UU Humanist Association

Happy humanist new year!

What's a humanist new year, you ask? Any year where you are part of connecting the human family and honoring human worth, of course. We are grateful for the end of year gifts we have received from many of you, investing in the work we share and in the future of humanism within the UUA and beyond it.

If you haven't made a gift and you'd like to, please click below or send a check. And you can give us an additional gift, by sharing with a friend why you support the UUHA and inviting them to become a member.

Help Us Here!

Thank you for all you do to support the UUHA!

The Rev. Amanda Poppei

President, UU Humanist Association Read more about Happy Humanist New Year! »

Not even a month remains until General Assembly 2019, the annual meeting of the Unitarian Universalist Association, convenes in Spokane Washington. GA continually ranks among the year’s most vital gatherings of members within the UU religious community.

And the UU Humanist Association cannot wait to be there.

The UUHA plans to offer attendees a series of exciting programs and exhibitions, each of them demonstrating the value of Humanism within the UU tradition. If you plan to be in Spokane between June 19 and June 23, we would love to meet you! Here’s where you can find us:

PANEL: “Whose Humanism Anyway? Answers from the Humanist Collaboratory”

When: Thursday, June 20; 4:30pm - 5:30pm
Where: Davenport Grand — Ballroom A

What happens when UU ministers, Ethical Culture clergy, humanist rabbis, and “renegade” humanist organizers -- often creating community among humanists of color -- get together? They discuss what humanism means, right now, to people of many identities. Join Humanist Collaboratory organizers to hear their take on humanism in an intentionally multiracial, intersectional context.

Though officially hosted by the Humanist Collaboratory, this panel is co-sponsored by the UUHA and was created by two of our serving Board members: Leika Lewis-Cornwell, our newest Board member; and Rev. Amanda Poppei, President of the UUHA. UU minister Rev. Dr. Patrice Curtis will join Leika in presenting the workshop.

The UUHA Annual Meeting

When: Friday, June 21; 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Where: Davenport Grand — Meeting Room 1

Join us for the UUHA’s most important formal event of the year, where all standing UUHA members are encouraged to attend and have your say in the direction the UUHA might take in the next year. We have an awfully tight agenda to work through in a small amount of time, but here’s what we’ve got planned:

The UUHA Person of the Year Award

Earlier this week the UUHA proudly announced the 2019 recipient of our annual award to individuals whose work affirms, promotes, and advances the ideals of Humanism within the Unitarian Universalist Association or in society at large. That recipient is Vanessa Gomez Brake, Associate Dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California. Vanessa will be present to receive her award, and we encourage you to read more about her work before meeting her in person.

UUHA Board Elections

Our most important business at GA is the election of our Board and Officers for the following two years. Every current member of the UUHA attending this meeting is welcome to vote and, in the next month, is encouraged to bring their names forward for consideration for any open position. Look for more details on who will be on the 2019 ballot—and for the possibility of online voting—in the coming weeks.

Exhibit Booth

When: Wednesday June 19 - Sunday June 23, Exhibit Hall hours of operation
Where: Booth # 211 at the Exhibit Hall in the Convention Center

Each year the UUHA relishes the opportunity to connect in-person both with our members attending GA, and for any attendees curious to learn more about Humanism within Unitarian Universalism. Our booth in the Exhibit Hall is a great chance to meet and get to know us better.

What delights await in booth 211 of the Exhibit Hall at the Spokane General Assembly?  

• A display of nearly 200 different pins, bumper stickers and fridge-magnets (bite-sized nuggets of Humanist, UU, and Social Justice wisdom and humor)

• Two new books: Grandmother Fish - A Child's Introduction to Evolution by Jonathan Tweet (perfect for families and RE programs) and Religious Humanism: the Good Life Lived in Community (a UUHA publication) by Andy Reese and Peter Kandis

• The latest issue of the UUHA Journal (Humanist Resistance - Some Resources)

• Recycled fabric art from the studio of Rev. Jim McConnell (stoles for ministers and choir members, bags and banners and aprons, decorated with UU and humanist symbols)   

Our booth is a chance to chat with UUHA volunteers and Board members, meet author Jonathan Tweet (have him autograph his beautifully illustrated book), renew your membership and donate to one of our social justice projects.

We will continue to post updates about the UUHA’s presence at GA over the next few weeks, both here and on our Facebook page. As always, feel free to contact us with any specific questions.

See you at GA!

Dear UU Humanist Members and Friends, 

Happy December!

I'm so honored to be the incoming president of the Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association Board, and I'm excited to share with you a little bit of my vision. But I have to start with thanks‐‐to outgoing president David Breeden, who suggested that I move into this position; to the previous president John Hooper, who recruited me for the Board in the first place; and to all my fellow Board members. You can see their names listed at the bottom of this letter‐‐they represent different parts of the country, they are lay and ordained, they are longtime UU Humanists and new to the movement, and every one of them is fantastic.

And...they are already working to support a vibrant Unitarian Universalist humanism, one that connects with humanists beyond our denomination and also bolsters humanism within. In fact, the Board has raised $4000 in matching funds to enable us to live into our shared vision. We are inviting you, our members, to give toward that vision as well. I hope that together we are able to meet the full match, and add $8000 to our budget this year!

So what is that vision? My hope is that we will, over the next year, engage in meaningful conversations about what humanism is, what it means to be humanist, and who is part of our humanism. We'll be looking for ways to get your answers, and to expand the group of people helping to answer those questions at the Humanist Collaboratory, a gathering of clergy and lead organizers of humanist communities, to be held in March 2019 at the Washington Ethical Society (the congregation I serve). I'm particularly interested in connecting with the voices of women, people of color, and queer folks...people who haven't historically been part of institutional humanist leadership but who are reinventing and reimagining humanism in truly exciting ways, within our movement and beyond.

And of course we'll continue the programs that you already know, like our Freethinker Friendly certification for UU congregations. We are also in in the midst of launching our UUHA Ambassador Program, which will enhance the UUHA’s communication with local UU congregations.

I'm so glad to be on this journey with you. And I hope that you'll be able to give toward our work, so that we can reach further than ever before.

Help Us Match our Pledge Here!

Toward a shared humanist future,

Amanda

The Rev. Amanda Poppei
Senior Leader
Washington Ethical Society
President
Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association Read more about Help Us Fulfill Our Vision! A Message from our New President »

Dear UU Humanists:

The Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association (UUHA) Board of Directors appreciates the work that you do to promote humanism within your congregation. As the number of non-theists continues to rapidly increase in the US, we believe Unitarian Universalist congregations will thrive in the future only if programs that appeal to humanists, atheists, agnostics and religious naturalists expand. In order to facilitate this, we are initiating a new Ambassador Program.

What We Do

The UUHA board communicates with the UUA to promote humanism in the association.  We also organize a presence at General Assembly with a booth, presentation of the Religious Humanist of the Year Award and our annual meeting. Our publications include the Journal of Religious Humanism and books published by the UUHA Press.  In the coming year, we anticipate having conference calls including humanists in local congregations and UUHA board members to discuss successes and concerns of local groups so that the UUHA board can ascertain the best way to support the local groups.

We Need Your Help

To become more effective in encouraging our congregations to be more welcoming to those who value reason, democracy, science and critical thinking as a guide to living in a congregational setting, we need to communicate more effectively with humanists in our congregations and beyond. We need your voice, your ideas, and your perspective!

What are the roles of the Ambassador?

The goal of the Ambassador program is to identify at least one individual in each UU congregation who will promote knowledge of the activities and publications of the UUHA and encourage fellow UUs to become members of UUHA.  Would you be willing to be our Ambassador in your congregation?  If so, please fill out the application form.  We hope that you are willing to take on this responsibility, but if you cannot, the board would appreciate any nominations for another advocate in your congregation who would be interested in being the UUHA Ambassador. 

If you have any questions or if you would prefer to send a paper copy of your application, please contact Jim Barnett, a member of the UUHA Board of directors. We will also have copies of our application available at our booth at GA.  

Sincerely Yours,

The Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association Board of Directors

Apply online to become a UUHA Ambassador today!