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Dear Rhonda,

At the UUA, we’re moving toward the new congregational year and reflecting on the historic votes cast by Unitarian Universalists at General Assembly in June: we formally embraced our care and commitment to our Transgender, Nonbinary, Intersex, and Gender Diverse friends and loved ones in an expression of our faith, and we adopted a new way of articulating who we are as UUs with new language for Article II of UUA Bylaws.  

While the seven Principles and six Sources remain with us as an important way to understand our faith, we begin this congregational year with a new practice of expressing our shared covenant as UUs through the following inseparable and deeply interdependent shared values, all centered around love: 

• Pluralism: We are all sacred beings, diverse in culture, experience, and theology. 

• Transformation: We adapt to the changing world. 

• Interdependence: We honor the interdependent web of all existence and acknowledge our place in it. 

• Justice: We work to be diverse multicultural Beloved Communities where all feel welcome and can thrive. 

• Generosity: We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope. 

• Equity: We declare that every person is inherently worthy and has the right to flourish with dignity, love, and compassion.  

This is only the beginning of the important work we’ll do together in this new congregational year. Within Unitarian Universalism, we also have a UU Climate Revival planned for September, and in the wider world, we have all felt the turbulence of the political season that is upon us. We’ll continue to build collective power and make an impact for UU values through UU the Vote. Information and resources for all of this and more are available in this email newsletter. 

With you on the journey, 

Rachel

UU the Vote is a non-partisan justice initiative created by the UUA’s Side With Love team, providing Unitarian Universalists with a range of opportunities to bring our democratic values to life as we build a genuine multiracial democracy. UU the Vote engages people in voter registration, issue education, get-out-the-vote drives, and more.   

This new congregational year will be our first opportunity to gather again in community with a new way of expressing who we are as Unitarian Universalists – through a set of inseparable and deeply interdependent shared values, with love at the center. Learn more about the General Assembly vote, and the years-long process that brought us to this point, in this story from UU World.

New resources are in development to support congregations in integrating the new Shared Values language and framework into the life of our congregations and communities. In the meantime, there are many wonderful, staff-curated resources that have been developed during the Article II revision process that are still available.

General Assembly delegates also voted on several other significant statements that will guide our faith tradition in the years to come. They voted to embrace Transgender, Nonbinary, Intersex and Gender Diverse people in an expression of our faith, to center love amidst the ongoing impact of COVID, to support the houseless and those most vulnerable to impacts of climate change, to be in solidarity with Palestinians, and to reiterate the call for a release of all Hamas held hostages. Explore each of these Social Witness Statements in our online database.

Another first for our faith community happening this fall is the UU Climate Justice Revival, an opportunity for UUs to come together and collectively reimagine a spirit-filled and liberatory future. Most congregations will hold Revival events on the weekend of September 28-29, but dates are flexible, and resources and support are available. Sign up to receive materials for all ages, training, worship resources, and advocacy actions designed to transform our communities through climate justice.

There has been so much to reckon with this year, and UU congregations and communities are needed more than ever for sustenance, support, organizing, and action to continue to build a world where all people can thrive. UU the Vote is responding to the call to develop and grow relationships with each other, and with grassroots partners, that equip us for the long haul. Watch UU the Vote’s recent online event, “Building a New Way,” to reconnect with what’s at stake and find ways to get involved.