Blue Boat of Youth and Young Adult MinistriesReflections after Thrive Young Adult
Kaitlin Dey, Thrive Young Adult alumni 2016 and 2017, shared this reflection at her congregation last Sunday: I spent the last 10 days in New Orleans. I attended Thrive Young Adult. Thrive is part of Grow Racial Justice that is for UU young adults of color, we dove deep into complex questions about identity, power, spirituality and leadership. We got to explore our roles as young adults of color in our UU movement, build relationships with one another around intersecting identities, share practices for healing and resistance, and support each other on the path toward liberation. While I was at Thrive, I began dialogues about the beauty and the flaws of our faith. As the week continued and General Assembly began,…
Congratulations Tanner Linden, Youth Observer
Meet the Next Youth Observer to the UUA Board of Trustees. We are pleased to announce that the 2017-2019 Youth Observer Election has come to a close and we are have a brand-new Youth Observer! Seven congregations participated in this year’s election and the results were close. Our next Youth Observer will be Tanner Linden. Tanner will begin his term at the end of General Assembly, and serve alongside Bailey Saddlemire during the second and final year of her term. Tanner has experience serving on the Pacific Southwest District Youth Board, as well as serving on other committees, councils, and positions in the Pacific Western Region. Please welcome Tanner to his new role.
Youth Ministry Training Webinar 8
UPDATE: This webinar will be hosted live on April 12th at 1pm EST and it will be recorded. We are canceling the previously scheduled Thursday evening webinar to encourage attendance the #Uuwhitesupremacyteachin webinar on Thursday, April 13 at 8 PM eastern. More information about that webinar available on the Black Lives of UU. For a long time many Unitarian Universalist congregations have successfully used the traditional model of youth ministry consisting of a weekly youth group, maybe some off-site trips or overnights, and a yearly youth-led worship service. As Natalie Briscoe, Congregational Life Staff in the Southern Region notes, “These traditional models are effective delivery mechanisms for often stellar curriculum, especially if that curriculum is a part of the…
Talk Amongst Yourselves, I’ll Give You a Topic…
Cojourners on the Spiritual Way The Unitarian Universalist Association Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries has two new discussion guides for youth based on Summer Seminary sermons: Grappling with the First Principle and What is God?. Today my body is a little sore from rock climbing and I think I might be getting a cold. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I can be most effective in these trouble times to create beloved community and my spirit is really trying hard to find meaning in the mundane. We all use check-in questions. Sometimes as a check in question I ask folks “how’s your body, mind and spirit this week?” (Thanks Annie Gonzalez Milliken for teaching me…
Using Your Universal Translator
A Sermon by Kadyn Frawley Watch this terrific pastoral message from Summer Seminary graduate Kayden Frawley, preached to her congregation on January 29, 2017. Using Your Universal Translator – Transcript Good morning! I’m going to ask you all some questions. You don’t need to raise your hand when you agree, just think the answer to yourself. Question 1. How many of you have either that one relative or group of relatives who ALWAYS like to bring up religion at times where you feel it’s completely inappropriate? PAUSE Question 2. When getting ready to visit with this particular person or group of people, do you have to mentally prepare in advance what you are going…
VIDEO: Keeping Your Campus Ministry Going
#UU Campus Q’s Episode Five The Reverend Annie Gonzalez Milliken, the Young Adult and Campus Ministry Associate of the Unititarian Universalist Association Office of Youth and Young Adult Minisitries invites Matt Stidman and Marion Hirsch (narrated by Stephanie Carey Maron) to tackle the problem of transferring leadership of campus ministry so it continues even after you’re gone. Like Campus UUs on Facebook to be notified when episodes of UUCampusQs are released! (Spoiler alert: Marion’s narration is particularly animated!)
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,…
VIDEO: Best Practices for Campus Ministry Outreach
#UUCampusQ’s Episode Four Students on campus need your community now, so get the word out! The Reverend Annie Gonzalez Milliken, the Young Adult and Campus Ministry Associate of the Unititarian Universalist Association Office of Youth and Young Adult Minisitries invites Carey McDonald, Outreach Director at the UUA to discuss how Campus Ministries can get the word out on what they do in noticeable, memorable and effective ways. Like Campus UUs on Facebook to be notified when episodes of UUCampusQs are released! Carey has thought a lot about this and shares some pizzazzy tips:
VIDEO: What is God? by Ella Boyer
One assignment our Summer Seminary (#UUSumSem) program students receive is writing a 3-5 minute homily based on a prompt. On Saturday night they presented their homilies to each other, and then voted to select the five they wanted to represent their class during worship on Sunday Morning at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, CA. Here Summer Seminarian Ella Boyer asks not, “Who is God?”, but “What is God”. The answer she finds is both illuminating and inspiring. Watch now as Ella Boyer Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Summer Seminary 2016 Grad delivers her homily, “What is God?” during First Unitarian Church of Oakland, CA. Sunday Worship: Learn about Summer Seminary, a program of the UUA Office of…
VIDEO: The Irrationally Beautiful Place, by Zollie Davis-Huntley
One assignment our Summer Seminary (#UUSumSem) program students receive is writing a 3-5 minute homily based on a prompt. On Saturday night they presented their homilies to each other, and then voted to select the five they wanted to represent their class during worship on Sunday Morning at First Unitarian Church of Oakland, CA. Here Summer Seminarian Zollie Davis-Huntley examines the links between the those who hurt and those who are hurt that lead to healing. Watch now as Zollie Davis-Huntley Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Summer Seminary 2016 Grad delivers her homily, “The Irrationally Beautiful Place”, during First Unitarian Church of Oakland, CA. Sunday Worship: Learn about Summer Seminary, a program of the UUA Office of…
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