PWR Newsletter - February 14, 2020

By Rev. Jonipher Kwong

I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian church where I was taught early on that you are either ‘with us’ or ‘against us.’ A sheep or a goat, saved or damned to hell for eternity. It wasn’t a far leap from being either a conservative or a liberal, male or female, straight or gay. Each side was labeled good or bad, right or wrong. I thought things were perfectly clear until I came out as a gay man and still considered myself to be a faithful Christian. How can I be a bad person earning a one-way ticket to hell?

When I discovered process theology, I literally had a conversion moment. I was introduced to the idea that by viewing the world with a both/and lens instead of the either/or mentality I was brought up with, I can expand my view of God and the universe and hold opposite concepts in tension with one another. Over time, I shifted my dualistic, black or white, binary thinking into a rainbow of possibilities. It’s become more complicated ever since and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Many of our congregations can sometimes get stuck in polarized, either/or thinking. Are you an atheist or a theist? Are you racist or woke? Indeed, this mirrors the polarized society and political landscape we find ourselves in these days, producing gridlock in our decision-making processes, entrenched camps of who’s in or who’s out, and can create a wedge that turns into enmity and ostracization.

The deeper spiritual truth is such divisions are an illusion. Even someone as ‘saintly’ as Mother Teresa was once quoted as saying, "I have a piece of Hitler in me." All of us are saints and sinners. Yet our Universalist tradition says none of us fall outside the circle of love. Since no one is going to this place called hell for all of eternity anyway, might as well figure out how to get along in this life now. Can we use our congregations as a laboratory to draw the circle wide? Not an easy thing to do in a polarized world.

Both/and thinking requires polarity management: the notion that as interdependent beings, opposing truths need not divide us but can actually get us closer to a deeper truth. Taoists have recognized this in the form of yin and yang, the dynamic exchange between two opposite poles. How might we solve conflicts using both/and thinking? How might we see complexity as a gift to help us heighten our consciousness and awareness rather than trying to reduce everything to simple black and white answers that may not exist?

Here are some resources to help us unleash the power of our Universalist heritage and save our hurting world by drawing the circle wide with our ability to live in a both/and manner.

By Janine Larsen, former District Executive of the Pacific Northwest District

We are saddened to share the news of the January 17 death of Lori Ragona, who served the UUA in the Pacific Western Region (PWR) and the Pacific Northwest District (PNWD) from 2010 to 2015. Prior to that, Lori helped seminarians in the Mountain Desert District to develop online portfolios, which was later incorporated into a UUA-wide "in care" pilot program.

Lori pioneered the position of tech trainer in the PNWD and PWR, beginning as the district’s part-time Webinar/Training Coordinator and eventually moving to full-time as the region’s Training and Communications Coordinator. Among her accomplishments was the design and support of Chalice Lighter grants to help congregations acquire and use technology as part of worship, marketing, and communications. One of her greatest delights was joining the "Tech Deck" team at UUA General Assembly, monitoring and troubleshooting all the complex technology working behind the scenes to support a smoothly running GA.

A teacher by profession and passion, Lori described herself perfectly in her initial letter of application: "I’m quite patient and very much enjoy seeing others succeed, even in simple ways." She earned the gratitude of many congregations, lay leaders, clergy, and students at Russell Lockwood Leadership School (2014 & 15), for giving so generously of her skills and care during her service with the UUA.

Lori is remembered and deeply missed by colleagues, friends, and family, particularly her beloved wife, the Rev. Lois Van Leer, son Ryan, and grandchildren.

Donations in Lori’s name may be made to either Ingersoll Gender Center or Lambert House.

The lead staff position in our region is still open, and we are seeking applications. Check out the PWR Regional Lead Job Posting on UUA.org. And if you know someone who would be good, encourage them to apply!

In the meantime, our staff team and district boards have been receiving the leadership and support of Jessica York, UUA Director of Congregational Life, and since November a temporary regional lead, Connie Goodbread. Connie is co-lead for the UUA’s Southern Region and has made herself available on a limited basis to the PWR. We’ve been blessed by her presence, her gifts, and her wealth of experience.

Our whole staff team is here for you through all the joys and challenges of the year ahead. We feel so blessed to partner with you on this journey of Unitarian Universalism.

The UU Social Justice Universe Map is done!
We at UUCSJ created an interactive and shareable map of the UU Social Justice Universe. Please also feel free to share the link.This is a dynamic map, so when we make changes, anyone with this link will see the most updated version.

Summer Internship Applications Are Open! Emerging adults are encouraged to apply to these paid internship opportunities. More info and the application can be found here. Placements this year are:

Annunciation House – San Antonio, TX
Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network – Boston, MA
Engaging People in Change – Millbrook, NY
Rural & Migrant Ministry – throughout New York
UU Justice Florida – throughout Florida
UU United Nations Office – New York, NY

The updated deadline to apply is February 19th.

From Jan Gartner, UUA Compensation and Staffing Practices Manager

The UUA Office of Church Staff Finances applauds progressive employment laws aimed at preventing workers from being exploited. At the same time, we recognize that new legislation can be challenging to interpret and places additional burdens on congregational leaders. Here we provide guidance on California's new AB5 law.

Workers in congregations (and organizations of all kinds) are classified as either employees or independent contractors under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act or more restrictive state law. California Assembly Bill 5 (AB5), which went into effect on January 1, 2020, narrows the definition of independent contractor.

Under AB5, a worker must be classified as an employee unless all three of these conditions apply:
(A) The worker is free from the control and direction of the company in performing the work.
(B) The worker performs work that is outside the usual course of the company's business.
(C) The worker is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, or business of the same nature as the work performed for your organization.

The focus of this law is businesses that make wide use of independent contractors, denying those workers basic employee protections, employee benefits, and sometimes even a minimum wage. (Think Uber.) Nevertheless, AB5 applies to all employers and workers who have not specifically been exempted. Visit the PWR website for our interpretation of AB5 for congregations.

UU Ministry for Earth is honored and proud to be an Executive Producer of the award-winning documentary, The Condor and The Eagle, and has set a goal of holding as many UU community film screenings on (or around) World Water Day (Sunday, March 22) as possible.

These screenings will be opening celebrations for Spring for Change: A Season of Sacred Activism and benefit events to catalyze UU Indigenous frontline solidarity through the Create Climate Justice initiative. Additional resources will be provided for congregations who wish to use the film screening as an entry into continued learning and action around the issues featured in the film. The goal is to get 100+ congregations to screen the film. Success in this will be critical to funding the travel for our Indigenous partners to attend GA this summer, and for creating some operating budget for the Indigenous-solidarity wing of the Create Climate Justice campaign. Learn how to host a screening on our website!

The stakes couldn’t be higher in the 2020 elections. All our values, our work for justice, the communities we love and the beloved community we seek to create are under attack. Our religious community must speak with moral courage and act with prophetic clarity and determination in the 2020 electoral cycle. Our UU values of interdependence, democracy, and the inherent worth and dignity of all people are direct antidotes to the fear, bigotry, and inequity that define our world. In this political moment, UUs are called to join forces with all people who want to organize our communities and our nation to #VoteLove and #DefeatHate. Let’s UU the Vote in 2020! More info on our website.

Sunday, March 1, 2020, the weekend before Super Tuesday, UU the Vote is sponsoring a nationwide Giving Day. Congregations can use March 1 to introduce UU the Vote to their membership or dive right in with a share-the-plate or special collection! Even if that Sunday’s collection doesn’t go toward UU the Vote, we’re asking congregations to read a short announcement inviting members to make a mobile gift to the UU the Vote State Action Fund—by texting VOTELOVE to 91999. Whatever is donated via text-to-give will be counted toward the congregation’s overall state action fund contribution. To learn more about fundraising efforts, visit our website.

UU Wellspring recognizes that our program has been financially inaccessible to small congregations in the past. Since UU Wellspring is a yearlong spiritual deepening program designed specifically for Unitarian Universalists, we have created a path for small congregations to benefit from this powerful program that supports your Unitarian Universalist Community.

How Does the Program Work? All participants attend an all-day retreat, followed by bimonthly two-hour in-person sessions. This year of spiritual deepening is based on readings and videos you retrieve from a "pre-session email" sent to you by your Congregational facilitator (and provided by UU Wellspring). Additionally, in UU Wellspring you participate in small group deep listening, spiritual practices, and spiritual companionship.

What are people saying about UU Wellspring? "I have found it useful to take the time to think about questions and issues that I haven't ever approached systematically. Working on developing mindful practices has benefited me in many ways, both in terms of clarifying what I actually believe and in influencing how I interact with the people in my life. In the weekly sessions, I really felt I benefited from learning about deep listening, and enjoying the luxury of the pause, the silent spaces between speaking".

What are the fees? UU Wellspring has a new pricing annual subscription that matches your size. For example, if you have 250 certified members, you will pay $250 a year. 80 members? $80 per year for as many groups as you want to run in your congregation. There is an additional fee of $300 the first year for your facilitated retreat...but if you partner with another congregation, this can be shared!

Who starts UU Wellspring in your congregation? Both religious professionals and congregational members can initiate UU Wellspring.

How can I find out more? Join an online Zoom session on Tuesday Feb. 18 at 10 a.m. PT/11MT/12CT/1ET or 4pmPT/5MT/6CT/7ET. Email director@uuwellspring.org for the link or with any questions you may have. You can also visit our website.

The Chalice Lighter Calls for Winter 2019-2020 are now open! Check your district's website for details.

Chalice Lighters allows individual Unitarian Universalists to make small financial contributions to help other Unitarian Universalist congregations in their district with projects, often capital improvements, they otherwise might not be able to afford. There are now nearly 3,000 individual Chalice Lighters in the Pacific Western Region.

To set up a recurring monthly gift online, make a one-time gift online, or find out how your congregation might apply for a Chalice Lighters grant, please visit your district’s website at:

· pnwduua.org

· pcduua.org

· pswduua.org

· or mdduua.org

Registration is now open for General Assembly 2020! General Assembly is the annual gathering of Unitarian Universalists, where we conduct business of the Association, explore the theological underpinnings of our faith, and lean fully into our mission and principles. Please join us Wednesday, June 24 through Sunday, June 28, 2020 in Providence, Rhode Island for this 5-day immersive experience where we participate in inspirational worship services and informative workshops, reconvene with friends and colleagues, and explore our bustling exhibit hall. GA is an unforgettable experience for the thousands of UUs who attend. Meet us in Providence and you’ll leave with renewed energy and innovative ideas to share with your congregation and community-at-large!

The theme for General Assembly in June 2020 is Rooted, Inspired, & Ready! We are in touch with our theological roots, we are engaged in transforming our faith, and we are fired up to take action in the wider world.

NEW! Registration Payment Plan: With a $50 down-payment, the cost of registration can be paid over the course several months. Final payment must be received by February 29, 2020. When the final registation is complete, special consideration for dormitory lodging bundles, financial aid and volunteer opportunities will become available.

For more information about registration and housing options, visit the GA website.

Dates: April 16-18, 2020
Location: New York City

Are you ALL IN for CLIMATE JUSTICE?! Register now to attend the UU United Nations Office’s Intergenerational Spring Seminar All In For Climate Justice: People, Power, Planet in New York City April 16-18, 2020. Participants will learn and grow together while exploring local and global engagement with issues such as the intersectionality of the climate justice struggle, strategic organizing skills, and individual and congregational involvement with UN efforts towards climate change mitigation and adaptation. Registration is Open! Register by February 3 to get the Early Bird rate! Youth attendees must be accompanied by an adult Sponsor. Registration for Youth, Sponsors, and Young Adults includes housing at a fun NYC hostel.

July 26-31, 2020, with staff arriving July 26th.
Location: First Unitarian Portland, OR.
Registration now live!

Metamorphosis Youth Leadership Camp (formerly Goldmine) is a five-day community building and training space for high school youth interested in leadership, activism, and spiritual growth.

In the process of deeply listening, through exploration and learning, students and staff examine Unitarian Universalist Religious History and Values, Worship Skills, Spiritual Practices, Leadership Development, and Counter Oppression, with each lesson purposefully incorporating the lenses of activism, advocacy, and the building of Beloved Community.

All of this takes place alongside the designing one’s individual Credo, which is a statement about one’s own personal operating beliefs, within the context of Unitarian Universalism and the wider world. These are the values, beliefs, and tenets that guide your behavior as a leader within our movement and within other movements that uphold the values of inclusivity, justice, compassion, and radical love.

Questions? Visit our website or contact PWR youth ministry specialist Eric Bliss: ebliss@uua.org - 303-903-3144

MDD

MDD Spring Con - April 3-5. Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Lafayette, CO. Register here!
Quuest Camp - July 5-10. Highlands Camp and Retreat Center, Allens Park, CO
Spirit Quest Camp - July 12-17. Highlands Camp and Retreat Center, Allens Park, CO

PCD
Coming of Age (Registration Link)

Nature Vigil Retreat - Apr 24-26. Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis, Davis, CA

Youth Retreats

PCD Youth Retreat - March 27-29. Mount Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church, Walnut Creek, CA. Register here!

MUUGs (More info here)

Spring Retreat - TBD. Location TBD

PNWD

PNWD Spring Con - April 3-5. Camp Cispus, Randle, WA. Register here!
Camp Blue Boat - Aug 16 - 21. Ellensburg, WA

PSWD
Cons

Spring Con - Date TBA. Location TBD

Camps (More info here)

Winter Elementary/Family Camp - Feb 15-17
Summer Elementary Youth Camp - July 5-11
Counselor in Training Program - July 5-11
Summer Jr. high Youth Camp - July 12-18
Summer Sr. high Youth Camp - July 19-25

PWR

Virtual Youth Advisor Training. March 14th. Zoom Conferencing Platform. Register here!
Metamorphosis Youth Leadership Camp - July 27-31. First Unitarian Portland, Portland, OR. Register here!

UUA

UU-UNO Intergenerational Spring Seminar - April 16-18. New York City. Register here!
General Assembly - June 24 - 28. Providence, RI
Thrive Youth - Dates TBA. Location TBD.
Summer Seminary - Dates TBA. Location TBD.
International Youth Pilgrimage - July 24 - Aug 2. Gyepes, Transylvania

Invitation for Submissions
As Unitarian Universalists, the sources of our living tradition include Humanist teachings, which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of science and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit. Have you preached or heard a good sermon reflecting Humanist teachings lately?

Submit it for the Dale Arnink Sermon Award. This award is granted in recognition of a sermon that best explores the place or use of critical reason in examining religious experience within the Unitarian Universalist tradition. The Unitarian Church of Los Alamos, New Mexico, where Reverend Arnink served for 24 years, and is currently Minister Emeritus, sponsors the $300 award. A representative committee using an anonymous process with standardized criteria makes the selection. Application and more info are available on our website.

March 5 - 8, 2020 at Enchanted Hills Camp near Napa, CA!

The annual PCD Women's Retreat is coming up on March 5-8, 2020. All self-identified women are welcome to join us. Our retreat offers something for everyone: delicious meals; workshops for the mind, body and spirit; hiking in beautiful woods; conversations with new and old friends; time for quiet contemplation; and a boutique, silent auction, and book swap. To learn more and register for our retreat, please visit our website. We hope to see you there!

Dear Interested Friends,

We are a warm, lively, healthy congregation eager to create our next chapters with someone who feels called to the work of lifespan faith formation and to the emergence of 21st-century congregational life. Does this sound like you or someone you know? We hope so! The First Unitarian Church of San José (FUCSJ) is seeking a Director of Faith Formation (DFF) who wants to engage in innovative Whole-Church Faith Formation programming.

We are a congregation of about 220 members in downtown San José. Our mission states our commitment to "Making Love Visible" in all we say and do. We are passionate about the work of dismantling white supremacy culture and building multicultural, antioppressive, loving community. Today we are in the midst of an inspiring two-year interim process. We have been dismantling the silos between children’s religious education in our classrooms and ministry for the whole congregation. With enthusiasm, the congregation has been learning about 21st-century Whole-Church Faith Formation; they are ready for what comes next!

At FUCSJ we practice shared ministry among the staff and lay people. My style is collaborative, supportive, energized, and open. I love working in partnership, and I can’t wait to form an effective, creative team with our new DFF.

The posting attached will tell you more about who we are, what we’ve accomplished during this interim period, and what the Director of Faith Formation position entails. If this position excites you, please follow the application instructions ASAP. We are eager to get to know you.

Friend, there is no question that we live in uncertain and troubling times. Growing our resilience, flexibility, and broken-openheartedness; learning to embody our interdependence; creating accountable relationships with our neighbors and kin—these are the tasks of congregational life in this era. A thriving lifespan faith formation program, built on Unitarian Universalist principles and its emerging forms, will help us to answer the call of our times. I hope you’ll consider joining us.

With heartfelt thanks and much warmth,
Rev. Nancy Palmer Jones
Senior Minister, First Unitarian Church of San José

Have you ever wanted to visit Alaska? If so, WhaleCoast Alaska 2020 is for you! 4 Alaska UU congregations invite you to experience our unique environmental and spiritual program this summer. See Alaska through the eyes of local UUs, with friendly homestays and unique tour activities. See wildlife, including moose, bears, caribou, whales, bald eagles, sea lions, etc. Visit Denali National Park. Experience Native Alaskan culture. Our program is truly the best way to visit Alaska! Tours led by Dave Frey, member of the Fairbanks UU congregation and Alaska travel expert. Find out more about this Alaskan trip of a lifetime. For complete info go to our website, email dfrey@whalecoastak.org or call 907-322-4966. Discount for groups of 8 or more. We would love to share our Alaska with you!

Camp de Benneville Pines is a Unitarian Universalist retreat center on a 16-acre campus in a tall tree forest at an elevation of 6700 feet. It is owned by the UU congregations that make up the Pacific Southwest District (PSWD). Once again Camp de Benneville Pines (de Benneville) will hold its annual meeting immediately following the PSWD annual meeting at the District Assembly during the last weekend of April. Both deBenneville and PSWD use the same delegate certification process. The next District Assembly will be in San Luis Obispo on April 24-26, 2020. DeBenneville has many initiatives including staying in harmony with our strategic plan, to modernize, and to coordinate with outside entities such as the United States Forest Service. You are encouraged to attend, participate in our de Benneville ice cream social during lunch on Saturday, represent your congregation, and nurture the sustainability of Camp de Benneville Pines.

The Charles White Memorial Scholarship is a one-time annual scholarship of $2000 available to help support Unitarian Universalist ministerial students from throughout the Pacific Western Region, with preference given to those who have a connection to the Pacific Southwest District. This connection would include growing up in the district, doing work with the district, or living in the district.

Filling out an Application is straightforward and can be done online. The Charles White committee will notify all applicants of our decision by the end of March.

Application Deadline is February 28th, 2020.
To be considered, applicants must:
1) Have Candidate status
2) Envision their tentative goals as one of the following:

Parish work
Religious education
Clinical pastoral education
Community ministry
Another related UU Ministry

Visit our website for more information.

PSW District Assembly 2020: The Climate of Justice

The Big Deal: 2020 UUA Pacific Southwest District Assembly Keynote Speaker Aly Tharp

The Dates: April 24-26, 2020

The Place: Unitarian Universalists San Luis Obispo, CA

"The Climate of Justice" is the theme of the 2020 PSW District Assembly scheduled April 24-26, 2020, at Unitarian Universalists San Luis Obispo, Cal.

The keynote speaker will be Aly Tharp, the program director of the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth (UUMFE) and leader of the UUA & UUMFE's Create Climate Justice initiative.

Aly Tharp will join UUs from throughout PSWD as we strategize for a future in which our congregations are at the forefront of the fight for climate justice in their communities.

The 2020 PSW District Assembly will be the best opportunity this year for UU congregations to share how they are working for climate justice and learn from one another about how to live out our seventh principle: "Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part."

Detailed information coming in the next week! Keep an eye on our website for updates.

The spirit-centered, alternative worship of young adult communities has long been at the core of how young people live out our faith. Worship for Young Adults offers a practical guide to shaping these engaging and inspirational young adult worship gatherings, whether in a congregation, with a community group, or on a campus. Find tips for getting started, advice for managing the structure and flow of worship, and guidance on making worshipful space that’s accessible and inclusive. Rounding out the text are case studies from different small-group Unitarian Universalist young adult contexts, songs to serve as staples in young adult community gatherings, and a list of resources to expand on worship and spiritual development. Whether you’re a religious educator or a young adult lay leader, a student or an activist, Worship for Young Adults will help you and your team attend carefully and intentionally to this vital part of young adult ministry.

The Lifespan Faith Engagement staff team of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) puts a justice-seeking, radically inclusive faith in action by creating experiences for meaning-making and faithful living, accompanying people to make a home in our faith, and advocating for youth engagement and lifespan faith development. Pre-order now!

And don’t forget this other great recent resources from the Lifespan Faith Engagement staff team: Youth Ministry Advising, Second Edition: A Complete Guide.