September 4, 2026
 

What You May Have Missed This Summer

If you took a break from Weekly News this summer, here are a few things worth knowing as we begin the new program year:

New Faces & Leadership: We welcomed both the Rev. Mr. Barb Greve as Director of Ministries and Programs and the Rev. Arran Morton as our new quarter-time Digital Services Administrator. We conducted a search for our new Membership Administrator, Laira, whom you can meet later in this issue! Our FY27  Board began a new year and has scheduled five Dialogue Sessions throughout the year — get the dates on your calendar now.

Re-envisioning Coaching & Mentoring: This summer we began sharing plans for a new approach to coaching and mentoring across the ministerial lifespan — expanding how we connect colleagues with support, wisdom, and accompaniment when they need it. Join us September 8 for Mentoring and Coaching for All to learn more.

Membership & Announcements: Membership renewals continue through the October 15 grace period, with waivers and installment plans available. If you moved or changed ministry settings this summer, please remember to let us know! We also shared an important letter from the UUA Review Team about the continuing work around review and hold processes.

Something for the Journey

Rev. Mr. Barb Greve, Director of Ministries and Programs

I have several young people in my life, each a part of my wider chosen family. They bring me joy and are the primary reason I choose to continue living where I live. This year they are all trying new things: new sports, new musical instruments, new hobbies, new schools, etc. Every one of them are approaching learning with excitement and curiosity. Perhaps because I too am experiencing significant newness in my life, I am more attuned to the experiences of these young ones. Regardless of the reason, they are reminding me to focus on the joys of learning rather than the struggles.

I am hopeful that you are finding opportunities for newness in your life. Maybe it is a new friendship, a new skill, a new home, or a new spiritual practice. Maybe it is a new approach to ministering in your setting in more sustainable and liberatory ways. Or maybe it is simply remembering that each day is a new day; a chance to try anew the things we struggled with yesterday.

The past two months have been filled with so much newness for me. A new job, new computer, new work setting and rhythm, new coworkers, and new flow to my days. All this newness brings new joys and challenges. I’m trying to follow the lead of the young people in my life and I invite you to as well. May we all approach each new opportunity with excitement and curiosity.

Blessings for the newness of it all;
For the surprise and freight,
The struggle and delight.
Blessings for the opportunities and learnings
that make us better ministers and humans.

Something for Learning

Ready to take your anti-racism game to a new level? Join us for the Sacred Reckonings webinar series. The work of reparations is an advanced topic in anti-racism work. How do we engage in this important work of repair and justice? This six week course will utilize the Sacred Reckonings Reparatory Eco-Map to focus on truth-telling, spiritual practices, relationships of followership, political solidarity, and wealth return as a lens to this current moment and a guide for how we might embody love in action. For more information about this course offering please watch this short video.  

Looking for other learning opportunities? Click here to see all the options available to you this fall.

Something Extra

Welcome Laira Magnusson, Our New Membership Administrator!

We are delighted to welcome Laira Magnusson (she/her) to the UUMA staff team as our new Membership Administrator!

The search committee was especially drawn to Laira’s deep experience in both administration and membership, her initiative and creativity, and her collaborative spirit. We are excited by the ways she understands administrative work as an opportunity for hospitality, care, and connection—and by the experience she brings building systems that help people find belonging and deepen their engagement in community.

Laira joins us after eleven years at First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque, one of the largest UU churches in the country, where she served as Church Administrator, Communications Coordinator, and Director of Membership and Congregational Life. Her work helped newcomers connect and find their church home, coordinated members and programs through the ongoing (and ever-changing) life of the church, and developed new opportunities for connection and leadership. Her commitment to widening First Unitarian’s welcome to BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities improved membership retention, increased new leadership, and nourished a greater sense of community and belonging.

Before beginning her work in the UU world, Laira earned a BA in Fine Arts from the University of New Mexico with an emphasis in theatre, studying acting, directing, and playwriting. She went on to produce shows and manage operations for nonprofit community theatres. Laira and her wife, Iris, live in Albuquerque with their three delightfully creative children, Shane, Puck, and Loki.

We are excited for the experience, curiosity, warmth, and creativity Laira brings to the UUMA and look forward to the ways she will help strengthen our connections with members and support our shared ministry.

Please join us in welcoming Laira! She can be reached at magnusson@uuma.org