Message from GA to congregations: Be audacious!
From the Community Resilience Hub on UUA.org: Community resilience is a collective effort. It is our responsibility to leverage our resources, relationships, and collective power to defend democracy, ensure safety, and build a future where everyone can thrive.
Actions of Immediate Witness
These three AIWs were approved by the assembly:
Action of Immediate Witness: Faithful Defiance of Authoritarianism, a Call to Action: Reaffirming Our Covenants for Democracy and Freedom!
Brief Description: In a time when the soul of democracy is under siege, Unitarian Universalists should rise with a flame kindled not only in protest and defiance, but in covenantal love and sacred resolve. This AIW resolution affirms a deep theological and historical grounding for democratic action, invoking the symbolic power of the flaming chalice and the tradition of covenant as spiritual and civic commitments. Recognizing the current threats to justice, equity, democratic institutions, and the rule of law—from authoritarian abuses to systemic oppression—the resolution calls on us to transcend isolation, strengthen alliances, and uphold civil society through peaceful, principled resistance. It urges UUs to engage nationally and locally with movements for justice, inclusion, and democratic renewal, framing this moment as both a moral trial and a sacred opportunity to co-create a radically inclusive, beloved community.
Action of Immediate Witness: We Declare and Affirm: Immigrants Are People Who Have Inherent Worth and Inalienable Rights
Brief Description: Unitarian Universalists affirm the inherent worth and inalienable rights of all people, including immigrants, and are called by faith to uphold justice, dignity, and compassion. Recent authoritarian actions in the U.S.—such as mass deportations, family separations, and the erosion of due process—represent moral and democratic failures that demand a bold and faithful response. In light of these injustices, the 2025 UUA General Assembly should commit to personal, congregational, and advocacy actions, including public witness, community partnerships, and legislative engagement. Unitarian Universalists are called to rise with courage, solidarity, and love, embodying justice through action and refusing to be silent in the face of oppression.
Action of Immediate Witness: Defending LGBTIQ Freedom Amid Funding Crisis: A Call for Global Solidarity
Our Unitarian Universalist principles affirm the dignity of every person, justice and compassion in human relations, and the goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all. Our UU faith calls us to recognize that all bodies are sacred, and that each person is endowed with the divine gifts of agency, conscience, and self-determination, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation.
Congregational Study/Action Issue
Three CSAIs were nominated. The first one was adopted.
- Abolition, Transformation, and Faith Formation
Abolition is a holistic approach to systemic social change that includes, but is not limited to: the abolition of slavery; replacing systems and cultures of violence, coercion and control with transformative justice and relational practices; and dismantling the prison-industrial complex as we now know it. It requires the transformation of our society and the replacement of our current public theologies of retributive justice and violence.A commitment to the practices and ideals of abolition would ask our congregations to make connections among many threads of our social justice work. It is grounded in at least 200 years of Unitarian Universalist history and theology.The CLF comes to the issue of abolition based on our accountability to the almost 2,000 incarcerated Unitarian Universalists who call our congregation their spiritual home. We believe that engaging the study-action process on this topic will be transformative for our members, our congregations, and our communities. - Housing: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Access to housing that is safe, affordable, and sustainable will reduce suffering and save lives. Millions of people seek adequate shelter in the United States. Federal support for housing assistance is being reduced. In response, communities can help each other in organizing for housing justice. - Fat Liberation: Building Justice and Inclusion for Larger Bodies
Fat people are discriminated against in healthcare, employment, and housing and stigmatized in all areas of life. Fat liberation seeks to end this injustice, which exists at the intersection of racism, sexism, ableism, and capitalism. By studying weight bias, Unitarian Universalists can advocate for the acceptance of all bodies.
Climate & Environmental Justice
From Climate & Environmental Justice on UUA.org:
All life is interconnected. From the forest to the sea to humanity itself, each thread of being is woven into a single fabric of existence. We embrace nature’s beauty and are in awe of its power. We care for our environment so that it may sustain life for generations to come. We do this in partnership with those most impacted by environmental destruction, who are often marginalized in the larger culture. Often these “frontline” communities are impacted hardest and have fewest resources to recover. We collaborate because it is only with the knowledge and experience of these communities that equitable and sustainable change can happen.
- Green Sanctuary Program
- Climate Justice
- Ethical Eating
- Divestment and Socially-Responsible Investment
Award for Distinguished Service to the Cause of Unitarian Universalism
This is one of the most presigious awards given by our association. This year the award was given to Dr Paula Cole Jones, who sooo deserves it.
UUA bylaws refresh
The UUA Bylaws Renewal Team has been charged by the Board of Trustees to conduct a thorough review and rewrite of the UUA Bylaws that creates a governance system that supports the UUA in accountably achieving its mission and aspirations consistent with our core values. Read more about it here.
