Faithify for vandalized congregations, Trans community support, ACLU case, and more
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Dear Friend,
It’s July, 2024, a pivotal moment in U.S. and global history.
To quote Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton, “History is happening.” Here we are.
Late June was hard. A raft of decisions emerged from the Supreme Court and a distressing debate took place between the two presumptive nominees for the presidency.
These events rocked me, despite myself, and I felt similar distress in many of the communities in which I move. At some level, nothing new or surprising happened. There were, for example, indications that the high court would overturn the “Chevron Doctrine,” effectively curtailing the regulatory power of federal agencies. Still, this rather in-the-weeds decision was a body blow, another move away from protections for ordinary people who deserve access to clean air and water, workplace protections, reliable health care and more.
There’s so much that you or I could say about our current political realities, but mostly I would like to say this: It’s time to engage. It’s time to bring our best effort and imagination to the work of repairing democracy, protecting bodily autonomy, and ensuring that the next generation will inherit a livable eco-diverse planet.
We can UU the Vote again this year, engaging in values-base conversations in community, co-creating robust civic responses to our moment in history. Unitarian Universalists can be proud of the outsized impact we have had in past election cycles and it’s time to do it again. It’s not about candidates. It’s about the people who are impacted by the policies and decisions of our time.
I hope that all of us who never imagined that Roe v. Wade could be overturned will organize for reproductive rights.
I hope that all of us who have wept at the courage of freedom fighters will rally for democratic integrity, will be door knockers, poll workers, election defenders.
I hope that all of us who cherish diversity in human bodies and expression will show up with love to defend the right to inhabit our gender identities without fear.
We are small but powerful, especially when we partner with others in our communities. We find ourselves in a pivotal moment in history. Who will we be?
Let’s be brave.
Let’s be generous.
Let’s be collaborative and loving.
Let’s show up through Election Day and beyond, as an impassioned people of faith.
In many movement circles, UUs are known as the people in yellow “who show up.” I am so proud of the ways you show up, so proud to see you at rallies and community events embodying the best of our faith.
Thank you for the gift of your faithful presence. Thanks, as always, for all that you are, give and do.
Photo of Rev. Lauren Smith with a green stole around her neck.
Rev. Lauren Smith
Director of Stewardship and Development
P.S. If you’re not sure how to show up, consider connecting to your congregation’s UU the Vote group, participating in the Climate Justice Revival this fall, giving to advance this critical work, or taking part in an organizing “skill-up” workshop offered by the UUA’s Organizing Strategy Team. There are so many ways to be part of the movement. There is a place for you.
Recent news from around the UUA
A Blessing for Queer Youth of Faith (Side With Love, June 26)
Unitarian Universalists Adopt New Language on Core Religious Values (Press release, June 26)
Open Hearts and Homes: Minnesota UUs Help Ukrainian Families Find New Lives in the United States (UU World, June 25)
The UUA Applauds U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision on the Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine Case (Press release, June 13)
Faithify Projects Aid Congregations Defaced, Damaged
From Halcyon Westall, Faithify Program Manager:
Two of our congregations have been recent targets of arson and vandalism. First Parish in Kingston, Massachusetts, and the UU Church of Lawton, Oklahoma both had their buildings broken into and fires started which will need thousands of dollars in repairs.
These are both small congregations and I am glad that they can reach out to sibling UU's for help in covering the cost of repairs and continuing their mission through fundraising campaigns on Faithify.
I suppose this is part of the risk of being a denomination that sides with love and publicly displays support for people who have been marginalized.
In Lawton, the church has been repeatedly vandalized since 2019. Graffiti has been scrawled on their building and now the violence has escalated when their community free pantry was set on fire. They are asking for help to install security cameras and make repairs.
In Kingston, their Black Lives Matter and Pride flags were burnt, historic windows and shutters broken, and a fire also set inside the sanctuary. They are asking for help with repair costs.
Photo of a blackened, burned section on the red brick wall of a building, with a partially torn apart sign that reads "Free pant, take what you... leave what you..." where it is clear it read "Free Pantry" before.
Photo of a window damaged by recent vandalism, with one shutter mostly torn off, and damage to the whitewashed brick. To the right of window is a sign for the congregation, Kingston First Parish Church, Unitarian Universalist.
Tangible proof that enemies of justice use terrorist tactics thinking we will recoil in fear, but they are so very wrong. We will double our efforts. We will draw the circle ever wider. We may be afraid, but we use that energy to fuel our courage to create a more inclusive and caring world where all have what they need to live in peace.
Community Support for Trans/Nonbinary People
Here we share a special message from UUA staffers Adrian Ballou and Mylo Way.
Beloveds,
As we write, the ACLU is actively tracking 522 anti-LGBTQ laws in the 2024 US legislative session which does not take into account the hundreds that have been passed over the past few years, and the continued onslaught in the pipeline.
It can be a frightening time to be trans, and to love trans folks. There can be a giant sense of fear and overwhelm, which can make us feel like shutting down. We want to offer more ways to navigate these times. What if we didn’t let our own fears and isolation define our boundaries? What if we opened our arms and hearts wide to allow space for ourselves and for others to thrive?
In times like this, Unitarian Universalists have time and again chosen to show up for justice. This is a core part of who we are. Our history does not always have us choosing to side with love–sometimes we have betrayed the most marginalized among us, furthering causes that cause harm. This is a history and present we reckon with, across our UU history and here today, across the past and present of trans, nonbinary, and intersex rights and justice work in our faith.
General Assembly 2024: Article II Passes with 80% of Vote
At this year's virtual General Assembly, delegates voted on a number of issues, including the Article II revisions, business resolutions, and actions of immediate witness. UU delegates from all 50 states and Washington, DC, participated. As for Association business, 2,757 delegates from 734 congregations participated in voting democratically on denominational business. In total, there were more than 3,400 attendees to the Assembly.
The UUA concluded a multi-year process of discernment to consider changes to Article II of the Association’s Bylaws, which included the Principles and Purpose. This process, which changes the way that UUs describe their beliefs and values, formally began in 2020 with the creation of a commission that recommended language focused on shared values. Two-thirds of the delegates at GA were required to pass the new language – 80 percent of delegates voted in favor. The changes are effective immediately. Learn about the Article II revision process.
“This is a historic moment for Unitarian Universalism, as we move our living tradition forward to focus on shared values that will help promote liberation, radical inclusion, and communal care both within our church and across society,” said Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, the UUA’s President. “I am so proud of the work that our congregations, volunteers, UUA staff, and especially individual UUs have put in throughout this discernment process. It demonstrates how functioning democratic processes can be used to create change that is just and equitable.”
Read more about the business of GA, including Actions of Immediate Witness and Business Resolutions.
Or, check out UUWorld's story covering this year's GA, and don't miss the Flickr photo gallery! At All-Virtual GA, Unitarian Universalists Center Love and Pledge Bold Social and Climate Justice Action (UUWorld, June 22)
UUs Among Plaintiffs in ACLU of Louisiana Suit to Block Law Requiring Public Schools to Display the Ten Commandments
Photo: Rev. Darcy Roake
UU minister Rev. Darcy Roake (and former UUA staff member) and her Jewish husband Adrian Van Young are part of the multi-faith group of nine Louisiana families with children in public schools behind a suit filed in federal court last month. According to the ACLU of Louisiana, the suit seeks to block HB 71, a new state law requiring all public elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom.
The plaintiffs are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Louisiana, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom from Religion Foundation, with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP serving as pro bono counsel.
“As an interfaith family, we strongly value religious inclusion and diversity, and we teach our children that all people are equal and have inherent dignity and worth. The Ten Commandments displays required by this law fly in the face of these values and send a message of religious intolerance.
"They will not only undermine our ability to instill these values in our children, but they will also help create an unwelcoming and oppressive school environment for children, like ours, who don’t believe in the state’s official version of scripture. We believe that no child should feel excluded in public school because of their family’s faith tradition.”—Rev. Darcy Roake and Adrian Van Young
Summer Reading from UUA Publications Office
Here are some books recently highlighted by the UUA Publications team. Check out inSpirit UU Book and Gift Shop for your summer reads.
Blessing It All: Rituals for Transition and Transformation, edited by Allison Palm and Heather Concannon
Love at the Center: Unitarian Universalist Theologies, edited by Sofía Betancourt (UUA President)
The Court v. The Voters by Joshua A. Douglas is the August Goodreads UU Book Club pick
New T-Shirts Available from inSpirit Book and Gift Shop
You may have seen fellow UUs in these new T-shirts at Pride events or on camera during General Assembly. New designs are available highlighting UU the Vote, Side with Love, and Climate Justice.
Left, Create Climate Justice T-shirts include a graphic with brightly colored flowers surrounding the words. The URL uuclimatejustice.org is on the back below flowers and leaves. Right, the rainbow Side With Love heart is on the front of the Side With Love shirt; the words "Trans people are divine, abortion is a blessing, and every body is sacred" are on the reverse with the sidewithlove.org URL.
At left/above: the new UU the Vote T shirt has written on the back: "May the promise of democracy illuminate our path - May the people act with courage and compassion - May our practice propel us toward that future." The words democracy, courage, compassion, and future are large and bolded, easily legible.
Find these shirts and more UU apparel at the inSpirit UU Book and Gift Shop.
Climate Justice Revival in September!
Have you heard about the UU Climate Justice Revival, happening this September? Here are some quick facts to get you up to speed:
- It’s available to be held (in person) at your congregation on September 28-29, 2024.
- Everything is provided for you by our fabulous UUA Organizing Strategy Team.
- Saturday's guided conversations come with complete facilitator training, dialogue outlines, and all ages curricula.
- Sunday morning's worship programming offers everything you need, from plug-and-play resources to easily adaptable materials you can weave into your own worship format.
- Appropriate for every size congregation in any geographic location.
Ways to learn more about the UU Climate Justice Revival:
• Check out the website and FAQs
• Get the overview by watching the organizers talk on the VUU.
• Attend an info session.
• Still have questions? Email organizers at uurevival@uua.org
Mosaic Curricula Launching this Summer
The Mosaic Hub, the UUA's online central location for anti-racism resources, is proud to announce this summer's launch of the Mosaic Lifespan Anti-Racism Curriculum Series.
This series provides K-adult with a multi-media approach to age-appropriate lessons in understanding racism and how we can work together to dismantle the systems and institutions that uphold it. As of June 22, the first three lessons of all curricula (K-1st, 2nd-3rd, 4th-5th, Middle School, High School, Emerging Adult, BIPOC adult, and General Adult) are available to those who complete the free self-paced facilitator training.
The remaining lessons of the curricula will be released on these dates:
- July 15th, BIPOC
- August 15th, High School
- September 13th, Middle School
- October 14th, General Adult
- November 15th, K-1st
- December 13th, 2nd-3rd
- January 10th, 4th-5th
- February 7th, Emerging Adult
Find more information online, including a link to the UU Institute training course, Facilitating for Transformation.
UUA Common Read: Authentic Selves
Image description: A woman with brown skin and black curly hair wearing a white tank top and yellow skirt with sneakers hangs one arm off a tree, surrounded by green grass and sunny green shrubbery.
This year's Common Read is Authentic Selves: Celebrating Trans and Nonbinary People and Their Families (Skinner House, 2023). UU World magazine recently ran a story about the Common Read program and this book. Angelle Eve Castro, shown in the photo above, is one of those whose stories are included.
Upcoming Events in July and August
UU the Vote Good Trouble Congregation Check In
Tuesday, July 16 at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT
Join our bi-monthly (every other month) check-ins to review your congregation’s progress, talk through any challenges and provide peer support. Please send at least one member of your Good Trouble Team to this meeting, hosted by Nora Rasman. Register here.
Unapologetic Abortion Access: Skills to Move People from Judgment to Empathy, with UPLIFT Action and Avow Texas
Saturday, July 20 | 3 pm - 4:30 pm ET / 12 pm - 1:30 pm PT
Join us for a virtual workshop with Caroline Duble, Political Director of Avow Texas, to talk about abortion. Talking about abortion is the first step to busting stigma, stopping harmful restrictions, and expanding access. Learn how to have deeper conversations about abortion that are rooted in values and facts. Defuse extremist talking points and develop skills to use in one-on-one conversations. We are particularly enthusiastic to invite UU reproductive justice organizers and activists and folks living in states with abortion ballot measures this November. Please join us!
UU Climate Justice Revival Info Session
Monday, August 5 | 7 pm - 8 pm ET / 4 pm - 5pm PT
Are you excited for the first-ever UU Climate Justice Revival ...but...still have so many questions? Is it on zoom or in person? Can kids participate? Is it a regional or national event? When we do new and different things, questions are expected! Come to the UU Climate Justice Revival Info Session and get all your questions answered! Register.
Additional info session dates include August 7, August 13, and August 15.
UUA Board of Trustees Upcoming Meetings
Monday, August 12 | 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT
The Board of Trustees holds monthly videoconference calls (using Zoom) and four major meetings per year. Agendas, meeting packets, minutes and reports are available online. Please review the board packet for each meeting before attending. Pre-registration for each Zoom meeting listed below will open after the previous meeting ends and will remain open until the end of that meeting. Register here for the August meeting.
The September meeting will take place from Thursday, September 12 through Saturday, September 14.
Side with Love Monthly Gatherings
Side with Love has recurrent, monthly offerings for a variety of individuals, congregational leaders, and campaign leads:
- 1st Wednesday: Green Sanctuary Orientation
- 2nd Monday: Side with Love Monthly Mixer
- 2nd Friday: UPLIFT Trans/Non-Binary Pastoral Space
- 3rd Sunday: Skill Up Trainings
- 3rd Wednesday: Green Sanctuary Community Meeting - Get the scoop on the UU Climate Justice Revival on Wednesday, July 17
- 4th Tuesday: UPLIFT Trans/Non-Binary Monthly Gathering - note: no July date
- 4th Thursday: Faithful Grounding - note: no July date
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.
