Login
Hello Friends, I'm not sure what I am asking in this post. Maybe just some encouragement, maybe some venting, but also ideas and perspective. I went to a small Christian high school, and have never been to a reunion. But for some reason, I said yes to the 40th anniversary class reunion. I now live a lot closer to the school than previous years, maybe that is why. Why I have avoided it is complex. I didn't feel like I fit in with the other students, and don't have a lot of positive memories from the place. I can tell from social media that many of the people I went to school with have become more politically conservative, and I have become more progressive. And last, but not least, I have some pretty terrible family of origin dynamics, and don't want to field questions about my estrangement from family. So, why am I going? A big part of me does want to go. I wonder if I can connect with anyone else who didn't feel like they fit in. I am curious if there are any other fellow de-converts. Also, I want to be more open to connecting with people I am politically at odds with if it is possible. (?!). And the perspective of seeing other age mates...ageing, marking time together feels like it could be meaningful. I kind of hope that I am pleasantly surprised. Anyway, I'm a little worried about how to field any questions about my state of non-Christian. I do feel so much better having the community and path of Unitarian Universalism as my steadiness. I would have been taught growing up that UU is a cult. From my experiences and knowledge, I know many people I will encounter would be so sad to know I am no longer Christian. I wouldn't be surprised if there is actually worship singing and prayer at the class reunion. I'm sort of afraid that will make me feel very emotional and uncomfortable. So any pointers on navigating this event? Any experience like this?
Submit your creative work to inspire the UK Unitarian community!
Theme: Spirituality
The Inquirer invites creatives within the spiritual community to develop prose, poetry, and artwork on the theme of ‘spirituality’ across three competition categories:
Submission information
Along with your submission, please send a good-quality headshot and short biography. Your image and biography may be used for advertising, promotion, and social media.
You can submit as many pieces as you wish. Please email submissions to the editor.
Submission deadline
All work must be submitted by 1st September 2025.
Submission fee
The Inquirer will charge a small submission fee of £3.00 per entry. This should be paid by 1st September 2025 via the following link: submission fee payment.
Terms
The work must be previously unpublished. By submitting your work, you agree to grant Exclusive First Publishing Rights to The Inquirer. The work must not be published previously or elsewhere, without written agreement from The Inquirer.
You must be the sole author of the work. The work must not be copied, plagiarised, or AI-generated.
Selection process
Winners will be selected by a steering committee of authors, publishers, board members, and the editor. Our three chosen winners (one per category) will be published in print and online in the September edition of The Inquirer.
The prose and poetry winners will have their work published in full. The artwork winner will have their work published on the front page of the September edition of The Inquirer.
Winners will be provided with a proposed version of the work prior to publication and given sufficient time to review. The Inquirer reserves the right to make minor textual changes to align with The Inquirer’s tone and style guide.
Credits
The Inquirer will list your given name and copyright notice for the work at the end of, or next to, the published work.
You will be credited on the table of contents page, at the end of the published work, and on any social media outreach.
Go to the Inquirer website.
The post The Inquirer Creative Competion appeared first on The Unitarians.
I’m a weather dork. I check my multiple weather apps like most folks check their social media. From two decades of organic farming where *everything* revolved around the weather to a lifetime working on climate and environmental issues, me and weather systems are tight. So I mean it when I say that predictions for the next several months are worrisome.
Summer 2025 will be a scorcher with hotter than normal temperatures across the US. This means higher electricity bills, more wildfires, worse air quality, and a greater chance of heat-related illness and death. We can also expect a more extreme hurricane season. NOAA predicts a 60% chance of an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season.
All of this spells doubly bad news when we think about the agencies that keep us safe in extreme weather. The National Weather Service and NOAA are operating with severe staffing gaps with leaders warning of potentially catastrophic consequences ahead, including “needless loss of life” if the agency enters its busiest period short staffed. FEMA has lost roughly one-third of their staff and cut disaster resilience programs that help communities prepare for climate disasters.
So what do we do? We take care of each other. If your congregation doesn’t already have plans in place for disaster preparedness and response, make it a priority this summer. We have created a Climate Resilience through Disaster Response and Community Care Toolkit for UUs to think through the challenges facing our communities, options for building resilience, and ways to partner with those most impacted.
Building community resilience through disaster preparedness and response is a crucial aspect of our work. Community Resilience is one of our Four Essentials of the Green Sanctuary 2030 program, which has been completely revitalized to support congregations with more action, less paperwork. Even if your congregation has been a Green Sanctuary congregation for twenty years, now is the time to renew your commitment to Climate Justice.
In community,
Rachel
Rachel Myslivy, UUA Side With Love Climate Justice Strategist
The UU Climate Justice Revival is coming to GA! We’re hosting a mini-Revival on Friday, a Revival meditation space, and a deep dive into the ways the UUA is moving climate justice forward. We’ll share more in the coming weeks, but for now, mark your calendars for:
Wear your Create Climate Justice t-shirt on Friday! Order from inSpirit Books or purchase at their booth in the Exhibit Hall
UU Climate Justice Revival at GA
Friday, June 20, 1-2:30 PM (Hybrid)
Baltimore Convention Center -- Ballroom III & IV
UUA Strategies to Address Climate Justice
Saturday, June 21, 1-2:30 PM
Virtual on Whova app
UU Climate Justice Revival Meditation Space:
Wednesday, June 18 - Sunday, June 22, 8AM-5PM
Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor -- Stone Room
Please note: all General Assembly programming is for registered General Assembly attendees only unless otherwise noted.
June 2025 update from Create Climate Justice: prepare for climate resilience
WWUUD stream