Association Sunday Sermons 2009
Growing Our Diversity
Read sermons from all over the country about how Association Sunday helps to realize our collective mission.
"Growing our diversity is a challenge, but we do not have to do this work alone. The UUA [Unitarian Universalist Association] is experimenting and learning how to be more effective. To grow our diversity we need to be clear on our purpose, we need to be more welcoming, and we need to reach out to help others, to show we care."
—Rev. Dr. Stephan Papa: "You’re Welcome" (PDF, 5 pages)"
"The purpose of the Association is to provide resources and services that strengthen and enrich our congregations—such as developing religious education materials for children and adults, providing the process and offering advice for selecting a minister, and many other services that congregations cannot develop for themselves."
—Rev. Edmund Robinson and Rev. Gene Pickett, Unitarian Universalist Meeting House of Chatham, MA: "Growing our Diversity" (PDF, 8 pages)"
"Association Sunday is a reminder that Unitarian Universalist congregations are a community. In addition to being the many individuals whose inherent worth and dignity our congregations affirm, Unitarian Universalism is also a 'We.'"
—Taquiena Boston, Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, VA: "Stronger and Better—All Together (PDF 4, pages)"
"UUA President Peter Morales recently said, America’s future is a multicultural, multiracial, multiethnic future. Our faith must learn to express itself in new ways. If we are to be a vital religious movement, we must develop a multicultural and multiracial ministry. The work we do today to nurture diversity in our ministry is essential."
—Rev. Kerry Mueller, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fayetteville, AR: "Standing Together (PDF, 4 pages)"
"If we are about preserving culture, we are setting ourselves up for smallness or for culture wars. I don’t want either one. I want diverse groups sharing a message that the world needs to hear. And that message is one of diversity and unity. 'We need not think alike to love alike.' 'One light, many windows.'"
—Rev. Jan Christian, Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura, CA: "Growing Our Diversity (PDF, 6 pages)?"
"Why is it important for congregations to join together in association? To covenant and support one another in projects? To share resources? You may have asked those questions in years past. You have lived the answer in the past 12 months."
—Rev. Dr. Anita Farber-Robertson, First Parish in Cambridge, MA: "Dislodging the Nay-Sayers (PDF, 5 pages)"
"The religious challenge of our time moves us to open our doors to all and to promote wholeness in the midst of diversity."
—Don Hymel, First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Antonio, TX: Association Sunday Order of Service (PDF, 10 pages)
"The Unitarian Universalist Association has, for the third year in a row, sent out the financial Bat Signal known as Association Sunday,and today is our opportunity to respond."
—Rev. Don Rollins, Unitarian Universalist Church of Spartanburg, SC: "Association Sunday 2009 (PDF, 4 pages)"
"There are no easy answers here either for our movement or for our congregation. And no answers are good or bad or right or wrong. But choosing a vision for our future is an intentional process and needs to be undertaken seriously."
—Val Harrop, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Houston, TX: "A Religion for All (PDF, 4 pages)"
For more information contact associationsunday @ uua.org.
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Last updated on Thursday, September 8, 2011.
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