Young Adult News
A monthly newsletter of the UUA Office of Young Adult Ministries    April, 2009 -  Issue 68

In This Issue
April Action of the Month
Changes in Young Adult Ministry
Thomas Jefferson District Annual Meeting
An Inward Journey of Spiritual and Identity Development
C*UUYAN Seeking Staff for ConCurrent
Join Our Mailing List!
Events
CMWD - Keynote Speaker Sharon Parks at Annual Assembly
April 24-26, 2009
Waukesha, WI

PNWD - CONsumption
April 24-26, 2009
Corvallis, OR

CMWD - Continuity 2009
April 24-26, 2009
Minneapolis, MN

OMD - UUYAN Spring Con
May 29-31, 2009
Shaker Hts, OH

CMWD - CONscientious: Live Your Faith!
May 29-31, 2009
Brookfield, WI
April Action of the Month: April: Environmental Justice
Each month, the UUA implements robust action campaigns that aim to engage congregations and individual UUs.  Actions of the Month will focus on accomplishing concrete policy objectives that reflect our faith values.  Visit the UUA's Social Justice page for more information.
 
In partnership with Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth (UUMFE) and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), the we invite UUs to engage in environmental justice - recognizing the disproportionate impact that both environmental problems and proposed "solutions" have had on women, low-income families, and communities of color both in the U.S. and around the world. Join UUs across the country as we work on a variety of consciousness-raising actions, culminating in Earth Sunday services on April 26th.
Greetings!
Greetings all,
 
Spring is here and you know what that means... annual district assemblies! Now, now, before you hiss and moan about long and boring plenary sessions, think on the bright side! Personally, I'm very excited to attend the Central Midwest Annual District Assembly April 24-26 and get the chance to meet their keynote speaker, Sharon Daloz Parks. As you may know, Parks is the author of Big Questions, Worthy Dreams, an excellent book on young adult faith identity development. There will also be a workshop for young adults and those engaged in young adult ministry to come together to share their stories and to learn new skills. Districts provide important leadership and resources to our congregations and we need your voice to be heard in that process. So I invite you to look into the possibility of going to your district assembly or annual meeting. Come to have your spirit nurtured and to help heal the world. You can find out when and where by visiting your district's website. See a list of districts.
 
For those of you looking for reading on young adult ministry, another great book I recommend is Carol Howard Merritt's 2007 book Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation. This is an essential read for any minister, director of religious education, or other professional or volunteer church leader looking to welcome and minister to young adults. In the same spirit of these recommendations, we'll be including a bibliography of recommended reading on young adult ministry in our 2009 edition of The Guide to Young Adult Ministry-coming soon!
 
In this brief issue of young adult news I hope you will take a few minutes to read over the following important articles: 1) An announcement below about upcoming changes in staffing for young adult ministries at the UUA. 2) A call for volunteer staff for the Continental Unitarian Universalist Young Adult Network's (C*UUYAN) annual meeting coming up this June in advance of General Assembly in Salt Lake City, UT. 3) The still relatively new events section to the left where you'll find links to a number of local, district, and association wide events relevant to young adults.
 
Happy reading and keep in touch!
 
In faith,
 
Erik B. Kesting
Acting Co-Director of Young Adult Ministries

Changes in Young Adult Ministry
Some big changes are happening in Young Adult Ministry!
 
The many programs and initiatives of the Young Adult Ministries Office, currently housed in the Congregational Services staff group, will be moving into a new office within the Lifespan Faith Development staff group, which has been the home of youth ministry for many years. It is our hope and intention that young adult ministries will benefit from the increased visibility and attention that incorporation into Lifespan Faith Development will bring about.
 
Effective July 1, 2009, the new Youth and Young Adult Ministries Office will provide ministry, trainings, resources and a variety of technological resources and services through the following staff positions:
 
Youth and Young Adult Ministries Office Director
Program Associate for Ministry to Youth and Young Adults of Color
Program Associate for Bridging and Campus Ministry
Program Associate for Leadership Development
Technology Specialist
Youth and Young Adult Ministries Office Administrator
 
The Rev. Dr. Monica Cummings will be continuing her amazing work as Program Associate for Ministry to Youth and Young Adults of Color in this new structure and Sarah Prager will continue as the Office Administrator. The positions of Youth and Young Adult Ministries Office Director and Program Associate for Bridging and Campus Ministry are scheduled to begin July 1, 2009.  The positions of Program Associate for Leadership Development and Technology Specialist are scheduled to begin September 8, 2009. Check Career Opportunities Page on the UUA website in the coming weeks for postings of these positions.
Thomas Jefferson District Annual Meeting
Do you live in the Thomas Jefferson District and have a passion for young adult and multicultural ministry?
 
If so, you should come on down to North Carolina and spend an amazing weekend at the Thomas Jefferson District Annual Meeting. The event runs May 8-10 and you can get more details and register here.
 
The Rev. Dr. Monica Cummings, Program Associate for Ministry for Youth and Young Adults of Color and Nancy DiGiovanni, Acting Co-Director of the Office of Young Adult Ministries of the UUA will be in attendance. They will provide a dynamic and informative workshop on Saturday and worship on Sunday!
 
We hope to see you there!
An Inward Journey of Spiritual and Identity Development for Youth and Young Adults of Color
Have you ever had the thought, "How can I bring my total self to Unitarian Universalism?"

The sixth principal of our Unitarian Universalist principals asks that we work towards "the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all."

If you are 15 to 30 years old and identify as a person of color (persons of Native American, Asian, Arab, Latino/a, African descent, trans-racially adopted, bi-racial, multiracial and international) YOU are invited to join us in conversations and activities that will focus on identity and spiritual development in Unitarian Universalism.
 
Date: May 16, 2009
Time: 10:00am - 6:00pm
Place: Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, 67 Church Street, Montclair NJ, 07042
Cost: Free of Charge; Lunch and Dinner will be provided

For more information contact:
Rev. Dr. Monica L. Cummings,
Program Associate for Ministry to Youth and Young Adults of Color
(262) 705-5786 or mcummings@uua.org                                                        
C*UUYAN Seeking Staff for ConCurrent
Help make ConCurrent: Opus and ConCentric 2009 a success!  We are seeking the following staff for this conference in Salt Lake City, June 19-23: Co-chairs (2), Chaplains (2), Business Moderators (2), a Worship Coordinator, a Workshop Coordinator, and a Registrar.  If you are interested, please email cuuyan-sc@yahoogroups.com or visit www.uuyan.org for more information and an application.

Peace,

C*UUYAN Steering Committee
Liz Weber (Facilitator)
Andrew Mertz (At-Large)
Chris Wulff (At-Large)
Linnea Huston (At-Large)
Tom Bozeman (At-Large)

Contact the Office of Young Adult Ministries
Hallie Andrew - Young Adult Ministries Office Administrator
(617) 948-4645 - handrew@uua.org
Nancy DiGiovanni - Acting Co-Director of Young Adult Ministries
(617) 948-4629 - ndigiovanni@uua.org
Erik B. Kesting - Acting Co-Director of Young Adult Ministries
(608) 467-6886- ekesting@uua.org