What is UN Sunday?

United Nations Sunday celebrates the work of the United Nations and your Unitarian Universalist Office at the United Nations (UU@UN). Each year we encourage congregations to have a service and/or event to celebrate! We create a collection of UN Sunday Resources (check out the 2021 resources below) which highlight our suggested theme and provide readings, an RE curriculum, planning timeline and checklist, order of service (including hymns), and more. Our UN Sunday theme is based on the April Intergenerational Spring Seminar topic. The 2021 theme is All In for Climate Justice: Food Equity and Sustainability.

As UN Day is October 24, we invite you to hold the 2021 service and/or event on Sunday, October 24. If this date in unavailable, try another weekend in October or another date that works for your congregation.

Additionally, we ask congregations to dedicate the UN Sunday offering to support the work of the UU Office at the United Nations​. We depend on individual and congregational support to keep this work going. You are welcome to use this video invitation (YouTube) to introduce the offering.

UN Sunday Resources

United Nations Sunday resources for 2021 are now available! Additional content will be added throughout the summer. Scroll below to see resources from prior year themes.

2021 Resources

We encourage Ministers, lay leaders, as well as Youth and Adult Envoys to use our prepared materials and/or develop your own ideas for a UN Sunday service. Click through to access the resources for UN Sunday 2021.

Part 1. Celebrating the Unitarian Universalist-United Nations Connection

• UN Sunday: Celebrating the UU-UN Connection
  • About United Nations Sunday 2021: Learn about UUism at the United Nations and why we celebrate on UN Sunday.

  • Map of UN Sunday services: Seek inspiration from congregations that have held UN Sunday services in prior years.

Part 2. "All In for Climate Justice: Food Equity and Sustainability"

• 2021 Theme "All In for Climate Justice: Food Equity and Sustainability"

  • Climate & Food Justice at the United Nations: Learn what the UU Office and others in the UN system are working on to further the cause of Climate & Food Justice.

    • ​Climate & Food Justice and the Sustainable Development Goals

    • Climate & Food Justice and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

  • Climate & Food Justice and Unitarian Universalism: A discussion of the theological grounding for UU climate justice work and organizations doing the work.

  • UU@UN Intergenerational Spring Seminar: Use resources from our 2021 Seminar on the same theme before, during, and after your UN Sunday service.

  • Local Action for UN Sunday: Concrete suggestions for congregational action to think globally and act locally to engage with the UN Sunday theme.

  • Suggested Resources for Additional Learning and Action

Part 3. Planning a UN Sunday Service

• Planning a UN Sunday Service

  • ​Timeline for UN Sunday Service Planning: The suggested timeline is created for an October service; if your UN Sunday service falls at a different time of year, simply adjust accordingly.

  • Use our 2-minute Offering Invitation video (YouTube) during your virtual service and share our UN Sunday Giving site. UN Sunday donations can be made online https://giving.uua.org/uuatun or by texting UNSUNDAY to 51555.

  • Sample Order of Service: Suggested readings, hymns, and more for a UN Sunday service on this theme.

  • ​UN Sunday Religious Education: Suggested stories and activities. Please work with the religious educator in your congregation to craft a lesson that will work well.

    • ​Activities and Curricula for UN Sunday RE

Part 4. Beyond UN Sunday

• Beyond UN Sunday

  • ​​Sixth Principle Congregation Award: If you take a special collection during your UN Sunday service to support the UU@UN, you're close to becoming a Sixth Principle Congregation!

  • Dana McLean Greeley Sermon Competition: Submit your UN Sunday Sermon or address that speaks to the work of the UN and/or UU@UN on climate justice.

  • About the UU@UN: Learn more about ongoing programs of the Unitarian Universalist Office at the United Nations.

    • ​UU@UN Program Areas

    • How the UU@UN Works at the UN

Prior Years' UN Sunday Resources

2020 UN Sunday resources (Google Doc) "All In for Climate Justice: People, Power, Planet"

2019 UN Sunday resources (pdf) "Equity in Action: Gender in an Intersecting World"

2018 UN Sunday resources (pdf) "When Crisis Calls: Advancing Just Migration for All"

2017 UN Sunday resources (pdf) "Arm in Arm: Interfaith Action to Disarm Our Planet"