Pacific Western Region
March 2026 |
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Content
Blogpost
In Memoriam: Jim Merrill, Former President of the Pacific Southwest District
Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh
News: Pacific Western Region
PWR Regional Assembly 2026
PWR Board: We Know You're Busy...but
PWR Social Media Accounts: Let's Build Our Online Community - Follow, Follow, Follow!
WUULF Multigenerational UU Retreat
News: Unitarian Universalist Association
UU the Vote 2026 Launch: March 25
New UU Institute Course
Meaningful Social Media for Busy Congregations
UUA Offers Thomas Scholarship to First Year Seminarians
Benefits Tune-Up Workbook
Building Beloved Community Beyond the Binary
March is Small Congregation Month
Congregational Leaders Conversation
Side with Love
Sparks RE and Music Leadership
Important Resources
PWR Chalice Lighters
Non-Fellowshipped Ministers Gathering
UUA Job Board / UUA Job and Careers
Congregational Incident Form
Community Resilience Hub
Disaster Relief Fund
UU Mental Health Network
Publications
February Publications |
Pacific Western Region Board
Co-Presidents, Bob Miess and Libby Fitzgerald
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
Mx. Sam K. Pearl
PWR Administrator and Bookkeeper
Hara Madera
Melanie Buck
Youth and Emerging Adult Ministry Staff
Mylo Way |
Pacific Western Region Links
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Blogpost
In Memoriam: Jim Merrill, Former President of the Pacific Southwest District |
Our hearts go out to all who knew and loved Jim Merrill, recent president of the UU Church of Ventura and one of the last few presidents of our Pacific Southwest District. Jim died suddenly and unexpectedly on February 2nd, leaving a large community of family, friends, and UUs grieving his loss. His memorial is held on March 1st at 1pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura. Cards can be sent to his wife Kitty Merrill at the congregation’s address at: 5654 Ralston St, Ventura, CA 93003.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his name to Oxnard College, the Ocean View School District, CAUSE, 805 Undocufund, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura, or the Trevor Project.
- Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh, PWR Congregational Life Program Staff |
News: Pacific Western Region |
Pacific Western Region - Regional Assembly 2026 |
Regional Assembly Details
Location: UU Society of Sacramento, CA or Online!
The event will be multi-platform.
Dates: April 10-12, 2026
Theme: Rising Resilient |
If you would like to become a Sponsor or Exhibitor at Regional Assembly. Check out our information for sponsors and exhibitors here. |
PWR Board: We Know You Are Busy...but |
Everyone I know is busy and often frustrated that they don’t have enough time to do the things they really want to do—or to do the things that are meaningful and important.
Which begs the question: What is meaningful and important?
Your Pacific Western Region (PWR) Board is in the second year of forming an institution to help/support/connect the 206 congregations & covenanting communities in our region. PWR extends across 15 states and 5 time zones—with the diversity that comes with that expanse. Your current PWR Board members decided that serving our UU region is beyond meaningful and important including being rewarding, challenging, confusing, satisfying, and expanding UUism. I’ve chosen to spend some of my busy time serving others in our region. Will you?
If you’re interested in doing meaningful and important work by serving on the PWR Board, please contact: pwrboard@uua.org.
I know you’re busy but please consider what’s meaningful……….Rev Russ Menk
All questions are welcome. |
PWR Social Media Accounts: Lets Build Our Online Community
Follow, Follow, Follow! |
Bluesky: uuapwr.bsky.social
Instagram: uuapwr
Facebook: Pacific Western Region - UUA |
It is with excitement to also announce that are Bluesky and Instagram account is back in action. Please follow for updates, resources, and much more.
We’re delighted to reconnect with you online and expand the ways we stay in community. Along with our renewed presence on Bluesky and Instagram, our Facebook page has been active and continues to share timely updates, helpful resources, stories from across our congregations, and important Regional Assembly announcements.
Come for the updates, stay for the connection—and don’t forget to like, follow, and share the love. We can’t wait to see you online! |
WUULF Multigenerational UU Retreat |
A week-long UU Family Camp each year at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico from June 15th-21st.
If you would like to learn more about WUULF, please visit their website by clicking here. |
News: Unitarian Universalist Association |
UU the Vote 2026 Launch: March 25 |
8pm ET / 5pm PT / 4pm AK
Our faith calls us to build a movement beyond voter turnout. It calls us to strengthen relationships, shared leadership, and durable infrastructure that build and sustain democracy.
Join us for the launch of UU the Vote 2026: Ignite Solidarity, Reimagine Democracy -- an expanded program to meet this moment and the next.
Learn more about our collective commitment to strengthening democracy and mobilizing our communities for the season ahead. The work will require clarity, discipline, and bold public witness. But the foundation is already beneath your feet. You helped build it. And we will meet this moment — as we always have — with moral grounding, strategic focus, and love powerful enough to shape public life.
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Boundaries that Build: Effective Boundaries for Lay Leaders Series Now Live
Boundaries are central to resilient relationships and sustainable shared ministry. This series invites leaders to explore practical strategies for clarifying roles, supporting volunteers, and strengthening teams in our UU congregations.
Participants will explore boundaries at three levels: clarifying and maintaining their own boundaries and roles; recognizing and honoring the boundaries of others; and understanding how governance, policies and structural supports uphold accountability, safety and trust within congregational life.
Through short videos, articles, activities and reflections from engaging UU leaders, Effective Boundaries for Lay Leaders builds the relational and organizational foundations to help our congregations flourish.
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Meaningful Social Media for Busy Congregations |
March 26 at 8am PT.
Part 3 of the UUA Communications Foundational Webinar Series
What if social media isn’t just marketing—but ministry? At this webinar, participants will learn why having a strong digital media strategy is essential to their overall communications plans—and how a values-centered online presence can deepen connection and extend congregational care. We’ll explore how to move beyond event promotion to posts that spark conversation and build community. You’ll leave with practical, doable ideas that fit into a busy schedule and help social media feel aligned, manageable, and meaningful. If you are interested in attending, please register here. Space is limited, so please make sure to register today. |
UUA Offers Thomas Scholarship to First Year Seminarians |
Are you or someone you know a lay leader in Unitarian Universalism who will be entering the first year of seminary in 2026? Or are you undertaking undergraduate work to prepare for seminary? The Rev. Chuck and Nancy Thomas Scholarship honors Rev. Chuck Thomas’s career and his family’s commitment to lay leadership in Unitarian Universalism by awarding this scholarship to one such student each year. Thomas Scholars qualify for this award by demonstrating their outstanding commitment to Unitarian Universalism as lay leaders.
For more information and to apply for this and other ministerial scholarships available from the UUA, please visit the UUA's scholarships page. Applications will be accepted February 15 through April 15, 2026. |
Benefits Tune-Up Workbook |
The Benefits Tune-up Workbook, updated annually by UUA Church Staff Finances, helps congregational leaders understand UU benefit plan rules – necessary documents, eligibility criteria, enrollment windows, and more. We’ve just published our 9th edition! Ensure plan compliance by having good protocol in place for benefits administration.
Link to Benefits Tune-up Workbook page. |
Building Beloved Community
Beyond the Binary |
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Registration is now open for Building Beloved Community Beyond the Binary, happening April 18, 2026, 6am - 1pm PT.
At a time when transgender rights are under sustained attack, many people are asking how to stay rooted, connected, and faithful to our values. This gathering offers a space to do that together. The day will include a keynote from a transgender or gender-nonconforming leader, workshops created by and for the trans community, and learning spaces for cisgender people who want to deepen their allyship. Spaces like this don’t happen by accident - they happen because people choose to show up.
Attend online from anywhere or join an official satellite site if one is near you. Individual registration is now open with sliding-scale pricing. If something in you is curious - or feeling a quiet pull to connect with people locally - you don’t have to have it all figured out. We’ll support you. Hosting includes guidance, materials, and people showing up alongside you with helping hands! Learn more about this event and register. |
March is Small Congregation Month |
The UUA’s Congregational Life Small Congregations Team is hosting a month of learning for small congregations. This year’s theme is Small Congregations: We’re Doing the Work. Four webinars over 4 weeks on these topics:
- Creativity in Small Congregation RE, March 3rd
- Mobilizing for Climate Justice, March 12th
- Building Containers for Justice, March 18th
- Holding the Sacred, with the Congregational Leaders Conversation, March 24th
Webinar dates are March 3rd, 12th, 18th at 4pm PT and the 24th at 4:30 pm PT and will last 75-90 minutes. The webinars will be recorded and available to everyone who registers. Registration is on a sliding scale with a maximum cost of $20. Registration is open. |
Congregational Leaders Conversation |
Tuesday, March 24, 4:30-6pm PT
Holding the Sacred: Adding Depth to Radical Hospitality
Our guests this month, Simone Monique Barnes and Dana Matthews Moore, will join QuianaDenae Perkins in a dialogue at the intersection of pastoral care, radical welcome, hospitality, and small group ministry. The questions on their hearts: What does it mean to host and be held by a sacred community within the larger congregation? What emerges when congregations hold space for identity-based small groups and gatherings?
Simone Monique Barnes (she/her) most recently served as the Director of Membership and Spiritual Life of Wildflower Church, Austin, TX. She also serves on the national leadership team of Black Women of the Chalice, and is a member of LREDA, UUAMP, DRUUMM, and BLUU.
QuianaDenae Perkins (she/her), MidAmerica Congregational Life consultant for the UUA, will facilitate the conversation. Register today. |
Upcoming Gatherings
Resources and Announcements
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Sparks RE and Music Leadership |
The Spark RE and Music Leadership Professional Development Programs provide for 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 |
There are no Youth and Young Adults announcement this month. |
Congregational Announcement |
There are no Congregational Announcement submission this month. |
Important 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). |
Chalice Lighters is a program to help fund the growth of the member congregations and communities of the Region.The program provides grants to communities to help them cross a major threshold towards growth. For more information, click here to visit the website. To contact them directly, please email pwrchalicelighters@uua.org. |
Non-Fellowshipped Ministers Gathering |
Ministers who are not fellowshipped with the UUA and are serving UU congregations are invited to gather monthly with the MidAmerica's Regional Lead. We will share information, experiences, and resources with one another and explore questions concerning the UUA and Unitarian Universalism. Register now. Meets are second Tuesday of the month beginning September 9th. Details at the UUA website. |
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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