Quick Link List

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Hot Worship with “God’s” Frozen People

A Free webinar, Monday, May 13, 7:30 – 8:30pm Eastern

Led by the Rev. Kenn Hurto

Advance Registration Required (by May 9th)

This webinar is open to all who are interested in going beyond the
“hymn sandwich” and worship as lecture, beyond boredom and banality,
and beyond guilt-inducing exhortations to goodness to lively, mindful
and heart-stiring, hands-empowering celebration.

Click Here to Register

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The Art & Practice of Congregational Leadership

A Workshop hosted by Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Naples, Florida

Saturday, May 18, 9:00am – 12noon. $25/congregation; $10 for individuals

Led by the Rev. Kenn Hurto

Advance registration required (by May 15th)

This workshop is open to all who are interested in developing leadership
in your congregation who are equipped with theological perspective, practical skills, and savvy.

Click Here to Register

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Biscayne Unitarian Sets Sail To Serve
Northeastern Dade’s Biscayne Corridor

Sunday Worship Services Begin February 3rd at Pelican Harbor Marina

Biscayne Unitarian, a new Unitarian Universalist (UU) religious community being established to serve residents along the Biscayne corridor of northeastern Miami-Dade, announces the launch of community programs and monthly worship services that give voice to liberal religious views and provide a spiritual space to meaningfully connect with welcoming, diverse, and open-minded individuals and families.

Learn More

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Regionalization of Southern Districts

The Florida, Mid-South, Southeast and Southwest Districts’ staff team including Congregational Life Consultants (known as the “Halleluujah” staff), District Administrative Staff, and Congregational Leaders who are Consultants have been combined to provide deeper and better resources for all of our 219+ congregations in 13 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Republic of Mexico. The UUA is committed to to providing equitable and effective allocation of resources between congregations by better distributing existing personnel.
Click here for a printable brochure about these changes and the Southern Region of the UUA.

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What’s All This Talk About Regionalization?

Our Unitarian Universalist Association Faces This New Age

“New occasions teach new duties,” asserts one of our great hymns.
Our UUA is learning just that in this time of great change.
You perhaps have heard of “regionalization” and a restructuring
of how our Association works with congregations,
particularly around District services.
The Florida District is part of the Southern Region.

To learn more about this, you are invited to hear this presentation by
the Reverend Teresa Cooley, Director of Congregational Life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0vIFWyxrY8&feature=player_embedded
It is an engaging and clear articulation of what’s emerging.

Boston was experiencing a tragic and sad time while the UUA Board of Trustees met at 25 Beacon Street. There was a surreal aura about our time together as we watched the various law enforcement teams “manhunt” the grounds of the Massachusetts State House while all of Boston was on lockdown. When the security measures were lifted I was able to take a night walk around the Boston Common with a Board colleague. On Sunday evening I visited the memorial set up by Bostonians and friends near the finish line of Boston Marathon. Of note early during this meeting we welcomed Katie Rigdon, Youth Observer, to fill out the term of Katherine Allen who is a Trustee-at-Large.
What follows will be some of what went on at the pre-meeting and meeting (from my perspective) and other information. As always if you have questions/comments in general, please email/telephone me at jlund@uua.org or 813-931-9727. The April Board of Trustees Packet was posted before the meeting and can be found at www.uua.org through the BOT link. The UUA Governance Manual can be found at http://uua.org/aboutus/governance/policy/index.shtml.

As those of you who routinely read the Trustee Report following a UUA Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting already know, the actual BOT meetings are on the Saturday and Sunday time we spend together. This time our meeting was spread over several days and although we met for several hours on Sunday all of us attended Arlington Street UU Church (3 blocks from the bombings during the Boston Marathon, for worship. I returned to Tampa on Monday.

UUA President, Rev. Peter Morales
Pres. Morales had submitted two reports to the BOT before the meeting. These can be found on line in the April BOT packet. One titled UUA Strategic Plan, April, 2013 outlines the proposal for our new UUA headquarters in the context of implementing our UUA larger vision as expressed in the Ends. The strategies for realizing the Ends are: Engage the religious affections and aspirations of our people; unleash, guide and resource our people; develop leadership that is entrepreneurial, courageous and grounded; help our movement cross the borders of race, class, and culture; and be a national and international voice for compassion, peace, justice and equality. According to Rev. Morales we live in a period of rapid and unpredictable cultural upheaval. This means our UUA will have to do two critically important things both in the short term and over the next generation: Partner with our member congregations as they face cultural and demographic shifts now underway, and explore ways that UUism can expand beyond its base of traditional congregations.
In the next five years key initiatives are currently underway: The implementation of the recommendations that came from the Strategic Review of Professional Ministries; continued nurturing and support of increasing number of people of color who serve UU congregations; positioning our UUA as a key leader in progressive religion in the U.S.; nurturing new forms of congregational organization; continue to complete the process of regionalization of field staff; a focus on harnessing creativity and initiative throughout our movement; expansion of social justice and public witness efforts collaboratively; and the development and implementation of new models of stewardship and support for our Association.
In the next ten years and beyond it is not possible to predict what cultural shifts will affect UUism. Also it is hard to predict size and configuration of our Association. However two main strategic directions will continue: supporting member congregations and the exploration of new ways to engage persons who share our values. There will be major budget priorities driven by the Leadership Council strategy: continued direct service to congregations through field staff; preserved efforts to create communications strategy designed to reach beyond walls of current member congregations; implementation of Strategic Review of Professional Ministries; and the launch of a comprehensive fundraising campaign.
Membership in our UUA is flat in 2013. If data from the Philippines is excluded, the numbers show a decline of 181 members, or 0.1 percent.

Linkage with UUA member congregations
Detailed data regarding the linkage work completed over a period of time was included in the April Board packet. The Linkage Working Group recommended two types of staff support for the smaller UUA Board: a paid administrative staff person who sets up interviews and manages materials, and a volunteer skilled in sample selection, crafting surveys and interview guides, and analyzing results. The BOT received a memorandum from the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, Carey McDonald. Guidelines have been developed to meet policies 2.14.10(a) and 2.14.10 for UUA staff interacting with youth and minors in multigenerational settings, and how youth lead. Thursday evening the BOT, under the direction of the Linkage Working Group, met to review the years of linkage and make recommendations for the work ahead for the smaller BOT. This includes a re-vision of our UUA Ends

Fifth Principle Task Force 2009 Report (5th PTF BG) and Related BOT Work
The BOT will not be submitting by-laws changes around GA, but rather continue what is a complex conversation. Saturday evening was devoted to work on, and as a result of the Administration’s response to a proposal to Staff submitted in March asking for ideas for making GA economically accessible. In the Staff response the history of, and current efforts to insure an economically accessible GA were documented. The Administration offered two ideas: Virtualization of GA, and GA scholarships.
Saturday afternoon of GA 2013 will be devoted to “How We Gather” and “How We Govern”. The 5th PTF BOT ad hoc group will be finalizing the plans for this time which will include questions for breakout groups and how this information will be used. Making GA equitable for delegates will continue as a goal for the BOT after this Trustee’s term ends in June.

Treasurer’s Report
Tim Brennan, UUA treasurer and CFO presented information which included a $279,000 projected shortfall in the FY 2013 budget. There has been decreased congregational revenue, fewer bequests, and decreased individual giving. This meant the UUA laid off the equivalent to10 full-time employees. There were not staff reductions in the districts or regions.

Additional Information
1) Two of the three mid-America districts (Prairie Star, Central Midwest and Heartland) have voted to become one regional entity, MidAmerica Region (since the Board meeting the third district in the region agreed to the merger).

2) The BOT was informed of the launch this summer of a $100 million comprehensive capital campaign over the next five to seven years.

3) The BOT proposed money be added to the FY 2014 budget to hire a consultant to work with the BOT and the Administration to insure connection between the Administration’s strategy (with the budget) and Association Ends. This came after an executive session without the Administration and a lengthy discussion about remediation reports and the fact that the UUA By-laws require the BOT to approve a budget and present it to GA each year.

4) The BOT approved a letter to the New Orleans congregations in the wake of the Trustees’ time with those congregations, January, 2012. The congregations were thanked for their hospitality, and there was acknowledgment of the pain and trauma resulting from the Katrina catastrophe. The BOT expressed regret over what happened as a result of UUA decisions that added to that pain. The plenary offering at GA 2013 will be collected for the Greater New Orleans Unitarian Universalists.

5) The 2013 Award for Distinguished Service to the Cause of Unitarian Universalism will be given to the Rev. Mel Hoover.

6) The April BOT meeting was the final Boston meeting for Executive vice-President, Kay Montgomery, who is retiring at the end of June. And it was the last BOT Boston-based meeting to be presided over by Moderator Gini Courter.

My plan is to write the final Trustee Report following GA 2013. Until then thanks for reading these words.

The UUA Board of Trustees (BOT) decided a year ago to meet in Philadelphia in January for good reasons, not among the least, the area has a very strong young adult (YA) community and this is a definite plus in our faith. We were treated to an excellent dinner at First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia followed by several YA speakers highlighting their justice and community work plus an open microphone entertainment. What follows will be some of what went on at the pre-meeting and meeting (from my perspective) and other information. As always if you have questions/comments in general, please email/telephone me at jlund@uua.org or 813-931-9727. The January Board of Trustees Packet was posted before the meeting and can be found at www.uua.org through the BOT link. The UUA Governance Manual can be found at http://uua.org/aboutus/governance/policy/index.shtml. As those of you who routinely read the Trustee Report following a UUA Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting already know, the actual BOT meetings are on the Saturday and Sunday time we spend together. This time our meeting was spread over several days and although we met for a couple of hours on Sunday most of us attended First Church Philadelphia for worship. I headed home after that but about half the Trustees stayed over to participate in Martin Luther King activities on Monday.

UUA President, Rev. Peter Morales
The Board Policy Governance structure requires the administration to submit monitoring reports about how the Staff is adhering to the ENDS of our Association. Some weeks before the January meeting President Morales sent us An Incidental Report to the Board of Trustees, Monitoring UUA Policies, dated December 5, 2012. In it he wrote about the difficult and sometimes divisive process of writing the reports, and the Board’s subsequent monitoring process. In gathering the information for his report Rev. Morales asked the Staff who have researched and drafted the monitoring reports how much time they spent doing so; and to reflect independently on the value found in the process, with some other side questions. Rev. Morales’ report to us indicated “most the senior staff find the process to have very little value and resent doing them” which should concern both the Board and Staff. His findings included, “They (the staff) find doing the reports a waste of time, frustrating, demeaning and a distraction from their other work”. He also stated that it should “also concern the Board that the process clearly has contributed to a serious deterioration in the relationship between the Board and the staff”.  He recommended jointly reviewing the monitoring reports due between now and GA; and suspending all monitoring reports not essential. Also he noted that there is broad agreement that there are too many policies, suggesting we work together to make the required reports be manageable by the staff.

In twelve of the nineteen reports the Board found non-compliance citing lack of proper “Operational Definitions” and/or it could not be determined if/how the Administration’s priorities were a result of the ENDS. The Board is very interested in Administration strategy of how performance will improve. It was noted that the quality of monitoring reports has improved over the last couple of years; and that better collaboration during the process of writing may be needed. But no definite conclusions were reached except there is a small group of Trustees working on the important focus of monitoring and accountability.

Fifth Principle Task Force 2009 Report (5th PTF BG) and Related BOT Work
Friday afternoon the 5th PTF BG met for conversation with invited UU constituency groups to discuss the implications of the 2009 Report. Any action by the Board had been postponed much in part due to the focus on Justice GA last June. The group I convened was tasked with re-starting the conversation about whether the recommendation(s) of the 2009 Task Force Report should be implemented. We had written two documents, “How We Gather”, and “How We Govern” to be discussed with GA Planning Committee, Diverse and Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries (DRUUM), UU Ministers’ Association (UUMA), and the Continental UU Your Adult Network C*UUYAN). There were many interesting perspectives voiced including how important it is at GA to be able to network and get together with persons who are in the same identity group, and meeting with folks who are interested in a similar justice work or multigenerational activities/events. A cautionary note was expressed that because the Board has made changes to our governance process we might not want to move too quickly. The 5th PT?F BG will continue working on all the information we have gleaned and report at the April Board meeting.

Linkage with UUA member congregations
The Board has been involved with congregational and constituent linking for some time now. We are currently working on “Flash” linkage, a quick way to get meaningful information about values and outcomes from one of our Sources. There are seven open-ended questions to elicit information to be captured and used by the Board in our deliberation. Each question is asked alone and takes about 10 minutes of the “questioned” individual or group. The process does not replace the larger and more formal linkage. The questioner takes notes and submits information to a SurveyMonkey. Feedback is easily sorted for district/Board or regional use. The questions are:

1. What is the most important difference UUism could make?
2. What are the challenges your congregation or UU community faces, and how could a neighboring congregation help you with this?
3. If we were meeting 3 years from now, looking back, what would have happened within UUism for you to be proud of the progress made by our UUA?
4. If there was only one need, that if it could be met, could immediately assist you or your congregation or UU community, what would that be?
5. If your congregation had an extra dollar to send to our UUA, what would the Post It note say where to spend it?
6. What would be different in your congregation’s relationship to our UUA if GA registration were free for delegates?
7. Recent conversations with the UUA Board and Administration have included the phrase “covenanted communities in addition to congregations. How important is if for UUism to focus on more than our member congregations? Do you consider “covenanted communities” part of UUism? What might be some examples of “covenanted communities”?

Additional Information
Citing health reasons, Charlie King, Trustee-at-Large, resigned in December 2012. In executive session the Board selected seventeen year old youth observer Katherine Allen to serve the rest of Charlie’s term, making her the youngest Trustee to serve our Association.

Due to the Allen appointment there is no longer a youth observer position with the Board. The Board as long as I can remember has included a GA elected youth-at-large Trustee and congregational youth group elected youth observer because no one youth must be in attendance at Board meetings. The discussion included:  having two youth observers with staggered, overlapping two-year terms. The Board will continue the conversation at the April Board meeting. The Board asked Staff to select for the Board names of youth who could complete the youth observer term.

The Board voted to put bylaw amendments on the 2013 GA agenda, including:

• The creation of the MidAmerican Region to include Prairie Star, Heartland, and Central Midwest. This bylaw change will be contingent on the three districts approval at their annual meetings.
• Elections practices bylaw which would permit off-site GA delegates to vote electronically in denominational elections.
• The Southeast District brought an amendment which if it is approved will change language in a C bylaw to say that our UUA is a voluntary association of “free, self-governing local churches and fellowships which have mutually chosen to pursue common goals together.” This reintroduces language that had been removed at the 2012 GA removed.

Motions were passed which included changes to Articles V, VI VII, VIII, and IX of the Bylaws, and to Rules G-9.10 and G-9.13.10, to be put on the 2013 GA agenda, subject to review by legal counsel.  Please contact me if you wish further information about these changes.

Official minutes will be available soon and there are several articles published in the electronic UUA World which will further inform you of the Philadelphia meeting. I can be reached at jlund@uua.org and by phone 813-931-9727.

As member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, we covenant to affirm and promote our UU Principles”…number five…”The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.” Are we involved in a “democratic process” when congregation delegates and others meet together once a year at General Assembly (GA)? Do those who participate in GA as delegates come funded by their congregations with instructions of how to vote on various issues? Are they truly representative of their congregations or are they UUs who possess enough money to be able to afford the expense of GA, have the time to attend, and maybe are interested in the location of where GA is being held? In January, 2010 the BOT received the Fifth Principle Task Force Report and for several reasons, mostly centered on making certain Justice GA 2012 was a success, did not address the recommendations of the Task Force’s report. In August 2012 an ad hoc task force of the BOT, which I convene, was charged with re-opening the conversation and recommending how the BOT should move forward with the recommendations.

The Fifth Principle Task Force focused on the governance issues of GA and recommended that GA become a biennial event, held in odd years. In addition the Task Force recommended the delegate body change from passive receptors to active policy makers, giving power and the responsibility with it to the people who are the member congregations. Delegates would be elected and certified by their congregations or board and serve in an accountable relationship with geographically neighboring delegate teams and with UUA trustees. Delegate registration for the governance/business portion of the meeting would be subsidized by our UUA.

The Fifth Principle Task Force Report indicated the future of our UU faith cannot continue in a faux democracy and unaccountable representation that characterize Association governance regarding. The Task Force believes the status quo for GA is not an option. Quote from Report, “The thinking activity of the denomination has no focus now…no focusing process or mechanism”.

Next month I will write on the BOT’s work so far regarding the recommendations; our discussions, decisions and how we are proceeding. The BOT did accept the fundamental objectives of the Fifth Principle Task Force to make GA more democratic, delegates more accountable, make the assembly less expensive, less economically discriminatory, less generationally discriminatory, and more active in policy formation. The committee further recommended the number of delegates be reduced to approximately 2,000. I strongly suggest reading the Fifth Principle Task Force Report which is available on-line on our UUA web site.

Please email or telephone me if you would like to talk about the recommendations and/or any other Trustee related issue: jlund@uua.org or 813-931-9727. I wish you and your congregation a happy, blessed, and peaceful holiday season.

Boston, MA October 17- 21, 2012

This was the last Boston October meeting that I will attend as the Florida District Trustee on the UUA Board of Trustees (BOT). In January we will meet in Philadelphia; April in Boston, and June in Louisville, Ky. In June 2013, the BOT will be transitioning to an eleven member group, with all Trustees being designated “at large”, with an elected term of three years, with the possibility of being nominated for another three year term. The transition period will mean that some Trustees will be elected for less than three years. The current BOT has selected four members of the current BOT, eligible to continue for two year terms; the Nominating Committee will put forth seven candidates for the UUA Board of Trustees. What follows will be some of what went on at the pre-meeting and meeting (from my perspective) and other information. As always if you have questions/comments in general, please email/telephone me at jlund@uua.org or 813-931-9727. The April Board of Trustees Packet was posted before the meeting and can be found at www.uua.org through the BOT link. The UUA Governance Manual can be found at http://uua.org/aboutus/governance/policy/index.shtml. As those of you who routinely read the Trustee Report following a UUA Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting already know, the actual BOT meetings are on the Saturday and Sunday time we spend together.

Pre-Board Training and Information
It was my total pleasure to spend time orienting our youth BOT observer, Katherine Allen, a high school senior from Unity Church, St. Paul, Minnesota, on Tuesday afternoon and dinner together in the evening. Wednesday afternoon the BOT was involved in multicultural competency training with Crossroads Antiracism Organizing and Training, under the leadership of Joy Bailey, Director, and Robette Ann Dias, Executive Co-Director and Organizer/Trainer. Cultural competency is a community-centered process that begins with an understanding of the historical realities and an appreciation of a community’s assets in its own cultural context. It is a process that works to enhance the quality of life, create equal access to resources, and promote community partnerships that result in strategic and progressive social change.  Our time was intense and in learning that critical cultural competency is a way of viewing, the world and showing up in all aspects of life. It is being able to hold and value multiple perspectives as well as implying social change.

Also on Wednesday evening the BOT reviewed the report on the General Assembly Mission of the Association Partnership (GAMAP), the GRID and General Assembly Planning Committee (GAPC) meetings. Please access the report in the BOT packet on-line if you would like to see read about the multi-layered work of these groups. Also there is a comprehensive 2011-2012 Arizona Immigration Ministry (AZIM) Outcomes Report which details the strong partnerships with human rights groups in Arizona and the benefits of all the connections made between AZIM and Arizona UU congregations. GA service projects were strong and successful. The Tent City vigil boosted community spirit, made national news, drew attention and made a strong statement declaring the human rights abuses happening there and in Maricopa County.

The BOT voted to sunset the Accountability group with deep appreciation from both us and the GAPC.
ENDS Development Sessions and Committee meetings
These sessions and meetings were held on Thursday and Friday. For many months the BOT has been working on scenarios that address the future of our UUA. In addition we are looking at, and addressing our UU Principles as well as the Gathered Here Initiative input, as we look to the future. Through several small group iterations at this BOT meeting and then sharing with the whole, the BOT reviewed and began revision of our Association ENDS. This work is on-going

I serve on the Committee on Committees (CoC) of the BOT. Much of our present work has been devoted to preparing to put forth to the full BOT the four candidates from the current eligible BOT who would continue in two year terms on the new June, 2013 BOT. As CoC developed over the previous months the number of interested BOT members lessened and ultimately became the four needed for the transition. The four BOT members, enthusiastically elected by the BOT who will continue in June are: Donna Harrison, San Antonio, TX, Rev. Dr. Susan Ritchie, Lewis Center, OH, Rev. Sarah Stewart, Plymouth, NH, and Lew Phinney, Colorado Springs, CO.

UUA President, Rev. Peter Morales
President Morales delivered his report in written form, with a limited amount of time in BOT dialogue with him. The oversight and administration of the Congregations and Beyond initiative is being transferred to Pres. Morales’ office, providing a high profile and the ability to coordinate across the may involved staff groups. A consultant will be hired to help develop a strategic vision of communication with an emphasis on the use of social media.

A draft of a profile of UU ministry has been completed. The profile, developed in consultation with the Unitarian Universalist Minister’s Association (UUMA) and in cooperation with the Education Development Center, will be an important tool for self assessment, professional development, ministerial education and credentialing.

Several senior leaders of the United Church of Christ (UCC) participated in the 1012 Justice GA. Exploration of areas of collaboration and partnership with this faith continues and a delegation from UCC will be in Boston in November.

Fifth Principle Task Force 2009 Report and Related BOT Work  
I convened an ad hoc BOT task force whose mission was to make recommendations relative to the Report of the Fifth Principle Task Force. Our pre-BOT meeting work included consideration of how the BOT would deliberate on the recommendations and bring these recommendations to future GAs. The ad hoc task force recommended that the BOT accept the fundamental objectives of the Fifth Principle Task Force: to make GA more democratic, delegates more accountable; make GA less expensive, less economically discriminatory, less generationally discriminatory, and more active in policy formation. The ad hoc task force had two strongly articulated differences relative to when and how the proposal should be presented. Much of the Saturday morning BOT meeting was spent discussing timing and the various approaches. The ad hoc BOT task force will continue its work over the next months and the BOT has plans to sponsor a workshop and other informational gatherings at GA 2013.

Linkage with UUA member congregations
The BOT governance by policy is required to identify its moral ownership (Sources of Authority and Accountability) beyond its legal owners. At this meeting we approved a draft Source of Operational Definitions as working definitions for Policy 3.0, Global Governance Commitment. For complete definitions contact me or the official minutes of the meeting at uua.org. A summary:

1. Member congregations (MCs) are the legal owners of our Association of Congregations. They are the BOT’s most direct source of authority and accountability. In additional to legal responsibilities, the relationship between the MCs and BOT is also fiduciary and covenantal, so that religious heritage underpins this relationship. The formal link to MCs is through elected and called leadership, including delegates to GA.
2. Current and future generations of UUs includes those generations not yet living. At any time “current generations” of UUs includes 4-5 actual generations from children to seniors, including those who are isolated due to mobility or impairment. Youth and young adults may be the BOT’s most significant focus because they are the ones most likely to be at the forefront of cultural movement and technological change, offer vivid expressions of UU ideals and the quality of our beloved community, and represent how our heritage might be lived in the next generations.
3. The heritage, traditions, and ideals of UUism reminds us of our living tradition which is not sealed, grounds us in what it has meant to be a UU, and helps us to evolve that understanding for the future. In linking with this Source, elements will be selected from many voices that most instructive and articulate how our faith’s heritage, traditions and ideals speak to the question(s) at hand.
4. The vision of Beloved Community reminds and calls us to our Principles, our covenant, and our best selves. It carries with it an aspirational vision of how we would like to be together; our justice seekers and makers, stories of oppression/counter oppression as we build and live the Beloved Community.
5. The Spirit of Life, love and the holy is the most personal of the Sources and also the most universal and accessible. This Source links the BOT to what gives life—to what is greater than we are—to what is the ultimate. It comes to us through direct experience, spiritual texts and teachings of world religions, science and reason, Native American and pagan traditions, the arts and literature, and in acts of reconciliation, wholeness, and love.

Additional Information
Adult Full-time Early registration for GA 2013 in Louisville will be $330.

Covenant. BOT passed a GA 2013 Business Resolution: Covenant, Promises and UUA Bylaws, Article II. In summary instructs the BOT to appoint a study commission, subject to the time limits enumerated in bylaw Article IV to engage our member congregations in a process in which we articulate what we promise to one another in the context of Article II. The BOT is instructed to craft a charge for this commission, based on discussions to begin at GA 2013 include developing a covenant among congregations regarding promises to one another, and recommending a process for follow-up work to help develop procedures to keep us in right relationship and allow for reconciliation when those promises are broken.

That’s it UU friends!  Thanks for your support and attention.

We know it is not news to you that changes are happening within our Association and Districts. After several years of planning, Florida, Mid-South, Southeast, & Southwest Districts have begun initiating steps toward unifying our identity and working as the “UUA Southern Region.” Our four governing Boards have reduced their size, approved cost and income sharing, and authorized staff to work as a team across District boundaries. With the 2013-14 fiscal year, we will begin a new funding structure that will replace the way congregations now pay our UUA “Annual Program Fund” and District Fair Share. We will be changing from the per member assessment to a single “Ask” based on a percentage of congregational budgets (more detail on that in weeks to come).

In keeping with these changes, with this issue, we close our individual District newsletters. Our plan is to launch a Regional newsletter on October 15th. This will be sent to all who are interested, in each of our 232 congregations across our 13 states. Over the last few years, our editorial goal has been to bring news to congregational leaders about area events and resources to further their leadership and ministry. We will continue to do that in our expanded focus as well.

Other changes: We’ve reduced four administrative offices into two. The Regional Office is in Orlando, staffed by Jessica Curren. The second office is in Charlotte, NC staffed by the Rev. Glenn Johnson. In addition Kathy Charles, who lives in Houston, is our logistics expert and we have hired a company to unify our bookkeeping throughout the Region.

The UUA field staff are now referred to as “Congregational Life Consultants,” doing away with the old “District Executive” and “Program Consultant” distinctions. Connie is one of our Congregational Life Consultants. We have four staff portfolios; Faith and Leadership Development, Connie Goodbread and Jennifer Nichols, Administration and Stewardship, Rev. Susan Smith, Transitions, Rev. Kenn Hurto and Evangelism/Growth, Rev. Sue Sinnamon. Coincidentally, our colleague, Annette Marquis of the Southeast District, is moving to a new position as the “LGBTQ & Multi-cultural Ministries Program Manager” for our UUA. This change prompted a review of our staffing plan; the good news is that we have found opportunity to increase from 6.5 full-time staff to 8, beginning January 1st. This is made possible with a bit of an additional financial stretch by our UUA. We are delighted to have this additional staff to better serve our congregations. (We are now in the midst of seeking two talented people for those positions; see uua.org/careers if you are interested.)

In addition to providing direct service to our congregations as before, Kenn’s duties now include working as the “Lead Executive” for the four Boards and directing the work of our staff group, affectionally known by our nickname, the “HallelUUjah” team. Kenn is also the “go to” person for congregations in the midst of professional leadership transitions.

A brochure describing these changes will be in the mail to our congregations in the next few weeks. We are mindful that change is often disruptive. However, our goal is to make these transitions go smoothly with no disruption of support to our congregations. Of course, congregational leaders may continue to call upon Kenn and Connie as well as any of the Southern Regional staff. Please feel free to call or write if we can address any concern you may have.

It is widely known that I am a Unitarian Universalist “institutionalist”, which to me means it is important to think, listen, discuss, and be active with other UUs beyond individual congregation walls. There is so much we can be and do when we learn from other UUs and “share the load”. If your congregation does not have a Denominational Affairs Committee (DAC) or perhaps more aptly named Denominational Connections Committee (DCC), maybe it is time to take on responsibilities that might fall to other committees by establishing one.

The primary responsibility of the DAC/DCC is to provide a liaison between the congregation and both our UUA and the district. This committee would meet to discuss issues of denominational concerns and promote education on GA social justice statements in collaboration with other committees. Its job is to foster understanding of, and commitment to, what it means to be a responsible member of our UUA of Congregations. Having a thriving DAC/DCC can increase the congregation’s sense of being connected to a larger faith, even for the majority of UUs who never attend a GA or district meeting. It makes a difference to know a congregation participates in the larger structure, and that our UU values are lived within a wider context.

There are various endeavors a DAC/DCC might undertake such as selecting delegates to attend General Assembly, then after GA organize a “taking home” Sunday service to share some of what happened at our annual assembly. A DAC/DCC could publicize district and continental denominational events, lead a Sunday service or develop short educational promos for Sunday services, and organize adult education courses each year on study/action issues to be considered at GA. The DAC/DC can keep track of UUA programs and services and then write articles for the congregation newsletter. The infusion of denominational awareness in the congregation is important if as a faith we are to grow and thrive and can be the responsibility of the DAC/DCC.

I look forward to receiving your comments, questions, and concerns: jlund@uua.org or 813-380-5020. I wish the best to each of our Florida District congregations, and am available to speak at your Sunday service about our UUA.

Welcome to a “new” season in many congregations. In some of our congregations September begins with a “Water Communion” which is an expected and welcome rite. There is also something new for us at the national level. The UU College of Social Justice (UUCSJ) is an endeavor of the exciting collaboration between our Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). This new College has been a part of a UUSC strategic plan dating back approximately two years.

The UUSC, founded in 1940, is a nonsectarian organization that works to advance human rights and social justice worldwide. Partnering with grassroots organizations and advocating for changes in public police the UUSC helps people in needed areas such as organizing workers and relief in the wake of a disaster. Without writing too much about our UUA, established in 1961 as the result of a merger of the Universalist Church of America and the American Unitarian Association, let it be said our UUA helps UU congregations thrive and promote the values of Unitarian Universalism. Both institutions share the mission of becoming true allies of oppressed people, and acting as catalysts for justice.

The UUCSJ is directed by newly appointed Rev. Kathleen McTigue who will lead the organization in offering current leaders and future activists of any age a broad and effective portfolio of service-learning and justice-education experiences. There will be no funding from the operating budgets of our UUA or UUSC because the UUCSJ is being funded by designated gifts from donors. At General Assembly (GA) it was announced there has already been a $1million gift. In approximately a year the UUCSJ plans to provide programs at the congregation level the help them determine justice priorities and develop local social justice alliances and partnerships.

I venture to say all of us have been challenged to make a difference in our world. The various social justice experiences/trips the UUCSJ already has offered and/or will be offered in the future are a way to experience an opportunity for personal transformation. Recently a group of 60 UUs traveled to Haiti to assist in the continued re-build there. Another recent trip involved a group of youth/young adults who journeyed to Tuskegee, Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery to learn about the history of the civil-rights movement. They returned with reports of being overcome with emotion upon learning about Bloody Sunday, and the use of tear-gas and brutal beatings, including the death of one man, during the ultimately successful march to Montgomery.

If your congregation would like more information about the UUCSJ and/or upcoming social justice trips contact uucsj.org. If you would like to contact me please email at jlund@uua.org.  I look forward to hearing from you. May your upcoming congregational year be spiritually enriching and rewarding in all of your endeavors.

Amidst the summer excitement of gold medal winners in the Summer Olympics and the worry about violence and polarized politics, our congregations continue to minister to our people, empowering them to witness for love and justice.

Our Justice General Assembly continues as our congregations apply the lessons learned there — notably working with local partners on matters of human dignity and basic rights to food, safety, voting rights, and healthcare.

By the way, please do let us know how your congregation is taking GA home!

In a recent FLD Connections, Kenn noted changes coming to our region that, we hope, will further strengthen our congregations to serve individual members as we all work to build the world we dream about.

This newsletter is part of that change. Hereafter, the FLD Connections and MSD E-newsletter become one regular communication, linking congregations from the U.S. Virgin Islands to congregations in Mid-Tennessee and in between. Our new combined e-newsletter is titled Deeper Connections.

Our goal is to keep you apprised of resources and opportunities for congregational development. In addition congregational leaders will continue to receive information on District-focused events.

Early this fall, the Southern Region Staff team will launch a rotating blog for our Directors to introduce themselves to you and offer personal commentary on our faith, American religious trends, and matters of moral justice.

Here is your Regional Staff team:
Rev. Kenn Hurto
Regional Lead
Transitions Director
khurto@uua.org

Connie Goodbread
Faith and Leadership Development Director
cgoodbread@uua.org

Jennifer Nichols
Faith and Leadership Development Director
jnichols@uua.org

Rev. Susan Smith
Stewardship and Administration Director
ssmith@uua.org

Annette Marquis
Evangelism & Strategic Growth Director
amarquis@uua.org

Rev. Sue Sinnamon
Evangelism & Strategic Growth Director
ssinnamon@uua.org

GA has been over for a month and you have probably had ample opportunity to go on our UUA web site to read, listen, and learn about the many events, activities, workshops which are of interest to you. From my perspective and those with whom I have spoken GA was a marked success. I have written a report which will go out in the District e-news. In our on-going work looking at the long-term future of Unitarian Universalism, during the spring and through the summer the UUA Board of Trustees (BOT) has been involved in various aspects of a process called scenario planning.

The practice of scenario planning begins with the definition of a focal issue or decision. The BOT asked the question: What differences do we want to make in Unitarian Universalism, for whom and at what priority by the year 2050? The purpose of scenario planning is not to pinpoint future events but to highlight large-scale forces that push the future in different directions. It’s about making these forces visible, so that if they do happen, the planner(s) will at least recognize them. It is about helping make better decisions today. The practice of scenario planning is not difficult to describe but is can be difficult to do with skill and expertise. The “issue”: The future of our UUA. The BOT has brainstormed a long list of key factors and environmental forces that might influence the outcome of our UUA future and determined two trends: 1) more people becoming spiritual, not religious with less interest in organized religion; and 2) differences in wealth, class, and income, with an increasingly unstable economy. Each trend is assumed to either continue, or reverse, and the four different combinations then make up the four different assumptions of the BOT’s self-selected four teams.

From the trends, four teams emerged: 1) As the income gap grows and the economy becomes unstable, more people turn to religious and church life. 2) As the income gap grows, and the economy becomes unstable, people continue to leave organized religion. 3) Greater income equality stabilizes the economy, with a substantial increase in religious and church life. 4) Greater income equality stabilizes the economy, as people continue to leave organized religion. I am on this Team.

Each Team will meet three times by conference call prior to September with the end goal to write a “story” identifying trends and other issues related the assigned assumption. Youth and Young Adults will be invited to comment on the scenario work and add their own. After the scenarios are finalized and distributed to the BOT in September, they will be considered as part of our ENDS review in October.

Your Florida District Trustee realizes there may be questions and/or confusion regarding what has been described in the column. It’s a lot to digest. Because I may write further on this topic and your thoughts are important, I would like to hear from you. Thanks…and continue to enjoy our long, hot summer!