Business & Social Witness at General Assembly 2018

General Assembly (GA) 2018 occurred in Kansas City, MO, and on live-streaming video from June 20-24.

The General Assembly is the annual business meeting of the denomination. General Assemblies make overall policy for carrying out the purposes of the Association and direct and control its affairs. Voting at each regular and special General Assembly shall be by accredited delegates from certified member congregations, certified associate member organizations, and trustees.

The business to be transacted is set forth in the official business agenda and daily alerts from the Commission on Social Witness.

Wednesday, June 20

  • General Session I
    ​Video and Script
    • Review and Adopt Rules
    • Honoring our Ancestors
    • Introduction: Chaplains
    • Introduction: Right Relationship Team
    • Introduction: Safety Team
    • GA Accessibility

Thursday, June 21

Friday, June 22

Saturday, June 23

Sunday, June 24

Letter from Co-Moderators

We welcome all attendees (delegates and non-delegates alike) to General Assembly 2018. This year the theme is “All Are Called” and we believe that in order for our faith to truly live out democratic principles, all are not only called but are needed to transform our faith communities and institutions in service of the Unitarian Universalism our world needs today.

This year we will be trying some new things. The Board, in partnership with the GA Planning Committee and UUA staff, have created a Community Safety Team to mitigate our contact with police. We are also trying new things with respect to voting and discussions, with intentional time set aside for deliberation and collective conversations. Finally, we are embarking on changing our bylaws to make them more liberating and less confining.

This is a big year for us as a faith movement and we have set aside three times for intentional conversations: (1) during Thursday morning’s General Session II, with a focus on the Commission on Institutional Change and UUA Board reports, (2) in small group conversations during Saturday afternoon’s General Session VI, and (3) during Sunday morning’s General Session VII, when we will share back from our small group conversations and begin to lay out plans for the future.

After GA 2018, we will create a bylaws review commission that will work with congregations, covenanted communities, and stakeholder organizations to develop and draft modernized bylaws for GA attendees to discuss in 2019. The Board, in partnership with this commission and UUA staff, will develop a conversation guide for congregations and other UU covenanted communities. There will also be opportunities online and in person to continue the discussion.

GA 2019 in Spokane, WA, will be a beautiful blend of a General Assembly and a General Conference, providing us with an opportunity to do deep faith-rooted reflection, contemplation, and discernment. We will consider who we are as a faith, who we want to be, and how our bylaws, policies, procedures, and practices help (and hinder) us. Thank you for joining us in the business of living our faith.

In Faith,
Mr. Barb Greve and Elandria Williams

UUA General Assembly Off-site Participation: Kansas City, Missouri | 2018