As the new year unfolds, the UUA continues to develop inspiring programs and resources for Unitarian Universalists, UU congregations, and communities. Informed as always by the opportunities and upheavals in our wider world, UUA staff have crafted some new programs and events and refreshed some annual traditions just for 2022, creating a through line for connection and growth as a faith community. We hope you’ll mark your calendars this winter and spring for all of the exciting opportunities we have listed below.
With you on the journey,
Rachel
Rachel Walden supports UUA Communications as senior manager for digital & marketing strategy. When she's not brainstorming content with her colleagues, you'll likely find her outside.
UUs closed out 2021 giving voice to UU values and joining the Poor People’s Campaign for a Moral March in Washington, D.C. Religious leaders including Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray joined people from across the United States to call on the Senate to take legislative action by year’s end. This video from UU World magazine shares highlights of the event.
In February, we’ll come together online for “Side With Love Sunday,” the culmination of our beloved annual “30 Days of Love,” which begins on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January. The service will get us singing and inspired with moving testimonies from a range of UU leaders, including Rev. Ali KC Bell, Side With Love’s minister in residence for “30 Days of Love.”
What does interdependence ask of us, as individuals and as faith communities? This question is at the heart of a full-length video worship service offered by the UUA’s WorshipWeb in late March. “Woven in a Single Garment of Destiny” features UUA President Susan Frederick-Gray preaching, with music and contributions from other UU leaders.
The 2022 Common Read offers opportunities to explore personal connections to criminalization and public safety in America. Defund Fear: Safety without Policing, Prisons, and Punishment by Zach Norris confronts issues that will raise core theological questions for UUs. Discussion guides, video materials, and more are coming in April.
Unitarian Universalists aged 14 and up will deepen their connections across generations and grow their skills to take action for climate justice at the Intergenerational Spring Seminar in April. This year’s theme is “Displacement and Human Rights: All In for Climate Justice,” and will include both virtual and in-person gatherings. Registration opens January 18.
ICYMI: Many of our Facebook followers resonated with President Susan Frederick-Gray's Hanukkah message we shared last November. It included this line, which continues to sustain us in the new year, too: "Faith is what calls us to move forward, in love and hope, even when we can't know how it will all turn out."