Archives of Central East Region News

Find out what's happening in the Central East Region! This month - Discussion Guide for Ware Lecture, Breakthough Congregations program and Summer Institute changes its name!

Find out what's happening in the Central East Region! This month - CER Chalice Lighter program, UU Leadership Institute, and UU Webinar Series for Congregational Presidents and more!

Come be a part of the rich history that we enjoy at UU Congregation at Shelter Rock (UUCSR)! Not only will you work in a beautiful environment surrounded by 100 picturesque acres on the North Shore of Long Island but you will help support a Congregation, established in 1941,...

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Princeton, a 300+ member congregation in central New Jersey, is seeking a full-time, 11-month, Interim Director of Religious Education (I-DRE) to lead our Lifespan Religious Education (LRE) program during the 2018-2019 church year. The...

Featured Resource: Board Basics Trainings Do you have new board members joining your leadership team this year? Do you have returning board members? Board leadership in a UU congregation calls on a unique set of skills and attitudes. Not every person elected (no matter how...

As sometimes happens within the Army Reserve, Rev. David Pyle informed the UUA this week that mission changes have led to his unit not taking a Chaplain overseas on their upcoming mission, and as such he would not be going on leave from the UUA as planned. Since Central East had...

The UU Congregation of Sterling, VA is hiring a quarter time (10 hr/week) RE Coordinator The RE Coordinator will be responsible for planning and organizing the children’s Religious Education (RE) program for PreK through High School Youth Group. For details on the job...

Featured Resource: Becoming a Safer Congregation Handbook Our congregations strive to be safe and welcoming places to all. It is impossible to make a congregation 100% safe; however, there are steps that you can take to make your congregation safer while still creating a...

The Central East Region is delighted to announce that Paula Cole Jones will be joining the CER staff for one year as field staff, to fill in for Rev. David Pyle as he deploys to the Middle East. Paula is a lifelong UU who has been serving our faith for decades, and we're looking...

We Can Help End Mass Incarceration in Ohio JOIN US JUNE 10-17 in COLUMBUS, OH FOR A WEEK OF CANVASSING, FELLOWSHIP, AND JUSTICE! In 2018, Ohio holds center stage in the national effort to win criminal justice reform with the introduction of Ohio’s Safe and Healthy ballot...

Is your cluster of congregations looking for programming to meet congregational needs for the upcoming year? Not sure what options are available to you? The CER staff have created a listing of workshops we offer across the region for clusters or groups of congregations. If you...

Featured Resource: UUA LeaderLab What would Unitarian Universalism look like if we trained our lay leaders as highly as we train other religious professionals such as ministers and religious educators? We would no longer be able to joke that we’re too disorganized to be called “...

The Central East Region is pleased to announce the Rev. Sunshine J. Wolfe will join our staff team as Congregational Life Staff starting August 6, 2018. We'll be making adjustments to who is managing which programs and some primary contacts may be shifted as Sunshine joins our...

“Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season. (W.E.B. DuBois) For me, now is the accepted time and the appropriate season to retire from my work with the Central East Region as a congregational life consultant as of April 15, 2018. This was decision...

Featured Resource: General Assembly 2018: All Are Called Interested in attending General Assembly this year? Registration, housing requests and financial aid applications opened on March 1. Grounded in a deep belief that we are all prophets, Unitarian Universalists ask, “How can...

One of the joys of serving Unitarian Universalism as a member of the Central East Regional Staff has been the commitment of the leadership of the Unitarian Universalist Association and the members of our congregations to my also serving as a Chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserves....

Featured Resource: CER Resource Pages The Central East Region announces a new addition to our website - Resource Pages by Topic . We know our congregations are looking for resources. And to help you find them we've created these pages on a variety of topics relating to...

The UU Congregation of Monclair is hiring a full time Director of Family Ministries. Under the supervision of Co-Minister Scott Sammler-Michael, the Director of Family Ministries (DFM) will provide leadership for the Family Ministry for all ages, with a focus on the Spiritual...

Featured Resource: 30 Days of Love & Side With Love Name Change Standing on the Side of Love changes their name to Side with Love. Watch this video and read their webpage to find out why and get answers to frequently asked questions . Thirty Days of Love 2018 is being...

Featured Resource: Faithify.org DO YOU FAITHIFY? Have you heard about FAITHIFY, the UU crowdfunding platform? This program is designed to match UU based programs and UU funders with each other, making it easier for you to find projects that reflect your values and interests and...

Featured Resource: Common Read for 2017-18 A Common Read invites participants to read and discuss the same book in a given period of time. A Common Read can build community in our congregations and our movement by giving diverse people a shared experience, shared language, and a...

Featured Resource: inSpirit - the UUA Bookstore The UUA bookstore - inSpirit - is a one stop shop for books, resources, clothing and other unique UU themed items. Here you can find Beacon and Skinner House books in addition to others, UUA curricula, pamphlets for your...

Featured Resource: UUWhiteSupremacyTeachIn In the last few weeks, Unitarian Universalists have responded alongside interfaith and activist partners with love and resistance to overt white supremacists in Charlottesville and across the country. In April, May, and June, 682 of the...

The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Berks County was honored to be the recipient of the Reading Branch NAACP's 2017 Community Impact Award at the 30th Annual Freedom Fund Gala. Rev. Dr. Aaron Wilford, Jr., PA Commission on African American Affairs, delivered the Keynote...

Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church was selected by the planning team for this year's Celebration of Caring as the outstanding congregation of the year! Based on AUUCs commitment to social justice in the Northside of Pittsburgh including work on shelter meal, food pantry...

Featured Resource: UU Leadership Institute Leadership Training is essential for all congregational leaders. In the past that meant a week away from home at a costly event. Now we offer an alternative - Leadership School online, on your schedule. In order to help congregations,...

Featured Resource: Primary Contacts Do you know who your congregation's primary contact is? The Central East Regional (CER) has moved to a primary contact staff system to ensure our congregations know who to reach out to for assistance. What this means is that each congregation...

Featured Resource: Outreach Revolution Are you in charge of outreach? Need help? Here is a resource for you! Join the Outreach Revolution! Unitarian Universalist (UU) values help people live better lives and create a better world. In a rapidly changing society, we can't expect...

Featured Resource: Chalice Lighters This program has been in place for decades in most areas of the United States as a way to fund growth in Unitarian Universalist congregations helping to establish new congregations, improve and expand structures, fund new staff and resourcing...

On Sunday, April 23rd, the UU Church of Akron voted unanimously to declare itself a Sanctuary Congregation. They have already done much work in preparation for sanctuary and are now in the process of setting up space within their church for use by person(s) in sanctuary. The...

Featured Resource: Worship Web If your worship team is struggling to find readings and other worship materials, we recommend you visit the WorshipWeb pages of the UUA website. This site is filled with readings, stories, chalice lightings and more from a variety of sources on a...

Friends, The Unitarian Universalist Association is in the midst of a tumultuous time. UUA President Peter Morales and Chief Operating Officer Harlan Limpert have both resigned in the midst of controversy over UUA hiring practices . We can expect that our UUA Board will act very...

For those of you who missed the forum on Saturday, April 1, or those of you who did watch it but want to review some of the things said, here is your opportunity. You can watch it on YouTube . We want to thank Cedar Lane UU Church for their hosting this event and for their AV...

Featured Resource: Summer Camps Attending summer camps and institutes strengthens connections to our faith for people of all ages. Experiences at summer camps can include week long age based camps, institutes for all ages, family retreats and specific training programs. When...

Normally we share news stories about our CER congregations via social media, but this week there are so many, it seemed best to share them all here. Shout out to Rachel Walden, UUA Communications Specialist who curates the list for us. The news this weeks ranges from health care...

Featured Resource: Video Resources There are many, many videos out there and many places you can find video resources. Here are some tips for where you might find what you are looking for. The Central East Region and the UUA both have YouTube pages. On the Central East Region's...

Join us on April 1 for Better Together: Central East Region Leadership Day and UUA Presidential Candidates Forum at Cedar Lane UU Church, Bethesda, MD. The day will consist of a 90 minute forum with the presidential candidates answering your questions and moderated by UUA...

The Central East Region has an Advisory Council of lay and ordained volunteers who work with the Director of Congregational Life, Rev. Scott Tayler, to both assess the needs of our congregations and to track the effectiveness of our regional staff in meeting those needs. The...

The First Unitarian Church of Baltimore is observing the bicentennial of its founding on February 10, 1817, in a weekend-long celebration on February 10-12, 2017. First Unitarian is the oldest building in North America built to be and continuously used as a Unitarian church....

Featured Resource: State Advocacy Networks Creating the beloved community requires the values and principles of Unitarian Universalism to be translated into the work of governments and legislatures, of policy and law. State Advocacy Networks have the mission and purpose of...

January 16, 2017 In April of 2016, delegates to the St. Lawrence District Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of regionalization by supporting the dissolution of the St. Lawrence District in favor of the Central East Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association. This vote...

Since Fall 2015, Original Blessing has met twice a month at Greenpoint’s San Damiano Mission Church, offering our special blend lay-led, uniquely inspired worship and celebration. It is by the faithful goodwork of our core group that we’ve kept our fire burning, survived the...

Featured Resource: 30 Days of Love So many of us deeply desire to live on the side of love when it comes to social justice movements. But what does that really mean? How can we be a nurturing, humble and steady hand on the side of justice in the face of violence and backlash? We...

On January 14, 1867, our congregation was founded with the Bond of Union. On January 14, 2017 we will mark our 150th anniversary with a celebratory service and reception at Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio. This event brings together UU congregations from the greater...

It’s that time of the year! No, not that thing with the carols… it’s time for us to ask our wonderful, talented community for designs for the Summer Institute 2017 t-shirt! As a reminder, the SI 2017 theme is “Beyond Lip Service: The Courage to Communicate UU Values.” What do...

Featured Resource: Guest In Your Pulpit Does your congregation need Sunday morning speakers? Is your Worship Committee struggling to fill your calendar? The Guest in Your Pulpit program is designed to help all congregations of all sizes deal with this issue. The Guest in Your...

Dear Congregations and Clergy of the Central East Region, Last night's election results are in, and we know that we are not alone in experiencing a wide range of emotions. We know that many of you are rising to this new day with more questions than answers. We do not yet know...

The Unitarian Congregation of West Chester will celebrate the Installation of Rev. Dan Schatz as their new Minister in a special service at 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 13, in the congregation’s sanctuary at 501 South High Street. The service, which is open to the public, will...

Featured Resource: Commissioned Lay Ministry Program It had been a long awaited vacation: we were basking in the warmth of time with our grown children. Then my cell phone rang: a beloved 85-year-old member of the congregation had fallen; hip surgery was scheduled for the...