Our posts have been re-printed in church newsletters. They have been copied to church websites. Several churches use our art as their profile icon on social media or the banner for their Fb group.

We're proud of all of that, but we need to know what it is worth to you; we need your financial support to keep our website online and to feel making new art and posts to share Unitarian Universalism with the world.

Is you value what we publish, please give what you can to sponsor more innovation and outreach in 2022

Ko-fi.com/IAmUU



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For me, the meaning of Christmas is hope and dedication; hope that the world can be better than it is and dedication to know that it can only get there through human hands doing divine work...

https://iamuu.net/meditations/holy-night-every-night/


We cannot celebrate every single day. While I am grateful to the Labor movement every day, I set aside Labor Day (and May Day) to observe that; just as I am grateful to our armed forces, we have Ve…

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"Innovative Liberal Religious Outreach"

That's the tag line on our website, because liberal religion is a community good for all of us looking for belonging and encouragement without dogma and condemnation and we think that is something worth inviting people into. If we don't share, we will surely continue to fade away.

We've been sharing that message for a decade now, with posts meant for UUs and for seekers, and we've helped quite a lot of people chose to visit their local congregation, and a lot more to recommit to one they already had a relationship with. "IAmUU.net" has made Unitarian Universalism stronger, and we are proud of what we host there.

But it is all at risk of coming down. It costs money to keep it online, and we don't make much. We depend on the community to cover our expenses, and we don't have a strong enough level of monthly support to do that, yet.

And so, in times like this, we have to have a sort of pledge drive to ask people to help us out. And the reception is always mixed, but we find that the people who complain aren't really missed while the people who give are always kind and complimentary.

So, I ask if you can think about your interactions with our page and the interactions you've seen from others and if there is a value there; is there a benefit to you, to Unitarian Universalism, or maybe to Facebook in seeing our posts? Can you put a number on that for the year? For 2 years? For however long you have been following? Then, give that number (or whatever you can truly afford) to help keep us online?

Ko-fi.com/IAmUU

Or, become a monthly patron of Thomas Earthman and get more inspiration, more encouragement, and maybe even tools for your own worship!
Patreon.com/TEarthman



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Being a Unitarian Universalist actually asks a lot of us, and it isn't for everybody:
-We discuss important questions but refuse to give you a simple, rote answer.
-We ask you to believe that you are worthy of compassion and respect, as so is literally everyone else.
-We ask you to love humanity while fully acknowledging the bad things we need to be discouraged from doing to one another.
-We make no promise of eternal reward (or punishment), but tell you that your actions will live on, and they matter anyway.
-We ask that you keep trying to be your best self, without telling you what that is supposed to be, though we will be there to help you figure it out for yourself.

Just because we are willing to accept everyone does not mean that we should expect everyone to feel like they belong. Some people will not be comfortable in liberal religion. Some people need certainties we cannot give them in good faith.

We cannot convert people to Unitarian Universalism; they either understand it and want to be part of it, or not. They see us doing together what they are already doing alone, and some of them will want to be part of that community. Those people are out there, waiting to hear about us. Let's make sure they find us. Let's go invite them in.
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Image is a flaming chalice cut-out activity with the words "Unitarian Universalism: Free Faith* Assembly Required"

Help us reach people who might not know that UUism exists:
Ko-fi.com/IAmUU



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We did it, friends. The longest night is over and they get shorter from here until June.

The new year has a lot of potential, though we already know that it comes with difficulties. It is up to us to overcome them or to be overcome.

Beloved Community is possible, but it will take so much work. Like so many things, it is work that gets easier the more people we share it with.

That's why Unitarian Universalist evangelism matters: people need an invitation to check us out and see if we are who we say we are, or at least how hard we are working to become what we aspire to. If we live into our values, there are many people who would gladly join in our mission.



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Do you want I Am UU to stay online? Then I need your help.

I've renewed IAmUU.net for the month, as it would have been completely deleted on Tuesday night, but I renewed it for only one month.

We need to know if you value our website. We need to see it in the form of a small gift to keep it online. If you have shared our "Ten Things We Want You To Know About Unitarian Universalism" or "Are You Looking For Something Different" or any of our other posts, please consider whether you can afford to help us keep them online.

The more we raise, the longer we can renew for and the longer we pay for, the better the deal! We're hoping to raise at least $700 to cover the costs for 3 whole years. If we raise more, please know that it will go towards helping a lay community minister plan for a better new year and encourage them to write and create more content to help share Unitarian Universalism with the world.

One-time gifts can be given through:
Ko-fi.com/IAmUU

Or become a monthly Patron for added content:
Patreon.com/TEarthman







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Our website is down, so we are sharing this message posted on another platform. If you want to help get the website back up, you can sign up as a Patron while you are there!

https://www.patreon.com/posts/60038027


Official Post from Thomas Earthman

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Our website is temporarily down. We hope to have it up again in a couple of weeks, but we just cannot afford the hosting fees right now.

Thank you all for understanding...



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Whether you are a Patron or just a supporter of my work, I want to know what you think I should be planning for the new year:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/59955694


Official Post from Thomas Earthman

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We don't expect perfection.

By covenanting as Unitarian Universalists we commit to trying to grow and improve, even if it is in small ways; even if it sometimes looks like going backwards. We commit to making changes and seeing how they work out and then taking that information and using it for making more changes.

We are always in a state of growth, even if sometimes that growth isn't visible to others, and that only comes from recognizing that we are never perfect. It takes some amount of humility because perfection isn't possible. We are never completely done growing.

We can always be better, and we can count on our community to help us get there.

#MidweekMotivation



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These last several years have been hard on a lot of us. You might be feeling like you haven't achieved as much as you hoped. Let me tell you that it's OK.

You survived. You did what you needed to do to make it through, and that's the achievement that matters most.

Just focus on doing your best each day, remembering that your best is going to change from one day to the next and that progress isn't a straight line.

#MidweekMotivation



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We profess the inherent worth and dignity of all people. We believe that compassion and justice should be the focus of relationships between people. These things not evident in the world we currently live in. They are currently just our best guess about what Beloved Community will look like. Our Principles have changed and will likely change again.

https://iamuu.net/meditations/faith-unitarian-universalist-2


Many Unitarian Universalist will gladly give you a litany of things they do not believe. If asked about “Belief” in a religious context, some of us have a hard time committing. It’…

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Our website is due for renewal and we don't know if there is enough interest to make it worth the fee. Do you read posts on IAmUU.net? Do you share them with your congregation and friends?

If so, we need to hear from you! Which posts have been meaningful? Which have started conversations? Are they maybe worth supporting with a small gift, either one-time or monthly?

Help directly by giving on Ko-fi (pronounced like "coffee")
Ko-fi.com/IAmUU

OR Buy some presents at our RedBubble Shop:
IAmUU.net/Shop



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Today, November 20th, is the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

"With 46 known deaths since January 1, HRC has officially recorded more violent deaths of transgender and gender non-conforming people than any year since we began tracking this violence in 2013."

https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/marking-the-deadliest-year-on-record-human-rights-campaign-announces-release-of-annual-report-on-violence-against-transgender-and-gender-non-conforming-people



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This is the FINAL DAY to order this Fair Trade t-shirt and be part of this fundraiser to help keep I Am UU stable for the new year!

Think of it as the thank-you gift for your contribution OR think of it as us selling a shirt for a small profit to subsidize the rest of the ministry, but please know that without your support, we cannot keep publishing new images and posts to help share Unitarian Universalism with the world!

Please, please tag your friends in a comment, share the link with your church, and consider whether you think this page matters (or maybe you just like the shirt). We need to see a lot more sales if we're going to keep producing the same quality content in the new year!

https://inktothepeople.com/uu-pride/



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Armistice Day was meant to focus on the horrors of war, the beauty of peace, and the victory of democratic forces over authoritarianism. America has lost something by focusing, instead, on Veterans today.

https://iamuu.net/celebrations/reclaim-armistice-day/


Armistice Day was meant to put the focus on peace, on the horror of war, and on the victory of democratic nations over authoritarianism. The United States is missing something by focusing today, in…

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This fundraiser is really important to planning our next steps. We need to know if the community that follows us is willing to invest, and since we have some pretty great designs, we thought we'd give you a chance to own a couple.

The cost of everything is up, especially hardware. If something goes out, we need to be able to replace it quickly to keep things running. That is why we need to raise funds ahead of a possible disaster! And you get a great product!


We're starting end-of-year fundraising early so that you can have items in time for the holidays. First up is this fair-trade t-shirt featuring one of our most popular designs!

We rely on the generosity of the community that appreciates our work to fund this ministry. Please share this link with your congregations and UU friends!

https://inktothepeople.com/uu-pride

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Things are so messy right now, so hard for so many of us. You are still here, still doing your bit of good where and how you can. Be proud of that.

Take a moment to be grateful for the community and friends you have and all the ways that they support you. Gratitude isn't always reflexive, but it helps us when we reframe and focus on the good things in our lives. We don't have to ignore what is hard in order to be grateful for what isn't.

Unitarian Universalism reminds me every day that I am not alone in my search for truth and meaning. I am not alone in striving for a more just and compassionate world. I am a person of inherent worth and dignity, and what I do matters.

And so are you, my friend.

#MidweekMotivation

Support my ministry:
Ko-fi.com/IAmUU



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We need to raise some money for the end of the year and we are trying to offer these items early enough that you can get yours in time for the holidays.

We are entirely funded by the generosity of the people who like what we do--people just like you. We need website hosting, software subscriptions (you can't just buy things outright anymore), phone and electricity, and caffeine to make this ministry possible. All of those things require that we bring in some money. And when it is time to upgrade or replace a computer or we have some other big expense, we have to turn to you all to make it possible.

So, we are currently offering this Fair Trade t-shirt and this special edition coffee mug to try and help us coast into the new year!

Shirt:
https://inktothepeople.com/uu-pride

Mug:
https://inktothepeople.com/i-am-uu-coffee-chalice





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Next up in our end-of-year fundraiser, we have a special edition coffee mug! This is really just for ordering one or two (or three). If you want to restock the church kitchen, email Thomas about a bulk order.

https://inktothepeople.com/i-am-uu-coffee-chalice


Ok. It's not a real chalice. No one drinks coffee from an actual chalice. Still, this mug is great & you'll be supporting liberal religious outreach!

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"The DNA of your ancestors is alive in you. Look at your children and grandchildren and see yourself and your ancestors. Think of the decisions made by your parents and grandparents. Their choices shaped your life. And the choices we make every day shape the lives of those to come. The interconnections stretch across time. This is what the Día de los Muertos reminds us of, and this is its power."

~ Peter Morales, "Bringing the Dead to Life "



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We're starting end-of-year fundraising early so that you can have items in time for the holidays. First up is this fair-trade t-shirt featuring one of our most popular designs!

We rely on the generosity of the community that appreciates our work to fund this ministry. Please share this link with your congregations and UU friends!

https://inktothepeople.com/uu-pride



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