Click here to read the packet online. Please remember to log in to your profile to see the resource. The full meeting agenda can be found on page 17.
In addition to the regular business of our association we will participate in a discussion on Legal Risks and Constitutional Protections with senior UUA Leadership.
Bring any questions you have about the bylaw change or other agenda items to the Board of Trustees Dialogue Session for discussion and a chance to answer questions tomorrow, Friday, May 23 at 3pm ET/2pm CT/1pm MT/12pm PT.
Something for the Journey
Janette M. Lallier, Director of Operations and Finance
Last week I had the pleasure of joining Melissa to engage in a conversation with folks in Preliminary Fellowship (the UUA’s PF Flyers) around the UUMA’s Handbook for Chaplain and Community Minister Finances. During the conversation I was reminded of a conversation I had many many years ago with another community minister. It was early in my tenure – maybe my third year of dues renewals – when a community minister called and asked “Why should I pay the same dues as a parish minister? What does the UUMA do for me as a community minister?” What followed was a conversation that of course centered around collegiality and accountability and covenant but also, they were right, the UUMA was falling short.
All these years later we are still working toward equity in the services provided to our community ministry members, but we have made progress. When we revised the dues structure we included a separate scale for CMs, have become more intentional around programming and inclusion of CMs in association leadership, and have resourced a non-geographic Chapter dedicated to Community Ministers (currently our largest Chapter!) Last year in addition to the Handbook designed to help Chaplains and other CMs advocate in their settings, we partnered with the UUA on an innovatively designed retreat for Community Ministers (mark your calendar for the next retreat July 31 – Aug 1, 2026). And this year we are excited to be rolling out a new tool at uuma.org!
Aptly named Find-A-Minister, this tool will help match the skills of our members with the needs of visitors to our website (congregations, lay folk, wedding couples, etc., in addition to our members themselves). We anticipate this tool will also help in the mentor and coaching programs. In June we will launch Find-A-Minister in a beta version and will need your help to update your profiles and, for those of you providing fee-for-service ministries, opt-in to being listed in the database. While in beta this tool will be available to members only as we test and refine to launch to the greater UU community. We look forward to connecting with you at Ministry Days and General Assembly to learn more about how this tool can benefit your ministry.
Something for Learning
Learning Togetherin the month of May will focus on the Intercultural Development Inventory and the use of developmental models in anti-racism education. The Tuesday afternoon (4:30 ET/3:30 CT/2:30 MT/1:30 PT) session will be more didactic, with a brief presentation from Julica about her experiences and opinions using the IDI in congregations and communities. The Thursday evening (8:30 ET/7:30 CT/6:30 MT/5:30 PT) session will be a conversation between Julica and the Rev. Dr. Leon Dunkley as a follow up to an argument they had about minimization (one of the categories of the IDI) and the legacy of the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr. This conversation is a follow-up session for those colleagues that attended the multi-chapter retreat on Cape Cod two weeks ago; Julica and Leon will be sure to recap the previous conversation so that all who attend will be able to follow the conversation and participate fully. Join us!
Something Extra
Important Announcement about Service of the Living Tradition: The Ministries and Faith Development Staff Group welcomes honorees of the 2025 Service of the Living Tradition to share this special occasion with loved ones. All participants must be registered to attend. If you are not planning to attend the rest of the General Assembly please use this form to register to attend the service as an honoree, free-of-cost by May 31.
Honorees may invite up to three guests to attend the service in person in Baltimore and up to five guests to join via livestream. Guests joining us virtually will be emailed streaming instructions in early June. The Service of the Living Tradition is Thursday, June 19, 2025 at 7 pm Eastern in Hall F & Swing in the Baltimore Convention Center. The Robing Room is room 329. The UUA expects all attendees to conduct themselves in a professional manner with concern and respect for all. Worship guests must adhere to the GA event covenant and safety and wellness guidelines while onsite at the UUA General Assembly.
Swag at Ministry Days: We are thrilled to be partnering with UUMA member HP Rivers to send swag directly to your homes. If you have registered for Ministry Days please watch for an email from HP about how to order your swag!
Ministry Days Childcare: We are working with the GA Planning Office to coordinate childcare for Ministry Days. If you are planning to use our childcare please make sure you have filled out this registration form as soon as possible.
Upcoming Events
You can view our calendar events here. Please make sure you are logged into uuma.org to see our full calendar as some events are available for members only.
