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News and updates from the Central East Region to keep your congregation informed.
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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
~ July 2020
Quick Links
Featured Resource: Virtual UU Summer Camps
Because of COVID-19, the two yearly summer gatherings in the Central East Region have decided to go virtual. Both CERSI - the Central East Region Summer Institute - and UUMAC - the UU Mid-Atlantic Community are offering different options online.

CERSI Summer In Situ (Institute) 2020
Grab a bit of virtual SI magic with a package of experiences and activities that will bring community and connection, creativity and reflection right to your home. For the week of SI, July 12-17, registrants will receive a daily email containing spiritual, creative, and thoughtful activities; videos to ponder and discuss, and virtual inter-generational Community Events in the evenings where we can chat, entertain, share and enjoy our SI community. Separate programming with be offered for youth and children during the day. Participate as your schedule permits.  Registration is open until June 30 at www.cersiuu.org with a sliding fee scale.  Questions: registrar@cersiuu.org.

UUMAC 2020
Come to UUMAC this summer!  We’re UUs in the Mid-Atlantic region gathering as an intentional beloved Community. We will be holding a Virtual gathering, or VUUMAC, and you’re invited! Even better: it’s FREE!
       Our theme this year is ‘Self Love as Power for Social Justice’.  We’ll be ‘zooming’ with a minister and theme speaker, having discussions and virtual activities for kids, tweens, teens and adults of all ages.  Attend some or all of our programs starting July 11.  For more information and registration go to UUMAC.org.
Update Your Leadership Please!
It's that time of the year again. Your congregation has held its annual meeting and elected new officers, or it's on your schedule. You have new committee chairs appointed to lead your work for next year. But have you told anyone outside the congregation about these changes?

To help the UUA and the Central East Region stay in touch with the leaders of your congregation we need YOU to update your leadership information on myuua.org. This is the same place you update your UU World lists. Need help? Let us know or check out the webpage with the details. Please note that you can make these updates at any time. Many congregations hold elections in the spring or late fall, but appoint new committee chairs in summer or early fall. Each event should prompt a review of what is listed in myuua.org to ensure it is up to date. Staffing changes should also be listed in this location.

Need more details? Check our blog post on this topic from June 8th.
Resources for Congregations for Dealing with the Pandemic
UU Congregations shut down in March due to COVID-19, and at that time the UUA staff created a lot of resources to help congregations with everything from worship planning, technology assistance, annual meeting planning, pastoral care and more. Recently the Safe Congregations Team put out Guidance on Gathering in Person that includes a list of questions congregations should discuss and consider before determining if it is time to re-open in your area. The recommendation from the UUA is to plan to be virtual through May of 2021.

Where to find information:

The UUA has created a response fund for those who want to make a donation to help in the current COVID-19 situation. Please donate if you can. Visit the UUA website for details on donations and guidelines for how the funds will be distributed.

    Better Together Blog: Farewell from Paula Cole Jones
    by Paula Cole Jones

    It is time to say farewell to you as my position with the Congregational Life staff in the Central East Region of our UUA comes to an end on June 30th. I am passing the baton on to Sana Saeed, who will serve you beginning July 6th. Both the global health crisis and the civil rights movement to end racism and reform policing have changed the nature of this farewell.

    News from the UUA
    The Office of Church Staff Finances reminds us this is a time when we have a lot of staff changes is our congregations. Please check out their LeaderLab page on Compensation Standards and Resources which includes their Benefits Workbook to help you make sure you don't miss any deadlines. You'll also want to check out their From Starting to Parting document that provides advice on welcoming new staff, providing ongoing support and ensuring healthy departures.

    Seeing with New Eyes, a sequel to The Best View: Congregational Life in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic
    is being sponsored by the UU Association of Membership Professionals and Feel Good Consulting. Two sessions are available: Tuesday July 14 1-2 pm ET and July 20 3-4 pm ET. Registration is open.

    The Living Legacy Project
    is offering a series of virtual programs focused on voting rights, past, present and future on the last Tuesday of every month between May 26, 2020 and Election Day. These are free and open to everyone. Learn more and register at their website.

    The UUA has created a response fund for those who want to make a donation to help in the current COVID-19 situation. Please donate if you can. Visit the
    UUA website for details on donations and guidelines for how the funds will be distributed. The Disaster Relief Fund continues to support congregations affected by tornadoes, fires, hurricanes, flooding and other natural disasters as well. To learn more about the work of the Disaster Relief Fund visit their webpage. We are Better Together.

    Looking for speakers for your virtual services? The reality is that you can choose anyone regardless of geography. Many community-based religious professionals have developed a list to make it easier to find speakers. You can find it here. Also, don't forget to check out the CER Guest in Your Pulpit program, which includes both lay and professional worship leaders.


    Do you know about UUAMP - The UU Association of Membership Professionals? They have resources and other help on their website and through their networks. Check the UUAMP website for details on all things membership related.

    New publications from the UUA
    - Available now for ordering is Widening the Circle of Concern: Report of the UUA Commission on Institutional Change, The Stonewall Generation: LGBTQ Elders on Sex, Activism and Aging, and Breaking and Blessing: Meditations by Rev. Sean Parker Dennison. Now available for pre-order is Stubborn Grace: Faith, Mental Illness, and Demanding a Blessing by Rev. Kate Landis and Held: Showing Up for Each Other's Mental Health by Rev. Barbara F. Meyers.


    The UUA is hiring for several positions. Find job descriptions and application information at their Job Openings  webpage.

    CER Events at a Glance
    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 rgistration, you must write the name and date of the event in the memo line. Otherwise we may not get it properly credited.

    Due to COVID-19 all events scheduled between now and August 31, 2020 have been either cancelled, postponed or are in the process of being re-imagined in an alternative format. Going forward, we are expecting all events in 2020-2021 to be virtual. We strongly encourage congregations to do your part to flatten the curve by supporting your congregants virtually through online conferencing, phone, email or letters and forgoing in-person meetings.

    • Leading Change in Changing Times ~ online, with prework required, August 22, 2020, 12-3 pm. The skills that board members and other leaders need are changing, and we are here to help! Revs. Sunshine Wolfe & Renee Ruchotzke are offering a training for these COVID times to complement the Board Basics we are offering in June: Leading Change in Changing Times. The training will include a few hours of prework in the UU Leadership Institute, then there will be an interactive session on Saturday, August 22, 12-3pm EDT. (There will be breaks, we promise!) The training will help your leaders “shape change” to bring you closer to your call of building Beloved Community. Registration will open soon.
    CER Webinars at a Glance

    The following webinars will take place in the region the next two months. For full details and a complete list visit the CER Webinars Calendar.

    • CER Networking Calls (all times are Eastern)
      • Mondays at 4 pm with Megan Foley (Capital Cluster & Northern VA)
      • Tuesdays at 6:30 pm with Patricia Infante & Paula Cole Jones (Greater Philly & Central PA)
      • Wednesdays at 5 pm with Sunshine Wolfe and Renee Ruchotzke (Ohio & Western PA)
      • Wednesdays at 6 pm with Pat Infante, Paula Cole Jones, Evin Carvill-Ziemer and Hope Johnson (Northeast PA, New Jersey, NYC, LIAC, MetroNorth)
      • Fridays at 1 pm with Evin Carvill-Ziemer and Renee Ruchotzke (Upstate NY)
      • Join by going to https://uua.zoom.us/j/98736004337, password is 202006.
    • The Stewardship and Development Office is hosting twice weekly Salons for congregations to drop in and ask questions about budgets and pledge drives. The days and times are below. See the webpage for connection info.
      • Thursdays at 3 pm Pacific/4 pm Mountain/5 pm Central/ 6 pm Eastern
      • Mondays at 4 pm Pacific/5 pm Mountain/6 pm Central/7 pm Eastern
    Congregation, Cluster and Affiliate Groups News and Events
    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.

    • Murray Grove is offering a Virtual Camping in the Grove for 4-8th graders  August 2-6, 2020. Adventure Camp has been postponed until 2021.
    • Murray Grove is celebrating the sestercentennial of Universalism in America. It will be the 250th anniversary of John Murray’s famous 1770 sermon in Thomas Potter’s chapel in Good Luck, New Jersey. They have created a digital toolkit, have events planned for the year and a gathering scheduled in October at Murray Grove. Details are on the Murray Grove website.
    • Several UU Congregation in CER are hiring Religious Education, youth ministry and other positions. Check the listings.
    If your congregation or cluster has news or events to share, please send it to us at bcasebolt@uua.org
     
    This work is made possible by the generosity of member congregations and individual donors. 
    Sent to: admin@cucwp.org
    Central East Region of the UUA, 100 W 10th Street Suite 1008, Wilmington, DE 19801, United States

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    Central East Region of the UUA
    100 W 10th Street Suite 1008
    Wilmington, DE 19801
    United States