Pacific Western Region
August 2025 |
Content
Play and Transformation
Rev. Sunshine J. Wolfe
News: Pacific Western Region
Regional Assembly 2026
News: Unitarian Universalist Association
The Gathering
Pledge Drive 101 - October Series
Exploring New Models for Faith Development and Religious Education: A Summit on Faith Formation in this Moment
Sparks RE and Music Leadership
News: Youth and Young Adults
Supporting Adults for Youth Ministry In-Person Training
Youth and Emerging Adults Grant Application Live
Important Resources
UUA Job Board / UUA Job and Careers
Congregational Incident Form
Community Resilience Hub
Disaster Relief Fund
UU Mental Health Network
Publications
July and August Publications |
Pacific Western Region Board
Co-Presidents, Bob Miess and Libby Fitzgerald
Treasurer, Lisa Lake
Secretary, David Sheh
At-Large, Russ Menk, Ramon Urbano
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Pacific Western Region Staff
PWR Lead
Rev. Sunshine J. Wolfe
PWR Program Staff
Rev. Summer Albayati
Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh
Rev. Tania Y Márquez
Sam K. Pearl
PWR Administrator and Bookkeeper
Hara Madera
Melanie Buck |
Pacific Western Region Links
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Blogpost
Play and Transformation |
One lesson my mother taught me from a very early age: the world is serious and requires serious work- so- whenever possible- play and have fun! She was always the one to start the food fights, tell the bad jokes, engage in pranks, play meaningful music, dance, and so much more. She was also the one to protest, stop a stranger who was being aggressive, support justice organizations, and put her body on the line to stop injustice and oppression. She was preparing me for days such as these.
As you begin this year in times that can try the spirits of our congregations and the communities within them, what are you doing to bring joy? Are you celebrating success? Are you gathering just for the joy of being together? Are you having dance parties, game nights, rituals of play in worship? As communities of faith who make meaning together, we do hard work. We resist oppression, fight authoritarianism, work for deeper justice, respond to loss and grief, support in times of illness and emergency, ask deep and difficult questions, and so much more.
The spiritual path of choosing the questions without certain answers is not an easy one. That said, it does not mean it needs to always be heavy, difficult, and uncertain. We learn from communities who have been resisting oppression for centuries that part of that resistance is play. Singing, dancing, dressing up, dressing down, beat poetry, comics, barbeques, memes, and so much more. To say yes to joy, humor, wonder, and play in a time of ever-increasing stress and uncertainty is an act of resistance all by itself.
As you plan your year as congregations, what place for play are you creating to help build the resilience needed to be meaningful activists, meaning-makers, storytellers, and people grounded in the spiritual needs of our time? Where do you find that sacred yes in your life and as a community?
Cause good trouble and comfort in equal measure- it is needed now more than ever.
- Rev. Sunshine J. Wolfe, PWR Lead |
News: Pacific Western Region |
News: Unitarian Universalist Association |
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The Gathering by Side with Love on August 11, 5pm PT
The Gathering is a monthly virtual event from Side With Love, designed to offer:
- Spiritual Grounding – Strengthen your heart and spirit for the work ahead.
- Political Analysis – Understand the threats to democracy and justice.
- Collective Action – Organize with others to block anti-democratic forces and build a just and loving world.
This month, we follow up on June’s conversation about power with deeper teaching from Side With Love's Nicole Pressley and we'll spotlight a campaign by UUs in Georgia, as their state is facing a critical moment in its climate future—move towards cleaner and renewable forms of energy, or double down on the use of toxic coal and fossil fuels that will come with a hefty financial and environmental price tag. Georgia Power is trying to pursue the latter, and make Georgia families pay the costs. Learn how the UU Georgia Legislative Action Network, Side With Love, and Georgia Interfaith Power & Light have been organizing together to Claim Our Power in this critical moment. Rev. Nancy Palmer Jones, minister in Gwinnett, Georgia, will ground us with music and prayer. Register here.
Upcoming topics for The Gathering:
- Monday, September 8th: Solidarity with Deepa Iyer
- Monday, October 13th: Land
- Monday, November 10th: Elections
- Monday, December 8th: Theology
If you are congregational staff or board member, don't miss Now What: The Gathering for Congregational staff and board members on Wednesdays after the Gathering at 1 pm ET. Register for Now What. |
Pledge Drive 101 - October Series |
Do you have questions about what makes a pledge drive effective today? Join us for a three-session webinar designed for stewardship teams engaged in a spring pledge drive. We will explore current congregational giving trends, pledge drive practices that are working, and examples of real UU congregations who have experienced pledge drive successes. Register one time for all three sessions! Note, Congregations must register as teams, with three people per congregational team. Don’t know your team members yet? Register anyway and send your team the registration form when you know. Register and learn more here.
Session dates & times:
- Tuesday, October 8, 2025, 7:00 PM — 9:00 PM ET
- Tuesday, October 22, 2025, 7:00 PM — 9:00 PM ET
- Tuesday, October 29, 2025, 7:00 PM — 9:00PM ET
Registration closes: Friday October 3rd. |
Exploring New Models for Faith Development and Religious Education:
A Summit on Faith Formation in this Moment |
October 3-5, 2025
Come shape the future of UU faith development! All who've benefitted from and care about UU faith development are welcome: parents, youth, adults, lay leaders, volunteers, and religious professionals. This summit will focus on the faith formation needs of this current moment and your particular context - both big picture models and specific activities and topics. Come share what you know, learn from each other, and help us map the landscape of innovations that are working in UUism.
10/3 Friday night: 7-9 Eastern or 7-9 Pacific
10/4 Saturday: 9am - 1:30pm Pacific; 10am – 2:30pm Mountain; 11am – 3:30pm Central; 12 – 4:30pm Eastern
10/5 Sunday: Pre-created resources for your congregation's Sunday service and community engagement
Watch for registration links coming soon! If you have questions, please reach out to Erica Baron, ebaron@uua.org.
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Sparks RE and Music Leadership |
The Spark RE and Music Leadership Professional Development Programs provide Unitarian Universalist Religious Professionals learning communities where they can easily access applicable skills and tools for religious leadership. Courses are also open to interested lay leaders. Check out the lists of classes, these are great resources! |
News: Youth and Young Adults |
Supportive Adults for Youth Ministry In-Person Training |
Want to grow a community of spiritually grounded, safe adults for youth in your congregation? Lifespan Faith Engagement invites you to a one-day immersive gathering for those curious about youth advising or becoming more supportive adults. Explore trust, spiritual depth, and inclusive facilitation through hands-on activities and conversation. You’ll leave with tools to lead youth group gatherings and deepen intergenerational community. Optional pre-work, in-person training with UUA and local leaders, and a follow-up worship integration included. Snacks, supplies, and encouragement provided.
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Youth and Emerging Adults Grant Application Live |
Please share with youth and emerging adults! UU congregations, communities, or individuals who have projects or events that center the spiritual needs of UU youth, and/or emerging adults can now apply for Seed Grants and Partnership Grants by visiting uua.org/lifespan/re-sources/yayaprojectgrants.
You can request up to $3,000 to support a group of UU youth, emerging adults, or young adults with funding for a specific project or event and $500 to support a UU emerging adult (18-24) or young adult (18-35) group to get started or gain momentum. The deadline is August 15th for September 15th funds disbursement. |
Congregational Announcement |
There are no Congregation Announcement this month.
Note: If your congregation would like to share an event in the PWR Newsletter, please email pwr@uua.org with the following: event poster (if available), brief summary of the event, and any relevant links. Please note that events listed in this section are sponsored by local congregations and have not been reviewed or endorsed by the UUA or the Pacific Western Region (PWR). |
UU Job Board / UUA Job and Careers |
Congregations are hiring, check out the UU Job Board to see what is available.
The UUA is hiring for several positions. Find job descriptions and application information at their Job Openings webpage. |
Congregational Incident Form |
The simple Congregational Incident Form provides a way for congregations to inform the UUA of a threat or disruptive incident that comes from outside the congregation itself, helping us track trends and create resources.
All forms come to Safe Congregation Program email, safecongregations@uua.org. Please let us know if you have any questions. |
If your congregation is struggling with how to respond in this moment, please check out the UUA's Resilience Hub. This is a location where we are gathering resources to help congregations build strong, connected, and resilient communities. |
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. Learn more about the work of the Disaster Relief Fund. We are Better Together. |
The UU Mental Health Network, is driven by a single goal; to empower the Beloved Community in honoring each individual 's unique mental health journey towards wellness..
We envision a world where the Beloved Community: is a place where all members feel welcomed, understood, and held in love; engage in respectful curiosity to understand emotional distress; welcome open, authentic, and fearless sharing about mental health; and passionately commits to mental health justice. For more information, click here. |
Pacific Western Region of the UUA Newsletter |
This email was sent to congregational leaders, committee chairs and staff.
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Pacific Western Region - UUA
P.O Box 567
Brighton, CO 80601
United States |
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