For a Casual Faith and This Is No Time to Go It Alone
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NO TIME UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST ASSOCIATION Annual Report FOR A Fiscal Year 2018 CASUAL FAITH TABLE OF CON- TENTS A letter from Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray 1 Time to... Equip Congregations for Health and Vitality 4 Train and Support Leaders 10 Advance UU Values and Justice 14 Organizational and Institutional Change 18 Grow New Congregations and Communities 22 Leadership 23 Financial Performance 24 Contributors 26 Congregations Individuals Legacy Society In memorium 76 Beacon Press and Skinner House 79 Our Unitarian Universalist Principles 80 Two themes came to define my first year as your UUA President – This is TABLE No Time for a Casual Faith and This is No Time to go it Alone. This is a defining time in our nation and for our planet. The challenges, opportunities and crises that mark this time impact our own lives and our congregations and communities. Unfortunately, in times of crises and change None of this could happen without your OF CON- — when rhetoric of fear and defensiveness collective support, as congregations and dominate — it is all too common for people individuals. The UUA is the embodiment and institutions to break down, or to turn of the covenant we make to each other as inward and protective. But it is precisely in Unitarian Universalists to build something times of change and urgency when we need stronger than any of us could be alone. more courage, more love, more commitment When the UUA shows up for congregations in order to nurture the hope that is found following hurricanes and wildfires, when in seeing the possibilities that live within we help congregations find and call new TENTS humanity and community. ministers, when we provide support No time for a casual faith reminds us that our for leaders looking to revitalize their congregations and communities matter and congregations, when we show up in solidarity that Unitarian Universalism has a vital and to Side with Love for voting rights and human much needed role to play. At the UUA, this rights – it is because of you and your support has meant getting clear about our mission: of the UUA. You make all this possible. • To equip congregations for greater And personally, wherever I go as your health and vitality. President, whether it is to a congregation to celebrate a building dedication or the US • To train and equip leaders, lay Senate for women’s rights – I carry you with and professional, for the ministry me – because I wouldn’t be able to needed today. be there without you and without this faith • To advance our UU values in the and tradition. larger world. Thank you for your generosity and for your And we are doing all of these through the ways you show up for this faith and for overarching lens of institutional change one another. grounded in a commitment to grow Yours in gratitude, a more equitable, just and inclusive Unitarian Universalism. Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray 2017-2018 UUA Annual Report | 1 EQUIP CONGREGA- TIONS FOR HEALTH AND Mission VITALITY Priority Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas gulf coast in late August 2017, wreaking devastating damage to Houston and surrounding communities. 2 | NO TIME FOR A CASUAL FAITH By Rev. Dawn Cooley EQUIP Even ahead of the storm’s landfall, the UUA and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) created a joint Hurricane Harvey Recovery Fund. Half of all funds children on the island could return to school raised went to at-risk populations served and some semblance of normality. CONGREGA- by UUSC partners and the other half aided UU congregations and members of those Members of the UU Fellowship of St. Croix in congregations most affected by the storm. the US Virgin Islands formed working teams Groups like Refugee and Immigrant Center for with community partners to go door-to-door Education and Legal Services (RAICES) and to conduct “wellness checks” on residents to TIONS FOR the Living Hope Wheelchair Association were help them address their immediate needs— able to greatly increase their level of support which was especially important as the island to some of the most vulnerable communities. was under a strict curfew in the immediate aftermath of the storm. But the devastation wasn’t over. In mid- HEALTH AND September, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Congregations in Houston used the funds for Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Caribbean, building repairs, and to provide a safety net locations that had also been hard hit by for many of their congregants. Star Island Hurricane Irma just a few weeks earlier. Family Conference and Retreat Center in New Within the span of two weeks, two Category 4 Hampshire received a grant to repair their VITALITY hurricanes had struck the continental United facility after a series of Nor’easters caused States for the first time in ecordedr history. extensive damage. With the recognition that the frequency When multiple fires last summer and severity of natural disasters will only raged across several western states, increase due to climate change—as well as the knowledge that the poorest the UUA Disaster Relief Fund was and most marginalized communities are able to provide $50,000 in immediate disproportionately harmed by climate-driven assistance to congregations to disasters, the UUA decided to create a support their members and other general Disaster Relief Fund to provide an ongoing pool of funds to aid congregations community members impacted by and communities. This new response strategy the fires. gives us a coordinated way to respond in In addition, organizations like Black Lives of times of need anywhere in the country. UU and UU Justice Florida received grants Our Puerto Rico congregation, which meets in to assist people who may or may not have a library, received funds to repair it so that it direct ties to our faith but are a part of our could quickly become a community resource community. to those in need. One of our US Virgin Island congregations received funds to help get the school it meets in operational so all the 2017-2018 UUA Annual Report | 3 EQUIP CONGREGATIONS FOR HEALTH AND VITALITY The impact of these Disaster interim minister. As a grown man who has depended on no one since the age of fifteen, I don’t cry much. However, Relief grants—some small, this day I did. Thank you so much for helping my family during this crisis and helping me personally learn that some large—has been dramatic: sometimes growing is asking for help.” “Learning to breathe and asking for help has always been UU Church of Fort Myers, Florida hard for me...Recently with hurricane Irma, my family and I evacuated Florida for the safety and well being of our baby. He turned one-year-old on our way through the “We have deep partnerships with the Latino and nonprofit Florida panhandle and celebrated his birthday singing community groups that serve Santa Paula, CA, which has happy birthday in the back seat of our pickup truck a large migrant and undocumented population. A number crammed full of water, clothes, and other last-minute of families lost everything in the fire, especially in Wheeler evacuation stuff. Canyon. UUA disaster relief funds allowed us to support “We were turned down for a FEMA grant and provided a multiple community partners. Latino Town Hall used our list of other agencies to apply for help, but none of them grant to them to respond to housing needs. Similarly were relevant to our needs. Then I saw an email from our CAUSE and Interface, both with offices in Santa Paula, Disaster Fund UU Church of Davis First Parish Brewster UU Congregations Davis, California Brewster, Massachusetts UUs of San Mateo UU Society of Wellesley Hills We thank the 25 most San Mateo, California Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts generous congregations for Jefferson Unitarian Church First UU Congregation of Ann Arbor their contributions to the Golden, Colorado Ann Arbor, Michigan Hurricane Harvey Recovery Unitarian Universalist Congregation White Bear UU Church Fund and/or the UUA of Atlanta Mahtomedi, Minnesota Disaster Relief Fund this Atlanta, Georgia past fiscal year. First Universalist Church Unity Temple UU Congregation of Minneapolis Oak Park, Illinois Minneapolis, Minnesota 4 | NO TIME FOR A CASUAL FAITH EQUIP CONGREGATIONS FOR HEALTH AND VITALITY have been working with vulnerable populations. CAUSE Our Disaster Relief Fund is part of a covenant provided masks to farmworkers still working the nearby between the UUA and congregations, crops and orchards during the fire.” between congregations who give generously and those in need, and with our community Universalist Unitarian Church partners. In the year since Hurricane Harvey, of Santa Paula, California UU congregations and individual UUs have contributed nearly $1 million to disaster relief! “The roof on our church fellowship hall is old, and during Through aiding our congregations, their hurricane Irma, we lost a lot of shingles. Our fellowship members and their community partners, hall is used three nights a week by the local NA chapter, we’re able to embody our faith and values. and they boast of one of the highest recovery rates Learn more at in northeast Georgia. Church members take part in all UUA.org/giving/areas-support/funds/disaster-response community events. This is a huge help to our small congregation.” Rev. Dawn Cooley is a member of the Congregational Life Staff for the Southern Region and leads the UUA Canon UU Church, Georgia disaster relief grant review team. Other review team members include Halcyon Westall, Rev. David Pyle, Rev. Jan Christian and Rev. Lisa Presley Unity Church Unitarian All Souls