It is with overwhelming sadness and shock that the Central East Region acknowledges the sudden death of our colleague and dear friend, Hope Johnson, from a long-term respiratory illness. Here are some of our memories of her.

If there’s a knot in your stomach still; a dread of what else may be coming; fears about the Supreme Court; worry about your safety; feelings about your neighbors, family, and fellow citizens who support racism, fascism, and misogyny; this is an offering from me to you.

This past spring I joined a trend. I’d like to say I don’t get sucked into fads but I must admit, I’m susceptible.

In 1985 I was 18 and voted in my first election. I happened to be home from college for summer break and voted in the primary in my home town in Pennsylvania.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how tired I am of hearing words that include black, dark, and more, used in a negative way even as we proclaim that Black Lives Matter.

We are layers and layers of stories passed down by our ancestors. Our stories are made from struggles and joys that have made us resilient. These stories need to be shared, because by sharing our stories we have the power to change the things that we feel are unjust and to keep hope alive.

The Central East Regional (CER) has a primary contact staff system to ensure our congregations know who to reach out to for assistance. Every CER congregation and community has a UUA Staff Member who serves as your Primary Contact for all services of the region and the UUA.

As we move into the new normal, we have a chance to find models of community and connection that reflect our vision of who we are.

If you attended virtual General Assembly last month, you probably read or at least heard about the Responsive Resolution that was adopted: Supporting and Investing in Youth and Young Adults in Unitarian Universalism….

Although we’re sad to see the interim tenure of the fantastic Paula Cole Jones come to an end on June 30th, we are delighted to announce that we’ve hired a new, permanent field staff person to begin with us on July 6th: Sana Saeed.