What's Happening - News

From Peter Morales - President of the UUA

We have long defined ourselves as an association of congregations. We need to think of ourselves as a religious movement. The difference is potentially huge. Congregations as local parishes arose in a different era. They arose in a time of limited mobility and communication. Most members lived within a couple of miles of their church.

When Unitarianism and Universalism were in their infancy, no one would think of belonging to a congregation ten miles away. Churches were the centers of community life in a largely agricultural society. (When Channing, Parker and Emerson were in the pulpit, Boston had a population of about 30,000, slightly more than Beacon Hill today.)

To be limited to a traditional parish form of organization in the 21st century is like limiting ourselves to technology that does not require electricity. The implications of thinking of ourselves as a religious movement rather than only a collection of congregations are profound and liberating. Here is an initial list:

• We focus more on connection and less on “membership.” Paying attention to who our ministry serves, how many lives we change and the difference we are making in the world can help us redirect our efforts outward.
• We invite people to connect to our UU movement whether or not they choose to join a congregation. We can reach out to young adults, students, snow birds, people living in foreign countries, linguistic and ethnic minorities, etc. They can all be part of the UU movement.
• We find ways to invite the 500,000 or so people who say they are UUs but are not members of a congregation into our movement.
• We have a way of inspiring people who share our values, want to be part of our movement, but are not ready to join a congregation.
• We have a natural way to engage with groups that were once affiliates—groups like UUs for a Just Economic Community (UUJEC), Latino(a) UU Networking Association (LUUNA), Diverse & Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM), seminarians, etc.
• We continue our efforts to connect with UU college students. We would make clear that they are still a part of our movement.
• We have a good way of taking in people through such portals as Standing on the Side of Love.

• A new kind of “open source” way for many kinds of people to interact with and inform Unitarian Universalism.
• Uses of social media that are rich and flexible. Technology is critical to connecting people today.
• A great deal more research about those who identify as UUs but are not members of a congregation.
• Face to face opportunities for small groups, etc. These can be held anywhere— homes, coffee shops, university residence halls—not just in church buildings. Think “Meet Up” opportunities for UUs.
• An ability to engage with Unitarian Universalism at a variety of levels of commitment.
• Social justice witness, activism and volunteerism opportunities.
• Scalability. This means an ability to accommodate individuals, small interest groups, local and regional groups, and larger national groups.

Starting in July 2011, New Moon Rising, our nature-focused chalice circle, will be coordinating eight “Wheel of the Year” Sunday services. These intergenerational festivals occur every six weeks. They celebrate nature and the changing of the seasons. If you'd like to be a part of creating these services or have an idea, please contact Corinne.

Sundays	Theme	Season
31 July 2011	First Harvest	Mid Summer
18 Sep 2011	Water Ceremony	Autumnal Equinox
30 Oct 2011	Honoring the Dead	Mid Autumn
18 Dec 2011	Darkness and Light	Winter Solstice
29 Jan 2012	Hearth and Home	Mid Winter
18 Mar 2012	Earth Awakens	Vernal Equinox
29 Apr 2012	Life Springs Forth	Mid Spring
17 Jun 2012	Flower Communion	Summer Solstice

The board met on 11 January. Here are the highlights:

• Budget requests are due.  Fellowship Builders handed in theirs (Yeah, Joyce!)
• Carl has graciously agreed to maintain the necessary treasurer duties while Debs is away.
• Janeen and Bill will be judging the science fair and handing out the awards on 4 Feb.
• The membership list was reviewed, along with other information, in support of filing our congregational information to the UUA by the end of January.  New this year:  They are trying to track how many people we "touch" in addition to our membership.  See the Morales article on our website.  Board agreed to abstain from all congregational study/action issues in the poll.
• Agreed to keep the tracking of visitors to UUFSM as simple as possible.  It is sufficient to track adults and children and no need to separate into members, friend, and visitors or guests.
• Action was given to look at the Bylaws and see how the fiduciary oversight of the board can be increased.  This primarily is to address the approval of the yearly operating budget.
• Action was given to create a "swearing in" ceremony for new boards.
• We are looking for a new Religious Education interest area leader.  Please consider this important role!
• Possible relocation to the Hollywood Recreation Center was discussed.  Please talk to any board member if you have input on next year's meeting location.

The board also discussed final plans for the Winter Retreat, which took place on January 21 and by all accounts received was a success. Many thanks to Katy for organizing and to Joyce for coordinating refreshments.

To have enough skins for earthen red eggs for the spring holidays, start saving onion skins now!  Toss them into a bag in the freezer to collect enough.