https://www.uua.org/worship/words/time-all-ages/honoring-fallen-soldiers

By Erika A. Hewitt, Paul S Sawyer

Think of where you feel safe and at peace. What’s the signal that tells you it’s okay to be at peace?

For people in the United States military, there’s a special signal that says “you’re okay, and you’re at peace.” It's a melody called "Taps," and it's only 24 notes long. It was composed by a general in the Civil War and his bugler.

It’s hard to remember how important bugle calls were in the military once upon a time. In the days before radio, bugle calls were the only way military units could communicate to groups over a large area.

In the 1860s, the end of the day was important. If there was time and peace enough to play Taps, that was a signal that the camp was relatively safe. It meant that you were not under attack. It meant that there were no enemy soldiers to worry about.

To a camp of soldiers, the notes of Taps meant that, unless you were on duty, you could close your eyes and sleep in peace.

They say that the first time Taps was played at a service for fallen soldiers also took place during the Civil War. In those days, the traditional military salute was, as it still is, the firing of a three-round volley of rifles. But this one time, they say, was after a long battle, when finally a cease-fire had been called, and both sides had stopped to bury their dead.
In one camp, as the work ended and the memorial service began to take shape, the soldiers knew that sounding the artillery salute might be taken as a return to fighting, and not as a sacred memorial. Someone had the idea of sounding a bugle, and that sound would never be taken as an aggressive act of war.

Taps came to mean the same thing. It meant the safe and quiet end to the day, time to rest, time to turn the lights out, to let their eyes close, and as best they could, to be at peace.

That’s what Taps means: it's like a powerful prayer.

We try to make our congregations places where people can feel safe and at peace. We work outside of these walls to create a community like that, too: a world where everyone feels at peace in their neighborhoods and towns.

This week, many people in the U.S. are remembering and honoring all those who have died while serving in our military... so you might hear Taps again. If you do, maybe you can stop what you're doing and think of every soldier who might have been afraid, and then let Taps remind you that they're now at peace.

https://www.uuworld.org/articles/psc-application-start

Association’s next chief executive and spiritual leader to be elected at General Assembly 2023

Elaine McArdle 4/4/2022

A new Unitarian Universalist Association president—the public, spiritual, and executive leader of the UU movement and the UUA organization and staff—will be elected at General Assembly 2023, for a six-year term.

The person elected will succeed President Susan Frederick-Gray, who was elected at the UUA’s General Assembly in 2017.

The Presidential Search Committee (PSC), which the General Assembly created in 2010, is tasked with evaluating applications for president and selecting at least two nominees.

The PSC posted the application form online on Monday, April 4, 2022. From this day on, it began accepting applications. The deadline to submit applications is July 15, 2022. Nominees will be announced on November 15, 2022.

The six-member Presidential Search Committee comprises the Rev. Theresa Soto; the Rev. Jaimie Dingus; Denise Rimes; Cathy Seggel; James Snell; and Marva Williams. The team said that, while it anticipates nominating two nominees, it would consider nominating a third if there are three standout candidates.

In accordance with the job description, UUA bylaws, and Massachusetts law, a candidate must be “a member in good standing of a UUA member congregation; a resident of the United States; at least 18 years of age; able to travel extensively and work both weekdays, weekends, and evenings, and able to spend a significant amount of time in Boston.”

Candidates may also run by petition rather than through the PSC process. The petition process opens on December 1, 2022, and closes on February 1, 2023. Candidates who run by petition must follow a process outlined in Bylaw 9.6a (PDF), which requires that their petition is signed by no fewer than fifty certified member congregations, including at least one congregation from three of the UUA’s five regions.

Continuing the UUA’s commitment to dismantling white supremacy culture and other systems of domination and oppression—and receiving a wide pool of diverse applicants—is a top commitment of the search committee.

It is addressing this commitment in a variety of ways, including making sure its members have done continuing education, along with the rest of the UUA staff, on disability justice, and accessible and inclusive hiring practices. The PSC will also be doing work around implicit bias in order to be open to a variety of candidates.

As the process for applications is heavily dependent on written communication, the PSC offers any potential applicant the option to contact the committee with suggestions for a different form of application that better shows off the applicant’s gifts and perspectives, and it hopes people take that opportunity.

The PSC is also seeking input and advice from different stakeholders. Members of the committee are meeting with a variety of UU organizations, including DRUUMM (Diverse & Revolutionary UU Multicultural Ministries), BLUU (Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism), TRUUsT (Transgender Religious professional UUs Together), and EqUUal Access, to get their input and to encourage members to apply or to nominate leaders from their communities.

The 2023 election is only the second election in which the PSC has been involved. While the committee is basing much of its process and timeline on the previous PSC’s work, it has a more condensed timeline because the presidential election period has been shortened.

The committee has also sought the reflections and input of the previous PSC, as well as from current UUA President Susan Frederick-Gray and other candidates from the 2017 presidential election in order to learn and to improve the process based on their perspectives.

https://www.uuworld.org/articles/congregations-change

UU congregations across the country are grappling with change. Here are five that chose equity and inclusion over “the way we’ve always done it.” How might your congregation engage with change?

In 2020, after years of consideration, two congregations previously named for Thomas Jefferson voted to rename themselves, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charlottesville, Virginia, and All Peoples, A Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Louisville, Kentucky. As Charlottesville explained in its announcement, “We want to choose a name that will not obscure our values of working for justice and undoing racism behind a name that tells a different story to many.” Louisville’s announcement said, “perhaps even more important are the lessons we’ve learned along the way about letting go of the old, fostering empathy, trusting each other, and embracing a better version of ourselves.”

When the UU Church of Greater Lansing, Michigan, relocated to a former school building in 2016, the congregation recognized that the increased space opened new opportunities for community engagement. It now partners with the local Refugee Development Center to offer free English classes, legal assistance, and social support for immigrants.

Since 2015, First Parish in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has partnered with Y2Y Harvard Square to provide a 4,725-square-foot shelter and daytime drop-in center in its basement where homeless youth and young adults can connect with various resources. The student-run shelter has remained open during the pandemic.

In 2021, the UU Fellowship of Central Oregon in Bend voted to remove pledging as a requirement of membership in favor of a wider understanding of ways to be supportive, accountable, and in covenant with the congregation. “We wanted the membership procedure and requirements to reflect our values and principles and to fit with what we say we believe—that truly all are welcome,” writes Susan Kinney, past president of Bend’s board.

______________

I will add one more to this list:

https://firstjefferson.org/home-page/about-us/name-change/

Name Change!

And Then There Were Seven…

Name Change Voting—Round Three on Sunday April 17

With two rounds of elimination behind us, we’re getting very close! Round Three of voting for the new Name for the church will be on Sunday April 17. Like we’ve done the last two weeks, the revised list of names still in the running will be posted on the large plate glass windows in the foyer. This time you’ll get ONE colored sticky dot to use to place on the Name that you prefer. And also, like last week, if you are not able to vote in-person at church you will have the option to vote in our online poll. Check your email on Sunday for a link to the online poll.

A Name Change Town Hall meeting is scheduled for all interested members and friends this Sunday, April 17 after church at 12:30 pm in the Sanctuary. The purpose of the meeting is to review where we stand and our ongoing process in advance of the final vote at our congregational meeting next month. One issue we’ve already identified is about the use of the word “Church” vs. “Congregation” in the Naming. We’ll add this to our agenda. You can also use this forum for campaigning for your favorite Name and how it might advance our mission and vision.

The Name Change committee will have some sandwiches and cookies available for a light lunch, in addition to the coffee hour snacks provided.

Thank you for your robust interest and participation in our Name Change process. Please direct your questions and/or suggestions to [namechange@firstjefferson.org](mailto:namechange@firstjefferson.org) We hope to see you at church on Sunday!

List of Proposed Names

All Peoples Church Unitarian Universalist
Chosen Faith Congregation, A Unitarian Universalist Community
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Fort Worth
Harmony Unitarian Universalist Church
Labyrinth Meadow Unitarian Universalist
Shady Creek Unitarian Universalist Church
Ten Pines Unitarian Universalist Church

https://clfuu.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1277214

How might Unitarian Universalists understand and relate to Islam, as a faith tradition? Please join us for this three-part seminar, co-sponsored by the Church of the Larger Fellowship and the First UU Congregation of Ann Arbor, Michigan, for Unitarian Universalists to move into a deeper understanding of the Islamic faith and its beliefs & traditions.

Unitarian Universalist-Muslim leaders, Reverend Summer Albayati and Reverend Doctor Mellen Kennedy will co-lead this seminar. Advance registration is required.

This class is being offered at no cost to participants. However, if you feel called to support our ministry and help us offset the administrative and instruction costs of running this and similar classes, we invite you to make a donation.

Upcoming Dates

• May 11, 2022--------7–8:30pm EDT
• May 18, 2022--------7–8:30pm EDT
• May 25, 2022--------7–8:30pm EDT