| News and updates from the Central East Region of the UUA to keep your congregation informed.
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| Opportunities for Connection
CER Update ~ February
2023
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| Featured Resource: So You're Working on the 8th Principle...
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Congregations throughout the Central East Region have started work on adopting the 8th Principle, covenanting to affirm and promote journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions. Some
congregations have discussed it with no action, some have voted to adopt it, and some are using it to actively work on dismantling racism in their systems and communities. Every UU congregation is ready to take the next step in their process of furthering antiracism, whether they use the 8th Principle as a vehicle or not.
Join tnhis year's New Day Rising event to learn from neighboring congregations about what path they've taken with their 8th Principle and other antiracism work, and how your congregation might move itself forward. This Central East Region event will include worship, testimony from congregations engaged in the work, plus caucusing and other community building opportunities. We'll meet on Saturday, February 25, 12-6 pm ET, cost is a sliding scale of $10-$30-$50 per perso. Registration is now open!
Can't attend? No problem! All our pre-resources and recordings of the presentations will be posted to the UU Institute New Day Rising Resources. You can purchase the class for $30. Resources include recordings from past New Day Rising Events.
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General Assembly 2023 - Volunteer Positions, Worship Leaders and
More
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General Assembly 2023 is coming to Pittsburgh, PA! Join us June 21-25, 2023 in-person or virtually to worship, witness, learn, connect, and make policy for the Association through democratic process.
What do we need to do now?
We welcome the worship leaders for this year. The Rev. Kate Walker, minister of First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, PA will lead the Opening Worship service on Wednesday. Preaching at the Service of the Living Tradition is Rev. Chris Buice, and Rev. Manish Mishra-Marzetti will lead the Sunday Worship Service.
Stay tuned for more deadlines and announcements for children's programming, choir registration, delegate workshops, and more in the coming months. All details and information can be found on the UUA GA Webpages.
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Winter Institute (WI) is a long-held tradition of gathering over President’s Day week-end for a mid-winter retreat at Salt Fork State Park in Cambridge, Ohio. This retreat was the brainchild of a group of Summer Institute (SI) attendees who wisely determined that a year between SI gatherings is just TOO LONG to wait to gather with extended Beloved UU Community! This relaxing weekend has been an intimate gathering for UUs of all ages. There are frosty outdoor activities like sledding, hiking and cross-country skiing. For those who choose to stay in their slippers all weekend, there is a beautiful lodge with its many cozy corners and fireplaces. The pool and hot tub are truly a wintertime treat. There are fellow UUs always ready to play board games or to join in the community jigsaw puzzle. We have
wonderful community worship services in the morning and evenings.This year Winter Institute will be held on February 17-20, 2023 at Salt Fork State Park in Cambridge, OH. Registration is open and all are welcome! Deadline is February 12!
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| Summer Institute is heading back to PennWest!
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Our second year at PennWest University (formerly CalU) is scheduled and we're looking forward to seeing you there! We'll have campers from a larger area this year as folks from UUMAC (Unitarian Universalist Mid-Atlantic Community) join with CERSI (Central East Region Summer Institute). Join us July 9-15, 2023 at PennWest in California, PA.
2023 Theme - The Call is Coming from Inside the House: Preemptive Radical Inclusion and Practices for Witness, Self Examination and Change.
Our Theme Speaker this year is CB Beal (they/them/theirs), a storyteller, educator, and speaker who is known for their humor, insight, ability to use their own foibles and unfortunate life experiments as cautionary tale, and to hold space where people can be braver and safer, facilitating learning experiences where people get to make their next move towards justice. Through stories, reflections, and conversation about practices of preemptive radical inclusion, CB will help us explore our capacity for witness, self examination and change.
Important Dates you need to know -
- Job Applications close - February 10, 2023
- Registration opens: March 1st, 2023
- Scholarship deadline: May 31st, 2023
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| Religious Educator Meet and Eat
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We are inviting religious education professionals from across the country to virtually join members of the UUA’s Faith Development Co-Lab on Tuesday, Feb. 21st from 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. EST.
The Meet and Eat gathering for religious educators will be a wonderful opportunity to connect with other DRE’s. Our conversation topic will be twofold. First, we will explore the importance of community connection with colleagues. Then we will share what folks are thinking about for Spring/Summer religious education opportunities which focus on service and multigenerational connection.
Bring your ideas and
questions on Spring/Summer social justice initiatives that welcome children, youth, and adults; Coming of Age experiences for youth, and Summer program ideas! Find out more and register here.
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Intergenerational Spring Seminar 2023
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The UU Office at the United
Nations is excited to announce that the 2023 Intergenerational Spring Seminar will take place April 1-3, 2023, with the theme "Demilitarization & Abolition: Resist Policing and Empire." The event, planned in close partnership with the UU Service Committee & the UU College of Social Justice, will be a multiplatform event, held in-person in Minneapolis, MN and online. More details to follow, registration is open!
All In-Person and Youth registration closes March 15; Adult Online
Registration closes March 30.
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Training Opportunities Round-Up!
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UUA Legacy Giving Webinar for Congregations
Saturday, February 11, 2023 | 1 pm - 3 pm ET / 10 am - 12 pm PT
The UUA’s Legacy Gifts Office offers a number of services, including an online workshop to assist congregations in creating legacy giving programs. The webinar on Saturday, February 11, 2023 covers the basics of legacy giving and how to set up a legacy giving program in your congregation. We aim to equip congregations with the knowledge they need to start a legacy program. To register for the webinar, email us at legacy@uua.org or call (617) 948-6509.
Right Relationship Team Training Session Begins March 1
Creating beloved community requires intention and practice. Our covenants articulate our intention, but how do we live into the practice? Right Relations Teams (RRT) are lay leaders entrusted to help the congregation practice faithful communication and creative conflict based on values of mutuality and consent.
This training is for congregational teams who will be helping their congregations live into their covenants. In this facilitated version, you will learn with other congregations during the 6 live practice sessions. The cost of $400/team covers the facilitators and includes a code to access to training materials. Register here.
Note: The training can also be taken on your own ($30/person). There are instructions for you to facilitate your own practice sessions.
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Anti-Racism Resource Spotlight: Developing Ease
Across Difference
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by Rev. Renee Ruchotzke, from the Better Together Blog. When I was growing up, my mother spent a lot of time talking to me about etiquette. My father was an immigrant, and my mother’s parents were working poor. My parents were chasing the American dream, and had bought a house in an affluent neighborhood. It was important that we make a good impression to “fit in.” Always the learner, I read through my mother’s copy of Etiquette: The Blue Book of Social Usage by Emily Post. There was even a local “charm school”
that some of my more affluent friends went to reinforce the social graces. These experiences set some deeply ingrained habits – especially when I set the dinner table! Read the rest of the articleWould you like to receive this weekly blog in your inbox? You can! Sign up!
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| Better Together Blog: Resource Highlight: How Do We Keep Our Congregations Safe?
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by Rev. Sana Saeed
Beloveds, with a rise in white supremacist violence and destructive behavior, it is understandable that more congregational leadership are considering how to protect their community right now. This is a frightening time for many. I have received more questions from lay leaders about the safety and security of their congregation (people) and buildings (place/things).
Would you like to receive this weekly blog in your inbox? You can! Sign up!
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The following events are upcoming in the region. For full details and a complete list visit the CER Calendar Page. Also, please note, if you are mailing a check to the regional office to pay for your registration, you must write the name and date of the event in the memo line. Otherwise we may not get it properly credited.
If you are looking for Renaissance Modules for Religious Educators or Our Whole Lives Trainings,
check the full calendar on the UUA website.- CER BIPOC Gathering, February 6, 6:30 pm ET.
- Taproot: A National BIPOC Space - February 9, 2022, 8-9:15 pm ET
- UUA Legacy Giving Webinar for Congregations, February 11, 2023, 1-3 pm ET. Email legacy@uua.org to register.
- UUA Board Meeting, February 13, 2023 online, 7 pm ET. Register for the meeting.
- UUA Board Open House ~ February 14, 2023, 7 pm ET, online. Register for the meeting.
- Winter Institute ~ February 17-20, 2022, Salt Fork State Park, Cambridge, OH
- Religious Educator Meet and Eat ~ February 21, 2023, online, 12-1:30 pm ET
- So You're Working on the 8th Principle Conference, February 25, 12-6 pm ET, online.
- Right Relationship Congregational Team Training begins, March 1, 2023, 7 pm ET, online.
- CER BIPOC Gathering, March 6, 6:30 pm ET.
- Taproot: A National BIPOC Space - March 9, 2022, 8-9:15 pm ET
- UUA Board Meeting, March 13, 2023 online, 7 pm ET. Register for the meeting.
- UUA Board Open House ~ March 14, 2023, 7 pm ET, online. Register for the meeting.
- 2023 International Spring Seminar ~ April 1-3, 2023, Minneapolis, MN and online. Registration is open.
If your congregation or cluster has an exciting project that could use funding from our Chalice Lighter Program, our next Intent to Apply deadline is August 1 for grants to be awarded in November, 2023.
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The Presidential Forums are coming in early 2023! You’ll be able to attend in person or online to meet the next presidential nominee(s). Want to know when/where they’ll be held? Subscribe to your regional newsletter for updates.
Clergy Grants available to attend Star Island Conferences in 2023
The Isles of Shoals Association Unitarian Universalist (ISAUU) in partnership with the Star Island Beloved Community Project is pleased to present the Clergy Grants Program for the 2023 season of conferences on
Star Island. Grants are available from the ISAUU to partially subsidize Unitarian Universalist ministers and their families to spend a week on Star Island at a conference of their choice. The intent is to introduce UU clergy to Star Island conferences, to support personal and professional relaxation and rejuvenation, and to promote Star Island with UU clergy and their congregations. More information and the application can be found on the ISAUU website: http://www.shoals.org. The application deadline is January 31, 2023. Award amounts can vary based on number of applications received in a given year. Applications received after January 31, 2023 will be considered as long as grant money remains available. For more information please contact: Miriam Coe mecoe@comcast.net
EqUUal Access Carolyn Cartland Sermon Contest
Since 2016, EqUUal Access has sponsored an annual contest for sermons related to disability. It is named after Carolyn Cartland, an early president of EqUUal Access. This annual contest highlights disability-related themes and topics. Entry deadline: May 1. One cash prize of $500. When feasible, the winner may be invited to present their sermon at an EqUUal Access event during UUA General Assembly. Travel costs to GA cannot be supported. For specific requirements and more information, go to: Information for Submitting a Sermon
The Wizards of Climate Change: How Can Technology Serve Hope and Justice?
June 25–July 2, 2023 at Star Island.
In this conference, we will critically examine how technology can be developed, deployed and governed responsibly, to address climate change in ways that foster hope and justice. We will respectfully engage a multiplicity of world views, including religious
perspectives, as we learn how countries throughout the world determine and apply climate and technology policies. Registration is open!
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| Congregation, Cluster and Affiliate Groups News and Events
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Our congregations and clusters in the region have many exciting activities and announcements going on. For a complete
listing of events, visit the CER Congregations and Clusters Calendar Page. For news from congregations, please visit our News Blog. For job listings from congregations check the UUA Job Board.
- Faithify Projects - CER congregations have projects ongoing including No Child Goes Hungry.
- The UU Church of Akron has re-created the 100 Unitarians and Universalists Who Made a Difference poster. Read about their process and find out how to order.
- Several UU Congregations in CER are hiring. Check the listings.
- Check out Faithify.org for projects from the region and around the country.
If your congregation or cluster has news or events to share, please send it to us at bcasebolt@uua.org.
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This work is made possible by the generosity of member congregations and individual donors.
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Sent to: trevawb@gmail.com
Central East Region of the UUA, 100 W 10th Street Suite 1008, Wilmington, DE 19801, United States
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