Opportunities for Connection-CERUUA Update March 2020

General Assembly 2020 will take place June 24-28, 2020 in Providence, RI. This year's theme is Rooted, Inspired, Ready! GA will delve into our theological and historical roots, bringing those threads into the present day and acting in solidarity with Indigenous communities. Attendees will be inspired and trained to engage in electoral work as people of faith, living out our values in service of all our intersecting justice commitments. Please join us for this 5-day immersive experience where we participate in inspirational worship services and informative workshops, reconvene with friends and colleagues, and explore our bustling exhibit hall.

Here are important dates to know:

Early Registration ends March 15 - rates go up the 16th
Housing opens on March 2 and goes fast, so be prepared! Dorm housing and home hospitality are options this year in addition to hotels.
Volunteer and scholarships applications open February 28 and close March 31.
There are 2 childcare options. Deadline is April 30, space is limited!

You can attend GA on a budget - please see our blog post on this topic as well as the UUA's webpage on this topic.

Finally, if you can't attend in person, attend virtually! Off-site registration is open. Off-site delegates can vote on issues and attend mini-assemblies. All plenaries and some evening events are live-streamed through the UUA website to the general public.

Be it in person or online, please join us this year for General Assembly 2020!

The Central East Region has a number of resource pages on a variety of topics important to congregational life. These are "top suggested resources" prepared by the program manager for that area. Each month we'll be highlighting one of the pages.

Up this month - Congregation as Good Employer. This resource page was created by Rev. David Pyle and is managed by Beth Casebolt.

From the page: Whether it is as a Religious Educator, a Building and Grounds Manager, a Membership Director, an Administrator, a Child Care Coordinator, or any of the other professional staff positions that exist in our congregations, working for a Unitarian Universalist Congregation can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience. It can allow someone to blend their personal values and beliefs with a professional calling that works to create a better world, and support a congregation that serves the community. Learn more at the CER website.

Our world needs hope in these troubled times. We will spend the day building resilience and interconnection in ourselves, our faith communities, and beyond.
Friday Gould Discourse: Growing Souls in Congregations, presented by Leah Purcell, CRE

Leah is the Director of Religious Education and Family Ministry at the 1st UU Society of Albany. She is a national leader among religious educators.
Friday's events will take place at First UU Society of Syracuse, NY

Saturday Gathering: Rooted for this World: Building Safety in the Body

Paying attention to and caring for our bodies will help us build the resilience we need in these troubled times. Saturday Keynote Speaker: Rev. Megan Visser, MA, PhD(c). Saturday's events will take place at May Memorial UU Society, Syracuse, NY

Registration is open!

It's finally here: CER Summer Institute registration will open at midnight on March 1! Don't miss your chance to attend this amazing family event to be held for the first time at Cal U in California, PA from July 12-18.
Here is where to find more information:

Registration and scholarship applications will both close on May 31. Check out our website www.cersiuu.org for more details. We can't wait to see you at CERSI!

The UU Mid-Atlantic Community also opens registration very soon, and Early Bird registration will be open until April 17. Check the UUMAC website for details.

by Rev. Renee Ruchotzke

Lately I’ve been noticing how many common idioms use the language of extraction, exploitation, coercion or hierarchy:

Pipeline to Leadership
Drill a Little Deeper
Firehose of Information
Canary in the Coalmine
Changing of the Guard
Burn the Candle at Both Ends
Rank and File

Most – if not all – of our current social ills (war, the climate crisis, racism, immigration, economic inequality, for-profit healthcare, for-profit schools, mass incarceration) are a result of a worldview that looks at both people and planet as things to be used to profit those who have more power.

Read the rest of the article

Confused by the "alphabet soup" of UU organizations and how our social justice projects fit together? Not sure which projects are UUA, UUSC or UU College of Social Justice? Check out the UU Social Justice Universe Map presentation by the UU College of Social Justice for help!

Are you ALL IN for CLIMATE JUSTICE?! Register now to attend the UU United Nations Office’s Intergenerational Spring Seminar All In For Climate Justice: People, Power, Planet in New York City April 16-18, 2020. Registration for Youth, Sponsors, and Young Adults includes housing at a fun NYC hostel and closes March 2!! www.uua.org/unspringseminar

Need help with your election work? Sign up for the UU the Vote weekly online Office Hours every Tuesday evening from 8-9 pm Eastern Time. If you need help planning fundraising for this project, check out the UU the Vote step-by-step fundraising guide.

The UUA Office of Church Staff Finances has released their UUA Compensation Standards, formerly shifting from Guidelines to Standards. The new UUA Compensation Standards incorporate legal requirements alongside the salary and benefit recommendations that have made up our Compensation Guidelines. We believe that placing requirements and recommendations under a common umbrella adds clarity and integrity to our expectations of congregations.

The UUA has released the final piece of the lifespan sexuality education curricula: Our Whole Lives: Older Adults and Sexuality and Our Faith: Older Adults. Now available from the UUA bookstore!

UU College of Social Justice has two immersion programs for those interested:

Summer Internships are now open for application!. These are paid internship opportunities and locations range from Texas, Massachusetts, New York and Florida. Visit their website for details.
Defend the Human Rights of Migrants! At a time of deepening crisis for immigrants and asylum seekers, the UU College of Social Justice has organized an immersion experience specifically for religious professionals. This journey will help you deepen your understanding of the migration crisis and will support your justice ministry with theological reflection among colleagues. Our spring Border Witness journey to Tucson, AZ, will be April 13-17, 2020, and will be led by UUSC President Mary Katherine Morn. Generous scholarship aid is available for religious professionals and seminary students.

New publications from the UUA - Now available are Worship for Young Adults: A Practical Guide for Creating Contemporary Services and Our Whole Lives for Older Adults from the Lifespan Faith Engagement Office. The March Goodreads Book is The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls by Mona Eltahawy .

The UUA is hiring for several positions. Find job descriptions and application information at their Job Openings webpage.

The following events are upcoming in the region. For full details and a complete list visit the CER Calendar Page. Also, please note, if you are mailing a check to pay for your event to us, you must write the name and date of the event in the memo line. Otherwise we may not get it properly credited.

OM Winter Youth Conference ~ Pittsburgh, PA ~ February 28-March 1, 2020
UNY Youth Conference ~ Albany, NY ~ February 28-March 1, 2020
OM Peer Pastoral Care Training ~ Lewis Center, OH ~ March 6-8, 2020
Pastoral Care to/with Youth Training ~ Pomona, NY ~ March 6-8, 2020
Urban Plunge Youth Cluster Event ~ Cleveland, OH ~ March 7, 2020
Conflict Transformation in Congregations ~ Silver Spring, MD ~ March 7, 2020
Homeless on Hilliard Youth Cluster Event ~ Cleveland, OH ~ March 7-8, 2020
Our Shared Future: Legacy Giving in UU Congregations ~ Oakton, VA ~ March 14, 2020
Pi Day Small Congregation Gatherings ~ online and various ~ March 14, 2020 (must be part of the webinar series to attend)
MNY Youth Adult Committee Meeting ~ March 21, 2020
Jubilee Anti-Racism Workshop ~ Media, PA ~ March 27-29, 2020
MNY Junior Youth Conference ~ Montclair, NJ ~ March 28-29, 2020
UU Theology Renaissance Module ~ Requires 3 webinars and 1 in person on April 6-7, 2020, Alexandria, VA
Jubilee Anti-Racism Workshop ~ Rochester, NY ~ April 10-12, 2020
Seaway Gathering ~ April 17-18, 2020
Fundamentals of Healthy Youth Ministry Part 2 ~ Cleveland, OH ~ April 25, 2020
Our Whole Lives Facilitator Training for Adult Age Levels ~ Philadelphia, PA ~ May 8-10, 2020
Thrive Youth of Color Weekend ~ Albany, NY ~ May 15-17, 2020
Jubilee Anti-Racism Workshop ~ Columbia, MD ~ May 29-31, 2020
Spirituality Development Experience ~ Dayton, OH ~ May 29-31, 2020

The following webinars will take place in the region the next two months. For full details and a complete list visit the CER Webinars Calendar .

Youth Ministry Advisor Training Series: Inclusive Youth Ministry Part 2. March 12, 2020, 8 pm ET
Build a Better Board Webinar Series, Session 6, March 19, 2020, 7 pm ET.
UU Identity Renaissance Module starts April 7, 2020 at 1-3 ET for 5 sessions. Registration deadline is March 24.
Youth Ministry Advisor Training Series: Multigenerational Youth Ministry.April 16, 2020, 8 pm ET

Our congregations and clusters in the region have many exciting activities and announcements going on. For a complete listing of events, visit the CER Congregations and Clusters Calendar Page. For news from congregations, please visit our News Blog. For job listings from congregations check the UUA Job Board.

CER Faithify Project - Support the Ordination of Walter Clark, who is currently working with UU Church in Arlington, VA.
Murray Grove Retreat & Renewal Center is pleased to announce their new Executive Director, Diem Jones who starts on March 1, 2020. Learn more about him on their website.
Several UU Congregation in CER are hiring Religious Education, youth ministry and other positions. Check the listings.
Installation of Rev. Jane Thickstun ~ March 15, 2020
UUs of Greater Pittsburgh Spring Workshop on UU the Vote ~ Pittsburgh, PA ~ March 21, 2020
Installation of Rev. Joseph Boyd ~ March 29, 2020
Seaway UUMA/LREDA Joint Retreat ~ April 15-17, 2020
UUPLAN Annual Meeting ~ April 24-25, 2020, Devon, PA

If your congregation or cluster has news or events to share, please send it to us at bcasebolt@uua.org

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Central East Region of the UUA
100 W 10th Street Suite 1008
Wilmington, DE 19801
United States