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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 ~ April 2023
Quick Links
Featured Resource: How to Participate in the Article II Conversations
Wondering how you and your congregation can contribute to the Article II conversation on the revision of our Principles and Purposes?
  1. Read the Article II Commission Report (pdf) or watch the video of their presentation (YouTube)!
  2. Watch the Article II Commission space! Starting April 1, you can suggest amendments ideas here. In May, discussion groups will be organized to craft the amendments. Check the webpage for more information and details!
  3. Commit to attend General Assembly! It might be fun for your delegates to attend this year’s General Assembly in Pittsburgh in person, but your delegates can also attend the business only online GA meetings for no cost. There really is no excuse for not representing your congregation at General Assembly this year. Register here!
  4. Plan a good process and select your delegates! How can your delegates represent the overall perspective of the congregation? Members should feel confident that your community’s chosen delegates have sufficient guidance to represent your whole congregation. How to do this? Our nominated candidate for UUA President, Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt, suggests some good processes here. Long story short, plan for intentional conversation and broad outreach!
The Article II Commission is looking forward to continued engagement with Unitarian Universalists about this important shift in our theology. Your voice matters!
General Assembly 2023 - Accessibility Requests and Children's Programs
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 the democratic process.

  • If you are in need of accessibility equipment during GA in Pittsburgh, please reserve it soon to allow time to make the necessary arrangements for rentals. Reserve by using this form.
  • If you are bringing your child with you, learn about your options for childcare and the children's Day Camp program on the Children's Program page.
  • Business-only Virtual Registrants can participate in the business sessions for free, but do not have access to any other programming. Details at the GA registration page.

Do note that registration is open for virtual and in-person participation. Rates go up May 15! Stay tuned for more deadlines and announcements. All details and information can be found on the UUA GA Webpages.
Jubilee 3 Anti-Racism Training
Do you wish to deepen your understanding of how race and ethnicity play out in our institutions and our daily lives? Are you ready to take a leading role to nurture a multicultural future in the face of opposing cultural currents? Come Join Us for this Life-Changing Weekend!

Weekend Activities: The training includes presentations, discussions, videos, exercises, and small group work. This 2 ½ day workshop is open to anyone who wants to journey toward making a stand against racism. Church members and church leaders of any faith, as well as non-church members are all welcome! June 2-4, 2023 online. Registration and details at the CER website.
Summer Institute Registration is OPEN!
Summer Institute (CERSI) will be teaming up with UUMAC (UU Mid-Atlantic Community) this year for a joint camp at PennWest University in California, PA. Everyone is welcome to join us for a week of community, fun, learning and sharing.

Speaker CB Beal (they/them/theirs), will be speaking on the theme The Call is Coming From Inside the House: Preemptive Radical Inclusion and Practices for Witness, Self Examination and Change. Youth have their own speaker and program and children have daily RE programming each morning. Drop-in programming including games and art for all ages is offered in the afternoon. Evenings are filled with community fun time such as a talent show and games.

Registration is open. Scholarship Deadline is May 31. Learn more today at the CERSI website.
Understanding Article II Webinar
Are you familiar with Article II revision process? Would you like to know how the current revision was arrived at?  If you want to know how you can be involved with Article II going forward, and what will be happening at General Assembly 2023; you are invited to join Rev. Sunshine Wolfe and leaders from the Greater Pittsburgh areas as they answer questions related to the Article II revision process.

Article II includes several sections including our current UU Principles and Sources. After time for information and Q&A, participants will have space to communicate with one another about Article II and what it might mean for their congregations and communities.

Please join us online on April 29th 10a-12pm ET.  More information and the registration can be found on the event page.
Part-Time and Thriving! Webinar
Save the date for this virtual one-day event designed especially for congregations that have part-time ministry, ministers who are serving congregations part-time, as well as congregations and ministers who are considering part-time ministry.

“The Possibilities of Part-Time Ministry” will take place on Saturday, May 13, 2023, 12-5pm ET/9am-2pm PT, featuring theme speaker G. Jeffrey MacDonald, author of Part-Time is Plenty, Thriving without Full-Time Clergy.

Registration and details coming soon!
UUA Legacy Giving Webinar for Congregations
Saturday, May 6, 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, May 6, 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.
UUA Presidential Forums
UUA Presidential Forums, held in March through June this year, will be an opportunity to meet and get to know candidate Rev. Dr. Betancourt, who will join events in congregations in Arlington, VA, Evanston, IL, Santa Barbara, CA and Dallas, TX. Help us spread the word about these important opportunities to engage more deeply in UU community. Each UUA Presidential Forum will be a multiplatform event, taking place in person and online. The forums will begin at 1pm, local time, with a reception to follow. Registration is required to attend these events and note that registration for in-person attendance is required several days in advance. Registration and details can be found at the UUA website.
Autism Acceptance Month April 2023
The UUA and UUMA have partnered to offer a series centering neurodivergent voices called Welcoming Neurodivergent People: Skill Up; perhaps you have already participated in one of the live Q and A sessions or watched a recording. April is Autism Acceptance Month, so we think this is a great time to share some resources.

Much of the autistic community has moved away from the blue puzzle piece as symbolization. Blue is often associated with assigned male at birth (AMAB) people and moving beyond the assumption that autism mostly or only affects AMAB people has been a hurdle for the community. Similarly, the oft marginalized community is not a puzzle to figure out.

Let’s learn about the autistic community from those who know best, autistic folx themselves!
Better Together Blog: Give Your Leaders a Good Start
by Rev. Renee Ruchotzke

It’s March, so our south-facing picture window is playing host to starter-pots in flats full of dozens of seedlings growing in last year’s compost. We have old heating pads underneath them to help mimic warm soil to help them germinate. We also have several old shop lights rigged up to augment the sunlight at both ends of the day. We found it interesting that the most robust and resilient seedlings are the ones that came from seed that we saved from the best of last year’s yield.


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Antiracism Resource Spotlight: UU Book Guides
by Beth Casebolt from the Better Together Blog.

Many UUs love to read. If reading is a passion for you, there are many great books out there on the topics of antiracism, anti-oppression and multicultural issues. Two great resources for these books and discussion guides for deeper engagement are Beacon Press and the annual UU Common Read.

Read the rest of the article

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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 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.

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.
News from the UUA
It’s April: Shower Your Staff with Care from Jan Gartner, UUA Compensation and Staffing Practices Manager.
Every year, we update our Benefits Tune-up Workbook, one of the most popular resources offered by the UUA Office of Church Staff Finances. It helps congregational leaders understand our benefit plan rules – necessary documents, eligibility criteria, enrollment windows, and more. Ensure plan compliance and take good care for your staff by having good protocol in place for benefits administration!

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 UUA has a Disaster Relief Fund for those who want to make a donation to help congregations who have faced losses due to tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires and more. Please donate if you can. To learn more about the work of the Disaster Relief Fund visit their webpage. If your congregation needs assistance, you can apply for a grant on that webpage. We are Better Together.

Virtual Guest in Your Pulpit! The UUMA has a list of virtual speakers, check it out to see who is available! Visit the UUMA website to read the list. Also, don't forget to check out the CER Guest in Your Pulpit program, which includes both lay and professional worship leaders.

New publications from the UUA - Available now for order is The Rough Side of the Mountain: Black Women's Ministries in Unitarian Universalism, edited by Rev. Dr. Qiyamah Rahman. Now available for purchase is Why Can't I Fix it? The Questions We Ask When We Love Someone with Addiction by Rev. Nation Detering. The Discussion Guide for the 2022-23 Common Read: Mistakes and Miracles: Congregations on the Road to Multiculturalism by Nancy Palmer Jones and Karin Lin is now available.

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

Article 2 Resources for Religious Professionals
The Lifespan Engagement Office of the UUA has invited religious professionals in congregations already considering Article II to share their creative ideas and resources, and we are putting all that content together in a public online document that is growing daily. Our goal is to support congregational engagement and shared learning about this proposal. This process itself is faith formation!  Every UU community is a little different from the next, so the tools you’ll need to faithfully consider the issue are not one-size-fits-all.

As you consider the Article II proposal in your community, check out the stories, sermons, lesson plans, lectio divina guides, activities, discussion slides and more on the Article II Resource Hub. Consider leaving a note there about a resource if you have feedback to share on how it went – or how you adapted content for your congregation.

What's the next step? The process for amendments begins in April, and is detailed on the Article II page. In June of 2023, there will be a delegate vote requiring a simple majority to move Article II forward. If so, the final vote will be in June 2024, requiring a two-thirds vote to adopt the revision.
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.

  • Camp Unirondack has a Winter Camp Session coming up April 11-16 for youth ages 12-18 at Camp Huguenot, NY. Registration is open.
  • 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.
 
This work is made possible by the generosity of member congregations and individual donors.
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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