Blue Boat of Youth and Young Adult MinistriesWhite Supremacy Teach-In
Resources for Youth and Young Adult Ministry When you hear or read the words “White Supremacy,” what thoughts come to mind, what emotions surface? For some of us, it is a fear-filled phrase that conjures images of white hoods and robes that seems totally dissonant with our Unitarian Universalist faith. For others, it is a term of criticism that exposes the ways our wider culture and even our systems within UUism continue to privilege the feelings, ideas, success and lives of white people over people of color. Because of our lived experiences and our intersecting identities, we may all have different reactions to this phrase. As Rev. Sofia Betancourt, interim co-president for our Unitarian Universalist…
Humanist Voices in Unitarian Universalism
The Many Faiths within Unitarian Universalism The latest addition to the Skinner House Books (SHB) series exploring the many faith traditions that also find a home in Unitarian Universalism (UU) has just been published. “Humanist Voices in Unitarian Universalism” explores Religious Humanism – which is founded upon the belief that human beings are of great worth and dignity (echoing the Unitarian Universalist 1st Principle), and in the importance of coming together in community to share feelings and emotions (much like the Unitarian Universalist 3rd Principle). These similarities are no surprise, as Religious Humanism has deep roots in Unitarian Universalism, and became a significant part of the Unitarian faith in the 1920’s. Whether you are a…
A Seat at the Table
A Seat at the Table: The Transformative Practice of Being Together by Lauren Hulse Early this year, the congregation I am a part of in Knoxville, Tennessee, Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church (TVUUC), helped bring an Interfaith program called A Seat at the Table (ASATT) to our hometown. The premise is very simple: once a month people from a diversity of faith traditions sit down to share a meal and a conversation. Last week, I got to attend one of these dinners – despite the apparent simplicity of the concept, it was a profound and transformative experience. A Seat at the Table dinners move from place to place each month, landing wherever they can find…
How a UU Congregation Welcomed Me…
For many, leaving their birth congregation is a rending experience, and finding a new home congregation a daunting one. Every instance of this transition is a personal story which, when shared speaks to the universal experience of seeking and belonging. This is the first in a series of responses and reflections by Unitarian Universalist young adults on their experience being welcomed into a UU congregation that was new to them, prompted by a comment by Kenny Wiley, UU World Senior editor. – Ed. Kenny Wiley comments: “What’s a time you felt welcomed or affirmed by a faith community, be it a one-time thing or a sustained experience? I keep thinking about the UU church in Columbia,…
Post-Hope
This homily was delivered by intern minister and UU young adult Joseph Boyd after the murder of Terence Crutcher at All Souls Unitarian Church, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. – Ed. by Joseph Boyd In the aftermath of Terence Crutcher’s death, this has been a busy week at All Souls. For many of us, these last couple weeks have felt very heavy, even exhausting. You may be thinking: I’d love to be more involved, but I’m already overwhelmed with my own ordinary problems. I work a stressful job, I’ve got kids, my relationship with my partner feels shaky. I’m overwhelmed. I can’t even imagine doing anything about racism in Tulsa, let alone America. I’ll leave that to…
The Secret to What Young Adults Want
Julie Brock wrote this newsletter column for First Unitarian Society of Madison and shared it with us given how relevant it is to young adult ministry everywhere. Thanks Julie! by Julie Brock Having young people in church is pretty great. Youth bring new energy, fresh perspective, and remind us that we are part of something larger than ourselves, that will be here when we aren’t anymore. I know a lot of young people who want to explore spirituality in community, and find the values and principles of the Unitarian Universalist (UU) tradition to be grounding and resonant to their own worldview. Yet it remains true that it is difficult to give young people what they…
Movie Night: Autism in Love
Broad Spectrum Welcoming I recently attended the Peek Award movie screening at the Utah Film Center. The Peek Award, named after Kim Peek, the inspiration for the 1988 movie Rain Man, honors artists and film subjects who positively impact society’s perception of people with disabilities. Bookmark the link for The Real Rain Man because Peek truly was an incredible man and this short documentary is a must see. The Peek Award winners that night were the producers of the film Autism in Love. Autism in Love is a documentary that follows 4 people (an unmarried couple, a young single man and an older married man) who are all on the autism spectrum as they discuss…
Small But Mighty: UU Campus Ministry
“Small but mighty” is a phrase I enjoy. Possibly because I am a petite woman of short stature, yet I like to think I’m relatively powerful. But more than that it’s because that’s how I see our faith. Unitarian Universalism (UU) is a tiny religion and a young one too, though our roots go back centuries and indeed millennia. Yet we are powerful, making big impacts in our communities with our yellow shirts and our comprehensive sexuality education, our inclusive communities and our radical love. Small but mighty also describes our Unitarian Universalist campus ministries. We are small. Like, super small. In the fall of 2015 we did our second campus ministry census and we…
Share the Love: Bridgers’ Care Packages
Valentine’s Day is over but that’s no reason to stop sharing the love! Our congregations are generally pretty good at sharing love. From child dedications for our infants to memorial services at life’s end, our congregations are there for the full journey. So how do we share the love when our beloved youth grow up, cross that mythical bridge and become official adults? One simple and effective way to stay in relationship with our bridged young adults is through sending care packages their way! A couple months ago, India Harris, the youth and young adult programs coordinator at the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock, reached out to other religious educators on Facebook to find out…
Multicultural Support Team Moves Toward Justice
In honor of the Standing on the Side of Love 30 Days of Love 2016 campaign, Steven Ballesteros speaks up about the important work of supporting Youth of Color. As a Unitarian Universalist young adult of color I have at times lacked a sense of belonging and of being in right relationship in this faith. I know I am not alone in this feeling. Luckily, there are places in which I can feel safe and ways in which I can apply myself. I currently live near Seattle, Washington, which places me in the Pacific North West District of the Unitarian Universalist Association. There I have helped create and serve on the PNWD Multicultural Support Team for…
Recent Comments