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Highlights of the UUA General Assembly 2015

A father and son look at one another and smile after lighting the flaming chalice at GA 2015's Sunday Morning Worship.

The 2015 General Assembly (GA) of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) closed Sunday, June 28 in Portland, OR.

More than 4,500 Unitarian Universalists from around the world gathered for five days of workshops, worship, and witness around the theme of “Building a New Way.”

GA is the annual meeting of the UUA and is held each June in a different UUA region. Major highlights of this year’s gathering included:

  • Indigenous communities, including Lummi and Chinook Nations, led a worship ceremony and public witness event for climate justice.
  • Cornel West, prominent and provocative intellectual, delivered the Ware Lecture.
  • The Rev. Clark Olsen, a UU minister and racial justice activist, received the UUA’s 2015 Award for Distinguished Service to the Cause of Unitarian Universalism, the highest award bestowed by the Association.

Delegates from UU congregations passed statements on social justice and climate justice:

More than $70,000 was collected for the Living Tradition Fund, which provides grants and scholarships to ministers. Nearly $20,000 was raised to support future GA attendance for youth, young adults, people of color, and other marginalized groups. The collection at the Sunday morning worship service raised over $66,000 in support of the Reentry Transition Center, operated by Mercy Corps, Northwest.

About the Authors

Jill Goddard

Jill Goddard was the former Public Relations Director of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Sarah Gibb Millspaugh

Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh serves on the Pacific Western Regional staff of the UUA.

For more information contact .

A minister receives Final Fellowship at the Service of the Living Tradition

The Service of the Living Tradition welcomed 59 ministers into preliminary fellowship, 40 ministers into final fellowship, eight credentialed religious educators, and six credentialed music leaders. It honored 53 ministers retiring from full-time service, and 23 ministers who have died in the past year. Rev. Marlin Lavanhar of All Souls in Tulsa, OK delivered a moving sermon called "For Just Such a Time as This." Watch (and read) the full service.

Ministers and theologians leading the workshop "Lament: Healing Rituals of Sorrow and Regret"

General Assembly 2015 featured hundreds of events and workshops. VisitGeneral Assembly 2015 Online to access videos, audio, presentations, and handouts from select GA workshops.

A minister receives Final Fellowship at the Service of the Living Tradition

The Service of the Living Tradition welcomed 59 ministers into preliminary fellowship, 40 ministers into final fellowship, eight credentialed religious educators, and six credentialed music leaders. It honored 53 ministers retiring from full-time service, and 23 ministers who have died in the past year. Rev. Marlin Lavanhar of All Souls in Tulsa, OK delivered a moving sermon called "For Just Such a Time as This." Watch (and read) the full service.

Ministers and theologians leading the workshop "Lament: Healing Rituals of Sorrow and Regret"

General Assembly 2015 featured hundreds of events and workshops. VisitGeneral Assembly 2015 Online to access videos, audio, presentations, and handouts from select GA workshops.

Rev. Alison Miller, minister of Morristown (NJ) Unitarian Fellowship, delivered a powerful Sunday Worship sermon on storytelling, justice, and hope. Watch the sermon here, or thefull service on YouTube.

Read the Script

Dr. Cornel West delivers the 2015 Ware Lecture.

Read the Partial Script