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Celebrate Association Sunday

Association Sunday 2008!

The success of the first Association Sunday, raising $1.4 million from 626 congregations shows what can be possible when we come together to support our common goals.

Our second Association Sunday, scheduled for October 12, 2008, will raise funds to support projects focused on deepening our Shared Ministry. The theme is Growing Our Spirit. The following specific initiatives were chosen based on a survey of Unitarian Universalist leaders—to which over 1,828 responded—whose 1st and 2nd priorities are represented in this plan.

“My hope is that Association Sunday will become a regular part of every congregation’s church year.”
—President Bill Sinkford

50% of the funds raised for Association Sunday 2008 will support Lay Theological Education programs:

Congregations, districts, and seminaries will have the opportunity to apply for grants to create programs which focus on spiritual and theological deepening.
- Specific Details:
  - Preference will be given to programs which have a strong lay theological education component, that have built on an idea that has a proven track record of success, and that involve more than one UU congregation or entity.
  - Programs should be designed such that they can be replicated in other congregations; recipients of the grants will be asked to create resources and a case study that could be shared with others. The purpose of the grants is to support the creation of materials, rather than to provide for new staff positions.
  - Grants will begin to be available in the spring of 2009. Rev. Harlan Limpert, Director of District Services for the UUA, will convene a team in collaboration with the UUMA, LREDA, the UU Funding Panel, and lay leaders to determine the application process and criteria.
  - Grants will be for a maximum of $100,000 each.

50% of the funds raised for Association Sunday 2008 will be divided equally among the following Excellence in Ministry programs:

The Unitarian Universalist Minister’s Association new initiatives for continuing education programs for ordained leaders through their CENTER programs.

Scholarships for promising students preparing for our ministry.
- Specific Details:
  - Students in candidate status are eligible to apply for a scholarship.
  - Scholarships will be in the amount of $20,000 each (as many as funds make available).
  - Funds will be distributed in June of 2009 through the Ministerial and Professional Leadership Committee on Scholarships, which will include a UUMA representative.
  - The application process and criteria will be informed by a Summit on Excellence in Ministry, scheduled for December 2008.

The Diversity of Ministry Team’s Initiative to support our ministers of color.

Please join us and sign up to participate on Sunday, October 12, 2008.

A letter from President Bill Sinkford about Association Sunday.

Association Sunday 2007 is a Success!

Thank you once again for making our first annual Association Sunday a great success! We have launched our national awareness campaign in Time magazine and reached out to those across our country seeking a liberal religious home. The Diversity of Ministry Initiative is gearing up for their new programs to support ministers of color. Your district will soon receive notification of funding for growth grants to benefit congregations in your area.

But most importantly, your participation proved that when we come together and recognize our common purposes, our pride in our vibrant tradition increases as does our desire to share it with the world.

626 congregations representing nearly 130,000 Unitarian Universalists took the time from their busy calendars to conduct an Association Sunday. All of them feel financial pressures, but they care about you and our Association so much that in addition to their Annual Program Fund contributions they contributed over $1.4 million as of July 22, 2008, to Grow Our Faith.

The Association Sunday 2007 Annual Report is now available online.

Stories of Generosity

Read stories about how your profound generosity has affected our whole family of congregations.

Contribute Today

There are many ways you can contribute to Association Sunday.

More Information

Frequently asked questions, downloadable resources, and more information can be found within our frequently asked questions list.

A two-page informational handout with answers to a few of the more common questions is also available (in PDF form).

For more information contact associationsunday @ uua.org.

Last updated on Wednesday, September 10, 2008.

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