Weekly News May 29, 2026
| Something For the Moment Annual Meeting Next Week: We look forward to seeing you Tuesday, June 2 and Thursday, June 4 @ 4pm ET / 3pm CT / 2pm MT / 1pm PT. If you are unable to attend a recording will be posted when the ballot opens. All members will receive the Zoom information via the email on your UUMA profile. Click here to make sure you are registered and to get a reminder. Ministry Days: A reminder that registration prices for Ministry Days increase on June 1 and in person attendance closes June 1. If you are planning to join us in Louisville, please be sure to include the Studio Site add-on with your registration so we can prepare for your arrival. If this will be your first Ministry Days, we hope you will join our special First-Time Attendee webinar to help you feel grounded, connected, and ready for the experience — sign up here. Calling all New and Retiring Members: We look forward to celebrating all members who have joined the UUMA, those who have retired from active service or are moving into elderhood in our 2026 Milestones Service. If you are one of these folks please keep an eye out for an invitation to send a picture that we might include in the celebration. Want to get it out of the way? Send a picture, along with the correct spelling and pronunciation of your name, to support@uuma.org. Also, mark your calendar to zoom in to the service, which opens our Ministry Days celebration, on Wednesday, June 17 @ 12pm ET / 11am CT / 10am MT / 9am PT.  Something for the Journey Wendy Bartel, At-large Trustee for Governance UUMA Board of Trustee Beloveds, Many of us are heading into the crispy time of year. I hope in this moment that you can pause, close your eyes and receive the miraculous and precious gift of your next breath or your next thought or your next feeling or your next moment-whatever works best to nourish you right now. Did you pause or did you keep on reading? It’s not too late to pause now. Or to pause again and receive the gifts of this next moment, too… … … Take as long as you need on this. I’ll wait……… because we need one another. Recently, in the Wave Cohort on Strategic Risk Assessment and Engagement facilitated by our dear colleagues Rev. De Vandiver and Rev. Lucas Hergert, I was really moved by their leadership, the invitation to slow down, even as we’re talking about risk in these often terrifying and horrifying times which often has me going at a pace that is impossible to keep up. So, I’ve been working on pausing for even just moments to notice the leaves unfurling, to watch the cardinals, to listen to the rhythms of life outside, to start the day naming three things that brought me joy yesterday and offering gratitude for this day, another chance to live and love more fully. I have forgotten often. I have failed to remember to engage in these practices, these pauses, so fully have I been trained to work hard, work harder, keep working… But right now, I’m writing with each of you and all of us in my mind as I sing the meditation gifted to us by our fabulous colleague Sarah Dan Jones, ‘When I breathe in, I’ll breathe in peace. When I breathe out, I’ll breathe out love.’ As noted in our Bylaws, the Board operates within specific values that guide how the work of the Association is to be approached. Those values are: Integrity – We are true to our word and our evolving ministerial calls, upholding promises and vows we have made to each other, to ourselves, and to our faith. We adhere to the theological, moral, and ethical principles of Unitarian Universalism in our ministries and in our lives. Accountability – We willingly accept responsibility for our decisions, choices, and deeds. We hold ourselves and each other accountable to our covenants between us. Justice – We commit to building a more equitable world by decentering whiteness, dismantling white supremacy culture, honoring diversity, and practicing inclusion and accessibility. Faithfulness – We will be guided in our work by that ineffable force that pulls us to embody compassion, hope, and steadfastness in the midst of a hurting world. Leadership – We embrace the opportunity to lead, take risks, act with humility, and be vulnerable in our humanity. Transparency – We are forthcoming about the power we have, the power we share, and the power we wield. We communicate often and clearly about what we do, how we do it, and why. As we get ready to do some of the governance work of our UUMA and soon some of the governance work of our UUA, I am pausing and reflecting on the past nearly seven years and the honor it has been to serve on the UUMA Board of Trustees. It has not been easy (2019-now) but it has been an honor. Our Annual Meeting is coming up on June 2 and 4, 4-6pm ET/3-5pm CT/2-4pm MT/1-3pm PT. Recordings will be available later on the 2nd as will be the ballot. In the Annual Meeting Packet which all UUMA members should have received, there is much to review including a Bylaw change that aligns our audit/review process with the cycle of the Treasurer. You can learn more in the packet. I know many of us are really struggling right now, striving to minister to this beautiful and broken world; to honor our calling; to set healing and clear boundaries; to remind ourselves and one another that we are indeed worthy of love; to offer and receive mutual care; and to bear witness. I know some, perhaps many, maybe even all of us are experiencing the projections, anxiety, misdirected anger, and other maladaptive strategies of those we serve, as they try to feel some sense of agency and/or control. You are not alone. Breathing with you, leaning into these values, we are ministering, parenting, learning, retiring, leading, adapting, living, in dangerous times, trying to do what can feel impossible-to be faithful with Love at the center. Into this next pause, this next moment of gratitude, I offer these closing words from our lovely colleague Rev. Ali KC Bell, “May we find the courage to revel in the experience of the mystery. May we approach the unknown with excitement (even if we can only muster a tiny bit). May we celebrate the curiosity that leads to searching. May we meet ourselves along the way and love us, unapologetically. Amen.”Sending you love, abundant and bold, And sending some peace I hope you can hold onto. In humble service to the Love that holds us ALL, Wendy Bartel At-large Trustee for Governance Something for Celebration We are getting ready to say goodbye to Melissa Carvill Ziemer as our Director of Ministries and Programs (but not as a colleague and member!) at the end June. We hope you will join us to celebrate Melissa’s ministry with the UUMA on Sunday, June 14th at 7pm ET/6pm CT/5pm MT/4pm PT on Zoom and/or at the General Assembly Studio Site in Louisville on June 19 at 9:30pm. We will also be sending out opportunities to celebrate Melissa asynchronously by sharing memories and blessings for Melissa — stay tuned! Something for Membership Beloved Life Members Giving – 67% of Giving Goal Met with 90 gifts given!Now is the perfect time to grow the gifts that the UUMA counts on from Life Members. Life membership dues are waived – a right and privilege you have earned through your many years of dedicated service. Please make a gift that reflects the love you have received in ministry, to enable us to support ministers with nourishing programs. Consider making it ongoing – a monthly sustaining gift. We have received 12 sustaining monthly or renewing yearly gifts. Our goal is to get 25% of Life members giving to the UUMA. Please give now as Life Member giving is so close to making our goal! We recognize that the financial position of retired ministers varies greatly from person to person. Some give more and some less. All are loved. Membership Updates: Now, is the time to Update Salary, Ministry Type, & Position! Doing so now will help avoid errors in our upcoming auto renewal season.New Job, title, address? Before we issue invoices in June, for the 2026-27 member year, please Login to uuma.org and visit the Member Center. Click onto your profile and update membership profile. You can also set up Auto Dues Renewal there as well. If your salary & housing total or ministry type has changed, list it. If your type of ministry has changed from Community/Parish/Retired please send Denise a message asking for your member type to be changed. Only we can adjust your membership type. If you had issues with your invoice last year, this is the time to make it correct before invoices are created. UUMA dues are based on income and ministry type. |
| 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. Saturday, May 30: Celebration of Life for Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore Saturday, May 30: Celebrating 20 Years of Shared Ministry: Rev Paul Sawyer and First Universalist Society of Hartland Saturday, May 30: Memorial Service for the Rev. Myron Andes Saturday, May 30: The Ordination of Ellen Plummer Sunday, May 31: The Ordination of Carolyn Bjerke Sunday, May 31: Installation of The Rev. Craig M. Nowak Sunday, May 31: The Ordination of Kyle M. Belmont Mondays, Ongoing: UUMA Recovery Meeting Tuesday, June 2: UUMA Annual Meeting 2026 – Part 1 Wednesday, June 3: First Time Ministry Days Attendees Information Session Wednesday, June 3: Recently Retired Ministers Meeting Thursday, June 4: UUMA Annual Meeting 2026 – Part 2 Saturday, June 6: MFN Formation Conversation: UU Wellspring Orientation for Aspirants and Candidates |