UN Sunday

The UU-UNO would like to remind all Unitarian Universalists that UN Sunday is coming up in less than 3 months! For those of you who may be unfamiliar with UN Sunday, it is a special service that many congregations across North America hold every year to recognize the strong ties between Unitarian Universalist principles and the United Nations’ mission of international cooperation, peace and justice. This year, the theme for UN Sunday is “Human Rights: Dignity and Justice for Us All”. We invite all of you to craft a service that centers around this theme. Try to make it as engaging as possible. Find engaging hymns, great music and interesting speakers to create a dynamic service.We also ask that-if possible-participating congregations donate their offering for that day to the UU-UNO’s important work.

In order to assist you in your efforts, we have prepared a packet of materials that you can use in your service. Copy and paste this link into your browser: http://uu-uno.org/un-sunday-resource-packet/un-sunday.html?Itemid=75

Then click on “Download UN Sunday Packet” – it’s only 2 megabytes!

We wish you the best of luck in organizing your UN Sunday service this year!

Tragedy in Tennessee

The UU-UNO would like to send its deepest condolences to the members and friends of the Tennessee Valley UU Church. They are in our hearts and minds.

We strongly urge you to visit the UUA’s website to donate directly to the congregation and the victims of shooting, or to find out more information about this tragic event.

Great Job, Joy!!

Here’s a great example of what you can do to help build a culture of peace:

Instead of presents on her birthday, Joy Sullivan (above), a new UU-UNO Youth Envoy from Tallahassee, FL proposed having her friends and family make contributions to either an environmental organization or one working on peacebuilding in Rwanda, after being so moved by the film Sometimes in April. After working with the UU-UNO to come up with a few good organizations, she chose Women for Women International, a nongovernmental organization which has empowered over 153,000 women survivors of war to move toward economic self-sufficiency with their year-long program of direct aid, rights education, job skills training and small business development through microcredit loans and other program services. Their Rwanda work is a great example of women overcoming every obstacle and creating new lives after the horror of the 1994 genocide when an estimated 800,000-1 million people were killed in about 100 days. Through their programs, women have received better health care, began their own businesses, learned how to read and write, and learned valuable job skills.

Joy held her birthday party last weekend and through her efforts and the generosity of her friends and family, she was successful in raising $162 for Women for Women International! She is an inspiration to other youth and peace advocates and we congratulate her on a great initiative!

Enter the Peace Pioneer Quest at Ben & Jerry’s!

” As a company that has been supporting peace initiatives for thirty years, Ben & Jerry’s wants to recognize the outstanding work that these Peace Pioneers do. If you or someone you know is working to create positive change, inspire others and further the cause of peace and justice, we want to know about it. Tell us, in 200 words or less, what you or your friend is doing to bring about peace.

To give them their “just desserts,” the 2 Grand Prize Winners will each receive:

• a $10,000 donation to the peace organization of their choice
• a trip for two to New York to be part of the launch of our Imagine Whirled Peace campaign

Just like efforts for peace, you’ve got to act now! Contest ends on May 9th!”

Sounds like a great contest and a fantastic place for all of you to showcase the work you’re doing to build a culture of peace. The application form can be found at http://www.benjerry.com/features/imagine/peace_pioneer/.

CONTEST ENDS FRIDAY, MAY 9 – sign up quick!

Peacebuilding initiative for youth in Burundi!

A plug for a friend’s organization working on a peacebuilding project in Burundi’s Riyugi Province. Many of you play team sports and so you might relate. After a few trips to the province, Heather has begun working with one of the soccer clubs there to secure uniforms, equipment, cleats, etc for their youth teams, who are currently playing barefoot and with sparse equipment. She hopes to create partnerships between some teams here and over there and help build up their programs! Youth usually love helping youth so if you’re interested and want more info, check out her website http://burundikids.wordpress.com/ or email office@uu-uno.org and I can put you in touch!

This is a very grassroots initiative that is going well and its first fundraiser will be in New York on May 17 in the Lower East Side for those of you of legal drinking age who want to find out more about the project. In the spirit of good sportsmanship, my sports league will be sponsoring the event to get the ball rolling!

FYI: Teleseminar – Monday, April 28

To those interested – a teleseminar directly related to our Spring Seminar for anyone to participate in. Please email office@uu-uno.org for phone-in instructions and access code. Thanks!

Building a Culture of Peace:
How Can UUs Lead the Way?

You are warmly invited to join in a series of informal discussions by teleconference featuring noted UU leaders and scholars, on the topic of how UUs can provide leadership in building a culture of peace. This presentation is sponsored by the UU Peacemaking Congregational Study/Action Core Team.

Seminar #2 – “Strategic Options for Building a Culture of Peace” – presentation by Sharon Welch

8 pm Eastern Time, Monday, April 28

Presenter: Sharon Welch, provost of Meadville Lombard Theological Seminar, and author of several books including After Empire: the Art and Ethos of Enduring Peace. Sharon is a leader in the UU Peacemaking Congregational Study/Action Issue Program. Her new book, Real Peace, Real Security will be published very soon.

Moderator: Judy Morgan, CSAI Core Team

Host: Mac Goekler, CSAI Core Team

Long awaited poetry from David Williams!

Without further ado…

A Homily by Rev. Dr. Jan Carlsson-Bull

Please find below the homily given by Rev. Dr. Jan Carlsson-Bull at the worship service on Saturday, April 5, 2008.

“Peace Work”
A Homily by Rev. Dr. Jan Carlsson-Bull
UU-UNO Intergenerational Seminar
New York, NY
April 5, 2008

It’s good to be here. It’s good to be here with you as we think, speak, plan, strategize, worship, sing, sleep a few hours or so, and hold silences, because how can we not be silenced by what we know still rages in our oh so fragile world. Violence brims, propelled by rhetoric that conscripts the language of faith and the psychology of fear in this slice of history in which you and I happen to be alive. How can we not be silenced by what we know rages in each of us when we turn away, too busy to notice, or when we close the ears of our hearts to the story of another and become complicit with a nuanced lack of reverence for one who stands before us, or when we heaven forbid gather in a circle of self-righteousness because how could we cool UUs not be right even though our affinity bends somewhat to the left?

Beautiful sermon about the Spring Seminar

Almost everyone at Spring Seminar must have seen a man walking around the seminar, crouching behind seated people, perching on the sides of the stage, and popping up in other areas with a giant camera lens, documenting our Spring Seminar with gorgeous photos. Unless you go to his church in Brooklyn, what you don’t know is that Rev. Tom Martinez went home and wrote a sermon on his seminar experience. Please click on the “Read More” link below to find his sermon for all to enjoy.

Facebook!

The UU-UNO has its own facebook group and a couple of others have created one as well as a follow-up to the Spring Seminar. Please check them out at:

UU-UNO – http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2210980722

Youth for Peace (started by Kelly Pryde and Christy Samuels): http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=24248153112

If anybody else has created groups on facebook, post them so people can join!