Dear Companions,

June is an exciting and easing month. Exciting as we anticipate our Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly; easing as the program year moves to a slower pace. It’s a nice balance.

Our GA is in Salt Lake City this month, June 24 – 28. This is the Association’s second time in Salt Lake, a lovely city — and, to many a Unitarian Universalist’s surprise, most welcoming to free religion. [Did you know the Angel Moroni sculpture that adorns the Mormon Tabernacle was crafted by a Boston Unitarian?]

As those of you who attended last year’s GA in Fort Lauderdale can attest, the Annual meeting is a mixture of worship and workshops, “tent revival” and business opportunity, a time for new and renewing friendship and to witness to our faith.

This year the Reverend Bill Sinkford’s term as our President comes to a close. Bill has brought many gifts to our Association in these last eight years, notably strengthening services to congregations and our public ministry.

Delegates get to elect his successor, either the Reverend Laurel Hallman [Senior Minister, 1st Unitarian Universalist Church, Dallas, Texas] or the Reverend Peter Morales [Senior Minister, Jefferson Unitarian Universalist Church, Golden, Colorado]. I hope your delegates will take a close look at these fine leaders, do your homework and choose our next President wisely.

Gini Courter, Moderator, fulfills an appointed term and is running unopposed for this important office.

By the way, your delegate credential cards should have arrived by now. Please be sure your delegates receive them and/or that your congregation has a procedure for casting its ballots absentee.

June is also the time we in the District and at our Associational level tend to worry about our congregation’s timely payment of Fair & Honor Share gifts to our larger ministry. We all know this has been a very challenging year. So, I thank all our Florida Unitarian Universalists for their steadfast commitment to ministry in these times. And thanks, too, for your continuing generous support of our larger ministries. Most of our congregations have been able to keep up with their pledges to the UUA and FLD.

If your congregation has been waiting to see how your year was going to turn out, or if you are running behind in your APF or District contributions, may I urge your payment soon. Also: if you know your congregation is going to fall short, would you please let us know with a simple email or phone call to the District Office.

At GA, I and my colleague, the Reverend Ian Evison, DE for Central Midwest, and I offer a workshop on leadership in lean times. We’ll be sharing what we’ve been hearing and learning from our congregations this year — some of which you already have learned about through our District FLD Connections e-news [check the District website “church tools” for “Unitarian Universalist Congregational Finance & Stewardship Resources”].

Meanwhile, keep faith, practice ministry, love one another. All will be well; all manner of things will be well. May your summer be full of blessing and relaxing.

With appreciation,
Rev Kenn

Uniquely Qualified
By Connie Goodbread

We find ourselves at a turning point, a pivotal moment in history.
Change is everywhere. The chant “Yes we can.” Is heard weekly, sometimes daily.
What is the role of Unitarian Universalism in this time of change?
If we look at history, Unitarian Universalism has had a large role to play in the founding and development of the United States of America.
How well do we know ourselves?
What are we uniquely qualified to be?
What are we uniquely qualified to do?
How afraid are we?
What are we afraid of?

What are we uniquely qualified for? Sue Phillips

This June Unitarian Universalism will celebrate its 48th birthday. Our roots both Universalism and Unitarianism are much older but Unitarian Universalism, as a denomination, is only 48. Happy birthday to UUs.

We are experiencing some growing pains. We all feel them. We need to make some changes. We need to set limits, build bridges and reclaim language. We need to try to live out the promise of Unitarian Universalism. Be all that we can be. We must struggle with values discernment. What are the values that we hold most dear in the core of our beings? What are the values that we share as a covenantal, not creedal, faith community? What are the values that we must uphold and fight for in the larger community? We find that we must be able to articulate our faith in a multitude of situations. Along with all of our denominational maturation we also find ourselves at a turning point in the history of the world.

Sue Phillips asks the question, “What are we uniquely qualified for?” What do our members need from Unitarian Universalism? What do congregations need? What does the larger community need? What does our country need? What does the world need? What is Unitarian Universalism uniquely qualified to do, to be?

How is Unitarian Universalism unique? Unitarian Universalism strives to build communities where faith and tolerance coexist in harmony. Is this the way of the world? While I think we could find individuals all over this planet in all kinds of faith communities who think that this coexistence in harmony is of the utmost importance – I don’t think it has been the way of the world. Tolerance moving into acceptance and love. Human beings moving in time to the music of the spheres. Making beautiful harmony. Each voice in the choir a unique tone bringing to the chorus a quality, a pitch, a sound all its own and together being so much richer and so much more than each voice is alone.

Lennon/McCartney -All you need is love…. Yes, yes all we need is love – Love of self… Love of other… Love of all…. We are standing on the side of love. I know love is more powerful than hate. Sara Dan Jones – When I breathe out, I’ll breath out love… This is not a new message. It is the burning truth at the heart of all the world’s great religions. Love of self, love of other, love of all (God/Creation). But we have a unique discipline and perspective. Inclusive, wholeness, interdependence, responsible – Unitarian Universalism.

What are we afraid of?