CER News Update - March 2026

By Central East Region of the UUA

Better Together Blog

On Neighbors, Groups and Muddy Truths

Cassandra Montenegro

by Cassandra Montenegreo, CER Congregational Life Consultant

As Unitarian Universalist leaders, our polity and accountability are questions of covenant. Our relationships with one another present us salient opportunities to organize and create as a people. In prayer. In wonder. In action. We fly across states, drive through winding roads from town to city, turn on our Zoom screens, and open the doors of welcome in moments where isolation from our neighbors has seemed the safer option.

Over the past several months, leaders in our Central East Region have asked for ways to continue to deepen their relationships with neighboring congregations. As March is indeed the month where our small congregations are encouraged to connect through a variety of UUA offerings, we are each reminded that regardless of our congregation’s size, we can connect with our neighbors in faith—locally, regionally, and nationally, too.
Read the rest of the post on the Better Together Blog.

New UU Institute Course

Boundaries that Build: Effective Boundaries for Lay Leaders Series Now Live
Boundaries are central to resilient relationships and sustainable shared ministry. This series invites leaders to explore practical strategies for clarifying roles, supporting volunteers, and strengthening teams in our UU congregations.

Participants will explore boundaries at three levels: clarifying and maintaining their own boundaries and roles, recognizing and honoring the boundaries of others and understanding how governance, policies and structural supports uphold accountability, safety and trust within congregational life.

Through short videos, articles, activities and reflections from engaging UU leaders, Effective Boundaries for Lay Leaders builds the relational and organizational foundations to help our congregations flourish.

Register here to explore and experience the series for yourself. Or watch the video, Introduction to Effective Boundaries for Lay Leaders (YouTube).

CER Minister and RE Gatherings

Ministers’ Gathering

If you are a minister serving of affiliated with a congregation in the Central East Region, you are invited to join CER staff for monthly gatherings. Register Today.

RE Gatherings

Starting this February, the Central East Region will be hosting monthly gatherings on topics related to religious education, with a choice of evening and daytime options: RE Essentials calls (2nd Wednesday evenings, one hour) or DeepRE Dive calls (2nd Tuesday mornings, 90 minutes). March’s topic is Assessing and Planning.

RE Essentials is ideal for very part-time or newer RE staff, congregations without paid RE staff, RE Committees learning together, and for folks re-starting programs. DeepRE Dive is for religious professionals with experience leading RE/faith development, including directors, ministers, and shared ministry leaders.

  • DeepRE Dive is on Tuesday 03/10, 11AM–12:30PM EST
  • RE Essentials is on Wednesday 03/11, 7–8PM EST

Registration is open.

Building Beloved Community Beyond the Binary

Registration is now open for Building Beloved Community Beyond the Binary, happening April 18, 2026, 9am — 4pm ET.

At a time when transgender rights are under sustained attack, many people are asking how to stay rooted, connected, and faithful to our values. This gathering offers a space to do that together. The day will include a keynote from a transgender or gender-nonconforming leader, workshops created by and for the trans community, and learning spaces for cisgender people who want to deepen their allyship. Spaces like this don’t happen by accident — they happen because people choose to show up.

Attend online from anywhere or join an official satellite site if one is near you. Individual registration is now open with sliding-scale pricing. If something in you is curious — or feeling a quiet pull to connect with people locally — you don’t have to have it all figured out. We’ll support you. Hosting includes guidance, materials, and people showing up alongside you with helping hands! Learn more about this event and register.

Congregational Life Events

March is Small Congregation Month

The UUA’s Congregational Life Small Congregations Team is hosting a month of learning for small congregations. This year’s theme is Small Congregations: We’re Doing the Work. Four webinars over 4 weeks on these topics:

  • Creativity in Small Congregation RE, March 3rd
  • Mobilizing for Climate Justice, March 12th
  • Container for Justice, March 18th
  • Holding the Sacred, with the Congregational Leaders Conversation, March 24th.

Webinar dates are March 3rd, 12th, 18th at 7pm ET and the 24th at 7:30 pm ET and will last 75-90 minutes. The webinars will be recorded and available to everyone who registers. Registration is on a sliding scale with a maximum cost of $20. Registration is open.

Congregational Leaders Conversation Tuesday, March 24, 7:30-9pm ET: Holding the Sacred: Adding Depth to Radical Hospitality

Our guests this month, Simone Monique Barnes and Dana Matthews Moore, will join QuianaDenae Perkins in a dialogue at the intersection of pastoral care, radical welcome, hospitality, and small group ministry. The questions on their hearts: What does it mean to host and be held by a sacred community within the larger congregation? What emerges when congregations hold space for identity-based small groups and gatherings?

Simone Monique Barnes (she/her) most recently served as the Director of Membership and Spiritual Life of Wildflower Church, Austin, TX. She also serves on the national leadership team of Black Women of the Chalice, and is a member of LREDA, UUAMP, DRUUMM, and BLUU. 
QuianaDenae Perkins (she/her), MidAmerica Congregational Life consultant for the UUA, will facilitate the conversation. Register today.

News from the UUA

Meaningful Social Media for Busy Congregations

March 26 at 11 am ET.
Part 3 of the UUA Communications Foundational Webinar Series
What if social media isn’t just marketing—but ministry? At this webinar, participants will learn why having a strong digital media strategy is essential to their overall communications plans—and how a values-centered online presence can deepen connection and extend congregational care. We’ll explore how to move beyond event promotion to posts that spark conversation and build community. You’ll leave with practical, doable ideas that fit into a busy schedule and help social media feel aligned, manageable, and meaningful. If you are interested in attending, please register here. Space is limited, so please make sure to register soon.

UUA Offers Thomas Scholarship to First Year Seminarians

Are you or someone you know a lay leader in Unitarian Universalism who will be entering the first year of seminary in 2026? Or are you undertaking undergraduate work to prepare for seminary? The Rev. Chuck and Nancy Thomas Scholarship honors Rev. Chuck Thomas’s career and his family’s commitment to lay leadership in Unitarian Universalism by awarding this scholarship to one such student each year. Thomas Scholars qualify for this award by demonstrating their outstanding commitment to Unitarian Universalism as lay leaders. For more information and to apply for this and other ministerial scholarships available from the UUA, please visit the UUA’s scholarships page. Applications will be accepted February 15 through April 15, 2026.

Benefits Tune-Up Workbook

The Benefits Tune-up Workbook, updated annually by UUA Church Staff Finances, helps congregational leaders understand UU benefit plan rules – necessary documents, eligibility criteria, enrollment windows, and more. We’ve just published our 9th edition! Ensure plan compliance by having good protocol in place for benefits administration. Link to Benefits Tune-up Workbook page.

The Spark RE and Music Leadership Professional Development Programs provide Unitarian Universalist Religious Professionals learning communities within which they can easily access applicable skills and tools for religious leadership. Courses are also open to interested lay leaders. Check out the lists of classes, these are great resources!

The UUA has a Disaster Relief Fund for those who want to make a donation to help congregations who have faced losses due to tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires and more. Please donate if you can. Learn more about the work of the Disaster Relief Fund. We are Better Together.

Side with Love Events

Upcoming Gatherings

Resources and Announcements

Camps and Institutes

Summer Institute 2026

The Summer Institute Planning Committee is pleased to announce that the 2026 Theme speaker will be Rev. Susan Ritchie, speaking on Co-Creating Hope: The Art and Beauty of Resilience. Join us at Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH, July 5-11, 2026. Job applications are now open and morning seminars have been posted. Registration will open in March.

Visit the websites of the camps in our region to learn more about their programs:

Calendar Items and News

For events, webinars and congregation news and events visit the following pages: