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Dear Friend, 

I love Passover for a lot of the same reasons I loved my favorite car of all time—a 1998 manual shift Honda Civic Hatchback.  

When I drove the Civic, I felt the road.
 
The car was manual in more ways than one. In addition to manual transmission, it boasted manual door locks and window cranks, as well as manual air conditioning (a.k.a. window cranks).
 
We bought the Honda in August of 2011, just after we moved from California to New Hampshire. It was blazing hot, so on our first family jaunt in the car, we rolled down all the windows. The boys in the back were then 16 months old and four years old, respectively, and they had never experienced life without A/C. They bellowed in surprise as blasts of hot air blew back at them. They shook their heads like wet dogs after a bath, hollering, "Too much air!  Too much air!" Later, they would come to love the back-seat blast. They’d laugh and egg us on to go as fast as possible. But it was a rough start.
 
Mostly, I loved that the car was a stick shift. I liked the soft thup-thup-thup under my fingers as I tipped into third gear. I loved that if I wasn’t paying attention and let out the clutch too quickly, the car would buck violently and stall out. If I got overzealous and put it into fifth too soon, the engine would race and remind me I was getting ahead of myself. It shimmied at 75, and responded to every pothole and bump in the road. 
 
Immediate feedback. Instant mindfulness.
 
To the untrained eye, our little Civic didn’t look like much, but it was a fantastic car. I felt alive, driving that scrappy little stripped-down machine. I felt connected and free.
 
Passover holds a lot of the same appeal. In particular, I love the rituals of the Seder. The Passover Seder features a traditional meal and rituals set out in a Haggadah, a kind of order of service. 
 
The elements of the evening trace the Israelites’ journey out of Egyptian bondage. There are lots of variations in Haggadot, but many traditions are always present—the tasting of bitter herbs as a reminder of the bitterness of slavery, the eating of parsley dipped in salt water to symbolize the tears shed on the journey, the drinking of sweet wine in an attitude of repose to celebrate the sweetness of freedom. 
 
The spiritual journey from bondage to freedom is marked viscerally. The signposts and landmarks are marked by taste and touch, question and answer. And they’re colored by the particular experience of the participants. Each year I have attended a Seder, I have enacted the rituals in a slightly different group of people, in a different moment of my life. Biting into the salted parsley, I can’t help but recall the times I have tasted my own salty tears. Reclining to sip sweet wine, I am brought back to times of celebration and laughter with good friends, reminded of the shifting landscape of faces in my circle of close companions. The ancient freedom story becomes interwoven with the particularity of my life, and I feel both more deeply.

In this season of holy days, I wish for us all the blessing of a spiritual life that is close to the road.  

I wish for us community and rituals that keep us in touch with the ever-changing textures and contours of our particular path. 
 
Immediacy, connection, and sweet freedom,
 
Windows cranked open and nose to the wind,

Feeling our place in the ancient unfolding human story,

Bellowing or laughing out loud as the occasion demands.

Happy Passover, everyone! Happy Easter, happy spring, Ramadan Mubarak! I’m glad to be traveling this road with you.

Recent news from the UUA and President Susan Frederick-Gray

• The Culture Wars Hit Home, by Renee Ruchotzke, on Central East Region's Better Together blog (March 30)
• A Statement in Response to the Nashville School Shooting from Side with Love (March 29)
• UUA Named Top 10 Finalist in ecoAmerica’s American Climate Leadership Awards (March 29)
• UUA Statement Regarding Churchill High School in Eugene, Oregon (March 15)
• UUA Responds to Growing Legislative Attacks Against Trans and Nonbinary+ Kids and the LGBTQIA+ Community (March 6)

Disaster Relief Fund: Help Congregations Affected by Tornadoes

The UUA Disaster Relief Fund team has shared that this year the UUA Disaster Relief Fund has received numerous grant requests from UU congregations. Recent tornado outbreaks across the south are only the most recent in a string of natural disasters.  

The Disaster Relief Fund is set to distribute the most money since Hurricane Harvey in 2017. And we need your help. The fund is at a desperately low level so that we can’t fund the total needed. Can you make a donation? Your gift of any amount is welcome!

Special Thanks from Port Charlotte UUs

Thank you to the many individuals and congregations who made gifts to the Disaster Relief Fund this fall. Your gifts made it possible for us to send $106,850 in hurricane relief funds to Florida congregations in the wake of Hurricane Ian. The UU Fellowship of Charlotte County in Port Charlotte, FL, shared some before-and-after photos (PDF, 21 pages, scroll to "In Their Own Words: Thanks from Relief Recipients") with us. Thank you! 

Introducing the UPLIFT Collective

Side with Love is thrilled and grateful to share this announcement from our wonderful new partners at the UPLIFT Collective:

Amid all of the hatred and misinformation being spread about trans, nonbinary, and queer people, progressive people of faith need to speak out. We must actively resist the harmful lies and cruel laws being passed across the United States and proclaim the belovedness, and fundamental humanity, of Trans, Nonbinary, and Queer people.

From Facebook to TikTok, to Instagram; Religious Educators, Seminarians, and Ministers—all of us preaching the gospel of Queer & Trans Liberation, Queer Joy, and Gender Euphoria in digital spaces to help shift the conversation.

We need you to help hold back the tide of hatred and misinformation about queer and trans people. Here are 3 steps you can take right now:

• Follow #UPLIFTCollective on social media
• Like, comment, & share our messages
• Create with us and use #UPLIFTCollective

This powerful example of our faith in action is made possible by the Side With Love Campaign and the UUA’s UPLIFT LGBTQ+ Ministries.

Matching Gift Challenge: Double Your Gift through May 31

Webinar Recording & Resource: "The Body Politic: Faithful UUs Showing Up for Trans Justice"

UUs have long been partners and leaders in powerful multifaith movements fighting for trans and queer rights and liberation.

Watch the recording to hear stories from congregations and State Action Networks on the ground, and point toward ways you and your community can take meaningful action.

Article II Process: April is for (Suggesting) Amendment Ideas

The Article II Study Commission has completed its two year study. They submitted their Article II Study Report to the UUA Board of Trustees at their meeting held on January 20, 2023. The report includes the Study Commission's recommended revisions to Article II. 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.

All qualifying suggestions will be posted for public chat discussion on discuss.uua.org after April 15. Suggestions must be received by April 30 to be posted.

The UUA Board of Trustees will host public discussion workshops on May 11, 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.

UUA Presidential Forums Continue this Spring

There are three 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 here.

UU Ministry for Earth 2023 Spring for Change

Spring for Change: a Season of Sacred Activism — from the evening of Sunday, March 19 (the night before the Spring Equinox on Monday, March 20th!) through May 22nd (International Day for Biodiversity) — is an invitation to the Unitarian Universalist faith community to embody the transformational, regenerative power of Spring through sacred activism for Earth and all our relations.

The 2023 Spring for Change theme is Active for Earthcare! Together, we will get active in our faith communities, our spiritual practices, and our relationships to the ecosystems we are home to. We will practice Earthcare by facing the facts and forecasts of our climate and ecological crises with courage, moral clarity, and a commitment to justice, equity and compassion.

Coming soon: a special Earth Day Service, Thursday, April 20, 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT. This service will also be available for use in your congregation.

Green Sanctuary 2030: Access Federal Funding for Solar Energy Projects

With Justice 40, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, there are many opportunities for congregations to be leaders in the transition to a just and equitable clean energy future! There are opportunities for individuals, buildings, communities, and state/county/city level advocacy. The UUA is partnering with Interfaith Power and Light, the Energy, Environment, and Study Institute and others to help UUs learn about and access these funds.

Check out Green Sanctuary 2030: Mobilizing for Climate Justice, which provides structure, leadership and support, in broad collaboration, for the UU faith community to engage in an ambitious environmental and climate justice movement that seeks to live fully our principles and achieve our vision of a sustainable and just world for all.  

What Does Legacy Giving Mean for Your Congregation?

Should we ask people to leave money to our congregation (or other UU entity) after they pass away? What are the ways that people make these kinds of gifts? How do we get the word out about legacy giving? These are among the questions answered in an online workshop offered three times per year by the UUA’s Legacy Gifts Office.

This free webinar provides a basic level of education so that folks on committees can have a common starting point for their understanding of legacy giving.

The workshop explains the most common kinds of legacy gifts, including bequests, beneficiary designations, and charitable gifts annuities. Policies and procedures are also covered, including the all-important gift acceptance policy. Finally, we discuss the most important element for any program: building a culture that honors legacy. 

This webinar is two hours, including a short break and time for Q&A. We encourage legacy giving committee members to attend as a group so that they can work together to generate questions. 

Join us to learn about how to begin and nurture legacy giving committees in your congregation or other UU community! The next workshop will be held on Saturday, May 6, from 1 to 3 pm ET / 10 am to 12 pm PT. RSVP to legacy@uua.org to receive a zoom link.

Don't Miss These General Assembly Highlights

General Assembly 2023 will be held from June 21-25 in Pittsburgh, PA, and online. You're invited to attend all or part of GA; in-person or virtually, we hope to see you there! Don't miss these program highlights:

Flower Ceremony Centennial

The first Flower Ceremony was held in Prague, in June 1923, led by Rev. Norbert Čapek. For decades, this beloved tradition and its powerful history have provided meaning to hundreds of UU congregations. As the centennial of this ritual approaches, WorshipWeb offers resources for use in worship.

Upcoming Events in April

Taproot: A National BIPOC Gathering

Thursday, April 13 | 8 pm - 9:15 pm ET / 5 pm - 6:15 pm PT

Congregational Life is excited to explore and co-create a network with congregational leaders in emergent ways through Taproot: A National BIPOC Space. The organizing pillars of this collective are rest and renewal; analysis building; and leadership development. BIPoC Leaders rooted in the Unitarian Universalist congregations are invited to take part in this monthly, virtual gathering as we explore these pillars in creating means to ground ourselves in resilient communities of care. This space is explicitly for people identifying as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPoC). All participants are asked to register for this event; you will receive the Zoom connection information in your confirmation email.

UUA Board of Trustees April Dates

Meeting: Monday, April 10 | 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT
Open House: Tuesday, April 11 | 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 April 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 April Open House, please register here. 

Green Sanctuary 2030 April Gathering: Solar 101 + IRA Funds

Wednesday, April 19 | 7 pm - 8:30 pm ET / 4 pm - 5:30 pm PT

Michael Cohen, Solar United Neighbors, will give a quick primer on Solar for congregations and share a little about the process the First Unitarian Church of Orlando is going through to consider installing solar with IRA funds. Hosted by Rachel Myslivy, monthly Green Sanctuary Team meetings for shared learning and mutual support with other UUs working on congregational transformation through climate justice are held on the third Wednesday of the month. Each meeting includes a short presentation on a climate justice topic, followed by open discussion on pressing needs. Register here to attend on April 19.

UPLIFT Trans and Non-Binary Monthly Gathering

Tuesday, April 25 | 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.

RE Credentialing Program Informational Webinar

Monday, May 1 | 7 pm - 8 pm ET / 4 pm - 5 pm PT

The Professional Development Programs Manager will host Religious Education Credentialing Program Information webinars every other month through May 2023. Register here for May 1.

Legacy Giving Webinar for Congregations

Saturday, May 6 | 1 pm - 3 pm ET / 10 am - 12 pm PT

The UUA’s Legacy Gifts Office offers a number of services, including an online workshop to assist congregations in creating legacy giving programs. This webinar will cover the basics of legacy giving and how to set up a legacy giving program in your congregation. We aim to equip congregations with the knowledge they need to start a legacy program. To register for the webinar, email us at legacy@uua.org or call (888) 792-5885 (select option 3).

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.