Bringing General Assembly Home

By Beth Casebolt

The text "UUA General Assembly, June 19-23, 2019" with background of sky ride gondolas.

General Assembly ended yesterday, the whirlwind week of workshops, services, business meetings, and the exhibit hall is now over for another year. As I write this many are starting the trip home from Spokane, WA.

If you missed anything or want to re-watch things, everything from the main session hall is available on UUA.org. Just visit the off-site page to find links to the opening ceremonies, the Service of the Living Tradition, the Ware Lecture, the closing ceremonies and the Sunday Service.

In addition, the Statement of Conscience: Democracy Uncorrupted passed as did three Actions of Immediate Witness: Build the Movement for a Green New Deal, Immigration and Asylum and Support Our First Amendment Right to Boycott. Additional materials as well as the full text of these documents will be posted to the website soon. Please read the Actions of Immediate Witness and consider if your congregation can take action to support them.beth

During General Assembly we had two session called Theme Conversations.

The first, titled Redeeming the Promise of Our Faith, was centered on the work of the Commission on Institutional Change. During this presentation participants were asked to consider three questions and then went to small groups to discuss them.

Theme Conversations 1: Redeeming the Promise of Our Faith

  1. What sustains you and your faith community in efforts towards inclusion, equity, and diversity?
  2. What limits you from living out our faith’s promise towards liberation and transformation?
  3. What should we expect of ourselves and one another in living out our covenantal relationships?

The second, titled The Heart of Our Faith which looked at what it means to embody “The Power of We?” During this presentation participants were asked to consider three different questions, but time did not allow for small group conversations.

Theme Conversation 2: The Heart of Our Faith, presented at General Assembly 2019

  1. When is a time that you felt “the power of we” in Unitarian Universalism?
  2. What is so important in Unitarian Universalism that you would be willing to sacrifice for it?
  3. What will it take for Unitarian Universalism to fully embody “the power of we?

Delegates were asked to bring these questions home to their congregations and to engage with them over the next year. A study guide and methods of providing feedback are being created and posted to UUA.org. Stay tuned!

These are important conversations for all our members and congregations to engage in. Your staff hope that your congregation will engage in this important work this year.

Faithfully,
Beth Casebolt, Operations Manager & Communications Consultant, Central East Region

About the Author

Beth Casebolt

Beth Casebolt is the Operations Manager and Communications Consultant for the Central East Region. Prior to regionalization she served as the District Administrator for the Ohio-Meadville District, a position she started in November 2007. She is very interested in universal design, websites & more.

For more information contact .