Weekly News September 12, 2024

Special Edition: Defending Democracy

September 12, 2024

A Prayer for These Times
from Melissa Carvill Ziemer, Director of Ministries and Programs

Melissa Carvill Ziemer

Beloved,
help us to remember you
especially when fear and uncertainty are near and despair is coming close.

Beloved,
help us to recognize you
in every act of kindness and every splash of beauty.

Beloved,
help us to reconnect to you, to ourselves, to one another
again and again, every time the bonds break.

Beloved, 
help us to reflect your love
through all our actions and with the mirrors we hold up to the world.
Amen and Blessed Be.

top image shoes a fire on the edge of a body of water and below is actor Will Ferrell with his hands around his mouth shouting "do you want to see pictures of my cat?!"

Sharing Resources for the Win

from Julica Hermann de la Fuente, Lifelong Learning Manager 

Have you seen the meme where the world is burning down, and Will Ferrell is shouting DO YOU WANT TO SEE PICTURES OF MY CAT?! Yeah, that’s how I’ve been feeling on and off about the upcoming presidential election in the United States. And although my cats do indeed have miraculous powers that assist in my regulation, they are not *quite* what is needed in the face of this level of uncertainty. I need resources! Ideas! Somebody to follow! The feeling that I’m not alone! Fortunately for me, that’s part of my job.

As you’ve heard in communications over the summer, I’m thrilled to be your new(ish) Lifelong Learning Manager, and one of my tasks is to collect, curate and share resources for our ongoing ministries and learning. We on the UUMA staff are looking forward to rolling out a system where you will be able to do so on a regular basis, and we are in the process of designing a calendar that will help us bring our attention to different resources each month.

We begin (in beta, because experiments help us be nimble and stay humble) with a request for your best resources on Courage and Defending Democracy. You will find some here on our website already; what would you like us to add? Click here to share a resource – please and thank you, colleagues! Note: these resources are not added automatically and will be manually added by UUMA staff so the turn around time will vary. 

Opportunities for Connection

Collegial Care in Anxious Times: Weekly Supportive Space with Melissa Carvill Ziemer 

During this challenging season in ministry, there might be times when you, the pastor, would welcome the blessing of pastoral care for yourselves. If you have one of those weeks, you are invited to consider joining me for an experience of collegial pastoral care. From now through the end of the year, I’ll have 4 thirty-minute time slots available each week with no agenda required. Click here to find a time.

Context disclosure: I am offering these opportunities congruent with my role in the UUMA and as part of an extended CPE unit that I am enrolled in as part of my personal/professional development. While the sessions are confidential and within the bounds of our collegial covenant, I may reflect on them (made anonymous) in my regular supervision.

Defending Democracy: Cultivating our Clergy Networks

Are you practicing ministry in a swing state or in a state with value laden ballot initiatives before voters this fall? Have you practiced ministry in such a context in prior elections or during times of social or political uprising? We want to bring you together! (And if you are in neither position but want to be connected and informed, you are welcome to listen in and learn.)

Join us (UUMA Staff and Board leadership) on Friday, September 20, 3-5pm ET/ 2-4pm CT/ 1-3pm MT/ 12-2pm PT for a time of conversation, reflection, questions and answers between colleagues who have led in ministry through turbulent times in the public square and those who are preparing to do so this election season in the United States.  

Please note – the purpose of this gathering is not really training, but rather network building, group mentoring, and collegial care. We hope you are tuned in to the excellent training resources from Side with Love and UU The Vote. Here are two that offer a wealth of information.

purple background with the words Fall at the UUMA!
Please take a moment or two and check out our calendar. You will find next weeks events listed below but we have lots of programming coming up (some with low registration) and we don’t want you to miss out!

Upcoming Events and Our Podcast

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. 
 

You can subscribe to our podcast here so you never miss an episode once we start releasing new ones!
 

UUMA Staff

Rev. Melissa Carvill Ziemer,
Director of Ministries and Programs

Janette M. Lallier
Director of Operations and Finance

Executive Leadership Team
Melissa & Janette

Rev. Michelle Favreault,
MFN Program Manager

Julica Hermann de la Fuente,
Lifelong Learning Manager

Hannah Franco-Isaacs,
Membership Administrator

Rev. Jan Taddeo,
Program Administrator

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