International News from the UUA (iNews)
Contents:
I. Sharing Global Faith
The international devotional will be distributed on the second Monday of every month starting in April, 2009 and running through September, 2009. Each publication will address a central issue in the development of faith-life and will include thoughtful responses from a diverse geographical selection of U/U spiritual leaders. Topics range from freedom to fellowship, justice to hope. Alongside the monthly e-resource, the devotional's webpage will host additional information about the project and each of the contributors. The April devotional is now available! II. New Hymnal Available The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches (UK) has published a new hymnal - Sing Your Faith. It received high praise in a recent review in The Inquirer by Rev. Ant Howe. III. All Souls Church: Hiroshima Children's Drawings
IV. Biography of Dávid Ferenc (Francis David) now Available An impressive scholarly work about Dávid Ferenc is now available in English. Authored by renowned historian, Prof. Mihály Balázs and translated into English by Dr. Judit Gellérd, the 26th and final volume of the series Bibliotheca Dissidentium, "Ferenc Dávid" presents the life and work of the great Transylvanian Unitarian reformer. This 325-page volume offers the most complete and radically reinterpreted biography of the great radical reformer, Ferenc Dávid, with a thorough description of each of his works.
HOW TO ORDER: 2. Americans, however, should use the following Amazon service - PCC President, Harold Bobcock, reported that they charged him only $98.00 plus $6.00 for shipping. It arrived in a week's time.
Enfield Publishing & Distribution Co., V. Upcoming Faith Without Borders Workshops
FWB Workshops at District Annual Meetings:
April 25, 2009 Albany, NY VI. International Opportunities for UU Clergy and Seminarians
Experienced UUA ministers are invited to consider applying to spend 3- 4 months of a sabbatical with the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Philippines (UUCP), providing skill development in these and other areas:
Successful applicants should expect to be engaged in this ministry for approximately 20-hours/week. Contexts will include worship services, traditional classes and less formal discussion groups. The unique skills that a successful applicant brings to this ministry will also be integrated. The organizing and implementing body for this program will be the UU Church of the Philippines' Religious Education Committee. The UUCP will provide sabbatical program participants with housing and local transportation. Other expenses will be the responsibility of the applicant, with some assistance available from the UUA. Read more about the UUCP Sabbatical Program and how to apply! VII. News from the ICUU
In this quarter's edition: a call for participants at the upcoming ICUU meeting in Koloszvar, an update about the ICUUW, an executive summary from the ICUU, a news item about increasing Chinese interest in Unitarian Universalism, an update from John Clifford about Kenyan UU's, and much more! Click here to download a PDF version of the newsletter.
ICUU Council Meeting in Koloszvar, Transylvania The Council Meeting will run from Tuesday 1 September, 2009 (arrivals) to Saturday 5 September (departures). A full day pilgrimage to Deva, site of the prison where Dávid Ferenc (Francis David) died, is being planned -- this might be just before, just after, or during the Council Meeting (the dates of the CM might be adjusted slightly if the Deva trip is during the meetings). All Member Groups are entitled to send one voting delegate to the Council; Groups with more than 3000 individual adult members are entitled to a second voting delegate. There will be a sponsorship fund to assist travel and accommodation for delegates from developing economies. Additionally, individual Unitarians, Universalists, and Unitarian Universalists may attend the International Gathering at their own expense; these individuals may observe the Council Meeting but not speak or vote at business sessions although they may participate in the other aspects of the programme. Please click here for further information! VIII. UUPCC Student Sponsorships
UUPCC has joined together with U*U organizations in the Philippines, India and Transylvania to identify potential students and to monitor and maintain the personal connections between student and donor(s). We have agreements in place to assure fairness in the selection process and accountability of the use of funds. Every student who graduates from high school or college will be expected to pay back, over a number of years, 20% of the total received once they have a job. This will provide an additional source of funding for future sponsorships. Read more about how you and/or your congregation can sponsor a student by clicking here. IX. ICUU Global Chalice Lighting Reading for April 2009
All ICUU-affiliated groups have been asked to submit brief chalice lightings for the project. Every month, a reading will be distributed to Unitarian and Universalist congregations around the world. We ask each congregation to use the reading for at least one worship service in the designated month, identifying it as the "Global Chalice Lighting" for that month and naming the group which submitted it. Readings will be circulated in English and, where different, in their original language. It is hoped that the ICUU Global Chalice Lighting Project will enhance the worship experience in our congregations and raise awareness of the international dimensions of our religious movement. This Global Chalice Lighting, written for the ANZUUA celebration of All Heretics Day, is to be used during April 2009. English
We light this chalice to honour those before us
We ask that the light from this flame
We pray that the warmth from this flame
Derek McCullough French
Nous allumons ce calice en l'honneur de ceux qui nous ont précédés
Que la lumière de cette flamme nous inspire tous
Nous prions que la chaleur de cette flamme ~traduit en français par Noëlle Colle (Assemblée fraternelle des chrétiens unitariens AFCU) Portugese
Nós acendemos este cálice em honra daqueles que nos precederam
Que a luz desta chama nos inspire,
Nós oramos para que o calor desta chama, ~traduit en portugais par Paulo Renato Garrochinho (Portugal)
X. Events
XI. International Resources Office on Facebook
Combining the best features of email, MySpace, and other Web 2.0 technology, 374,000 people join Facebook each day to connect, reconnect, and interact. So, it's about time the International Resources Office joined the (page) ranks of the Facebook-o-sphere (or maybe it's Facebook-o-verse?)! The versatility of the Facebook layout allows for our office resources to be neatly listed and easily navigable. You can find out about upcoming events, learn more about the Faith Without Borders program, and hear announcements about new resources available on our homepage. XII. Faith Without Borders
Participants in the program will receive resources, consultation and celebration from the International Resources Office. For more information, click here.
XIII. Inspired Faith - Effective Action Blog
XIV. International Engagement Database The IRO maintains a database of the many varieties of international engagement that UU congregations are involved with. To date we have records from approximately 150 congregations in the database. Is your congregation one of them? If so, we'd love to update your entry. If not, we'd love to include information about your congregation's international engagement. Contact Nicole McConvery to check/update your congregation's status in the database. Or, if you'd like to be in contact with other congregations who are involved with international programs that are similar to yours, let us know and we'll provide you with a report.
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UUA Office of International Resources Email News and Updates |
Grounded in the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all, 
On Sunday, April 5, All Souls Church (Unitarian) in Washington DC celebrated an important chapter in its history. In 1948, inspired by the sermons of the Rev. A. Powell Davies, children at All Souls collected school supplies to send to children in Hiroshima, Japan. In appreciation, the school children in Hiroshima created original works of art in crayon, water color, pen, and calligraphic brush, which they sent back to All Souls as gifts. Sixty years on, the church has had these precious creations restored. The April 5th Service marked the opening of an exhibit about them at All Souls.
The International Resources Office staff is available to lead International Engagement workshops for Districts and Clusters, please contact the office for additional information.
UUCP Sabbatical Program 
March 2009 ICUU Newsletter
Many Unitarian and Universalist families around the world live on less than $1 a day. Education is one long-term strategy to break out of the cycle of extreme poverty, but going to school often means walking several kilometers each way, buying uniforms, supplies and often paying tuition. This is beyond the reach for many families. 
The latest pervasive, must-have technology since the invention of the cell phone, Facebook is everywhere. And it's growing.
As part of the UUA's Advocacy and Witness Staff group, the International Resources office contributes to the