March 30, 2023

Something For the Moment 

• Bylaw Committee Deadline: The Bylaw Committee is seeking your input on the proposed Article 1: Section 3 Revisions. To contribute, fill out this form by April 8 to give the Bylaws Committee time to process and consider your feedback. Please use this opportunity to give your feedback as the revision will be presented to the Annual Meeting for an Up/Down vote.

• Collegial Conversation: 2023 MFC Rule Changes for Misconduct Complaints: Recently the Ministerial Fellowship Committee updated the rules concerning misconduct complaints. The proposed rule changes were presented to the UUA Board who approved the changes at their February 2023 meeting. Come to a conversation on Monday, April 10 or Friday, April 14 with your curiosity and questions!
• Good Offices: Our Good Offices Right Relationship Team members are available to facilitate a conversation with your chapter members on the subjects of right relationship, covenant, and restorative practices. We have a short video (just under an hour) participants can view in advance, and a conversation guide to help reflect on the themes raised in the video. Please reach out to Melissa Carvill Ziemer if you’d like to take advantage of this opportunity.

Something for the Journey

This past January, I attended the Religious Conference Managers Association (RCMA) Annual Conference. In addition to spending time collaborating with the wonderful UUA conference staff, I attended educational offerings, built relationships with future event venues, and was inspired by keynote speakers. The mission of one speaker, Will Bowen, is to create a Complaint Free WorldTM. The below story was shared in Bowen’s opening keynote (you can listen to a version of this keynote here): 

There is an old story of two construction workers sitting down to eat lunch together. One opens his lunch box and complains: “Yech! A meatloaf sandwich… I hate meatloaf sandwiches.” His friend says nothing. The following day, the two meet up again for lunch. Again, the first worker opens his lunch box, looks inside, and, this time agitated, says: “Another meatloaf sandwich?! I’m sick and tired of meatloaf sandwiches, I hate meatloaf sandwiches.” As before, his colleague remains silent. The third day, the two preparing to eat lunch when the first construction worker opens his lunch box and begins to shout:” I’ve had it!! Day in and out it’s the same thing! Meatloaf sandwiches every blessed day! I want something else!” Wanting to be helpful his friend asks, “why don’t you just ask your wife to make you something else?” With bewilderment on his face, the first man replies: “What are you talking about? I make my own lunch!”

I carried the lesson of this story, you make your own lunch, home with me and have leaned into it each time I have felt victim to my to do list or to some other aspect of my day. Bowen posits that “we make our own lunch by the thoughts that we think, evidenced by the words that we speak.” While changing our thoughts and words might not make the list shorter, it can help us move through it with greater understanding… and who knows, remind us not only do we make our own lunch, we make our own list!

Something Extra

Ministry Days Accessibility: The UUMA holds accessibility as one of our core values and we are grateful to all the members who are committed to making UUMA events possible for all. Whether contributing time or money (click here to contribute to the scholarship fund), we rely on your participation to create a welcoming event. Click here to review how we plan for accessibility at all UUMA Events. Additionally, we are grateful to partner with the UUA General Assembly services to provide accessibility equipment for onsite participants. To learn more about the accessibility at GA, visit the Accessibility Services page. To reserve equipment, please complete your request here before April 30, 2023.

As always, if additional assistance would help improve your experience, please let Janette Lallier know.

UUA Empower Transition: We understand there is a good amount of anxiety in the system around the transition from TIAA to Empower.  In response, the UUA and Empower are hosting ongoing drop-in Office Hours.  For information on the coming week’s Office Hours, find the link for the call and check the schedule in the Knowledge Base here. You can find even more information about the transition here. 

Sharing a message from Rev. Dr. Michael Tino and Alison ALG McLeod for people in Preliminary Fellowship from the MFC:  Alison Aguilar Lopez Guiterrez McLeod and the Rev. Dr. Michael Tino, members of the Ministerial Fellowship Committee, have scheduled 3 feedback sessions for ministers in preliminary fellowship to review and give feedback to the upcoming changes to the renewal process. Alison and Michael look forward to chatting with you about the new process and hear your feedback about the new changes. Please read this Google Doc prior to attending a session. All sessions will be held at this Zoom Link ( Meeting ID: 851 0367 8365 Passcode: 058063 )

The sessions will be:

• Tuesday, April 18 at 8:30pm ET/7:30pm CT/6:30pm MT/5:30pm PT
• Saturday, April 22 at  3pm ET/2pm CT/1pm MT/12pm PT
• Monday, April 24 at 6pm ET/5pm CT/4pm MT/3pm PT