Happy Fiftieth Birthday, UUA!

UUA General Assembly, Charlotte, NC (June 22-26, 2011)

The UUA General Assembly (GA) will be held in Charlotte, NC, June 22-26, 2011.  It will mark the 50th anniversary of the consolidation of the American Unitarian Association and the Universalist Church of America.  The actual date of the anniversary is May 15 but the festivities begin a month later in Charlotte.

Anniversary events at GA include the opening ceremony featuring past UUA presidents and international guests, a lecture on the past and future of Unitarian Universalism, a panel discussion on UU social justice history, and a “New Epiphany Revival Show,” led by UU composer and performer Nick Page.

There will also be uplifting worship services at GA.  The Service of the Living Tradition honors ministers who have been received into fellowship, religious education leaders, retired ministers, and deceased ministers.  The sermon will be delivered by my friend and colleague, the Rev. Dr. Michael Schuler who is the senior minister at the First Unitarian Society in Madison, WI.  Abhimanyu and other youth will be leading Synergy worship, an inspiring multigenerational service of bridging and collaboration.

Another highlight of GA is the Ware Lecture.  The lecture has been given every year since 1922 by a distinguished person selected by the UUA President in consultation with the GA planning committee.  This year's Ware lecturer is Karen Armstrong, one of the world’s leading commentators on religious affairs and a best-selling author.  Her early work focused on the monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, but she has since begun to explore the eastern religions.  Previous Ware lecturers have included Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., UU poet Mary Oliver, UU humorist Kurt Vonnegut, Elaine Pagels, Rashid Khalidi, and others.

The consolidation of these two faiths was a bold experiment.  Culturally, historically and theologically, the Unitarians and the Universalists had their own separate identities and orientations.  But what they held in common was a commitment to the power of a progressive faith to have a positive impact on the lives of people.  In the end, it was that shared commitment to the liberal ideals of freedom of belief, hope for the future, and working to improve society that prevailed.

As we mark the fiftieth anniversary and envision our future, we need to ask ourselves: what were the dreams and hopes of our forebears; how have we lived up to them; where have we fallen short; and, what are the lessons from our past that we can take forward to create a better future?

The Rev. Peter Friedrichs, sums it up well:

"Let us celebrate not just the merger of two great faiths some half-century ago.  Let us also affirm that, while we are diverse in dictum, we are consistent in character. That we are bound together by profound and deeply meaningful attributes of identity.  That there is much more that brings us together than a shared disdain for creedal faiths and all the things we don’t believe, or simply a commitment to social justice.  Let us celebrate our shared identity as Unitarian Universalists and affirm our commitment to take up the task that was put before us fifty years ago, on the birthday of our faith, “together to build the free and universal church of tomorrow.”

Registration for GA opened March 1.  For registration and housing information, please visit http://www.uua.org/ga.

I hope many of you will join thousands of Unitarian Universalists from across the country to reflect on our association's achievements since merger, and to chart a new course for the future.

In faith,

Abhi