|
|
|
Unitarian Universalist Association Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries
February 2011 Young Adult Newsletter
|
| |
 Letter from the Editor
FOR WHICH WE STAND
Dear Friends,
On December 11, 2010 Unitarian Universalists from at least five congregations peacefully stood with others between protesters from the Westboro Baptist Church (members of which travel the country targeting events with messages of hate) and mourners attending the funeral service celebrating the life of Elizabeth Edwards in Raleigh, North Carolina. On February 14, 2011 Unitarian Universalists from congregations in Cambridge, Jamaica Plain, and Lexington, MA, representatives of Standing on the Side of Love and employees of the Unitarian Universalist Association stood with a delegation of immigrant rights and faith based advocates peacefully gathered outside the office of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and refused to leave until he heard the argument against Massachusetts signing on to the Immigration and Naturalization Service Safe Communities Program (S-Comm). (S-Comm relies on local and state police to enforce federal immigration law, thus criminalizing immigrant communities, encouraging racial profiling, and spreading the fear of local law enforcement officers in all communities.) Remarkably, upon hearing the argument against S-Comm the Governor pledged not to sign on to S-Comm now, to hold community meetings and to reexamine this policy. Everyday Unitarian Universalists stand on the side of equality and the principle that human freedom flows from equality. We lead by example by building truly diverse and multigenerational congregations, by youth-group sponsored screenings of the Laramie Project, by promoting social justice at home and abroad and by living to our principles of the inherent worth and dignity of every person, acceptance of one another and respect for the interdependent web of all existence.
We stand as Unitarian Universalists in celebration of diversity, inclusion and equality, aspiring to the highest ideals of community and enabling change, and it is for us to make more of these words than just words. It is for us to stand for what we believe in.
Happy reading!
UUA Youth and Young Adult Ministries  Follow us on Facebook. |
 | | Rev. Dr. Monica Cummings |
Pastoral Message
Interlace
Hello Family,
January was a busy and very fulfilling month for me. I traveled to the Joseph Priestley District and worked with the Journey Toward Wholeness Transformation Committee (JTWTC) and I attended the Diverse and Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM) West Coast Gathering in Oakland, CA.
During my travels I have the opportunity to engage in conversations with Unitarian Universalists of differing ethnicity, ages, abilities, genders and socioeconomic classes. Many of the conversations leave me feeling hopeful that one day all who enter a UU congregation or youth group, regardless of their ethnicity, socioeconomic class, gender expression or disability will be welcomed and invited into leadership. Conversely, some conversations related to racism and multiculturalism cause me to wonder if we as a faith community will ever be able to overcome the rigid and narrow definition of who fits into the category of a Unitarian Universalist. Talking about differences and making room for those perceived to be different can be both exciting and frightening for a faith community. Yet, if we are going to thrive instead of just survive in the growing ethnic diversity in the US, we will need to begin the challenging work of learning about our identity formation and how it impacts our being in relationship with people we see as being different from ourselves. For example, learning that not all African American UU youth are transracially adopted or come from low income families.
To support that work, I have created a Vimeo account where I am posting videos of some of the PowerPoint presentations I have given in the last few months. You can view "White Identity Formation" there now. After you view the video, please feel free to contact me with questions or comments.
As always, I would love to hear from you. You can message me on Facebook at Monica Cummings, email me at mcummings@uua.org or leave a comment for me on the YaYA of Color blog, "UU Living Mosaic" at http://uuyayaoc.blogs.uua.org/.
Living My Faith,
Rev. Monica
|
 Young Adult Worship
Young adults can't always attend regular worship service of a congregation, could belong to a campus ministry group rather than a congregation, or have other reasons to want or need alternative venues for celebrating their Unitarian Universalist identity Our intention is to create multigenerational community and the UUA WorshipWeb listing alternatives to traditional worship is one way to do that.
One example is the work of Gregory Boyd, former Director of Young Adult Ministry at the Unitarian Church of Harrisburg, PA, and Director of Children's Ministry at the River Road UU Congregation in Bethesda, MD, which you will find on the UUA WorshipWeb and at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Harrisburg Young Adult Ministry (UCHYAM) YouTube page.
|
Overwhelming messages of hate
When the Westboro Baptist Church protested at the funeral of Elizabeth Edwards counter-protesters - including members of five North Carolina Unitarian Universalist congregations - responded by silently encircling the building in which services were held, overwhelming the Westboro Baptist Church's message of hate with the deafening silence of love.
The Westboro Bapist Church of Topeka, Kansas is known for picketing with signs and slogans of hate and intolerance the funerals of soldiers killed in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Picketers from WBC also target events as diverse as the Grammy awards and meetings of groups that fight against intolerance and hate. They also specifically target screenings of "The Laramie Project" around the country and plan to picket the Fargo South High school in Fargo, North Dakota on February 20 between 6:45 and 7:30 PM. |
|
SB1070 + Prop 8
Update 02:
(source for graphic: http://colorlines.com)
SB1070
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer announced her intention to challenge the ruling against Arizona SB1070 all the way to the United States Supreme Court.
Prop 8
The Federal 9th District Court of Appeals is waiting for a decision from the California Supreme Court on whether the plaintiff has "standing" to appeal the injunction against implementation of the law California Prop 8. Here is an article on the argument of marriage equality.
The court is expected to give its opinion in a few months. Experts expect the Appeals Court decision to be challenged and that the earliest the United States Supreme Court would hear the case is in 2012.
|
 Campus Ministry
On the heartvine
Standing on the Side of Love on Valentine's Day.
On Monday, February 14th, the UU Campus Ministry group at Earlham College in Richmond, IN handed out information on Standing on the Side of Love, signing people up to join the movement and bearing witness to the presence of love on their campus. Students Winona Allen Hawker-Boehnke "Winnie", and Marian Grisel Garcia organized the event and were joined by their faculty representative Judi Hetrick and Nancy Combs-Morgan, Faith Development Director for the Heartland District of the UUA. What a wonderful way to celebrate the power of love on Valentine's Day.
What did your group do? Let us know!
Campus Ministry Bi-Monthly Meeting
Greetings, Campus Ministry Leaders! Thank you for the excellent work you are doing for UU Campus Ministry! To increase networking opportunities for you all, please participate in the first of our regular bi-monthly telephone meetings for campus ministry leaders. All information for these calls is listed below. Please register for the call which pertains to you and send this email along to colleagues. Looking forward to speaking with you all! - Kayla
Campus Ministry Call for Leaders of Existing Groups, Wednesday, March 2nd at 3 pm EST
Facilitated by Kayla Parker, Campus Ministry Associate.
Target Audience: Campus ministry leaders of existing groups that have a solid foundation. Leaders include: professionals, students, volunteers and congregational lay leaders.
Call Content/Purpose:
- Connect with other experienced campus ministry leaders across the continent
- Ask questions re: the difficulties you face with your group and get advice from colleagues
- Brainstorm ideas for the future of UU Campus Ministry and voice your current needs
RSVP Information:
If you would like to attend, please go to http://persony.uua.org, find the correct webinar on the list and click "register." The meeting number is 3557955, and the title is "CM Call for Leaders of Existing Groups." Please register by Friday, February 25th.
Instructions for Connecting to the Webinar:
Go to http://persony.uua.org, find the correct webinar on the list and click "join." The meeting number is 3557955, and the title is "CM Call for Leaders of Existing Groups."
Instructions for Connecting to the Conference Call:
Call into the conference call: 1 (610) 214-0200 then your access code 596068#
Once connected to the conference call, every caller will be able to talk and will also have access to the touch tone commands listed below.
Touch Tone Command Explanations:
Instructions - *4 key
Plays a menu of touch tone commands
Mute - *6 key
Press *6 to mute your line, press *6 again to un-mute the line Campus Ministry Call for Leaders of Emerging Groups, Thursday, March 3rd at 3 pm EST Facilitated by Kayla Parker, Campus Ministry Associate.
Target Audience: Campus ministry leaders of emerging groups that are in the process of being formed or are newly formed. Leaders include: professionals, students, volunteers and congregational lay leaders.
Call Content/Purpose:
- Connect with other campus ministry leaders across the continent
- Ask questions re: the difficulties you face with your group and get advice from colleagues
- Learn best practices for developing campus ministry and resources provided by the UUA.
RSVP Information:
If you would like to attend, please go to http://persony.uua.org, find the correct webinar on the list and click "register." The meeting number is 8525540, and the title is "CM Call for Leaders of Emerging Groups." Please register by Friday, February 25th.
Instructions for Connecting to the Webinar:
Go to http://persony.uua.org, find the correct webinar on the list and click "join." The meeting number is 8525540, and the title is "CM Call for Leaders of Emerging Groups."
Instructions for Connecting to the Conference Call:
Call into the conference call: 1 (610) 214-0200 then your access code 596068#
Once connected to the conference call, every caller will be able to talk and will also have access to the touch tone commands listed below.
Touch Tone Command Explanations:
Instructions - *4 key
Plays a menu of touch tone commands
Mute - *6 key
Press *6 to mute your line, press *6 again to un-mute the line Brought to you by the UUA's Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries
Full details on both calls available on the Campus Ministry Facebook page: 
Choice USA Reproductive Justice Leadership Institute. Train to organize reproductive justice events in on-campus communities. Students can sign up directly, nominate others or be nominated. Choice USA is accepting candidates for the Western States Reproductive Justice Leadership Institute (RJLI), March 25-27, and the Southern States Reproductive Justice Leadership Institute, April 15-17. The RJLI is a weekend-long training for 50 young people who are new to the issue of reproductive justice. Students will expand their knowledge of reproductive health, rights and justice; hear from experts in the social justice movement; connect with others who share their passions and learn how to take action to create change. Check out the resources of Spiritual Youth for Reproductive Freedom and start the discussion on reproductive justice at your campus ministry!
Winter Escape! --- President's Day weekend (2/18-2/21) This 4-day/3-night event for Unitarian Universalist young adults (ages 18-35) from the DC Metro area and beyond takes place near McGaheysville, VA. Register now!! Email David Powers or call him at 919-949-8664 with questions. Increased Campus Ministry Presence at GA 2011! GA '11, June 22-26 in Charlotte, NC will feature more campus ministry related events than ever before! Read about GA and learn how to obtain financial aid so you can be there too! In addition to the wonderful presentations from campus ministry professionals in the general workshop programming, new events include a breakfast reception hosted by the UUA and a discussion-oriented workshop hosted by the Young Adult Caucus on campus ministry open to all folk involved or interested in becoming involved in campus ministry. Professionals, students, volunteers and lay leaders are encouraged to attend. Campus Ministry Groups to March at GA '11 Opening Celebration If you've got a banner, dig it up and shake out the dust! Don't have one? Now's the time to make one! Don't have one and don't want to make one? Get the UUA's YaYA office to do it for you! (We've got you covered!) Email Kayla and she'll bring a banner for you and your group to have and proudly represent! (Note: Campus ministry banners will not be hung in the convention center after the ceremony.) There will also be Campus Ministry ribbons available at the YaYA booth and campus ministry events for folks in a campus ministry group and those supporting them in the congregations with which they are affiliated.
Kayla Parker Campus Ministry Associate campusministry@uua.org |
|
|
|
Events
Opportunities
Training
Gatherings
CONSTRUCT: Build community, stimulate creativity & nourish spirit! May 21-23, Stockton, IL CONSTRUCT features workshops and worship on how to build positive interpersonal relationships, increase creative energy and elevate the conversations in our lives, and includes a social justice project to benefit the congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Stockton by painting and planting at the church. (Make sure to bring clothes you don't mind getting dirty.) Saturday evening will feature a community Coffeehouse! No need to haul your Steinway- but bring your sheet music, violins (and other musical instruments), your juggling gear, your hula hoops and your best jokes to share. We are especially thrilled to have this event at Stockton UU Church, as they have recently called Rev. Erik Carlson as minister. This event is open to individuals ages 18-35 only. Bring your sleeping bags, pillows, the snacks you love and condiments you can't live without. Meals are provided, and we love to accommodate our vegetarian and vegan friends! Participants may sleep at the church or make other arrangements for overnight lodging. Registration fees are on a rolling scale from $35-80. Super broke? Apply for a scholarship by May 20 at: http://www.cmwd-uuyan.org Register on Connect UU! Questions? Contact Kimberlee Tomczak Carlson, Youth & Youth Adult Coordinator, tel: (608)225-7463. For more information UU People of Color East Coast Regional Gathering, February 25-27,2011, St. Helena Island, SC Sponsored by DRUUMM (Diverse and Religious Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries) and the Thomas Jefferson District, "So Glad We're Here: Being Renewed in Community" is hosted by the UU Fellowship of Beaufort, South Carolina. Every UU who identifies as a person of color, is 13 or older and who lives on the East Coast is invited to join in worship, community building activities, historical overviews, updates, cultural expression and work on internalized racism at the Penn Center, founded by Unitarian Laura Towne in 1862 as a school for formerly enslaved people from the Sea Islands of SC. Experience a homecoming, feel a sense a belonging and some reconciliation by claiming space as UUs of color in our regions and within the UUA. Register here. $75 Registration covers all on-site expenses from Friday 2pm to Sunday 1pm including lodging. $45 Commuter rate covers food and programming. Free transportation will be provided to out-of-town participants to the Center from the Savannah, GA airport. Limited subsidies available upon request.  Common Read: "The Death of Josseline: Immigration Stories from the Arizona Borderlands"
Participate in a Common Read project: encourage your congregation to read and discuss the same book in a given period of time, or take part in an on-line group. Common Read builds community within congregations and among Unitarian Universalists by giving diverse people a shared experience, a shared language and a basis for deep and meaningful conversations. Purchase Margaret Regan's book in hardcover or paperback from the UUA Bookstore. The book is available in hardcover at public libraries.
|
Announcements
Association-wide
International
Regional
Local
Unique Opportunity to Perfect the UUA Website!
IMPERFECT UUA.org Do you have difficulty finding what you're looking for when searching UUA.org? Well us too, so the UUA is in the process of re-shaping the website and your input as a tester is needed!
YOU ARE PERFECT(ING) Testers are given scenarios and then look for information on a sample website structure. It's really easy to test (there are no wrong answers!) and it only takes a few minutes, a computer and internet connection. If interested in being a tester, please go to www.uua.org/about for more information and to apply.
PERFECT UUA.org The Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries wants young adults to help shape the way the new UUA.org works, feels, and looks. We are recruiting youth, young adults, parents, and lay leaders to test youth and young adult topics to make them easy to find, useful and vital. Non-UUs are welcome, too, so please share this information with your friends!
EVEN MORE PERFECT Please send us specific examples of what you have had trouble finding on the UUA website in the past to youth@uua.org and help us make a more perfect UUA.org! With your help we will create a UUA website that works for everyone!
Interfaith Leadership Training More than 40 youth/adult interfaith teams have applied for Interfaith Leader training and ten teams have been selected to attend the training in February, but the story does not end there! The UUA is training teams to lead additional trainings in districts and regions all over the country, so be on the look-out for future opportunities to gain skills leading interfaith service work. If youth in your congregation are eager to become interfaith leaders, consider offering workshops from A Chorus of Faiths that include guidance on planning an interfaith service project now!
|
 Resources
Books
Videos
Website
Organizations
UU World Winter 2010 Issue -"Reclaiming Krypton: Why a generation that grew up with Buffy and the Power Rangers will demand a different Unitarian Universalism." Doug Muder discusses why a generation that grew up with Buffy and the Power Rangers demands a different Unitarian Universalism.
Resource - "Standing on the Side of Love Activist Toolkit" - download application for your FREE memory stick! This toolkit gives you the tools to further the Standing on the Side of Love campaign in your community and it comes on a cool memory stick!
Video - "A Religion for Our Time, Episode 13: Opening the Doors to Diversity" The thirteenth episode in the "A Religion for Our Time" series illustrates how First Parish in Cambridge, MA has begun the process of transforming into a multiracial and multicultural congregation. For years, the congregation talked about becoming more diverse, especially as their surrounding neighborhood became home to more and more immigrants. "The most difficult part is the preconceptions, the prejudices that people have..." explains Rev. Lilia Cuervo, "We try to open to other cultures, to appreciate other cultures. Not to 'tolerate,' but to really understand, get to love, and get to embrace other cultures."
|
|
Evolution
We are working on making your newsletter more fun to read and use, with more opportunities to get involved, connect with other UUs and deepen your faith.
Let us know what you think! What's missing? What are you tired of seeing?
E-mail us at youngadults@uua.org
Keep reading - let's evolve together! 
|
|
|
|
|
