March 2026: Words to Lead By |
Essays and Resources to Engage Your Spiritual Leadership |
 |
The Cougar, the Bison, and the Beaver |
This past fall, the Region offered a course, The Sacred Hour: Worship and Preaching Seminar for Lay Leaders to “deepen connection and trust among UUs who seek to share mind and heart in service to Sunday worship.” Drawing from a number of resources and the experience of its co-facilitators, a lay leader and Unitarian Universalist minister, participants were supported towards preaching with an authentic voice.
The following is an abridged version of a reflection written by one of the participants, Emily Weiland. We are grateful for her permission to share it here:
Every UU community is its own living experiment in trying to embody our values in a country that seems perpetually stuck on "unexpected plot twist." Today I want to talk about three congregations I’ve spent time in. Each one lifted me up, and each broke my heart. I’m calling them the Cougar, the Bison, and the Beaver, because sometimes you need distance to see the true shape of a thing. Please don’t try to guess who is who. This isn’t that kind of story. . . |
|
|
Resources from Side With Love |
|
|
A Long Talk in Concord, NH |
UU Action NH in collaboration with area organizations presents A Long Talk in Concord, NH on Saturday, April 11 from 10:00am to 12:00pm and 12:30pm to 2:30pm ET. A Long Talk provides an activation experience designed to empower participants with knowledge and skills to interrupt problematic thinking and behaviors, and how to respond to racism, xenophobia, and homophobia. This program has been offered to universities, corporations, high schools, and grade schools across the U.S.
The morning session will be with founders and developers Kyle Williams and Kamal Carter. For those who choose to stay, the afternoon will be a visioning and strategy session with Kyle and Kamal. All participants will be offered the opportunity to take the free 21-day activation online course.
|
|
|
Multi-Site Staff Learning Community |
Are you are religious professional – minister, administrator, educator, musician, membership professional, etc – who is serving in more than one congregation or community?
Maybe you are in an intentionally “yoked” partnership, or you just happened to pick up multiple gigs to make things work. Maybe you are serving a congregation and also doing a community ministry. Maybe they are near each other, or one is close and one is mostly digital. Or perhaps you are a board member of a congregation that has partner to share staff.
Whatever that might look like for you, we invite you to join the Multi-Site Staff Learning Community. We are gathering monthly to share learnings, ideas, resources, hopes, and to have solidarity in this important work. The group has met twice now and we’d love to welcome you into the circle if this is for you.
Registration is free and required. The next gathering is Tuesday, April 14. |
|
|
UU History and Historical Research Group |
|
|
Stronger Together: Art for Democracy |
|
|
Join for the 2026 Minns Lectures, in-person in Boston or online via Zoom. In two lectures Rev. Dr. Debra Haffner will survey the Hebrew Bible and Christian Scriptures for their surprising and varied messages about sexuality - sometimes troubling, often life-affirming, and always rich. These lectures will be held on Wednesday, April 29 and Wednesday, May 27 at 7:00pm ET. Registration is free and required. |
|
|
Cool Congregational Happenings |
Please pass along any cool congregational happenings you have to newengland@uua.org for consideration of inclusion here next month! |
|
|
Unitarian Universalist Association, New England Region
24 Farnsworth Street
Boston, MA
02210
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
