Auld Lang Syne and Happy New Year! | |
Featured in this issue:
Latest NER Blog; Cornerstones of Effective Stewardship for Our Congregations; Congregational Board/Trustee and Administration meetings; Spring Right Relationship Team Meeting...
...and more! Scroll down to find the article you are interested in.
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Ring Out the Old
by wren bellavance-grace
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It’s the waning days of 2022 as I write this; it will hit your inbox in early 2023. The turning of the Gregorian year begins with January, named for the Roman god Janus, the god of two faces - one looking ever backward, one looking ever ahead. God of transitions. Of liminal spaces. Of moving out of one time and into another. God of the threshold in between.
The last weeks of December were littered with countless wrap-up stories: “Best Movies (Books) (Songs) of 2022!” “Hottest Trends of 2022!” Some of these people, places, and things will stand the test of time and will still be influencing our culture and institutions 50 years from now. 1973’s American Grafitti still very much informs our zeitgeist. But does anyone remember The Last Detail, from the same year’s best movies list?
At the same time, we turn our attention to setting New Year’s intentions. Gym memberships soar, we choose a word to live by, and once again I promise to eat less sugar! Let’s just say, some of these intentions last longer than others.
It seems to have been a normal human impulse to engage in this process of taking stock, of looking backward and dreaming ahead, for at least several thousand years now. We often do this as individuals on the occasion of our birthdays (especially those that end in zero’s…). In the United States at least, New Year’s is a time when we share this personal process in a collective way. This kind of collective reflection on and reckoning with the places we we have been, and discerning where we want to go, is also beneficial for communities like our congregations.
We in the New England Region call this intentional process, the practice of Tending to Tradition. It’s one of the practices of Spiritual Leadership we are all called to through our Unitarian Universalist faith. This practice calls us to honor the values, rituals, and traditions which our ancestors built and refined over centuries. It also obliges us to reckon with our ancestors' words, deeds, and failures to act; those which have caused great harm to be done, and injustice to flourish. It calls us to shape and evolve our Unitarian Universalist theology into a worthy gift to bequeath our descendants several generations hence.
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REMINDER:
Certify Your Congregation!
All congregations must file by the Wednesday February 1 at 8:00pm ET in order to be certified for General Assembly (GA) 2023. Data Services cannot offer any extensions to this deadline. If you have already filed, thank you!
Please do not delay! Due to high traffic on the day of the deadline, you may not get the help you need via email or phone. After you submit your certified membership number, you are able to log in and make any necessary changes as long as the final submission is made by the deadline.
Only certified congregations may send voting delegates to GA. Credentials will be available for distribution in March.
Thank you for being an integral part of this community! We look forward to working together through 2023 and beyond.
More about congregational certification.
More on how congregations are represented at GA and delegates.
Check your congregation’s certification status.
Sample certification worksheet.
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Pastoral Care Training for Religious Educators
Led by: Rev. Sunshine Wolf and Annie Scott, CRE
Many parents and teens turn first to their Religious Educators for pastoral care, being prepared to receive those conversations is the focus of this series. The class will be based on the Spiritual Leadership program in Leader Lab created by the New England regional staff. There will be pre-work prior to the first class and each session, and you must get an endorsement* from the minister you serve with or your Board to sign up for the course.
Schedule: Every 2 weeks on Wednesdays January 18 - April 26
Staring at: 7:00pm ET / 6:00pm CT / 5:00pm MT / 4:00pm PT / 3:00pm Alaska / 2:00pm Hawaii
*Find out more and register here. Registration deadline January 11.
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Cornerstones of Effective Stewardship for our Congregations
The UUA Congregational Life and Stewardship for Us announce a 3-part national webinar series in early 2023: Cornerstones of Effective Stewardship for our Congregations.
- TUESDAYS, 7:00-8:30pm ET / 6:00-7:30 CT / 5:00-6:30 MT / 4:00-5:30 PT
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Part 1: January 24th: The Multiplatform Context; Part 2: January 31st: The Multicultural/Multiracial World; and Part 3: February 7th: The Changing Multigenerational Demographics
Registration fee is $30 per webinar or register for all three at the discounted rate of $75. Find out more and register by January 19.
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Coming in late January 2023:
Liberating Governance for Our Times: A Community of Practice
Inspired by the Business Resolution adopted by the 2022 General Assembly to create UUA governance that is “dynamic, accountable, flexible, and responsive,” we invite you to consider your congregation’s ways of sharing power and making decisions. Are your systems dynamic, accountable, flexible, and responsive? Are we creating liberatory ways of being within our congregations as we work for liberation in the world?
Most of us could use some help with this! We are creating a community of practice on liberating governance for our times.
We will meet every other month for 90 minutes to learn together and support each other in making the changes needed in our congregations. This program is open to all staff and lay leaders. It is especially appropriate for Board members and others in the congregation entrusted with significant decisions. We highly recommend participating as a team with others from your congregation.
Let’s learn together as we loosen stuck places, recenter our purpose and values, and learn more inclusive styles of decision making.
To join the email list to get invitations to our gatherings, and to help us know what you particularly need, please fill out this form.
Our first gathering will be shared with our Spiritual Leadership for Culture Change community of practice, and will focus on the power of ongoing reflection on our core values and practices. This gathering will take place on (choose one):
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Tuesday, January 24, 1:00 - 2:30pm ET, or
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Thursday, January 26, 7:00 - 8:30pm ET
Our second gathering in February will focus on a vision of liberating governance, and identifying the current strengths and weaknesses in your congregation’s journey toward liberating governance.
This gathering will be on Tuesday, February 28, from 7:00-8:30pm ET.
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New Guidance on Committees on Ministry
We received a lot of inquiries about Committees on Ministry and what exactly they should be doing. We also hear how volunteer time and energy are so precious that no one wants to waste them. In response, a team of Congregational Consultants from multiple UUA Regions have pulled together new resources to respond to shifting approaches to Committees on Ministry. Generally, what we are encouraging in these resources is that a congregation does not necessarily need to formally organize a standing Committee on Ministry, but there does need to be attending to the functions that have typically been managed by CoMs. These include:
We also have an overview article sharing more about the most up-to-date reflections on CoMs. Please have a look and let us know what is helpful to you and your fellow congregational leaders so that we can make these resources support purposeful and doable shared ministry. Kindly send feedback to newengland@uua.org.
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Reimagining Core Values and Identity
Thank you to all who participated in our November gatherings in which we explored ways to embed the practice of Centering in Gifts in our congregations. Our January 2023 gatherings are scheduled for:
Daytime offering: Tuesday, January 24 at 1:00pm ET*
Evening offering: Thursday, January 26 at 7:00pm ET*
*Each offering will have the same program.
An optional orientation to Spiritual Leadership
Q&A session will begin 30 minutes before each offering.
The Article II Study Commission recently shared their latest draft of new language for the section of the UUA Bylaws that contains our Purpose, Principles, and Sources. This is at least the third review of our core tenets since they were originally adopted in 1961. In fact, the Bylaws require us to revisit Article II on a regular basis.
At the January gatherings, we will explore what we can learn from this mandated practice of regular review and reimagining of our core values and elements of our identity. What Spiritual Leadership practices does such reimagining invite? How does the work of the Article II Study Commission inspire us to consider a similar reimagining at the congregational level and what would that take?
Registration information and pre-work will be sent in early January to all who have signed up to this community of practice. You can join SL4CC anytime using this online form. The community is open to all — religious professionals and laity. Once you join, you will automatically receive registration details and the pre-work assignment before each gathering.
To learn more, follow these links:
SPECIAL NOTICE:
This will also be the first gathering of the new community of practice on "Liberating Governance for Our Times." This community will gather again in February to dive into other questions of governance. To join the Liberating Governance Community of Practice, sign up using this online form. Please see below for additional information.
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Centering in Gifts Sermon from First Parish Framingham, MA
First Parish in Framingham is offered a lay-led worship service on the Spiritual Leadership practice of Centering in Gifts on Sunday December 11.
Please enjoy this thoughtful, soulful and inspiring service!
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Congregational Board/Trustee Quarterly Gathering (Online)
This is the NER quarterly zoom gathering for congregational board members/trustees.This is open to current board members and people who will be on the board within the next several months. Join with your peers to share ideas, strategies, questions, concerns, and support, Thursday, February 16, 7:00-8:30pm ET.
We’ll send details for logging in to the conversation to all registered participants a few days before each session, along with a survey about what issue(s) you’d like to discuss. Please register as soon as possible.
Registration is free and required. Deadline by Thursday, February 9 or until maximum capacity is reached.
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Congregational Administrators Gathering (Online)
These recent times have been especially isolating for administrators and we have noticed a rise in the number of new administrators in the region. Let's connect! Join your peers to share ideas, questions, concerns and support, Thursday, January 19, 12:00-1:30pm ET.
We’ll send details to all registered participants a few days before the gathering, along with a survey inquiring about what topic(s) you’d like to discuss. Please register as soon as possible.
Registration is free and required. Deadline by Monday, January 16 or until maximum capacity is reached
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The Presidential Forums are coming in early 2023!
You’ll be able to attend in person or online to meet the next presidential nominee(s). Want to know when/where they’ll be held? Subscribe to the New England Region newsletter for updates.

Coming in February... UUA Legacy Giving Webinar for Congregations
Saturday, February 11, 2023 | 1:00-3:00pm ET / 10:00am-12:00pm PT
The UUA’s Legacy Gifts Office offers a number of services, including an online workshop to assist congregations in creating legacy giving programs. The webinar on Saturday, February 11, 2023 covers the basics of legacy giving and how to set up a legacy giving program in your congregation. We aim to equip congregations with the knowledge they need to start a legacy program.
Registration is required. To register for the webinar, email us at legacy@uua.org or call us at (617) 948-6509.
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Spring Right Relationship Team Training is Open for Registration!
Creating beloved community requires intention and practice. Our covenants articulate our intention, but how do we live into the practice? Right Relations Teams (RRT) are lay leaders entrusted to help the congregation practice faithful communication and creative conflict based on values of mutuality and consent.
This training is for congregational teams who will be helping their congregations live into their covenants.
In this facilitated version, you will learn with other congregations during the 6 live practice sessions. The cost of $400/team covers the facilitators and includes a code to access to training materials. Registration is required for this training.
Note: The training can also be taken on your own ($30/person) through UU Institute. There are instructions for you to facilitate your own practice sessions.
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Save the Date! 2023 Intergenerational Spring Seminar
The UU Office at the United Nations is excited to announce that the 2023 Intergenerational Spring Seminar will take place April 1-3, 2023, with the theme "Demilitarization & Abolition: Resist Policing and Empire." The event, planned in close partnership with the UU Service Committee & the UU College of Social Justice, will be a multi-platform event, held in-person in Minneapolis, MN and online.
More details to follow, registration opens in January. Please put it on your calendars now!
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UUA/UUMA Neurodiversity Skill-Up: Expansives and Intensives
Register for the next in the UUA/UUMA Neurodivergence Skill Up :
January 24 1:00-3:00pm ET / 10:00am-12:00pm PT with the Rev. Leela Sinha.
Rev. Leela Sinha (ze/zim/zir) is a brown, queer, genderqueer, entrepreneurial community minister with a theology of pleasure and a habit of transformative mischief. In zir work, ze offers leadership coaching, training, and keynotes, working with leaders and organizations to develop and delight in the power and intensity we have, and to use that power for good. Zir book, "You're Not Too Much" came out in 2016. Ze has been a UU all zir life, and lives and works in the Bay Area. Check out zir’s work with zir Sinha Intensive/Expansive Framework, work supporting teams and individuals working together, and podcast The Intensives Institute. We’re excited to welcome Leela because zir’s framework of supporting individuals and teams in embracing their strengths and working together even with different brains does not depend on medical diagnosis. Find out if you’re an intensive or expansive!
Find past presentations including the November Supporting Children and Youth on the UUMA store.
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Article II Study Commission Update
The Article II Study Commission wishes to thank all who participated in the online feedback sessions on its latest draft of Article II (PDF, 3 pages). The commission will be working through that feedback and will produce another draft soon. Please sign up to receive email updates on the latest drafts and feedback opportunities.
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EqUUal Access Carolyn Cartland Sermon Contest
Since 2016, EqUUal Access has sponsored an annual contest for sermons related to disability. It is named after Carolyn Cartland, an early president of EqUUal Access. This annual contest highlights disability-related themes and topics. Entry deadline: May 1. One cash prize of $500. When feasible, the winner may be invited to present their sermon at an EqUUal Access event during UUA General Assembly. Travel costs to GA cannot be supported.
ELIGIBILITY:
- The sermon must be an original work on a disability theme or topic
- The sermon must be preached between May 1, 2022 and April 30, 2023.
- Entries (sermon text and entry cover information) must be submitted before midnight on May 1, 2023.
- This sermon contest is open to all lay or religious professional Unitarian Universalists.
Please click here for more information on submitting a sermon.
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Clergy Grants available to attend Star Island Conferences in 2023
The Isles of Shoals Association Unitarian Universalist (ISAUU) in partnership with the Star Island Beloved Community Project is pleased to present the Clergy Grants Program for the 2023 season of conferences on Star Island.
Grants are available from the ISAUU to partially subsidize Unitarian Universalist ministers and their families to spend a week on Star Island at a conference of their choice. The intent is to introduce UU clergy to Star Island conferences, to support personal and professional relaxation and rejuvenation, and to promote Star Island with UU clergy and their congregations.
For more information and contacts, please read on here.
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Is It Time For Change?
Excellent resources on change from the Alban at Duke Divinity School's newsletter:
"The end of the year is the perfect opportunity to dream about what’s next. Maybe you’re already thinking about changes you’d like to see in your organization in the coming year. So much of the change we’ve experienced lately has been involuntary: we had to adapt our approach to worship, ministry and fellowship in order to survive..."
Read on here.
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UUA Board Open House - January 2023
Connect with your UUA Board of Trustees, and the leaders from around our Association who serve as Trustees, to discuss issues and topics of importance across our Association. Join a monthly virtual Open House each 2nd Tuesday evening of the month starting at 7:00pm ET / 6:00pm CT. Register today on the Open House page.
You are also invited to view the schedule and register to attend any upcoming monthly meetings on the Board Meeting page.
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Special Event: Singing for Liberation
Come Sing!
Rev. Erika Hewitt, the UUA's Minister of Worship Arts, and Paul Vasile, Executive Director of Music That Makes Community, invite you to come play, sing, and learn with us on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 1:00pm ET / 12:00pm CT / 11:00am MT / 10:00am PT in a live, hour-long webinar.
In this Zoom event, we'll discover the joy and possibilities of paperless singing (yes: even though we'll be muted). Our twin focus will be sharing new, empowering musical content and weaving that song into worship in creative ways.
Advance registration is required.
Read on here.
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