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International News from the UUA (iNews)
September 7, 2012
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Contents:

I. UU United Nations Office 50th Anniversary Celebration

Save the Date! The Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office invites you on November 3rd to celebrate our 50th Anniversary at the United Nations.

Join us as we celebrate the 50 Years of achievements, 50 years of Human Rights Justice, 50 Years of iconic work at the United Nations

Time:
6:30pm to 10:00pm

Location:
The Times Center, 242 West 41st Street, New York, NY (Between 7th & 8th Avenue)

Special Guests:
Reverend Peter Morales, Gillian Sorensen, Former Senator Adlai Stevenson III

Want to contribute? Donate to the UU-UNO's silent auction today!

II. The World Congress of Religions 2012

The World Congress of Religions 2012 will explore the relevance of religion and spirituality in addressing the critical issues of poverty, the empowerment of women, human rights and peacemaking.

The gathering will bring together engaged leaders, scholars, activists and members from diverse religious and spiritual communities, engaged actors in the local and global interreligious movements, as well as influential policy makers and civil society actors from guiding institutions such as government, business, education, science, media, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The event is inspired and informed by the message of the religious and social visionary, Swami Vivekananda, on the 150th anniversary of his birth.

Save the Date: The World Congress of Religions 2012
November 30, 2012 – December 2, 2012
Washington Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
2660 Woodley Road NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
View the Conference Schedule | Register Online!

III. UU College of Social Justice: Upcoming Service Learning Opportunities

With its official launch at General Assembly 2012, the mission of the UU College of Social Justice (UUCSJ) is to increase the capacity of Unitarian Universalists to catalyze justice. A formal collaboration of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), the UUCSJ will assist UU congregations in discerning their focus for social-justice work, effectively harness collective UU power for change, and build capacity for moving justice forward through its domestic and international service learning programs.

UPCOMING PROGRAMS:

UU Holdeen India Program: Justice in Rural India
Trip Dates: November 26 - December 5, 2012
Registration Deadline: September 15

This first service-learning trip to India will explore Unitarian Universalist Holdeen India Program (UUHIP) partner Vidhayak Sansad’s ongoing struggle for justice for impoverished people in the region surrounding Mumbai. The 10-day experience with Vidhayak Sansad will involve field-based activities that include shadowing local social activists and documenting the organization’s achievements in villages where it is active. Documentation support is a crucial contribution that visitors can make to Vidhayak Sansad.

UUSC-UUA Supporter Journey to Tanzania and Burundi
Trip Dates: November 10 – 20, 2012
Registration Deadline: September 10

This trip is a chance for donors to witness vital on-the-ground human-rights work and to meet African Unitarians. You will learn about the work of the Tanzania Gender Networking Program (TGNP), a UUSC environmental-justice partner, and be hosted by the Assemblée des Chrétiens Unitariens du Burundi/Assembly of Unitarian Christians of Burundi (ACUB), a UUA partner church.

For information on additional service learning opportunities, visit the UU College of Social Justice online!

IV. UUA & UU Partner Church Council Renew Memo of Understanding


On Thursday September 6, 2012, the Unitarian Universalist Association and Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council met to renew a memo of understanding between our two organizations. President of the UUPCC Board, Gary Smith, and President of the UUA, Rev. Peter Morales, pictured above, signed the official documents.

The purpose of this covenant is to affirm alignment between the visions of both organizations and to clarify their hopes and expectations as well. It provides clarity and guidance in navigating international work, collaboratively, in the U/U world at large.

We're thrilled to renew and reaffirm the collaboration between the UUA and UUPCC and look forward to the coming years of partnership.

V. Online Sunday Worship with the Church of the Larger Fellowship

The Church of the Larger Fellowship, a unique UU congregation without walls, offers online worship. If you feel like going to church this Sunday (via your computer), click here.

Join us for worship on Sundays at 8:00 pm (Eastern Time, US), with a rebroadcast of the same service on Mondays at 9:00 am (Beta test during September) and 1:30 pm (Eastern Time, US). Although the service is prerecorded, many viewers arrive at the worship link early and stay late, to participate in a live chat. It’s our version of coffee hour!

Take a look at this You Tube video. Hope to see you at worship.

VI. Meet the International Office's New Intern

Join us in welcoming our new intern!

My name is Aaron Stockwell, and I’m excited to be interning with both the International Resource office and the Church of the Larger Fellowship. I’ll specifically be working on building global Young Adult connections/ministries. I’m a member of the First Parish Church of Groton. I have a Bachelor in English and Secondary Education from Lesley College.

I’m just 2 classes away from earning my Master of Divinity at Andover Newton Theological School. I’m a Candidate for Unitarian Universalist ministry, and am also serving in my second year as the Student Minister at the First Parish in Lincoln, MA a UUA/UCC federated congregation. This summer, I completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at Massachusetts General Hospital.

My passions are hiking, cooking, exploring new and old ways of worshipping, and figuring out what it means to be a Young Adult and a Unitarian Universalist. My fiancée Elizabeth is an Educator in the Boston area. I live just outside of Boston in Quincy, MA. 

VII. ICUU Global Chalice Lighting - September 2012

The International Council of Unitarians and Universalists announces the 109th in its monthly series of global chalice lighting readings. Congregations worldwide are invited to participate.

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 is submitted in English and Spanish by the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is to be used during September 2012.

We light this chalice,
symbol of our free faith,
so that we may be reminded
to nurture and care for one another,
and to encourage the spiritual development of each person so we may
grow in strength and courage in order to transform the world through
justice and compassion.
May it be so. Blessed Be. Amen.

Encendemos este cáliz,
símbolo de nuestra fe libre,
para recordarnos a nutrir y criar cada persona,
y a incitar el espiritu de todos,
para crecer en fuerza y coraje,
transformando al mundo a través la justicia y compassion.
Que así sea. Bendecido sea. Amen.

-Arlene Bloom
submitted by the Unitarian Universalist Association

VIII. Events
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