UUA & UU-related Notices
UUFH is a member congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association in the Southern Region. Information of interest to our members, friends and the greater community is posted here.
Updated: February 24,2022
UUA Newsletter – February 2022
“Strategies For Navigating This “New Normal”
| Rev. Dr. Susan Frederick-Gray spends her days strengthening the thriving mission of this faith. In her spare time, she enjoys being with her family and playing with their dog, Hercules. |
| As February draws to a close and we approach the second anniversary of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, many of us are exhausted. We recognize the worry, uncertainty, and devastating loss of loved ones. For BIPOC UUs, the disproportionate impact of trauma and the deaths of so many incredible leaders have been especially painful. Despite the difficulties we have endured, we have not been alone. We have found creative ways to support each other in deep care and in the nurturing of our communities. Early in 2020, the Unitarian Universalist Association consulted with health officials and many others to provide clear guidance to congregations when little other information was available or couldn’t be trusted. Now, as local infection rates trend downward and decisions about in-person gatherings are being made locally, the UUA has shifted to offering strategies to support congregations in mitigating risk. In this newsletter, you’ll find new and revised resources to guide local decision-making as well as additional materials for inspiration, connection, and sustenance. Love, Susan |
| In this call to worship from Side With Love’s 30 Days of Love Sunday worship service, Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray affirms, “However you come to the work of being human right now, as you are willing and able, I invite you to bring your spirit. Lean into the power and strength of your wider faith community. You are welcome here. You are precious.” Watch Video As the pandemic has evolved, the UUA has evolved in the guidance it provides to congregations. The previous metrics-based resources have been revised to present up-to-date strategies that can help mitigate risk when meeting in person. The decision of whether to meet in person is now best made at the local level, and the UUA is committed to supporting that process. Details On The Changes Seven strategies form the foundation of the UUA’s new approach to supporting congregations in making decisions about in-person gatherings. Turn to this information when your congregational leadership discerns—based on your community, your building, and your people—that some in-person meetings, programs, and worship can be adequately safe. Pandemic Strategies Virtual and multiplatform methods for connecting in community—whether for worship, events, or committee meetings—are here to stay for many Unitarian Universalist congregations and communities. There are many ways to imagine incorporating online options for in-person events, and the UUA continues to maintain an updated library of resources online. Multiplatform Resources As Unitarian Universalists, we find hope and sustenance in affirming our part in the larger interdependent web of life. Beyond our congregation’s walls, beyond our local community, we can connect with so many others working for love and justice. Make that connection today with Side With Love’s 30 Days of Love Sunday worship service. Side With Love ICYMI: UUA regional staff work closely with congregations, partnering with them in the ups and downs of this journey through COVID. When one regional staff member shared how telling our personal stories with COVID can help us cope with living through this pandemic, it rang true for many of our Facebook followers. We hope you will find it helpful, too. Find It On Facebook |
UU Forward Together Annual Gathering
Saturday, November 16, 9:30am-3:30pm Eno River UU Fellowship, 4907 Garrett Road, Durham, NC 27707
UUA President Susan Frederick-Gray will be present via video to welcome attendees and offer words of inspiration.
Everette Thompson, a North Carolina native and the new campaign manager for UUA’s Side with Love campaign will present the keynote workshop, “Side with Love: Answering the Call of This Moment,” encouraging UUs to build a broad-based movement for social justice and human rights in partnership with those most impacted by injustice.
Rachel Baker, Immigration Advocacy Coordinator for the North Carolina Council of Churches, and Moises Serrano, Political Director of El Pueblo, will lead a plenary workshop on Immigrant Justice: Solidarity, Partnership, Resistance, and Creating Sanctuary.
There will be plenty of opportunities for networking, interaction, sharing, questions, and conversation as well as worship, singing, and food.
Note: Several SJOT members will be driving to Durham on Friday, November 15. We’d love to have additional attendees from the Fellowship. If you’d like more information on registration and travel plans, please contact Kitten Bulen or Charlotte Corrigan.
UUA General Assembly
Registration is Open for UUA’s General Assembly June 24-28, 2020, Providence, Rhode Island
General Assembly (GA) is the annual meeting of our Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). Attendees worship, witness, learn, connect, and make policy for the Association through democratic process. Anyone may attend; congregations must certify annually to send voting delegates.
The theme for General Assembly in June 2020 is Rooted, Inspired, & Ready! We are in touch with our theological roots, we are engaged in transforming our faith and we are fired up to take action in the wider world.
For more information from UUA site click HERE.
New WorshipWeb App for UUs!
If you’ve ever used WorshipWeb to search for inspiration, or if you’ve ever read Braver/Wiser to find courage & compassion, this news is for you: we’ve just released our new WorshipWeb app!
You can download the WorshipWeb app from the Apple store or from GooglePlay.
In January, a handful of creative, dedicated UUA staff members knit themselves into a pop-up team, designing this app for your smartphones and tablet. It’s the new iteration of the “Illuminations” app that many of our users lost when technology made advances in 2017. Our WorshipWeb app is more robust and beautiful than before, offering a wide range of content for both personal and collective use.
The content on the WorshipWeb app is expansive, pulling resources from fifteen different worship genres in addition to our gallery of images, memes, and artwork. You’ll find our Black Lives Matter collection and a 14-month archive of the weekly Braver/Wiser reflection series. If you explore the app, you’ll also discover a slyly hidden button that leads straight to our “What’s New?” page.
The app includes other helpful features too: you can share resources to Facebook or Twitter, and while the app’s content requires a signal to browse, you can use the “Favorite” function to keep material accessible even when you’re offline. (If you find yourself missing the light-your-own chalice from the old Illuminations app, please trust that we’re working on implementing that interactive feature in an upcoming update.)
The design, creation, and maintenance of the WorshipWeb app is a service of the Unitarian Universalist Association, made possible through the support of member congregations and individual donors like you. If you enjoy the app and want to show your thanks, we hope you’ll click the “Donate” watering can icon to show your appreciation.
We hope you enjoy this app, and I hope you’ll stay in touch with me about how WorshipWeb can continue to offer connection, and equip you with tools for a vibrant spiritual and worship life.
In faith,
Rev. Erika Hewitt
Minister of Worship Arts, Unitarian Universalist Association Minister of Worship Arts, Unitarian Universalist Association
On behalf of our fantastic app team: Anna Bethea, Lauren Callahan, Marchaé Grair, and Larry Stritof
What’s Next After The Climate Strike?
From Susan Leslie, Congregational Advocacy & Witness Director, UUA Organizing Strategy Team
“The sheer power of the people resisting at this moment is breathtaking. Millions mobilized around the world answering the call to demand that our governments address the climate emergency. Thank you for your part in the Global Climate Strikes. We’re in awe of the images from around the world, demonstrating the fierce urgency of this movement. UUs came out in the thousands across the country. Our movement is energized! We’re grateful to the youth who are leading this movement around the world and we’re dedicated to continuing to follow their leads and remain committed to fighting for their future now.
And as we celebrate what we achieved this past week, we know we have the capacity for more and we are preparing. We have a What’s Next? webinar planned for 10/16 so register now.” More Info HERE.
Action Alert from Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of NC
Congress is back in session! Our Senators, Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, need to hear from North Carolina voters on the subject of gun violence; public opinion is solidly in favor of new laws aimed at reducing gun violence. Although the US House of Representatives has passed proposed legislation strengthening the national background check requirements for purchasing handguns, the Leader of the US Senate, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, is blocking all proposals to address the epidemic of gun violence in America.
Call or write Senator McConnell and tell him to protect our children, our students, and our communities by allowing Senate Bill 42 (strengthening background checks) and Senate Bill 66 (banning assault weapons) to come up for a vote in the Senate.
Then, call or write NC Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr and remind them that they represent the people of North Carolina, not the National Rifle Association or gun manufacturers.
Call or write House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi and tell her to protect Americans by enacting House Bill 1236 (Extreme Risk Protection Act of 2019–“Red Flag” Legislation) and House Bill 1296 (Assault Weapons Ban of 2019). Then, call or write our House Representative, Mark Meadows and tell him that it’s time to renew the ban on assault-style rifles.
Senator Mitch McConnell: 202-224-2541, 317 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
Senator Richard Burr: 202-224-3154, 217 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
Senator Thom Tillis: 202-224-6342, 113 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510
Representative Nancy Pelosi: 202-225-4965, 1236 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
Representative Mark Meadows: 202-225-6401, 2160 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
Staying Up-to-Date with UUJMNC
“Forward Together” is the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of NC monthly email newsletter. The very informative newsletter keeps you apprised of action alerts as well as legislative updates and has links to many social justice activities, actions and organizations including the UUA and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. Go to the website HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Subscribe. Follow the prompts. Now you are on your way to being informed!
Hurricane Dorian Crisis Response
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee has initiated a humanitarian response to the devastation in The Bahamas. Please make a generous contribution to help the UUSC deliver critically-needed support to those in The Bahamas affected by Hurrican Dorian.
The unique approach to crisis response includes working with local groups to proved relief long after the Media’s attention as moved on. On-line donations may be made on the UUSC’s website.