Create Climate Justice, Seminary Scholarship, UU the Vote launch and more
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Dear Friend,
A couple of weeks ago, I sat down at the dining room table to help my daughter Aliyah with her homework.
She had a whole week’s worth of assignments to tackle, all due the next day. Aliyah was overwhelmed and distraught, so I invoked the wisdom of writer Annie Lamott.
In the introduction to her book on writing, Bird by Bird, Annie describes a scene from her childhood between her brother and her dad. The brother was staring down a big report on birds that he had known about for weeks and was almost due, but on which he had made very little progress. The dad set next to him and said, “Bird by bird, buddy, just take it bird by bird.”
I shared that story with Aliyah, who was comforted by it. We proceeded to move through her own pile of homework, celebrating each 'bird' along the way. She was proud as she tucked her completed homework into her backpack to turn in the next day. So was I.
There are big challenges and opportunities in front of us, as a faith and as a nation. We are navigating profound cultural changes around religious community that impact UU congregations every week and ask us to re-imagine the shape of our ministries. We are experiencing a rise in global fascism that impacts in the most intimate aspects of our lives, at the level of bodily autonomy, at the most expansive, like the future of our planet.
If along the way, you get overwhelmed by the stakes and the volume of the work that needs doing, keep breathing. Pause. It is natural to feel frozen, overwhelmed, distraught. Keep breathing, get still, and consider what it might look like to just do the next right thing. Bird by bird, we will get through.
Rachel Myslivy, the UUA’s Climate Justice Organizer, is doing incredible work with congregations right now (see below), gearing up toward a Climate Revival in the fall. UU the Vote 2024 launches next month, and will draw on the passion voters feel about the issues, from voting rights and reproductive rights, to protections for trans people and climate justice. Our Congregational Life staff team has been working on tailored offerings for congregations of different sizes and developmental stages. Stay tuned for ways to plug in.
Thank you for all the ways you show up to strengthen our faith. Thank you for all the ways you show up to co-create a more just, loving and vibrant world. You are a good gift, as is your generosity in all its forms.
In faith,
Rev. Lauren Smith
Director of Stewardship and Development
Recent news from the UUA
The Green Heart of an Iowa Congregation (UU World, February 6)
UUA Launches UU Cultivators Collaborative to Support Spiritual Innovators (Press Release, January 31)
Rev. Ashley Horan Appointed UUA Vice President for Programs and Ministries (Press Release, January 29)
New Director and Deputy Director of Ministries and Faith Development Appointed (Press Release, January 23)
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UUA Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
UUA Donor Engagement Officer
30 Days of Love Concludes February 14
Side with Love's annual month of spiritual nourishment, political grounding, and shared practices of faith and justice, 30 Days of Love runs from Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 15) through Valentine’s Day (February 14).
Each week’s resources are published by 12pm ET every Monday.
Join in the final weekly offerings organized around a spiritual theme and an intersectional justice priority.
- February 5-11: Resilience with a focus on Democracy and Electoral Justice
- February 12-14: Interdependence and a focus on Liberatory Intersections
Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle
We’ve all heard about the funding available for congregations to advance clean energy through Inflation Reduction Act funding, but many folks still have questions about how it works. If this sounds like you, we invite you to join the Inflation Reduction Act Peer Learning Circle to learn with other UUs figuring out how to put these opportunities into action in our communities. Get up to speed by reading this short primer (Google Doc) on the opportunities available for congregations, then bring your questions and good ideas to the session.
At the January Community Meeting folks gathered to celebrate the good work our congregations are doing to create Green Sanctuary. Green Sanctuary teams shared how they're transforming their communities through congregational transformation, climate justice, mitigation, and community resilience. Watch the recording and access the slide presentation.
If you’re ready to join the Create Climate Justice community, sign up for an orientation and join us for our monthly community meetings. The GS2030 orientations are the first Wednesday of each month, and the community meetings are the third Wednesday, both events are at 7ET.
Nora Rasman Named Democracy Strategist for UU the Vote
Nora Rasman, former Wisconsin organizer for UU the Vote 2020, has been named the new Democracy Strategist to manage UU the Vote 2024 and other year-round work to resist authoritarianism and build a multi-racial democracy.
The role of Democracy Strategist is a critical investment that will build on the success of our electoral work and root our collective actions in the long haul work to resist anti-democratic movements that we are witnessing in our courts, our legislatures and school boards, and boards of elections.
Nora has been a skilled leader and strategist in Unitarian Universalist justice work and a powerful coalition builder progressive organizations like Working Families Party, Showing up for Racial Justice, and Mijente. Her reputation for building and sustaining accountable relationships and sharpening the analysis and political commitments of volunteer leaders will strengthen our national and local networks for more effective collaboration and deeper impacts.
Visit uuthevote.org to learn more, sign up to volunteer, or donate to protect democracy.
Join the UU the Vote 2024 Launch Event
Join us on Thursday, March 14, 7:00pm - 8:30pm ET for the official launch of UU the Vote 2024. You’ll learn about our work with UU State Action Networks and their partners in key states, key ballot initiatives, political education and spiritual grounding opportunities, and our mass voter contact program.
New Books from Beacon Press and Skinner House
You can browse or download the new 2024 inSpirit catalog online. To have a printed copy mailed to you, please use this form to provide your name and mailing address.
Scholarship Available for Incoming Seminary Students
Are you, or is someone you know, a lay leader in Unitarian Universalism who will be entering the first year of seminary in 2024, or is undertaking undergraduate work to prepare for seminary?
The Rev. Chuck and Nancy Thomas Scholarship honors Rev. Chuck Thomas’ career and his family’s commitment to lay leadership in Unitarian Universalism. Thomas Scholars qualify for this award by demonstrating their outstanding commitment to Unitarian Universalism as lay leaders.
Learn more about this and other ministerial scholarships available from the UUA. Applications will be accepted beginning February 15, 2024 and must be submitted no later than April 15, 2024.
General Assembly 2024: Registration Rates Go Up March 1
The 63rd General Assembly will take place virtually Thursday, June 20 through Sunday, June 23, 2024. Adult registration is $280, and includes access to General Assembly 2024 in the Whova event app, as well as on-demand programming, featured speakers, and major worships. Register through February 29 with a down payment of $50 by selecting the Early Bird Payment Plan at checkout. Voting delegates who wish to participate only in General Sessions may also register with the business-only option; this option is no-cost, but a donation is suggested. Registration rates increase March 1, 2024.
Faithify, the UU crowdfunding site, is taking a 7-week pause in launching new campaigns from March 6 - April 28. Campaigns approved prior to March 6, and the Faithify website, will continue to run as normal during this period.
Why are we taking this pause? Faithify staff will be on sabbatical, so we are streamlining our services during this period of time.
Upcoming Events
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
- 4th Tuesday: UPLIFT Trans/Non-Binary Monthly Gathering
- 4th Wednesday: Climate IRA Peer Learning Circle
- 4th Thursday: Faithful Grounding
UUA Board of Trustees Upcoming Meeting
Thursday, March 11 | 4:00pm PT / 5:00pm MT / 6:00pm CT / 7:00pm ET
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.
Taproot: A National BIPOC Space
March 14 | 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT
The work of the spiritual community is complicated. From busy schedules to the ever pressing tension brought on by systemic injustice, the need for faithful leadership grounded and resilient is imperative. This is all the more true for leaders within our communities and congregations who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPoC). Congregational Life is excited to co-create a network with congregational leaders that support them in emergent ways through Taproot: A National BIPOC Space. The organizing pillars of this collective are Rest & Renewal, Analysis Building, and Leadership Development. BIPoC leaders rooted in the Unitarian Universalist congregations are invited to take part in this monthly, virtual gathering to ground ourselves in resilient communities of care. Upcoming spring 2024 dates are May 9, and June 13 (no April meeting). 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.
