Featured Resource: General Assembly 2020 Goes Virtual
The UUA Board of Trustees has passed a resolution to make the 2020 General Assembly a 100% virtual event. This decision alleviates the anxiety and concern shared by many about how GA might proceed given the impact of COVID-19. It also gives the Association time to plan a more robust and rewarding virtual experience.
A virtual GA has many benefits, including a significant reduction in our carbon footprint and the possibility of higher attendance, since it is more accessible for delegates and anyone else burdened by travel costs or time.
For many years we have offered virtual attendance as an option and, this year, we will scale and enhance our technology so that we can accommodate a wider, ideally more global, audience. Across the country, UU congregations have embraced virtual meetings and Sunday services and we know that the number of screens that log in has grown each week. We are excited for what lies ahead!
- Registration is open - if you already registered for the in-person GA, you should have received an email about this. Please check the GA Registration page.
- Delegate credentials are issued and managed online. Learn more about this system on the GA Credentials Webpage.
- A schedule of events is in process and will be released soon - watch the GA page for details.
Pandemic Resources for Congregations
Are you overwhelmed with how to manage your congregation with all the changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic? The UUA Safe Congregations Team is curating a growing collection of resources specific to novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). The local and national situation is changing day-by-day and hour-by-hour. Your UUA staff will continue to update these resources as needs evolve. In process now are guidelines and considerations for re-opening congregations.
Where to find information:
- COVID-19 specific resources from the Safe Congregations Team
- General Pandemic resources from the Safe Congregations Team
- Resources and step-by-step guides created and curated by your UUA staff on the LeaderLab
- Federal Policies and Actions Related to COVID-19
- Congregations as Employers During the COVID-19 Pandemic
The UUA has created a response fund for those who want to donate funds to help in the current COVID-19 situation. Please donate if you can. Visit the UUA website for details on donations and guidelines for how the funds will be distributed.
UU the Vote Hosts How We Thrive Webinar
What does it mean to practice our principles during a pandemic? What are we doing to guarantee free and fair elections in states targeted by voter suppression?
How is UU the Vote rising to the challenges of COVID-19, while creating a movement towards UU values in the 2020 elections?
Join us LIVE for a special update from UU the Vote on Tuesday, May 12 at 7 pm ET. This event will feature musicians from across the country, a message from UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, and opportunities for you to get involved and make meaningful impacts in 2020! Register Today.
Need help with your election work? Sign up for the UU the Vote weekly online Office Hours every Tuesday evening from 8-9 pm Eastern Time. If you need help planning fundraising for this project, check out the UU the Vote step-by-step fundraising guide.
Better Together Blog: Are We the Long-Haul People?
by Patricia Infante
Early in the pandemic crisis my mind kept wandering back to a poem written by my former minister and mentor, Rev Rudy Nemser. The poem, “Long-Haul People,” reminds me that congregations thrive on a million small acts of attention and commitment over weeks, months and years and it is through those acts that we grow the resilience to weather the kind of crisis we now find ourselves in.
News from the UUA
The UUA has created a response fund for those who want to donate funds to help in the current COVID-19 situation. Please donate if you can. Visit the UUA website for details on donations and guidelines for how the funds will be distributed. The Disaster Relief Fund continues to support congregations affected by tornadoes, fires, hurricanes, flooding and other natural disasters as well. To learn more about the work of the Disaster Relief Fund visit their webpage. We are Better Together.
Do you know about UUAMP - The UU Association of Membership Professionals? They have resources and other help on their website and through their networks. Check the UUAMP website for details on all things membership related.
New publications from the UUA - Available for pre-order is The Stonewall Generation: LGBTQ Elders on Sex, Activism, and Aging by Jane Fleishman and Breaking and Blessing: Meditations by Rev. Sean Parker Dennison. Now available for purchase is Conversations with the Sacred: A Collection of Prayers by Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti and Rev. Jennifer Kelleher. The May Goodread's Blook club group read is Breathe: A Letter to My Sons by Imani Perry (Beacon Press).
The UUA is hiring for several positions. Find job descriptions and application information at their Job Openings webpage.
Calendar Items and News
Do note that all CER in-person events through August 31 have been cancelled, postponed or moved to a virtual option. For events, webinars and congregation news and events visit the following pages:
