Blue Boat of Youth and Young Adult MinistriesHumanist 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…
Standing Rock – Issue Primer
Learn more about protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) The Rev. Peter Morales, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, answered the call of protest leaders for clergy of all denominations to join peaceful interfaith witness with the indigenous peoples who are protecting the water and land at Standing Rock. Learn more about this here. ________________________________________ The call for peaceful public witness follows acts of violence and intimidation committed against protestors, and the infringement of First Amendment rights of assembly and free speech of both protestors and the Press. Protestors have been subjected to the use of private security firms with attack dogs unleashed against them, the arrest and unusually harsh treatment of protestors by…
Lead the UU-UNO 2017 Spring Seminar
Apply Before July 25 to Lead “Interfaith Action to End Armed Violence” Every year in April the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office Intergenerational Spring Seminar takes on big issues on an international scale. In April 2017 the seminar focus is on people of many faiths working together to disarm armed violence as a tool of oppression. Armed violence is used in conflict thorough out the world in many ways: as military action, political repression or social intimidation. This is your opportunity to lead a multi-generation group of people of faith and action at the seat of global diplomacy to lift oppression, work for peace and create more justice. Don’t wait! Serve your faith and lead…
On Religion in “Far-Flung 21st Century Lives”
Krista Tippett Speaks at the 2016 Ware Lecture by John Newhall Krista Tippett, the host of On Being and author of three books, will deliver the Ware Lecture at General Assembly this year. As the host of a radio show focused on spirituality and living fully, she is a logical choice for an Assembly focused on interfaith dialog and connection. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a won a Fulbright scholarship to study politics in Europe during the Cold War. Her time in Germany shaped her in unimaginable ways. Upon her return, nearly a decade later, she began attending Yale Divinity School after which she, “saw a black hole where intelligent coverage…
Hallowed Growth in NOLA
New Orleans Service Trip by Emily Parker On this small lot in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans, organic vegetables grow in rows. Honey bees housed in hives on the lot buzz by, and a bench constructed between cinder blocks doubles as a flower planter. Inside a modest greenhouse, a hodgepodge of reclaimed bathtubs support an aquaculture, growing fish and fertilizing plants symbiotically. David Young, the man behind this and many other community gardens in the Lower Ninth Ward, is taking me and seventeen other Juniata College students on a tour. Spending our spring break in New Orleans for a week of interfaith service and learning, we have just finished our first day of…
Spotlight: UUs of Northeastern University
Small But Mighty The set up was in some ways completely familiar. The cushions on the floor, the snacks arranged casually around the yet unlit chalice. Students drifting in and sitting down, late evening on a weekday. I could have been in the basement of the chapel back at my small Midwestern liberal arts college gathering with the Unitarian Universalist (UU) student group I led for three semesters. But I’ve been out of college for more than six years and instead I was in an interfaith space at Northeastern University here in Boston, a visiting Unitarian Universalist Association staff member. I ask the students why they come to the UU campus ministry gatherings. Their answers…
Love set Ablaze
In honor of the Standing on the Side of Love 30 Days of Love 2016 campaign, Phebe Hawes speaks up about being a light of love in a time of hate. In order to love alike, we need not think alike ~Francis David. This quote got me thinking. I come from a suburban, mostly white, community. For the most part, we look alike. But we certainly do not think alike. And there’s not a whole lot of love either. So I turn to social media. Like many millennials, I spend most of my time online. I, however, spend a majority of that time defending my beliefs to people who don’t agree. I get the feeling…
A Bigger Picture for Campus Ministers
It’s not easy being a campus minister. This work of nurturing students spiritually and providing inclusive community on college campuses is crucial, and yet it is also taxing and can be isolating. That’s why it’s so important to find peer support! We Unitarian Universalists (UU) are a small movement and while we have roughly 60 campus ministries across the country, not all of them are currently active and many are led by rotating volunteers. To find wisdom, support, new ideas and a sense of connection, it’s wonderful to turn to our siblings in faith and get in touch with other religious professionals engaged in this work. One way to find such connection is through National Campus Ministry Association…
Grab the Tsubaki Scholarship 2015 Now!
A Rare Opportunity for a Unique Theological Experience Unitarian Universalist (UU) seminarians attending non-UU theological schools who have an interest in international or interfaith engagement are invited to apply by May 15, 2015 for an incredible opportunity to spend 2-3 weeks at Tsubaki Grand Shrine (TGS), one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan. Each year one recipient receives a scholarship covering travel, room and boarding expenses for a summer/fall stay at the shrine. The long-standing relationship between Unitarian Universalism and TGS has its roots within the International Association for Religious Freedom. Add you name to those of Ranwa Hammamy: 2014 Recipient, Sarah E. Gillespie: 2013 Recipient, Elizabeth Nguyen: 2012 Recipient, Christian Schmidt: 2011 Recipient –Unitarian…
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