Search the Blue Boat Blog Archives

What is the name and birth date of the Unitarian Universalist who lost her life fighting for a cause commemorated on the front-page of the Blue Boat right now? Enter your answer as a comment to this post. We will announce the winner – or winners – and publish your response on...

Hey, Young Adults – General Assembly is only about Six Months* Away [vimeo 116903968 width="512" height="288" ] * Find out EXACTLY how much time is left before the Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly 2015 in Portland, Oregon .

Because Seeing Selma Could Free Us All Movie tickets are downright expensive. But African-American business leaders in New York and nationwide have come together to make tickets to see the film “Selma” free and available to 7th, 8th and 9th graders in New York City and now in...

Your "becoming" is coming " becoming: A Spiritual Guide for Navigating Adulthood " is hot off the press and boy is it ever HOT! When we started promoting this book last week we had no idea just how quickly it would become so popular. We knew this collection of reflection and...

HINT: The Answer to our challenge is already somewhere on this blog

ATTENTION! EXCLUSIVELY FOR LEVEL 2 LUMINARY LEADERS (Everyone is invited to read... Only Level 2 Luminary Leaders are invited to speak. – Ed.) Shoot, I’m not a Unitarian Universalist Assocation (UUA) Luminary Leader yet!!! Hurry: APPLY NOW I’m a Luminary Leader, but how do I...

Why This Young Adult Won’t Give Up On Religion Fort Worth. Seattle. Denver. Arlington. Columbia, Missouri. Five of us, young adults from across the South and West, huddled in the Northwoods Unitarian Universalist Church office at one in the morning and strategized for the big...

As a Unitarian Universalist , as a person of faith, as a decent human being who cares about human life, I share this belief with a good chunk of humanity: shooting people – with the exception of extreme circumstances – is never okay, and even when the circumstances are such that...

Campus Ministry Kits from the UUA – the Perfect Antidote to End of Break Blues... Get your kit and get building, sustaining or energizing Unitarian Universalist Campus Ministry now that classes are back in....

Watch 'n Read 'n Be a GA Youth Delegate

Still – and Always – Becoming by Kayla Parker Becoming: A Spiritual Guide for Navigating Adulthood was created to be a consistent companion for us in the times when we need spiritual accompaniment. Whether in solitary reflection or group worship, this little book is here to be...

Creating Regional Harmony This account of the second Central East Regional Group (CERG) regional conference comes from CERG Con senior co-dean Lilly Kahris. –Ed. I have found that car rides are a good time for thinking. I have been to 10+ youth conferences; many have which...

Re-read or Share the Ten Most-read stories on Blue Boat Presented in alphabetical order – A Prayer for Religious Educators Best Practices at Original Blessing How Am I, Anyway? Improve Young Adult Ministry at Your Congregation Religious Survey of a None Summer Seminary Was...

Welcome to the Spotlight Series! Each month we feature a different Unitarian Universalist congregation or community that is doing effective, innovative or otherwise interesting ministry with young adults.– Ed. Embodied multigenerational worship draws young adults Though the...

We Should All Be So Privileged I knew that I could vote and that that wasn't a privilege; it was my right. Every time I tried I was shot, killed or jailed, beaten or economically deprived. – Stokely Carmichael, as quoted in Be the Change Session 5, Can We Live With Racism? "Be...

More Jingle, More Puzzle! From UUWorld: For many people, the song “Jingle Bells” is so deeply etched in memory it’s hard to recall when we learned it. Written by Unitarian James Lord Pierpont (1822-1893), “Jingle Bells” is among the most popular American songs of all time, and...

When Was the Last Time You Had An Opportunity Like This? [vimeo 114998025 600pxw 300pxh] Friends, General Assembly (GA) is ONLY six months away! GA is the annual business meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) , where the congregations of our faith gather in...

Lend Us Your Ear... Tell us who wrote this seasonal classic – and where and when he is believed to have composed it... [vimeo 17817209] Enter your response in the comments section of this post this weekend. We will announce the winner(s) and prize(s) on Monday, Dec 22.

In early November 2014 the UU World magazine published a reflection by Peter Morales , the President of the Unitarian Universalist Association , in which Morales said that the work of bringing justice to our world is a marathon, not a sprint. He is right. I was at the Millions...

Spiritual Growth Happens Someplace... And in relation to or with others – even when, as in certain ascetic practices, that means in the absence of others. Even as the religious practices and identification of people is evolving , the value of spiritual congregation remains, as...

Our Tools and Guides + Your Faith = Success! Whether you are starting, reviving or growing a campus ministry in your area, these items from the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) will help you on your journey. The start-up kit includes the following: UU Pocket Guide, an...

Get ready for a seasonally themed challenge of your sharpness and knowledge this weekend!

Young Adult Spiritual Growth and Community is Here Registration for the Winter Escape 2015 Retreat (WE'15) is now open! Spend your Martin Luther King, Jr. Day weekend (Friday January 16 to Monday, January 19, 2015) engaged in social and spiritual activities, workshops, hiking,...

Spread Pluralism, Share Your Voice, Change the World! TIDE CONFERENCE Memorial Day Weekend 2015 : WAVE OF CHANGE Youth LEAD (Youth Leaders Engaging Across Differences) – formerly Interfaith Action – is an organization that aims to reflect, connect, and act across differences....

We re-post the monthly newsletter of our friends of the Office of Multicultural Growth and Witness of the Unitarian Universalist Association with a call to action – pledge your support to help end racial motivated acts of police brutality. – Ed. December 2014: Black Lives Matter...

Revealed by Belief and Action Much is made of the growing number of people who have no particular religious affiliation with a religious faith – in particular Millennials – however this thought provoking discussion with Neil deGrasse Tyson on why he doesn't identify as an...

Liberal Religious Educators Association ( LREDA ) Seeks Proposals Application deadline December 31, 2014 Have an idea for a project that will benefit religious educators and the field of religious education? The LREDA 21st Century Fund has the money to fund it! The 21st Century...

Witness – and Make History in March, 2015 The Living Legacy Project is hosting a conference, Marching in the Arc of Justice , in Birmingham, AL on March 5-8, 2015. It is open to people of all ages, and we would love to see a contingent of Unitarian Universalist youth and young...

For those of us who follow the Christian tradition, now is the season of A dvent , a time of waiting. And whether we are Christian or not, I believe that Unitarian Universalists and progressives of any or no faith have something to learn from this Christian season of Advent this...

Every December, the same old argument flares up on Facebook. Before Facebook, it would blow up on Livejournal and before Livejournal it would blow up on listservs. Maybe next year, it will flare up on Instagram or we'll be having Snapchat arguments about it. What is so...

400 Years of Systemic Racism in One Decision Why rioting in some of the hundreds of protests across the country of the Ferguson Grand Jury decision exonerating Ofc. Darren Wilson in the killing of Mike Brown but not in others? Carey McDonald's insightful reflection points toward...

As Seen on the VUU Bob LaVallee, seminarian and Meadville Lombard talks about the value of " Bless All Who Serve " – the irreplaceable and affectionately named "little blue book", published by Skinner House Books , and available at the UUA Bookstore . Watch this excerpt, queued...

Take a side order of giving with your thanking Are you ( Fill in the blank : burnt out/tired/neutral/excited/wired/does not apply) _______________ from an extended weekend of (party and play/ family and food/solitude and reflection/sleeping and jelling/does not apply)...

Bringing Worship to the Street of the Cities Last night I went to church. It wasn't, however, the most conventional church experience. In fact, the leaders organizing the gathering didn't call it church and likely didn't think of it that way. First a handful of young adults who...

Luminary Leading, that is. Who won the Luminary Leaders drawing of a pair of super plush UUA sweats? Watch to find out: [vimeo 112851385] Catch the flame – become a Luminary Leader yourself!

"Collectively, we must be a strong voice for change to end police brutality and the systemic racism in our society that causes violence, chaos, and death. Black lives matter." – Rev. Peter Morales, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association Friends, Yesterday it was...

Calling All Yellow Shirts of Love, Tolerance and Justice The Grand Jury investigation of the killing of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson is likely to announce its findings anytime now . On the day of and after the Grand Jury announcement, people will gather at events...

Record and Share Your Post-Bridging Experience Emily Parker's foundational study promises to make UUism more welcoming and spiritually fulfilling for all young adults. If you recently bridged we strongly encourage you to participate. – Ed. Where Do We Go After Bridging? If you...

Olivia and Andrea make great Deans, but they definitely need your help to make a great General Assembly Youth Caucus . They try, they really do... [vimeo 112315996] Apply now ...don't leave them hanging! Need more info to make sure you can do these jobs justice? Check Youth...

What Gender is Your God? New research has found a strong correlation between the gender one ascribes to God and that person's attitudes toward social or other issues. Researchers from Clemson University found that how people feel about issues such as marriage-equality, abortion...

Put on your thinking-caps, stretch-out you Google-fingers or dig deep in your data-mine 'cause the weekend is sooner than you know...

From the TED -site: TEDYouth is a day-long event for middle and high school students, with live speakers, hands-on activities and great conversations. Scientists, designers, technologists, explorers, artists, performers (and more!) share short talks on what they do best, serving...

And Snaztastic , too Your friends will say SHMOWZOW! Transform this: Into a pair of these: Add your face to Unitarian Universalism by taking a selfie with your Luminary Leader certificate and pin. Send it to luminary [at] uua [dot] org by November 21st to be entered to win a...

STORY UPDATED 11/14/14* Last night as I swiped through my Facebook feed I thought I saw that another Unitarian Universalist church had been victim to a hate crime . But I wasn’t in the mood for another thing to be mad/sad about so I pretended like I was impervious to the click...

Join US for a Piping Hot Time! Are you a Luminary Leader ? Enter for the chance to interview Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) President Peter Morales and UUA Moderator and Chief Governance Officer Jim Key . Not yet a Luminary Leader? Become one now THEN enter the drawing...

Take Ten Minutes to Change the Future of Our Faith Here's the situation: My name is Annie and I work for the Unitarian Universalist Association . I'm a young adult and one aspect of my ministry is supporting young adults across our faith. So when a Unitarian Universalist is...

UU Young Adult Tells United Nations: Stop Torture of Queer Youth Samantha Ames is a total rock star. Not a literal rock star. I’ve never seen her play an instrument and performance is not her jam. But Sam is the kind of person who you meet and are instantly impressed by, the...

Because That is What We Do Members of the Westboro Baptist Church came to Houston, Texas protesting – as quoted on the KHOU-TV website , "'This Mayor Annise Parker , whatever her name is, is an out of the closet lesbian. She is a spectacle and she has attention all over the...

This Board 'Ain't Bored, and They're Lookin' for Answers The Unitarian Unviersalist Association has been working since 2010 to make governance of the Association more democratic, more inclusive and more effective. In its continuing work on this mission, the Board of Trustees has...

Welcome to the Spotlight Series! Each month we feature a different Unitarian Universalist congregation or community that is doing effective, innovative or otherwise interesting ministry with young adults.– Ed. These Young Leaders are Bridge Builders You may have heard those...