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Boston, Mass. (September 6, 2023) – Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt, the newly-elected president of the UUA offered words of inspiration, support, and shared values to Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations throughout the country as UUs celebrate Ingathering this month. Her words are available in her inaugural Ingathering video.
Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt's inaugural Ingathering video message
“It brings me great joy to welcome you to this season of return, when we celebrate Ingatherings and come back to each other in our congregations and our communities writ large,” said Rev. Dr. Betancourt, who was elected to serve as the UUA’s President at the denomination’s General Assembly in June.
“We are at the start of our shared ministry together and we have been invited to consider a whole new way of visioning and resourcing our UUA… This is a time to think about and reflect on the call of Unitarian Universalism in these days. Who are we meant to be collectively? And how do we care for one another along the way? In this coming year, once again, we get to lean into our shared values and talk about, discuss, and chew on how we express those together,” said Rev. Dr. Betancourt.
Unitarian Universalists celebrate the new congregational year in various ways, including holding Ingathering or homecoming services, often during the first Sunday after the Labor Day holiday. Congregational leaders frequently illuminate the themes of return and reunion during Ingathering services and some communities include a Water Ceremony, in which members bring to the Sunday service a small quantity of water from a place they find meaningful and are combined together. Learn more about Ingathering and related UU celebrations.
“In this year, we are responding to the call of justice in our nation and around the globe,” said Rev. Dr. Betancourt. “I know that these are difficult times. I know that we are sometimes afraid. I know that we need one another, that there is strength in religious community, and that progressive religious community is called to be a counter cultural response to what can seem like the inevitable outcome of society today. We believe in human goodness. It is a radical idea. Our liberal tradition guides us towards liberation because we become more free when we are in this work together, when we promote our values together, and when we lead together.”
Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt is both the first out queer individual and the first woman of color elected to the role of UUA President in the Association’s history. She has served Unitarian Universalism for more than twenty years as a religious educator, minister, scholar, member of the UUA national staff and has been a part of many volunteer committees at regional and denominational levels. She also acted as the UUA’s interim co-president in the spring of 2017. She holds a Ph.D. in Religious Ethics and African American Studies from Yale University as well as an M.Div. from Starr King School for the Ministry. She is the author of Ecowomanism at the Panamá Canal: Black Women, Labor, and Environmental Ethics (2022). Rev. Dr. Betancourt currently lives in the Washington DC area. Please see the Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt’s full biography below.
“We are all tired. Much is asked of us. And there are wonderful things yet to come. Together, we will reimagine the workings and expressions of this faith. And we will hold onto the traditions, theologies, and commitments that have made us who we are. This is Beloved Community. This is communal care in a season of return. I can’t wait to continue this ministry with all of you,” said Rev. Dr. Betancourt.
Biography - Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt
The Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt is a minister, educator, scholar, vocalist, poet, fiber artist, and change-maker. Her work in the world and her practice of Unitarian Universalism are informed by the belief that building mutual, accountable relationships with one another allows us to live our values more fully every day. Raised in New York City as the child of immigrants from Panamá and Chile, and the grandchild of a seventh-generation Unitarian, she knows the strength that comes from building lasting community at the meeting point of difference. She is an unabashed Universalist. The teachings of unearned grace, an all-embracing love, relational accountability, and dignity that surpasses all violent forms of oppression lie at the core of her understanding of life, living, and service in faithful community.
The Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt has served Unitarian Universalism for more than twenty years as a religious educator, minister, scholar, member of the UUA national staff and many volunteer committees at regional and denominational levels, and as interim co-president of the UUA in the spring of 2017. She holds a Ph.D. in Religious Ethics and African American Studies from Yale University as well as an M.Div. from Starr King School for the Ministry.
Betancourt has served congregations in Stockton, California; Norwich, Connecticut; Storrs, Connecticut; and Fresno, California; and has served on the faculty of Starr King School for the Ministry. She most recently served as Resident Scholar and Special Advisor on Justice and Equity at our Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. She is the author of Ecowomanism at the Panamá Canal: Black Women, Labor, and Environmental Ethics (2022).
About the UUA
The UUA is the central organization for the Unitarian Universalist (UU) religious movement in the United States. Our faith is diverse and inclusive and the UUA’s 1000+ member congregations are committed to principles and values that hold closely the worth and dignity of each person as sacred, the need for justice and compassion, the right of conscience, and respect for the interdependent nature of all existence.