MidAmerica Region Newsletter

We’re beginning to discover the possibilities (and well as the limits) of maintaining a virtual religious organization. Congregations have learned how to do exciting online worship, hold virtual business meetings, and stay connected

Regional Assembly Keynote Speaker Taquiena Boston, Special Advisor to the UUA President on Equity, Inclusion, and Change, asked these questions: * Who or what are you holding in your heart at this moment? * What inequities have become more visible to you as a result of COVID-19...

May Webinars for the MidAmerica Region: Congregational Meetings on Zoom, Stewardship Salon, Congregational Leader Check-in Conversation, How to Use Zoom, Small Congregation Check-In, Virtual Circle Process, Board Basics for Virtual and Beyond...

We gathered virtually on Saturday, April 18, 2020 for an event that included worship, presentation by the Commission on Institutional Change, MidAmerica Business meeting, Keynote presentation and four workshops.

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus, Indiana, and Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, still need your support for their Chalice Lighter Call and Faithify Campaign.

The UUA has created a response fund for those who want to donate funds to help in the current COVID-19 situation. These funds will be used to support congregational staff with needs, as well as fund partnerships in our congregations’ home communities to help those who are...

Due to the novel coronavirus, the MidAmerica Region has decided to cancel the in-person Adult and Youth MidWest Leadership Schools for this summer. The schools are now scheduled to be held next summer, from July 11th through 17th, 2021 at Illinois Wesleyan University in...

The CARES Act/Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has already provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to UU congregations and UUA-related organizations. Congress provided additional funding that will be gone before this newsletter is published

Regional Staff is here to help you puzzle through these questions, because we are puzzling through the same questions ourselves. Through our transitioning to a virtual Regional Assembly, or bringing congregational leaders and religious professionals together in small online...

Many of our congregations partner with local organizations that support groups mentioned in the NAACP report. How can your congregation continue to be a good partner during this time when need is great and impact painfully uneven? How can you assist members within your...

On April 18, 2020, we will gather on-line for a report from the Commission on Institutional Change (COIC), annual Business Meeting, Keynote presentation by Taquiena Boston, and previously advertised workshops.

Join Phil Lund and Nancy Combs-Morgan, on Friday, April 17th, from 12:30-2:00 PM Central / 1:30-3:00 PM Eastern, with an opportunity for religious education professionals to check-in, and hear more about multigenerational virtual religious education.

For our Spring 2020 Chalice Lighter call, we’re asking you to help support the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus, Indiana, as they prepare for the time when their members will once again be able to gather on Sunday mornings to lift their voices—and spirits—in song.

A two-session webinar with Jan Gartner, Compensation and Staffing Manager and Rob Molla, Director of Human Resources at the UUA. On April 7, Jan will address staffing in UUA congregations during the pandemic. On April 14, Rob will cover basics of job descriptions, hiring,...

UUANI is launching VoteLove IL in partnership with the UUA’s #UUtheVote campaign. VoteLove IL is about putting our UU values into action by encouraging our neighbors to engage in the democratic process from a basis of compassion. Deep Canvassing training with Olivia Chow, who...

Join Jessica York, Director of Congregational Life, for an interchange of experiences with holding Conversations for Liberation. April 29, 2020, at 8:00pm Eastern

We will make the decision about whether we need to cancel the in-person leadership schools by no later than June 1st. We will be following the guidance of the CDC, as well as Illinois State Health Department, and will be working in partnership with Illinois Wesleyan to ensure...

The UUA has a central page on their website for congregations facing the Covid-19 pandemic: https://www.uua.org/safe/pandemics .

In addition to updates on some recent Dismantling White Supremacy Culture resources, you’ll also find the latest news about the upcoming Regional Assembly in Rockford, Illinois, on Saturday, April 18; information about our current Chalice Lighter Call...

Updates on two of the Dismantling White Supremacy Culture resources we’ve recently shared. The first is an online opportunity for an interchange of experiences with holding Conversations for Liberation—a framework and an invitation for Unitarian Universalist faith communities to...