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Dear Aphrodite,

In a year with so much pain and turmoil, your UUA has remained committed to a leading element of our institutional mission: to equip congregations for vital ministry. The UU Institute supported over 1,000 UU and other learners this year with courses related to board leadership, right relationship, and anti-racism. Side With Love has offered regular online events called The Gathering to bring us together for spiritual grounding, political analysis, and collective action. There are Green Sanctuary office hours to support congregational sustainability and climate justice, an online gathering for trans and nonbinary people and their caregivers called The Woodlands, and a new Communications Foundational Practices webinar series that launched in December and will continue in 2026.    

UU congregations and communities are essential for providing lifesaving ministries. We are honored to partner with you in this sacred work, and we remain committed to supporting shared learning and growth in the years to come. In the links below, learn about more programs and offerings for 2026.  

With you on the journey,  

Rachel 

P.S. This email newsletter will also be changing in 2026. We’re opening our readership to anyone interested in receiving this email directly and we’ll be offering updates from the UUA's executive leadership team throughout the coming year. Share the link to sign up online.

This year, we began our celebration of the 200th anniversary of the founding American Unitarian Association. In this video, UUA President the Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt and the Rev. Dr. Nicole C. Kirk guide us through through the origins of Unitarianism in America, including the Rev. William Ellery Channing’s foundational Baltimore sermon. In doing so, they explore what this history means for Unitarian Universalists today.

The UUA’s Side With Love team will kick off their annual 30 Days of Love on January 19, 2026. Over five weeks, we will journey together from imagination to action, rooting our freedom dreams in faith and bringing them to life in our world. Each week will offer a fresh set of multigenerational resources grounded in Unitarian Universalist practice. You can sign up to receive email alerts when each week's materials become available.

For decades, UU World magazine has shared Unitarian Universalist stories that matter. In a recent story on the devastating impacts of Typhoon Tino on UU congregations in the Philippines, reporter Elaine McArdle spoke with one UU church administrator who shared, “The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines is a small church where the majority of its members are farmers and fisher folks. Although the Filipino ‘Bayanihan’ spirit is always alive and ready to help others in need.” Learn more, including how you can help our fellow UUs in the Philippines recover from Typhoon Tino.

UUA publishing imprint Skinner House Books worked with Canadian artist Sue Todd to illustrate a children’s book based on the beloved UU hymn, “Blue Boat Home”. Todd collaborated with renowned musician and hymn author Peter Mayer on the story. The book is uplifting and mysterious, featuring illustrations in bold, cheerful colors with stars, fish, and people of all sorts, and a mother and daughter navigating the wonders of the universe with the earth as their blue boat home. Buy your copy today from our inSpirit UU Book & Gift Shop. 

The UU Institute has supported thousands of Unitarian Universalists and others with course offerings selected and carefully crafted to meet the needs of our faith tradition. Vital and thriving faith communities have never been more important to the future of Unitarian Universalism and the UU Institute brings learners and leaders together to build skills and wisdom. A new series coming in 2026 is Effective Boundaries for Lay Leaders; explore this and many other courses available online.

Does the idea of talking to reporters fill you with dread? Amid deep social instability in the wider world, are you wondering how to find the right level of public visibility for your congregation? UUA Communications offers guidance for these questions and more in a webinar on February 5, 2026. This is Part 2 in a series exploring foundational communications principles. UUA PR Director Suzanne Morse will also begin holding office hours for communications questions on January 15, 2026. Use the second link below to schedule a conversation.

Thanks to a group of UUA trustees and other longtime Unitarian Universalists, gifts made to the UUA before December 31 will be triple matched up to $50,000. With your help, this will provide a total of $200,000 so our UUA can begin 2026 in courage and care: supporting congregations’ health and vitality, developing clergy and lay leaders, fostering community climate resilience, and upholding the human rights of all people, regardless of citizenship status, gender identity, or sexuality.

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Unitarian Universalist Association, 24 Farnsworth St., Boston MA 02210