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Seasons of Giving | May 2021

Stewardship and Development News

“We are here to awake from the illusion of our separateness.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Friend,

It is a privilege to serve our faith alongside my UUA colleagues and sibling organizations like the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). Today, I am especially grateful for those colleagues whose work allows us to show up as global citizens, rooted in the understanding that we are bound together in a common web of humanity and ecology.

India is in crisis. It is hard to wrap my head around the devastation COVID-19 has caused there. The public health and economic impact is simply unfathomable. For any of you with family or friends in the center of that storm, our prayers are with you. And so is our commitment.

The Unitarian Universalist Holdeen India Program (UUHIP) is part of our association’s International office. Established in 1984, UUHIP provides aid through local partner organizations for a range of humanitarian initiatives. UUHIP partner organizations have been working overtime during this crisis to meet the needs of their communities.

If your congregation is planning to take up a special collection to support crisis relief in India, please consider the Holdeen Fund as a beneficiary. Donations to UUHIP can be made online or by texting HOLDEEN to 51555.

Please contact Derek Mitchell, Director of the Holdeen India Program, if you would like to learn more about their work. In addition to giving, there are opportunities to volunteer or host programs in your congregation.

Many thanks to all of you who support global connections by giving to advance Unitarian Universalism internationally.

And most of all, may you and yours be well and safe.

Best wishes,

Rev. Lauren Smith
Director of Stewardship and Development

Recent messages from the UUA and President Susan Frederick-Gray:

An Update on General Assembly 2021 (April 29)
From the UUA: We Speak George Floyd's Name (April 21)
From the UUA President: Planning for Multi-Platform Operations (April 15)
UUA Condemns Attacks on Democracy, Recommits to Protecting Voting Rights (March 29)

Matching Gift Challenge Extended and Exceeded

Thanks to more than 1,200 generous donors like you, the Friends of the UUA 2021 Matching Gift Challenge has met and exceeded its $100,000 goal!

The UU Veatch Program at Shelter Rock generously provided the initial match funds. And now, this week a faithful couple—longtime supporters and volunteers for the UUA—have stepped forward with an additional $100,000 match for gifts made to Friends of the UUA by May 31.

To those of you who have already contributed, thank you.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to have your gift doubled this spring.

Finding Our Way Home Retreat Held Virtually This Year

Finding Our Way Home (FOWH) is an annual retreat hosted by the UUA for UU religious professionals of color. It offers community building, spiritual reflection, and collegial support while connecting participants with local community organizations as partners in service, witness, and advocacy. Coordinated this year by the Rev. Michael Crumpler, UUA LGBTQ and Multicultural Programs Director, Finding Our Way Home ran from April 5-8 online.

For the first time ever, the retreat was multi-generational. 159 people signed up, including 21 youth and children. This allowed those with children at home to participate without having to make childcare arrangements.

Each afternoon included time for connection and breakout rooms, and evenings included dance, body work, grief circles, and more. And there was a memorial service to honor the lives and memory of Elandria Williams, the Rev. Dr. Hope Johnson, and the Rev. William Chester McCall, who we lost in 2020.

Stewardship and Development staff member Elizabeth Ann Terry helped with this year's event, serving as FOWH Planning Committee member and the Co-Coordinator of volunteer chaplains alongside the Rev. Patrice Curtis, UUA Transformational Interim Ministries Director.

We asked Elizabeth Terry a few questions:

What were your favorite parts of Finding Our Way Home this year?

The tender Memorial Service and cooking with Food+People who led an evening "cook-along" event.

Are there things you learned from this virtual event that will be included in future gatherings?

People do want to contribute of their passions and gifts. Those organizing the gathering will have more success when more people are able to be involved.

Anything else you would like to share?

Michael Crumpler and Dawn Robinson (UUA Administrator for Institutional Inclusion, Equity, and Change) are amazing!

Next year's Finding Our Way Home retreat will take place in Long Beach, CA, from April 4-7, 2022. Please use this link to update share with others who are interested in receiving information about future Finding Our Way Home retreats.

General Assembly: Time to Register!

If you haven't registered for Virtual GA 2021 already, there is no better time than right now!

Registered attendees are among the first to hear program announcements, such as the Ware Lecturer, and only registered attendees will have access to the new GA app. So, register early to join online discussions, familiarize yourself with the schedule, and find your place in our community of communities.

Ware Lecture to be Delivered by Stacy Abrams and Desmond Meade

The UUA President invites a distinguished guest each year to address the General Assembly as the Ware Lecturer. This year's Ware Lecture will be given by Stacy Abrams and Desmond Meade. Please join us online on Saturday, June 26 at 7:00pm EDT/6:00pm CDT/5:00pm MDT/4:00pm PDT. General Assembly registration is required to view.

Stacey Abrams is the New York Times bestselling author of Our Time Is Now and Lead from the Outside, an entrepreneur and a political leader. She served as Democratic Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives for 7 years prior to running for Governor of Georgia, where she won more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history. Read more.

Desmond Meade is a formerly homeless returning citizen who overcame many obstacles to eventually become the President of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC), Chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy, a graduate of Florida International University College of Law, and a Ford Global Fellow. Read more.

Looking for details of each day's schedule?

Check out UUA.org, where you can find detailed program information and a full list of the events happening this June. (Please note that the full list shows event times in Central Time.) GA begins on Wednesday, June 23 and runs through Sunday, June 27.

Days begin with Grounding Worship at 11:00am EDT / 8:00am PDT and run until about 9:00pm EDT / 6:00pm PDT each evening. Breaks of 45 minutes are scheduled throughout the day, and there are daily opportunities for reflections and networking with fellow UUs. Register for GA here.

UU World Magazine Special Issue in Your Mailbox

UUWorld Spring 2021 Illustration © 2021 Dave Murray, i2iart.com

As of early May, the latest UU World magazine should have arrived in your mailbox. This is a special issue called (Re)Building Democracy: A National Reckoning about Race, Justice, and Equity.

Redesigned and including vibrant art and photography, this issue captures this historic moment in (re)building democracy in the United States. Through interviews, essays, images, and reflections, we seek to engage readers in examining how each one of us can help create a truly just, equitable, and anti-racist democracy.

Not sure if you’re getting UU World magazine or need to update your subscription information? You can do so online here.

Around the Unitarian Universalist world...

UU Ministry for Earth continues UU Project Drawdown 2021

For the past month, UUs and members of Elders Climate Action have been busy with the UU Project Drawdown Initiative 2021. The UU DD initiative offers a clear path towards climate justice rooted in science-based, and solutions-oriented actions, mobilizing teams or individuals to do their part for collective action.

Get in on the final push for UU Drawdown Initiative: 10K Actions! UUs and Elders Climate Action have accomplished 2,900 climate actions as part of the Drawdown Initiative—can you help reach 10,000 actions?

Continuing until June 15, every action grows the collective UU climate justice movement with science-based, solution-oriented steps that bend the curve into Drawdown.

Learn with your fellow UUs about the most effective solutions by attending an Action Presentation—and it's Game On! Sign up here or find more information on the Drawdown Campaign page.

New Trustees Sought for UUSJ Board

Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice (UUSJ) is seeking 11 new members for their Board of Trustees to be elected at the Annual Board meeting on June 26. Under UUSJ’s new governance system, the current Board will select an 11-member Board from candidates throughout the country, instead of DC-area UUSJ member congregations appointing most trustees. For more information, see 2021 Board Member Search.

Upcoming Events

UU Ministry for Earth observes Biodiversity Sunday

Sunday, May 23

May 22 marks the International Day for Biological Diversity, a UN-designated day to raise awareness about the threats to Earth’s rich biological communities. It is a time to reflect on the importance of stability in the web of life and the risks we face when a species is lost to extinction. It is also the final day of Spring for Change: A Season of Sacred Activism. UU Ministry for Earth is aiming to form a cohort of families and congregations who want to participate in the 2021 Biodiversity Sunday and Endangered Species Art Project. Find out more here.

UPLIFT Transgender / Non-Binary Monthly Gatherings

Tuesday, May 25, 5 pm Pacific / 7 pm Central / 8 pm Eastern

Join the UPLIFT monthly gatherings focused on trans, nonbinary, and other not (completely 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. Expansive definitions of trans, nonbinary, and UU all apply. If you are interested in this space, and aren’t cisgender, it’s a space for you.

This space is intentionally multi-generational. It is open to and welcoming of trans/nonbinary elders as well as children, youth, and young adults. Standard UUA online safety measures apply to ensure all people under 18 are able to attend. To attend the next monthly gathering, register here.

UUA Board of Trustees Open House with Co-Moderators

Tuesday, June 9, 4 pm Pacific / 6 pm Central / 7 pm Eastern

Co-Moderators Charles Du Mond and Meg Riley invite you to come and check in with the UUA Board of Trustees at its upcoming Zoom Open Houses. Bring your questions and chat about what the Board has planned leading up to General Assembly 2021, the progress of the Article II Study Commission, your congregation’s engagement with Widening the Circle of Concern, what it means to serve Unitarian Universalism as a volunteer at the national level, and the UU issues that matter most to you. Registration is required for the open house.

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.