Campus Ministry Conference
This July the National Campus Ministry Association (NCMA) is hosting it’s annual conference. This conference is for professional campus ministry leaders, those who hope to become one, and dedicated lay campus ministry leaders. It will give us as Unitarian Universalists (UUs) an opportunity to gather as a group of UUs in campus ministry, meet with leaders from other denominations, and hear from Brian McLaren, a leader in the emerging church movement. The conference begins on Tuesday, July 9th with a “Sexuality Toolkit for Campus Ministers“ workshop led by our own Melanie Davis, Our Whole Lives (OWL) Program Associate. It will conclude in the evening on Friday, July 12th and registration is open and rolling. If you…
Sexuality Toolkit for Campus Ministers
The Unitarian Universalist Association and United Church of Christ are offering a free workshop on sexuality for campus ministers before the National Campus Ministry Association’s (NCMA) annual conference this summer. For details on the conference, and why you should attend, read our new blog post on. The conference will be held from Wednesday, July 10th-Friday, July 12th and the pre-conference training “Sexuality Toolkit for Campus Ministers” will be held on Tuesday, July 9th from 2-6pm. This workshop is designed specifically for campus ministers, and will enable you to support healthy sexuality in pastoral counseling with individuals and as a leader in your campus community. It will focus on building knowledge, gaining skills, and taking home…
Leadership Con
Earlier this month, from Friday, April 12th to Sunday, April 14th young adult leaders from across the country gathered at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset, NY for a leadership conference. Many were from the greater Metro NY area, with some traveling from Pennsylvania, and one participant from each Maine and Washington State! We came together for a weekend in learning community, knowing that our connections with one another provide support and catalyze our own growth. Participants reflect: “It was great to connect with other young adults from around the country. It’s easy to forget as a young adult away from my home church that there’s this whole community out there just waiting to be…
To: Shelter Rock – Thank You!
Earlier this month, from Friday, April 12th to Sunday, April 14th young adult leaders from across the country gathered at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset, NY for a leadership conference. Many were from the greater Metro NY area, with some traveling from Pennsylvania, and one participant from each Maine and Washington State! You can read more about the conference at the Leadership Con Blue Boat Blog article – this a note of thanks to our hosts! We all so appreciated being able to gather at Shelter Rock, that we wanted to say a big ol’ thank you for Shelter Rock for hosting us. Here are some words from the participants: “Having the event in…
Bidder 70 Speaks for the Earth
This story is re-posted from Democracy Now. – Ed. UU Tim DeChristopher, Bidder 70 In a Democracy Now! exclusive on Earth Day, climate change activist Tim DeChristopher joins us for his first interview since being released from federal custody after serving 21 months in detention. DeChristopher was convicted of interfering with a 2008 public auction when he disrupted the Bush administration’s last-minute move to sell off oil and gas exploitation rights in Utah. He posed as a bidder and won drilling lease rights to 22,000 acres of land in an attempt to save the property from oil and gas extraction. Read the Full Story and Watch the interview with Tim DeChristopher here.
BSA: Maybe Less Exlusionary, Still Not Inclusive
UUA President decries Half-measure proposed by BSA Board The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has proposed modifying its membership rules to the more inclusive position of not discriminating against youth membership on the basis of sexual orientation or preference. The language of the Boy Scouts of America proposed Membership Standards Resolution states: “No youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone.” The proposed resolution is a compromise between the existing full ban of youth and adults on the basis of their sexual orientation, and the position promoted by Scouts for Equality, GLAAD and others allowing membership of youth and adults irrespective of their…
Deafening Silence
Deafen voices of hate or intolerance with a silent message of love The Day of Silence is the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network‘s (GLSEN) annual day of action to protest the bullying and harassment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students and their supporters. Created in 1996, the Day of Silence has become the largest single student-led action towards creating safer schools for all, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, and is observed in middle and high schools and on college campuses. On Friday, April 19 join thousands of students across the country in taking a day-long vow of silence to symbolically represent the silencing of LGBTQ students and their…
April Leadership Conference for Young Adults
Want to connect with other UU young adults? Want to increase your capacity for leadership? Want some help getting a young adult or campus ministry group off the ground? Want a weekend full of learning, worship, fellowship and fun? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should probably just register right now for the Young Adult and Campus Ministry Leadership Conference in the Metro NY Area on April 12-14. Registration closes on Friday, April 5th so sign up today! This conference is free of charge, and transportation scholarships are available. This leadership development training and conference is for Unitarian Universalist young adults who are current or aspiring young adult or campus ministry group…
Ignorant to Inspired – Mass Incarceration and Me
Last week, I got to see Professor and Human Rights Activist Michelle Alexander speak about the racist caste system being created by mass incarceration and the war on drugs. She was speaking specifically about her book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color-blindness, which was designated the Unitarian Universalist 2013 Common Read, as well as the Yale Divinity School common read this year. I am currently a student at Yale Divinity School and they hosted Professor Alexander’s lecture, so I was honored to be able to attend and watch her speak live. If you missed it, you can still watch online. It was inspiring and motivating to hear her speak so passionately and prophetically…
Campus Ministry Annual Conference
National Campus Ministry Association, a professional organization educating, encouraging, and equipping those engaged in the practice of ministry in higher education is holding it’s annual conference in Atlanta, GA from July 10-12. The topic is Multi-Faith is the New Ecumenical: Authentic Ministry in the 21st Century. Brian McLaren, author of Everything Must Change, A Generous Orthodoxy, and Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road: Christian Identity in a Multi-faith World will be the special guest. This is a wonderful topic for Unitarian Universalists (UUs), and a perfect opportunity for UUs to join in learning with this dedicated group of campus ministers. If you’re finding our collegial groups of UU campus minister professionals small, that’s…
