September 25, 2026

Something for the Moment

Thank you to everyone who has already renewed your UUMA membership! If you haven’t yet, renew by September 30 to help us save some paper and postage before we send out our paper renewal reminders. Already mailed a check? Please let us know so we can take your name off the mailing list.

Something for the Journey

Rev. Eric Cherry, Treasurer, UUMA Board of Trustees

[Alt text] Lessons about the importance of collegial connections arise on many occasions, but inevitably during ministry transitions. The timeless lesson in my heart today is that journeying with integrity from one ministry to another requires the perceptive love and care that is uniquely found with colleagues. Experience teaches me that this isn’t a pleasant add on, it's a requirement.

This lesson has come home to me in multiple contexts: as a settled minister, as a denominational community minister, and in recent years as an interim minister. Previous and successor colleagues, as well as collegial neighbors and friends, have helped to confirm it. And, confessionally, I’ve also learned it the hard way: when I’ve tried to ‘go it alone.’

We require each other.

In that spirit, I hope you’ll reach out to a colleague who has either newly left or landed in a new ministry context. And, if you’re the one who’s left or landed, I hope you’ll reach out to a neighbor who might unexpectedly become a spiritual companion.

If you already practice this lesson regularly, as so many of you do, please also appreciate the role our UUMA plays in supporting these essential connections. Help our Association flourish by staying in touch locally and continentally. Try to say ‘yes’ when requests for leadership and service arise. And, if you haven’t already, renew your UUMA membership today (Our grace period ends October 15th).

Finally, I want to share the good news that the UUMA is establishing a Stewardship Committee that will help us fulfill our mission in new ways. If you are curious about serving on this team, please reach out to me for more information before November 1st.

Something for Formation

We send our blessings to the 14 candidates interviewing with the Ministerial Fellowship Committee this week. After developing big packets of documentation, our colleagues will preach, reflect on their years of preparation in CPE and internships, articulate competencies in 7 areas of ministerial leadership and integrate their understandings of a self-developed resource/reading list as it informs how they will lead the faith into the future. Our UUMA on-call pastoral care team this session includes Rev. Cara Fortner, Rev. Aaron Stockwell Wisman, and Rev. Dr. Sara Smalley. Thank you to all the vocational advisors, teaching ministers and colleagues who offer discernment support to our colleagues on the path of professional religious leadership.

And since our formation doesn’t end after an MFC interview, we recognize that committee members also give attention to how religious leaders are part of an ongoing commitment to becoming a “learning” community. Again, there have been many changes to the renewal process designed to support and guide a minister in Preliminary Fellowship, like working with a Ministerial Formation Team and developing a Personal and Professional Development Plan. You can click through to find out more about the newest revisions of the Rules and Policies of the MFC.

Members of the Ministerial Fellowship Committee include a number of colleagues and we want to lift up and honor the work of our UUMA appointees: Rev. Amanda Poppei, Rev. Lindasusan Ulrich, Rev. Dr. Maria Cristina Vlassidis Burgoa and Rev. Laura Shennum

Interested in being a UUMA Appointee to the MFC? Select the UUA Ministerial Fellowship Committee box in the Committee Interest section of your profile.

Something Extra – From our partners

From our international partners: The Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines (UUCP) has shared an important update with its global partners regarding the termination of the ordination and membership of Ma. Theresa “Tet” Gallardo Jr. The UUCP Board asks partners and community members to be aware of this change. Read the UUCP statement. (login to your member profile)
From the UUA: Side With Love’s Tending SOIL is accepting teams for its January–June 2027 leadership program, designed to strengthen congregational justice teams through skills, organizing, interdependence, and liberation. Applications are due November 20. Learn about Tending SOIL.
From AUUMM: Have a music professional who is new to your congregation—or new to Unitarian Universalism? The Association for Unitarian Universalist Music Ministries (AUUMM) is offering New Music Staff: Orientation to UU Music Resources, an introduction to resources for finding music for UU worship and other supports available to staff musicians. Learn more and share with your music staff.
From the UUSC: UUSC and the Community Church of New York are offering a Global Solidarity Seminar for high school youth in grades 10–12, April 15–18 in New York City. Held alongside the UN Economic and Social Council Youth Forum, the experience will explore global solidarity and reparations with UUSC partners and activists from around the world. Learn more and share with youth in your communities.

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.