Celebrate Association Sunday
The Third Annual Association Sunday
The theme of our third Association Sunday is Growing Our Diversity and will be celebrated on October 4, 2009. As always, you are free to choose a date that works better for your congregation.
Thank you to the over 1,000 Unitarian Universalists (UUs) who shared their opinions on what projects should be funded by Association Sunday 2009 through our electronic survey. Using this collaborative feedback, the programs which your generous contributions will benefit have been selected. The following initiatives represent the top choices:
- Expand the Building the World We Dream About curriculum and associated resources and training.
- Support congregations that are working to create a Unitarian Universalism that is racially, culturally, and economically diverse; a part of this support will be in the form of grants.
- Enable UU congregations and districts to minister effectively to youth and young adults who identify as people of color or multiracial, and to their families, in the areas of spiritual development, racial/cultural identity development, and leadership development.
Read a letter from former UUA President Bill Sinkford (PDF) about Association Sunday 2009.
Please sign up to participate and join in celebrating our faith and connections!
Connecting Congregations
New for 2009!
Would you be willing to set aside a few minutes to strengthen your congregation's connections to the wider UU faith community?
Let us match you with another Association Sunday participating congregation and help you make them a part of your service. Or, choose one on your own to connect with!
- Light your chalice on Association Sunday for all of our UU congregations, especially the one to which you've been matched through Connecting Congregations.
- Share some history about the congregation for which you are lighting your chalice. Try to point out some specific connections you share.
- Set up a laptop to "Skype" each other on a certain date, or make a video saying hello to each other.
- Challenge each other to raise a certain dollar amount for important Growth in Diversity programs.
- Involve your Religious Education classes. Have them write a letter or make a small gift to send to the church to which you've been matched.
- Be creative, and be connected!
Find out more about the new Connecting Congregations program and sign up to join hundreds of other congregations in deepening our common bonds and purposes through Association Sunday!
Lay Theological Education
Half of the funds collected from the 2008 Association Sunday will support lay theological education programs. Congregations, districts, and seminaries are invited to apply for grants to create programs which focus on spiritual and theological deepening for lay leaders.
What do we mean by "lay theological education"?
We are looking for programs and activities that fill the gap between the classes you might take on a weeknight at a typical UU church, and the courses that divinity schools offer their full-time students. The prospective students/participants are lay leaders in UU churches who want to go deeper into the spiritual/religious/theological potential of Unitarian Universalism, but do not want to become ministers or enter a degree program.
Admittedly, that is a wide gap and many things might fit there. Many UUs express a desire for "more" without a clear image of what might fulfill that desire. Help us understand the needs you see by participating in the discussion on our blog.
What kinds of projects will be considered for funding?
- 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.
Who decides which programs will be funded?
The Lay Theological Education Task Force is chaired by Harlan Limpert and includes Hillary Goodridge, Jon Luopa, and Doug Muder.
- How to apply (Word)
- How to apply (PDF)
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.
- Contribute Online
- Contribute by Mail
- Make a gift of stock
- Call toll free: (888) 792-5885
More Information
Frequently asked questions, downloadable resources, and more information can be found within our frequently asked questions list.
A two-page informational handout (PDF) with answers to a few of the more common questions is also available.
Read a letter from Association Sunday and the Annual Program Fund (PDF) about how the two programs together serve to strengthen your Association.
For more information contact associationsunday @ uua.org.
Last updated on Wednesday, July 1, 2009.
