How to Stay Connected
There are many ways that you can stay connected with other young adults around the continent. All you have to do is take the time to make those ways happen for you.1. Get Synapse, Young Religious Unitarian Universalists (YRUU) newsletter. It only comes out twice a year, but it is a wonderful way to see what’s happening with Unitarian Universalists (UU) around the continent. To subscribe, send the Youth Office your name, address, and date of birth. If you already get Synapse, make sure the Youth Office has your college address.
2. Explore C*UUYAN (Continental Unitarian Universalist Young Adult Network) website. This site will keep you posted on what this grassroot organization is doing. Stay connected with older young adult UUs, learn about their issues and concerns, and their conferences like Opus.
3. Get Ferment, Young Adult /Campus Ministries’ publication. It’s published three times a year with the intent “to provide a forum for the ‘excited and agitated’ voices of UU young adults as they observe our denomination and our world...” To subscribe, contact Young Adult Ministries. Subscriptions are free to UUs ages 18-35 and $10 to all others.
4. Get the World, the Unitarian Universalist Association's (UUA) bi-monthly magazine. Though many of the articles are geared toward older members of our community, it is full of interesting, insightful articles that deepen our understanding of the UU faith. It keeps up with the goings-on of the UUA. UU camps, jobs, groups, and trips advertise in the World. To subscribe for a year, make checks payable to the World and mail to World, UUA General Lock Box, Lock Box #5971, Boston, MA 02206-5971.
5. Go online. The UUA, C*UUYAN, and YRUU each have official and unofficial web pages. The UUA homepage can be found at http://www.uua.org. Some districts and churches offer web pages with current information about upcoming events. Both C*UUYAN and YRUU offer a listserve. To suscribe to UUYAN-L, send the following message to
listserv @ terralunaorg:
suscribe
UUYAN-L
To suscribe to the YRUU list, visit http://lists.uua.org/mailman/listinfo/yruu-l
6. Get the newsletter from your local church. If you didn’t move after high school, just get your name on your church’s mailing list. If you are in a new place, check the phone book or ask the UUA for the name and address of a church in your area. The newsletter often announces concerts, discussion groups, dinners, and social action events that may not be advertised anywhere else.
7. Join Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF), an organization based in the UUA that sends out sermons, a newsletter, and other religious information for its members. It’s great for UUs far from home. CLF has a special rate for college students that includes eight issues of the newsletter and a subscription to the World. CLF can be contacted through the UUA.
8. Pick up the phone and call somebody. C*UUYAN can be contacted through YA/CMs office. The YRUU Youth Office is also available as a resource. The Youth Office is open 9 - 5 EST, Monday through Friday. Their number is (617) 948-4350. Other contact people are listed at the back of the kit.
9. Join an organization. There are a number of special interst groups affiliated with the UUA. While they are not specifically young adult oriented, they are a fabulous way to do something for a cause you believe in and meet other UUs. Check the contact people list for numbers of organizations like Interweave, Council of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS), and the 7th Principle Project.
10. Hit Opus. Conferences are one of the best parts of YRUU. Just because you aren’t a part of your home church youth group doesn’t mean your touch group days are over. Apart from the continental events like Con Con and General Assembly that you can still attend, C*UUYAN hosts their annual conference, Opus. “Each August since 1986, young adult UUs have gathered to meet other young adults UUs from around the continent, make new friends, see old ones, and form a spiritual community.”
11. Other interest groups. Every congregation offers some special groups. Go to a discussion group or a cooking class. It doesn’t have to be young adult oriented to be fun.
For more information contact youth @ uua.org.
Last updated on Friday, April 18, 2008.
