and sustainable livelihoods.

One of UUHIP's longest partnerships is with DISHA, a grassroots network of community collectives in the western state of Gujarat. DISHA works with subsistence farmers who have faced centuries of social and economic exclusion.

DISHA organizes these farmers into collectives that provide training on increasing the productivity and resilience of their fields, while also engaging with public officials on investment for their communities. Many of the farmers are women, who face higher levels of exclusion. DISHA’s team identifies traditional, drought-resistant seed varieties and then forms seed exchanges for its members. They’ve also created a producer-owned company to market local produce and cut out middlemen.

When UUHIP visited DISHA this winter, we witnessed how the organization’s training in low-cost, organic techniques can turn barren fields into a lush, bountiful landscape. One such farmer, pictured above, is Manyabhai Puniyabhai Sangada, who doubled the size of his wheat crop after joining a DISHA collective. 

DISHA’s efforts have transformed the lives of its farmer-members. With more food for their families and extra income from crop surpluses, these farmers can remain in their communities, avoiding the dangers and indignities of migration.  
 
We invite you to join UUHIP in supporting our partners’ transformative work in India. To learn more, please visit UUA.org/holdeen or write to holdeen@uua.org. 

UUA Presidential Forums (Recordings Available)

There are two remaining Presidential Forums held at congregations around the country to allow UUs to learn more about the candidate, Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt. Each forum will be held in person and livestreamed. Please register in advance; each forum will have a cutoff date for in-person registration, but online registration will be possible up until the starting time for each forum. You may view the recordings online.

• Saturday, May 20, 2023. Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, CA. 4 pm ET / 3 pm CT / 2 pm MT / 1 pm PT. Register by May 17 to attend in person. 
   
• Saturday, June 3, 2023. First Unitarian Church of Dallas, TX. 2 pm ET / 1 pm CT / 12 pm MT / 11 am PT. Register by May 31 to attend in person.

Upcoming GA Workshop, Business Mini-Assemblies

General Assembly 2023 will be held from June 21-25 in Pittsburgh, PA, and online. We're all getting ready and hope to see you there. Here are some upcoming events and opportunities to prepare:

What to Expect at GA 2023 Webinar, hosted by the Board of Trustees

Monday, May 22, 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT

At this year’s multiplatform GA 2023, we will explore the power, possibility, purpose, struggle, and joy of meeting the moment as Unitarian Universalists. Whether you're a first-time delegate or a long-time attendee, we invite you to join us to learn more about what will happen at GA this year. Members of the Board of Trustees will provide an overview, along with information for delegates regarding the business sessions. This webinar will be 75 minutes in length, and a recording of it will be posted. Registration is required.

Business Mini-Assemblies

Rules of Procedure for GA 2023 | Monday, June 5 at 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT
Business Resolution: Complete Divestment from the Fossil Fuel Industry and Subsequent Reparations | Saturday, June 10 at 4 pm ET / 1 pm PT

The business mini-assemblies for the rules of procedure and a business resolution will take place before GA begins. Delegates will access the text for each as well as a link to an amendment form via the delegate platform. Zoom information for the mini-assemblies for each item will also be found in the delegate platform. Links to the final text of each item will be added at a later date.

Disaster Relief Gifts Help UU Congregations Recover

Thank you to the many UUs and congregations who have donated to the UUA Disaster Relief Fund this year. After a quiet year during Fiscal Year 2022, this year has been one of the busiest yet, full of weather-related disasters that have negatively impacted our congregations and their local communities.

In the fall, Hurricane Ian swept across Florida; all winter had atmospheric rivers dumping rain and snow on the Pacific West; and more recently tornadoes ripping across the south. As of April, the Disaster Relief Fund has given out $203,900 to UU congregations needing help. That's all possible thanks to your support, and support from our congregations. 

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Myers, FL, shared these before-and-after photos from September (left) and January (right). Your donations helped them repair wind and water damage to their building and campus.

Coming Soon: Pride Month

June is Pride month. Stay tuned for UPLIFT Ministries happenings; you can subscribe to their quarterly newsletter and blog here. And don't miss the UPLIFT Collective on social media: a group of Unitarian Universalists preaching queer and trans liberation. 

Upcoming Events in May and June

Green Sanctuary 2030 May Gathering: IRA funds and UUs

Wednesday, May 17 | 7 pm - 8:30 pm ET / 4 pm - 5:30 pm PT

Are you wondering if Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds can transform your congregation? They can. With 30% direct pay options for churches and nonprofits, IRA funds present a great opportunity for UUs to reduce our carbon footprint while cultivating communities of care and prioritizing climate justice. Even better, the UUA has funding options to help you maximize IRA funds! Join Carey McDonald, UUA Executive Vice President, to learn about how you can leverage UUA funding options with IRA funds for an even bigger impact. The Green Sanctuary Team meets monthly for shared learning and mutual support with other UUs working on congregational transformation through climate justice. Each meeting includes a short presentation on a climate justice topic, followed by open discussion on pressing needs. Register here for May 17. 

Article II Discussion Workshops #2 and #3

Workshop #2: Focus on Values and Covenant, Thursday, May 18 | 7pm ET / 4pm PT
Workshop #3: Focus on Purpose, Inclusion, Freedom of Belief, and Anything Else that Remains, Sunday, May 21 | 4pm ET / 1pm PT

The workshops are open to all Unitarian Universalists. Whether or not you submit a suggestion or idea, we encourage you to join us for one or more of these workshops. Register here for the May 18 workshop. Or register here for the May 21 workshop. 

UPLIFT Trans and Non-Binary Monthly Gathering

Tuesday, May 23 | 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. To attend the next gathering and join the community, register today. Children and youth attendees, please see the instructions for how to register and attend.

Save the Dates for GA Business Mini-Assemblies

Monday, June 5 and Saturday, June 10

The business mini-assemblies for the rules of procedure and a business resolution will take place before GA begins. Delegates will access the text for each as well as a link to an amendment form via the delegate platform. Zoom information for the mini-assemblies for each item will also be found in the delegate platform. Links to the final text of each item will be added at a later date.

UUA Board of Trustees June Dates

Meeting: Monday, June 12 | 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT
Open House: Tuesday, June 13 | 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT

The UUA Board of Trustees holds monthly videoconference calls (using Zoom) and four major meetings per year. Agendas, meeting packets, minutes and reports are available online. Register here for the June meeting. The Board also 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. To attend the June Open House, please register here. 

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.