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 2020 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.

UN Sunday Resources

United Nations Sunday resources for 2021 are still under development! Please see below the resources for 2020 to get a sense of what will be included, and check back later in June for the 2021 materials to be posted.

2020 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 2020.

Part 1. UN Sunday: Celebrating the Unitarian Universalist - United Nations Connection

This section provides an overview of how to use the United Nations Sunday resources, what the United Nations is all about, and what to know before starting to plan your service.

• About United Nations Sunday 2020: Learn about UUism at the United Nations and why we celebrate on UN Sunday, especially in 2020: the 75th Anniversary of the founding of the UN.

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

Part 2. 2020 Theme "All In for Climate Justice: People, Power, Planet"

This section provides information about this year's theme and can be used as inspiration when writing a sermon or reflection.

• Climate 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 Justice.

  • ​Climate Justice and the Sustainable Development Goals

  • Climate Justice and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• Climate 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 2020 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

This section includes a checklist and other resources to guide clergy and laypeople in putting together 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 4-minute Offering Invitation video 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

Stay involved with the UU@UN beyond United Nations 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; take a few more actions and you're there!

• 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