UU Church of Utica, Utica, NY

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Elaine McArdle

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🎭 If Unitarian Universalists had a Broadway musical, what would it be called?

Drop your most creative (or funniest!) title ideas in the comments ⬇️

#UU #UnitarianUniversalist #Broadway #Theater #QuestionOfTheWeek



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“Love, compassion, and the caring customs of our ministries–our faith tradition–compel us to be firm in defending our neighbors, the vulnerable, the harmed, and the oppressed....”
“Therefore, we invite Congress... to come back to legislating with real solutions, a viable deal that protects women, children, families, and defends those being othered or scapegoated.”
-- UUSJ Executive Director Pablo DeJesús

Read Full Statement Here:
https://bit.ly/Shutdown-Oct2025

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In-person and online trainings are available, and registration is open to the public.

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Impassioned is now available as an audiobook! Get your copy today from Libro.fm, Audible, or any other major audio platforms. And you can often request that your local library purchase a copy too!

Done well, preaching engages mind and heart, soul and body. Passionate preaching offers more than discussion about topics held at a distance; it claims a stake in them. This is especially true right now, as progressive preachers must address today’s social issues with power and conviction. But how does a preacher ensure the congregation not only receives but also feels the message?

In Impassioned, minister and professor Lucas Hergert provides practical and detailed advice on how to craft and deliver passionate sermons, including changing the way one selects topics, structuring the sermon, understanding the centrality of emotion, and attending to embodiment and delivery. Hergert draws on resources that are religious and secular, artistic and dramatic, psychological and philosophical, to offer a range of techniques and inspiration to help each preacher find their path forward.

And while Impassioned will be a powerful resource for working clergy, busy seminary students, and interested lay leaders, it also provides seasoned preachers with a different angle on the craft. Rethinking the sermon in this way will help preachers offer a heartfelt word as they work to create change in the lives of their community members and their broader social context.

Hergert shows exactly how progressives can—and why they should—preach with feeling and force.

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✨ A trail blazed by faith.

In the late 1800s, a group of bold Unitarian women known as the Iowa Sisterhood stepped into pulpits across the Great Plains—defying sexism, challenging injustice, and reshaping religious leadership.

Though opposed at nearly every turn, their ministry helped build new congregations, advanced social reform, and inspired generations of leaders who followed.

As we honor 200 years since the founding of the American Unitarian Association, we remember their courage and commitment—and the legacy they leave for us today.

Read the full story on UU World: https://www.uuworld.org/articles/iowa-sisterhood-history-leadership-aua-200-anniversary

#UnitarianUniversalist #UUHistory #AUA200 #FaithInAction #UU


Discover the legacy of this small group of Unitarian ministers around 150 years since they boldly spread the gospel of their liberal faith.

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As Yom Kippur begins, we hold our Jewish siblings and neighbors in care. This holiest day of the Jewish year calls us to reflection, repentance, and renewal.

May we all find deeper honesty—with ourselves, one another, and the world we long to heal. To those who observe: may your fast be meaningful, your prayers heard, and your new year filled with compassion and peace.

G’mar Chatimah Tovah. ✡️🌿

#UU #UnitarianUniversalist #YomKippur



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Sue Oshiro-Zeier

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🌈 “My Rainbow” by DeShanna Neal, Trinity Neal, and illustrator Art Twink is a radiant celebration of trans joy and love. This beautiful story was part of the very first Woodlands gathering earlier this month.

📖 Watch the My Rainbow read-along here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-QloYbMBr8

The Woodlands is a new monthly online gathering from the UUA for trans people of all ages and their families, offering virtual pastoral care and community.

✨ The next Woodlands gathering will be Sunday, October 5, 2025 (4 PM ET | 3 PM CT | 2 PM MT | 1 PM PT). Facilitator Shiloh Hoffman will guide a conversation on belonging—how we honor the sacredness of each person and create community through kindness and authenticity.

🔗 Find details and register to join: https://www.uua.org/lgbtq/thewoodlands


The Woodlands is a monthly online gathering designed for trans/nonbinary children, youth, and adults—as well as the parents and caregivers of trans people.

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"I am dreaming the biggest disabled dream of my life—dreaming not just of a revolutionary movement in which we are not abandoned but of a movement in which we lead the way."

In the book "Care Work: Dreaming Disability Justice," Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha reminds us that disability justice is not something added on—it is the foundation for liberated futures. Disabled leadership and lived experience bring the survival strategies, creativity, and care practices we need to transform our communities.

When we center that brilliance, we move toward a world where no one is left behind and where we co-create a decolonial living future together.

#DisabilityJustice #CareWork #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs #UU #UnitarianUniversalis



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Sofía Betancourt

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Kristen Cox Roby

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Central East Region of the UUA

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Central East Region of the UUA

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Some days, hope feels far away.

Sean Parker Dennison reminds us that we don’t have to face or fix the world alone. Hope is found when we gather in community: in songs and silence, in blessing and mourning, in acts of kindness and generosity.

What begins in those shared moments becomes something larger: a hope that endures. It grows stronger every time we choose connection over isolation, every time we remember we belong to one another.

Read the full reflection: https://www.uua.org/braverwiser/keeping-our-connections-strong

#UU #UnitarianUniversalist #Hope #Community #FaithInAction



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What does it mean to live in “visceral solidarity”? Samara Powers reminds us that privilege is not protection—we’re only as safe as our beloveds. 🌿 Find the full reflection and invitation to solidarity on Braver/Wiser.

#Solidarity #FaithInAction #UU #UnitarianUniversalist


We're only as safe as the people we’re willing to protect.

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As people of faith, we know that democracy is not about domination, it’s about covenant: how we live together, honor each other’s dignity, and shape a shared future. 🖌️ [paintbrush]

Check out our latest update from UU the Vote for resources, trainings, and upcoming events to build a democracy where all can thrive.

Read the full update: https://bit.ly/42AcAfk
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Image description: Black highlighted text on a light gray background, decorated with doodles of stars, a microphone, and a paper airplane. As people of faith, we know that democracy is not about domination, it's about covenant: how we live together, honor each other's dignity, and shape a shared future. UU the Vote.

#Democracy #UUTheVote #SideWithLove #ProgressiveFaith

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Unitarian Universalists are helping lead the fight to keep church and state separate in our public schools. 🏫⚖️

In recent lawsuits across Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas, UUs and interfaith partners have successfully challenged laws requiring classrooms to display the Ten Commandments—courts so far agree these laws violate the First Amendment. But the fight is not over, and the issue may yet reach the Supreme Court.

Read more in UU World: https://www.uuworld.org/articles/ten-commandments-public-schools-lawsuits-unitarian-universalists

#UnitarianUniversalist #FaithInAction #ChurchStateSeparation #UU


Federal judges cite the First Amendment, but the issue is far from settled.

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Each year, leaders in our congregations faithfully fill out an extensive questionnaire detailing the varied metrics we track in our lives together. From worship attendance to membership growth, religious education engagement to budget numbers, the data has some interesting stories to tell. Join us for this webinar on Oct 21 at 7 PM with UUA staff from across several departments as we offer our reflections on what the certification process has to tell us.

Register at:


Each year, leaders in our congregations faithfully fill out an extensive questionnaire detailing the varied metrics we track in our lives together. From worship attendance to membership growth, religious education enrollment to budget numbers, join UUA staff from across several departments to hear t...

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Elaine McArdle

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We grieve with our siblings in Dallas. May our shared sorrow move us toward love, peace, and justice.


Once again we gather in the shadow of gun violence, this time painfully close to home. A shooting this morning at a Dallas ICE facility has left multiple people injured and dead. Our hearts are heavy, and we hold those who lost loved ones in our prayers.

As Unitarian Universalists, we know we are part of an interdependent web of existence. Any life cut short by violence is a tragedy. We name our sorrow, and we name our exhaustion—exhaustion with violent rhetoric and violent acts that hurt families and communities.

The facts deepen our sorrow. Nearly half of Texas households own firearms. In 2023 there were 4,561 gun deaths in our state; in 2022 there were 4,630, ranking Texas first in the nation for the total number of gun deaths that year. Gun ownership alone is not the issue. But these numbers reveal how serious the danger becomes when a culture flooded with divisiveness, violent speech, and relentless political conflict amplifies the risks on every side.

Our faith calls us to more than despair. We affirm the inherent worth and dignity of every person and the goal of peace and justice. We believe that our city deserves better. We will mourn together, meet with city and police officials, and continue to advocate for laws that address the rampant shootings that plague our city, state and country.

May we let grief move us to love, and love move us to action.

- Revs. Daniel, Beth, and T. J.
First Unitarian Church of Dallas

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Faithify is one of the ways we show up for each other as Unitarian Universalists. It’s not just about raising money—it’s about sharing our dreams, learning together, and reminding one another that we don’t build the future alone.

Every campaign is a story of community care—sometimes of reaching big goals, sometimes of trying again, always of generosity.

Take a moment to see what UUs are creating and supporting at https://www.faithify.org/

You may find a project that speaks to your heart. 💛

#UnitarianUniversalist #Faithify #Community #Generosity #UU


We're helping Unitarian Universalist congregations, organizations, and individuals around the world to accomplish their fundraising goals.

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Kimi Floyd Reisch

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🌈 Today is Celebrate Bisexuality Day 🌈

In their blog post “The First Rule of Bi Club,” Rev. Dr. Kimi Floyd Reisch reflects on the resilience, humor, and abundance of bi+ lives: “You say I’m confused? Please. I know exactly who I am… I’m bi today, bi tomorrow, bi forever.”

Bisexual people are the majority of the LGBTQ community, yet too often erased or misunderstood. That’s why it matters to name and celebrate bi+ lives out loud. To our bi+ community: who you are is real, powerful, and worthy of celebration—today and every day.

💜Read the full blog post here: https://www.uua.org/lgbtq/blog/first-rule-bi-club

#BiVisibilityDay #UnitarianUniversalist #BiPride



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We do not need to repeat the basic truth that Trans people exist, holy and whole, in this world. We are called instead to proclaim that we have your backs, and you are not in this alone. Our Transgender, Intersex, and Nonbinary beloveds – my family and yours – are not only real, but sacred, deeply beloved and deserving of celebration, safety, and belonging. I send love upon love to the interconnected family that we are for one another, knowing that the power of community is lifesaving in these authoritarian times. We are real. We are here. We are united, in all the ways we can be. And we remain committed to the struggle ahead and the future we will make together.

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As the sun sets this evening, Jewish communities around the world welcome Rosh Hashanah—the beginning of the new year.

It is a season for reflection amid the sweetness of life. This year, we recognize the weight of grief in our world alongside the hope for renewal that the holiday brings.

May this Rosh Hashanah be a time of compassion, courage, and peace.
Shanah Tovah. 🍎🍯🌿

#RoshHashanah #ShanahTovah #UU #UnitarianUniversalist



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On October 18, we rise. Not to defend broken systems, but to defend each other.

The UUA is an official partner of the #NoKings National Day of Mobilization on Saturday, October 18. Building on the momentum from the first No Kings protests in June, we are mobilizing for another mass day of resistance, resilience, and action. 👑 ❌ [crown and red X]

Because our communities deserve more than fear, silence, and billion-dollar bailouts for the powerful.

We deserve safety.
We deserve dignity.
We deserve to be heard.

Find your local #NoKings event here: https://bit.ly/42C4GSI

Interested in hosting a local #NoKings event with your UU congregation? Register your event here to receive training and resources: https://bit.ly/4mrnITc

Image description: Flyer with a white crumpled paper background, bold handwritten black text, and a crown with a red "X" through it. NO KINGS. POWER BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE. JOIN THE MOVEMENT. SATURDAY, OCT 18.

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Elaine McArdle

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🍂✨ Blessed Mabon ✨🍂

Mabon marks the autumn equinox—when light and dark stand in balance. For many who celebrate, it is a time to honor the harvest, give thanks, and prepare for the turning of the seasons.

May this season bring peace, abundance, and renewal to all who observe.

#Mabon #AutumnEquinox #UU #UnitarianUniversalist



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🌊 Our faith moves like waves—bending, shifting, and finding new paths through change. That’s the spirit behind Meet the Moment Wave Cohorts.

Wave Cohort are groups that bring UUs together to imagine how our communities can adapt, amplify our impact, and find faithful ways to move forward in times of change. Some cohorts focus on identity groups—like youth, queer & trans folks, or BIPOC communities. Others explore themes that shape congregational life—like worship, stewardship, and governance.

By joining, you’ll connect with others who share your passion, build skills for this moment, and help shape the future of Unitarian Universalism.

Wave Cohorts are happening now—be part of what comes next!

🔗 Learn more: https://www.uua.org/congregations/meet-moment/wave-cohorts
🔗 Join a cohort: https://www.uua.org/congregations/meet-the-moment/wave-cohorts/fall-2025

#UnitarianUniversalist #FaithInAction #MeetTheMoment



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In the wake of Jimmy Kimmel’s show being indefinitely suspended, UU World Executive Editor Kristen Cox Roby responds with this message: Freedom of speech is not optional.

This “dangerous new low for freedom of expression,” writes Roby, is something we feel called to oppose as Unitarian Universalists who believe in “the right to speak our conscience freely.”

Amid these acts of censorship, UU World pledges to continue providing independent, high-quality journalism rooted in UU values.

Read the full editorial at https://www.uuworld.org/articles/first-amedment-jimmy-kimmel-unitarian-universalism



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Even in times of despair, there is a “we” committed to thriving, justice, and care. We’re grateful for these words from Aisha Hauser, calling us to hold one another and keep hope alive.


Dear Friends,

We, people who believe in affirming the thriving of all, are called to live the world we dream about, now. Yes, there is chaos, pain, destruction, and the unsettling reality that the people in charge of national politics do not care about who thrives or dies.

And yet….

We, people who believe in affirming the thriving of all, are here. And it is incumbent upon us to hold each other, remind each other of love and care and liberation. We are invited to find connections, whether it be online or in person.

We, people who believe in affirming the thriving of all, want a kind, equitable world where no one is forgotten or thrown away.

I am intentional about naming who the “we” is because I want to be clear that there are those of us who are working to dismantle systems of oppression that are intent on causing harm.

I am a proud Unitarian Universalist who centers love, liberation, community connection and care.

The “we” I want to be a part of includes people who want a better world. That better world is already here.

When we check on our neighbors and friends. When we remember to center love and hold each other metaphorically and at times literally, we are living the better world we want for everyone.

In the midst of fear, pain and disappointment I work to avoid falling into despair.

Despair is disempowering and often it keeps us from moving forward.

There are times when I have cried over the state of the world. I have cried about the genocides in Gaza, Sudan, The Democratic Republic of the Congo and the list goes on.

And then when I stop crying, I look for the hope, the helpers, the love.

These past two weeks, globally, there have been uprisings in Indonesia and Nepal. There is the Global Sumud Flotilla, which is a group of boats with civilians representing almost 50 countries who are going to Gaza with the intention to bring humanitarian aid to the millions of intentionally starved Palestinians.

There are more people in this world who want peace, liberation and community care than who don’t want those things.

Let us look for each other and hold each other as we weather the storms of oppression. To quote the song “Woyaya” by Ghanaian Afro-rock band Osibisa, “We will get there, heaven knows how we will get there, we know we will. And the road will be muddy and rough, But we’ll get there.”

In Faith,
Aisha Hauser, MSW, CRE-ML
Lead Ministry Team

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Kristen Cox Roby

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What happens when faith formation is not just a program for children and youth, but a practice woven into the life of the whole congregation?

UU World explores the whole church model of religious education—an approach that brings every generation into shared spaces of justice, spirituality, and learning. By connecting across ages, congregations deepen relationships and strengthen their capacity to live UU values in community.

Read the article: https://www.uuworld.org/articles/whole-church-re-model-unitarian-universalism

#UU #UnitarianUniversalist #FaithFormation #ReligiousEducation


The faith formation model centers justice, ethics, and spirituality as lifelong, collective practices.

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Clint Nicely

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The beginning of a new church year is a threshold moment—an in-between space where we honor what has been and look toward what is still possible.

✨ What do you hope we leave behind, and what do you hope we carry forward into this new season of faith? ✨

Share your reflections in the comments. 💛

#UU #UnitarianUniversalist #Faith #Church



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💬 “Unitarian Universalists are neither a chosen people nor a people whose choices are made for them by theological authorities—ancient or otherwise. We are a people who choose.” — Forrest Church, “A Chosen Faith: An Introduction to Unitarian Universalism.”

Unitarian Universalism is a tradition shaped not by dogma, but by the choices we make—again and again—for love, justice, and community.

Thank you to the Unitarian Fellowship of Houston for lifting up this reminder of what grounds us as UUs: the freedom and responsibility to choose our faith, our commitments, and our actions.

#UU #UnitarianUniversalist #Faith



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🎶 Did you know that there are now 58 *new* hymns in Sing Out Love? (Our hymnal also includes a couple hundred familiar hymns; more are being added every day!)

🎵 Our team enjoyed hosting more than 650 people during our guided tours, and we've just posted a video on our page: www.UUA.org/singoutlove ! Please use our guided tour to get acquainted with all of the hymnal's bells and whistles.

alt text: a page from Sing Out Love's new hymn list, showing seven songs. Each hymn is listed by title and composer. The left side contains a column of indigo buttons that say "Explore," and next to each button is an image of sheet music. 🎶🎵

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Ethan Loewi

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Central East Region of the UUA

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Beloveds, we offer the following message of spiritual sustenance to our faith community in a painful moment. As Unitarian Universalists, we are called to care for one another. Returning to a new congregational year, we are reminded that we are always in the process of reconstituting beloved community. When political violence becomes tragically normalized, those who work for justice must contend with very real and escalating risks. Each of us has a role to play in protecting our democracy—in our congregations, in our neighborhoods, and in our shared movements for justice.

We navigate this time together recognizing that we are truly bound together in a web of mutuality. Our individual actions, those made in love and those made in fear, anger, or despair, have consequences for us all. This is a time for loving and rigorous discipline in our words and actions; a time for strategic courage, and courageous strategy. We must work in deep partnership, choose how we spend our energy with attention and intention, and stay unwaveringly focused on our long-term goals for liberation.

Let us commit to building conditions where love, safety, and justice can flourish. Let us hold one another accountable with compassion and recommit to all that our values call us to be: steadfast in love, courageous in care, and unwavering in the work of justice.

UUA Executive Officers
Rev. Dr. Sofia Betancourt, President
Carey McDonald, Executive Vice President
Rev. Ashley Horan, Vice President for Programs
Dave Valentine, Vice President for Finance and Investments



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Kimberly Quinn Johnson 

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Bill Young

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Together with people of faith across the country, we are lifting up the dangerous potential of a proposed change to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

This change would allow politically appointed officials within the Department of Education to impose penalties on certain organizations without going through the established legal system.

The proposal could be used to target organizations engaged in immigration advocacy, gender and health rights, racial and social justice, and civil disobedience.

What may look like a narrow technical change to student loan forgiveness is, in fact, a troubling attack on nonprofit independence.

The UUA will be submitting our own comments soon. The public comment period closes next Wednesday, September 17. We strongly urge you to submit a comment opposing this harmful rule. Guidance from the nationwide Council of Nonprofits is linked below:


The Department of Education proposed a new rule on August 18 to unlawfully limit which charitable nonprofits qualify as eligible employers under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program (PSLF).

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Our faithful commitment to collective liberation calls us to bold, transformative climate actions. 🌱 [seedling]

UUA President Sofía’s UU Climate Justice Working Group is working to identify where our faith calls us to lead, beyond narrow goals to achieve "net zero" and toward the transformation we need for equitable decarbonization, community resilience, and a just transition from fossil fuels to a clean energy future.

We hope you'll join UUA Senior Investment Officer Mathew Jensen and UUA Climate Justice Strategist Rachel Myslivy next Wednesday, September 17 at 7pm ET for a conversation about UUA Strategies to Advance Climate Justice.

Together we'll learn about the UU Climate Justice Working Group's Draft Commitments for Culture and Resources. All are welcome!

Register here: https://bit.ly/461rkoq

Image description: A light blue ombre watercolor background with blue and black text and green and blue branches in the bottom corners. In the center is a whale with an earth and greenery on its back. The earth is holding houses, trees, wind turbines, and butterflies flying around tiny clusters of text with the chemical formulas for oxygen, O2, and water, H2O. UUA Strategies to Advance Climate Justice. Wednesday, September 17, 1pm HT, 3pm AKT, 4pm PT, 5pm MT, 6pm CT, 7pm ET.
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#CreateClimateJustice #GreenSanctuary #ClimateAction #UU #LoveAtTheCenter

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As the weight of violence presses more heavily on our world, many of us are carrying grief, outrage, and weariness. In times like this, it helps to remember these words from our Side with Love Organizing Strategy Team:

🌅 Our faith does not retreat. It rises. 🌅

Unitarian Universalism is a living tradition shaped by generations of prophets and activists—rooted in covenant, grounded in love, and committed to giving life the shape of justice.

Affirming the worth and dignity of every person is more than a slogan—it is a mandate we live every day. In the face of suffering and oppression, our faith responds with courage and compassion.

We move forward together, guided by fierce love and unwavering hope.

Find strength, resources, and faithful ways to respond through Side With Love’s Action Center: https://sidewithlove.org/actioncenter

#UU #UnitarianUniversalist #FaithInAction #Justice #LoveAtTheCenter



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In a new UU World article, Cathy Seggel reminds us that Unitarian Universalist religious education is a lifelong practice—not just for children, but for all of us. 🌟 It shapes our values, nurtures community, and strengthens us to live with love and justice in challenging times. ✨💛

🔥💡 As we reflect on the power of learning across a lifetime, we invite you to consider: How has being part of UU learning across the years given you strength or hope?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Read the article here: https://www.uuworld.org/articles/religious-education-faith-engagement-unitarian-universalism

#UnitarianUniversalist #FaithFormation #RE #UU #LifelongLearning







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After a weekend of powerful resistance to authoritarianism in both Chicago and Washington DC, I find power in the truth that faithful dissent is a core component of our theological inheritance.

Our faith today arises from a proud lineage of dissenting churches that is hundreds of years old, a tradition of faithful people who grounded their religious living in the question of how best to be of service to one another, committed to holding our values collectively in community.

In these times, when resistance takes many forms, the ways in which we live our values in the public square ensure that the dissenting church lives on.

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Samara Powers

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William Ellery Channing

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Cathy Seggel

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In Chicago this past weekend, Unitarian Universalists joined thousands of people who showed up in the streets to protest ICE expansion and the planned deployment of National Guard troops.

The words of Kiakiali Bordner remind us that disruption itself can be holy. Resistance, too, is an act of faith—bringing our whole selves, refusing harmful cultures, seeking wholeness and justice. This is sacred work.

Read the full poem, “Holy Discomfort and Holy Disruption”: https://www.uua.org/worship/words/poetry/holy-discomfort-and-holy-disruption

#UU #UnitarianUniversalist #FaithInAction #Justice #Chicago



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📣 In times when democracy feels fragile, Unitarian Universalists are called to be grounded, resilient, and responsible.

Side With Love has created a living Democracy Toolkit—a ready-to-use resource with checklists on spiritual care, safety, partnerships, and more. It’s designed to help UUs stay effective, faithful, and safe in the work of justice.

📰 Read more about the purpose and grounding of this work in UU World: https://www.uuworld.org/articles/side-with-love-democracy-toolkit-resources-unitarian-universalists

📂 Explore the full toolkit and action updates here: https://sidewithlove.org/actioncenter

Together, we can meet the challenges of our time with courage, clarity, and love. 💛

#UU #UnitarianUniversalist #Democracy #SideWithLove


The online kit, designed for ready reference, has checklists on key topics, including spiritual care, security, forming partnerships, and social media.

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Elaine McArdle

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Elaine McArdle

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Aisha K. Staggers

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We are living through a period of rapidly escalating criminalization and repression. 🚨 [police car light]

As people of faith committed to equity, dignity, and the common good, we refuse to remain silent. Read our latest decriminalization update for helpful analysis, resources, and ways that you can take action with your communities.

Together, we can resist repression and nurture a democracy rooted in justice and love. 🦋 [butterfly]

Read the full update here: https://bit.ly/4p7tc7R

Image description: A black background with the Side With Love logo and yellow and red text. As people of faith committed to equity, dignity, & the common good, we refuse to remain silent. We will continue to resist state overreach and organize for justice. Together, we can resist repression and nurture a democracy rooted in justice & love.
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#Decriminalization #ImmigrantJustice #CommunityOrganizing #ProgressiveFaith

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On September 6, UUs in DC took action for freedom, democracy, and safety that comes from community, not occupation. This is faith in action—living our values by showing up for justice and care.

#FreeDC #UU #Faith #justice





















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There are days when sorrow is the only language we have. It rises up, unrelenting, refusing to let us numb ourselves to the grief of this world. It cries out from within: we are made for so much better than this.

In “a prayer for the days there is only sadness,” m jade kaiser names what it feels like to live with that ache—for loved ones, for strangers, for all caught in impossible circumstances. This prayer doesn’t solve the sorrow. It honors it as truth.

Read the full prayer on enfleshed at the link in our bio.

#uu #unitarianuniversalist #faith #sorrow #hope
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On Monday, September 8, Side With Love is offering The Gathering—our monthly event to strengthen your spirit, make sense of the threats to democracy, and take meaningful action alongside others. 🌊 [wave]

Join us as we kick off the church year with a conversation about Solidarity with Side With Love’s Nicole Pressley and Deepa Iyer, author of this year’s UUA Common Read, Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection. 🌱 [seedling]

Every Gathering starts and ends with powerful spiritual practice. This month we're looking forward to live music from Parker Woodland! Parker Woodland is an energetic indie rock trio led by justice activist, Director of the Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry, and singer/bassist Rev. Erin Walter, with Andrew Solin (Nogood Boyo, Belcurve) and Keri Cinquina (Meg Hentges, Butch County). Parker Woodland’s music asks one question: What if you lived your life like you truly mean it? 🎤🔥 [microphone and fire]

Join us live or watch the recording later! Register now: https://bit.ly/3HpXq5j

Image description: A black background with white and yellow handwritten and typed text above cropped photos of Parker Woodland and Deepa Iyer, who is standing with Nicole Pressley, in circle frames. The Gathering. Music: Parker Woodland. Speaker: Deepa Iyer. Monday, Sept. 8 at 8 ET, 7 CT, 6 MT, 5 PT, 4 AKT, 2 HT on Zoom. “Gathering” is underlined in yellow, with yellow hand-drawn rays above it.
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#SideWithLove #FaithInAction #TheGathering #Solidarity #UU

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Heading back to school this fall doesn’t just mean new classes. For many young people, it also means returning to campuses where justice, democracy, and identity are being tested.

The UUA’s inSpirit Bookstore has gathered books that address these challenges—resources for courage, creativity, and collective action. They’re reminders that learning and activism belong together.

Find the full list on the In Good Faith blog: https://www.uua.org/pressroom/ingoodfaith/back-school-bookstore

#UU #UnitarianUniversalist #BackToSchool #Justice


College-aged and high school students who are returning to school over the next few weeks are coming back to campuses that have been radically altered b...

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🌱 If you could plant one seed in our UU faith for the next generation, what would it be?

A seed could be a value, a practice, a story, or something entirely new. What would you want to grow and flourish for those who come after us?

💬 Share your answer in the comments below—we’d love to know what you’d plant!

#UU #UnitarianUniversalist #Reflection #Faith



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Elaine McArdle

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Rev. Egbert Ethelred Brown, who founded the Harlem Unitarian Church in 1920, chose the Unitarian tradition because “no other church grants its minister the freedom to be absolutely loyal to Truth but the Unitarian Church.” For him, ministry meant honesty and freedom to share new insights as they came.

As we mark 200 years since the founding of the American Unitarian Association, Brown’s words still remind us that a free pulpit in a free church is a legacy worth protecting.

Read more: https://www.uuworld.org/articles/egbert-ethelred-brown-why-unitarian-minister-aua-200-anniversary

**Edited to add: We want to thank faithful UU's and colleagues who lifted up that this quote elides the fact that Rev. Egbert Ethelred Brown's ministry is not just a source of inspiration for our theology, but a sharply drawn example of supremacy systems at work in our faith tradition. If Rev. Brown was faithful to Unitarianism, Unitarianism was certainly not always faithful to him. We want to invite everyone to read not only the quote, but the underlying text, which is a much longer excerpt of Rev. Brown's writing, paired with a contextual introduction from Rev. Dr. Mark Morrison-Reed. It is linked in the original post. We will provide an extended quote from that introduction below, but the fullest expression of this challenging story and institutional failure can be found in Rev. Dr. Morrison-Reed's essential book, "Black Pioneers in a White Denomination," currently in it's third edition with Skinner House books: https://uuabookstore.org/products/black-pioneers-in-a-white-denomination

Here is an excerpt from Rev. Dr. Morrison-Reed's introduction and contextualization: "In 1912, after two years of preparation at Meadville Theological School [Rev. Brown] returned to Jamaica, but when the American Unitarian Association withdrew support for the mission he began anew in New York during the Harlem Renaissance... In Harlem he served as chair of the Jamaican Benevolent Association, president of the Jamaican Progressive League and vice president of the Federation of Jamaican Organizations. Notwithstanding, his relationship to the AUA was contentious from the beginning. AUA officials discouraged him from attending Meadville, then in 1929 withdrew his fellowship, refusing to reinstate it in 1931 when petitioned by a group, only to reverse course in 1935 under threat of a lawsuit."

#AUA200 #UU #UnitarianUniversalist



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Audrey McCann

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“Gone but not forgotten are the Good Samaritans who found us sitting on the curbs and cared for our overwhelmed souls.”
— New Orleans native Fatima Shaik on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

On the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we remember the lives lost and the communities forever changed.

Even in the midst of devastation, acts of compassion and solidarity shone through—neighbors, volunteers, and strangers offering care when it was needed most. May this anniversary remind us of the urgent work of creating communities where such care is never absent.

#Katrina20 #UU #UnitarianUniversalist



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Central East Region of the UUA

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The UUA has joined an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Colorado’s ban on the harmful and discredited practice of conversion therapy for minors. Conversion therapy is abuse—not care.

Our faith compels us to affirm the worth and dignity of all people. We want LGBTQ+ youth to know: you are whole, and you are loved—just as you are.

Read more: https://www.uuworld.org/articles/colorado-ban-conversion-therapy-supreme-court-unitarian-universalism

#LGBTQIA+ #UnitarianUniversalist #UU #EndConversionTherapy



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Elaine McArdle

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Elaine McArdle

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The UUA joins in grief and solidarity with Annunciation Catholic Church and the entire Minneapolis community after today’s horrific school shooting.

As the Rev. Jen Crow of First Universalist Church of Minneapolis reminds us: “Our job right now is to make our Sunday prayers real. To show up for our community and ourselves and each other, showing through our actions that you are not alone, we are holding it together.”

We mourn the lives lost and hold the injured and grieving in our hearts. Read Rev. Crow’s full message here: http://bit.ly/3HSmYYS

#GunViolenceMustEnd #UU #Minneapolis



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The UUA has joined Churches for Middle East Peace and other faith partners in calling for Israel to halt its planned military offensive in Gaza City. With famine already declared, any further assault will deepen unimaginable suffering and death. We urge all governments to press for an immediate ceasefire and full humanitarian access.

Read the joint statement here: https://cmep.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Joint-Statement_-The-Latest-Planned-Israeli-Military-Offensive-in-Gaza-City-Must-Be-Halted.pdf

#CeasefireNow #Gaza #HumanRights #UU #UnitarianUniversalist #peace



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🌟 “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” – Bryan Stevenson

We all carry mistakes, but none of them erase our worth. Every person holds the possibility of change, healing, and love. The work of our faith is to remember this truth, again and again—extending it to ourselves when we falter, and to one another when the world is harsh.

May we live this truth together, creating a world grounded in compassion and justice. 💛

#UnitarianUniversalist #UU #Faith #Compassion #LoveAtTheCenter



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Today is Women’s Equality Day, marking the anniversary of the 19th Amendment and the struggle for women’s right to vote.

We celebrate this milestone while remembering that the fight for gender equity continues—for all women and gender-expansive people.

#WomensEqualityDay #UnitarianUniversalist #UU







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Jeff Milchen

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Jasmine Vaughn-Hall

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🌲✨ The UUA is excited to launch The Woodlands—a new all-ages virtual pastoral care program for trans people and their families, beginning this fall.

This pilot program offers monthly online gatherings for grounding, community, and care. Breakout rooms will create space for trans children and youth, trans adults, and parents/caregivers of trans people—each co-facilitated by chaplains. Together, we’ll hold space for grief, joy, and the fullness of our lives.

📅 Our first gathering: Sunday, September 7, 2025
🕓 4 PM ET | 3 PM CT | 2 PM MT | 1 PM PT

Sessions continue the first Sunday of every month through May 2026. We hope The Woodlands will be a place of grace, growth, and meaningful connection.

👉 Register here: https://uua.wufoo.com/forms/qg4n6y51ssh46e/

#TransCommunity #UU #CommunityCare #UnitarianUniversalist #WeBelong #TransJoyIsSacred



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Sex education in the United States has long been caught in cycles of cultural amnesia—where lessons learned are forgotten, only to be fought for again.

In this two-part Q&A from Beacon Press, historian and advocate Margaret Grace Myers explores how the struggle for comprehensive, evidence-based sex ed is bound up with questions of morality, gender equality, and reproductive justice.

📖 Read part 2 below, and don’t miss part 1 here: https://www.beaconbroadside.com/broadside/2025/08/cultural-amnesia-sex-ed-history-1.html

For UU resources on comprehensive, values-based sex education, see Our Whole Lives (OWL): https://www.uua.org/lifespan/re/owl

OWL carries forward this long fight for inclusive, fact-based sex ed grounded in respect, responsibility, and justice.


A Q&A with Margaret Grace Myers | Sex ed, from the very beginning, has always had to push back against this idea that it was teaching “just the facts.” This was one of the things that early critics, along with contemporary critics, were extremely concerned about—that students were being taught...

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As a new congregational year begins, we gather in challenging times—yet our faith calls us back, again and again, to love.

In this Ingathering message, UUA President Rev. Sofía Betancourt, PhD and Unitarian Universalist leaders share reflections on how we can center love, build authentic community, and live into our shared values together.

💛 Watch the video and join us in asking: What is love calling us to do in this moment?



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This year marks 200 years since the founding of the American Unitarian Association, one of the UUA’s historic predecessors. Across two centuries, Unitarians and Universalists have helped shape the worlds of faith, justice, literature, science, and beyond.

So we’re curious:

*If you could invite one historical UU (or UU-adjacent) to dinner, who’s at your table?*

#AUA200 #UU #UnitarianUniversalist #QuestionOfTheDay #Reflection



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Voices of freedom ringing out from All Souls Unitarian Church: #FreeDC!

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What makes a congregation thrive—no matter its size?

Natalie Briscoe, Southern Region Lead for the UUA, reminds us that growth begins with joy, connection, and being the Beloved Community we long to see in the world.

✨ “Whatever you are, be a good one. Growth follows the good.”

Read the full story on UU World: https://www.uuworld.org/articles/congregation-success-advice-natalie-briscoe-unitarian-universalism

#UU #UnitarianUniversalist #Church #Faith #Community


People want to go where they can leave the world behind and make a better one, says Natalie Briscoe, lead for the Southern Region of the UUA.

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Please read this urgent message from UUA President, the Rev. Sofía Betancourt, PhD, and take action today.

#UnitarianUniversalist #UU #ClimateAction #ClimageChange #ClimateJustice


Beloveds,

I am so proud of our comprehensive work on climate justice as a faith. Through the teachings of the UU Climate Justice Revival, the commitments of Green Sanctuary 2030, and the theological inheritance we hold dear, we are reminded to act with courage in the face of threats to our collective future. Together, we are called to congregational transformation, community resilience, justice, and mitigation of environmental harms. We are reminded that we are not only part of the interdependent web of all existence, but accountable to it. Through that accountability, we must once again bear witness to our deepest values in the public square.

Today, I urge all who care about our planet and its people to weigh in against the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule to rescind its own foundational 2009 Endangerment finding. This proposal would dismantle the very legal framework that allows the EPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and respond meaningfully to the climate crisis.

Communities who are the least responsible for climate disruption are hurt first and worst by climate change. We know that repealing greenhouse gas emission standards will increase the danger to these and all of our communities. At a time when the world urgently needs bold action, abandoning government responsibility to protect the American people from these harms is a moral failing that would lock us into years of inaction and put all of our communities at greater risk of devastating weather events and climate-forced displacement.

Alongside our Side With Love Organizing Strategy Team, I call on all people of faith and conscience to register your opposition to rescinding the foundation for federal climate action. The public comment process is open now and the need is both immediate and urgent. Together, we can halt this destructive rule before it takes effect. The stakes could not be higher: the lives of our neighbors, the health of our planet, and the possibility of a livable future all depend on our collective action today.

Follow this link to find out more details about how to participate right now in this vital work:
https://sidewithlove.org/endangerment-finding

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🍂 Back-to-school season can bring jitters for kids and parents alike. Author Laura Alary remembers the day her son’s carefully built leaf pile blew away—and how his cry, "Wind, stop blowing!" became the seed for a story about facing change with courage.

On the UUA’s “In Good Faith” blog, she reflects on anxiety, resilience, and how play helps us meet what we can’t control.

Read the reflection: https://www.uua.org/pressroom/ingoodfaith/wind-stop-blowing
Get the book from inSpirit, the UU Book and Gift Shop: https://uuabookstore.org/products/wind-stop-blowing

#BackToSchool #InGoodFaith #UU #UnitarianUniversalist


As kids head back to school, In Good Faith talks with author Laura Alary about how her book Wind, Stop Blowing! helps children manage change.

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The UUA is grateful to announce the appointment of Dana Fisher Ashrawi as our representative on the Board of Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP). In this role, Dana will serve as a liaison between the Association and CMEP’s public witness work for peace and justice.

As a founding member of CMEP, the UUA works alongside this vital multi-faith organization to support congregations in learning, action and deepened engagement. Dana continues to serve as President of Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East (UUJME), supporting their ongoing mission “to educate and mobilize individuals, congregations, and denominational leaders to recognize and counter inequality and injustice in Palestine-Israel and to support our allies in the global justice and anti-oppression movements.”



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Beth O’Connell 

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The world can feel harsh and unrelenting—anger, fear, and distrust press in from every side. It’s easy to shrink, to close off, to brace for the worst.

In her Braver/Wiser reflection "Inhabiting the World," Michelle L. Mills reminds us that even in hard times, we have a choice: to pause, to breathe, and to notice the small, ordinary moments of kindness and connection that make another way possible.

🌍 Read the full reflection: https://www.uua.org/braverwiser/inhabiting-world

#BraverWiser #UnitarianUniversalist #UU #Faith #Community #JustBreathe #SpiritualPractice



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Central East Region Summer Institute

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Right now, it’s hard not to feel the pull to shrink back—when fear is loud and uncertainty weighs heavy. It can feel safer to stay quiet, to stay apart, to hold back from the risks that solidarity asks of us. But as Rev. Joseph Santos-Lyons reminds us, that path erodes the connections and courage we most need. He writes:

"Unitarian Universalism teaches that revelation is not sealed. We are not finished. We are always becoming. Our faith is not a fortress—it’s a practice. It demands that we name the water we swim in, even when it is bitter, and be braver than our reflexes, more committed than our fear. Solidarity is a discipline—kept alive only when we keep showing up with humility, presence, and the willingness to be changed."

May we choose courage over comfort, presence over retreat, and solidarity over silence.

#UnitarianUniversalism #FaithInAction #Solidarity #UU #Community #Courage



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In Unitarian Universalism we center love in our covenantal relationships, where we are called to be accountable to the collective and decisions are made with care for the common good

We know that democracy is made real through this practice. Every time we work together for the common good, we build new relationships with trust, empathy, and humility. We create an environment where democracy can thrive.

We the people are the democracy, it lives in our commitments to one another, and we make this powerful idea real when we live our values and take action together in community

As authoritarianism makes itself known in the streets of our cities and the landscape of our hearts, may we rely on our longstanding practices and commitments even as we innovate new forms of courageous resistance.

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🚨 The UUA condemns the deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, DC — another alarming escalation of federal force against civilians, following last month’s actions in Los Angeles. These moves target communities already made vulnerable by systemic oppression, eroding trust and weakening democracy.

As people of faith committed to equity, dignity, and the common good, we will continue to resist state overreach and organize for justice.

Read our full statement: https://www.uua.org/pressroom/press-releases/national-guard-dc







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Elaine McArdle

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Thirteen years ago, union organizer Rachel Bennett Steury went to a UU Labor Day service expecting little.

Instead, she heard a sermon on the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire that honored the workers’ lives and connected their fight for justice to struggles today.

It was the first time she saw faith and labor justice come together—and it began her Unitarian Universalist journey.

📖 Read her story in UU World: https://www.uuworld.org/articles/faith-journey-unitarian-universalism-rachel-bennett-steury

#UUWorld #FaithJourney #LaborJustice #UnitarianUniversalism #UU #Organize


Author Rachel Bennett Steury says she first heard of the faith when a Teamster invited her to a Labor Day service.

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In times when the world feels heavy with grief, conflict, and uncertainty, it can be easy to forget the resources we already carry within us. 🌎💛

From the book "Reaching for the Sun" by Angela Herrera, this poem invites us to remember that peace can take root in our own hearts—then move through our lives, and into the world, touching all beings.

#UU #UnitarianUniversalist #Faith #Peace


All That You Need Lies Within You

Consider this an invitation
to you.
Yes—you
with all your happiness
and your burdens,
your hopes and regrets.
An invitation if you feel good today,
and an invitation if you do not,
if you are aching—
and there are so many ways to ache. . . .

Maybe your heart is heavy
or hardened.
Maybe it’s troubled
and peace can take up residence
only in a small corner,
only on the edge,
with all that is going on in the world,
and in your life.
Ni modo. It doesn’t matter.

All that you need
for a deep and comforting peace to grow
lies within you.
Once it is in your heart
let it spread into your life,
let it pour from your life into the world—
and once it is in the world,
let it shine upon all beings.

—Angela Herrera
Reaching for the Sun

Available at inSpirit: The UU Book and Gift Shop.

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