OCUUC is a member of the larger Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA); the national offices are in Boston, Massachusetts. Each year the UUA organizes a gathering of all UUs moving the location to differing areas within the United States. The annual gathering is called General Assembly (GA) where participants gather to worship, witness, learn, connect, and make policy decisions for the Association through a democratic process. This year, the 64th GA was held from June 18–22 as a multi-platform event, with the main stage being in Baltimore, Maryland; the theme was Meet the Moment.
OCUUC was allowed to send three delegates - Phyllis Daniel, Valerie Armstrong and myself served as voting delegates to GA and participated in the General Sessions online. The General Sessions are where the business of the GA is conducted: a new slate of officers for future GA was elected, and Action of Immediate Witness (AIW) and Congregational Study/Action Issue (CSAI) were voted upon. In total, there were 3,279 attendees; 2483 were on-site in Baltimore with 796 participating on-line. Those attending represented 592 congregations from 48 states and 4 other countries (Canada, France, Mexico and Virgin Islands).
The Action of Immediate Witness (AIW) process allows Unitarian Universalists to respond quickly to social issues deemed urgent. Adopted AIWs are used by congregations in local efforts and empower them to take action and recommend action. Voted upon and affirmed at this GA were:
- Immigrants are People Who have Inherent Worth and Inalienable Rights
- Faithful Defiance of Authoritarianism, a Call to Action: Reaffirming Our Covenants for Democracy and Freedom
- Defending LBTIQ Freedom Amid Funding Crisis: A Call for Global Solidarity
These affirmations are clearly in response to our current world and clarify the position of our faith to these immediate issues.
Also voted upon was the selection of a Congregational Study-Action Issue (CSAI). CSAIs are issues selected by Unitarian Universalist member congregations for three years of study, reflection and action. The purpose is to provide member congregations of the Association with an opportunity to mobilize energy, ideas and resources around a common issue. The end result will be a deeper understanding of our religious position on the issue, a clear statement of Association policy as expressed in a Statement of Conscience, and a greater capacity for congregations to take effective action. In the third year of this process, delegates at GA can vote to approve a Statement of Conscience (SOC) resulting from two years of congregational feedback on the CSAI. At this GA, the delegates voted to further study the Abolition, Transformation and Faith Formation (focus upon our country’s prison-industrial complex). At this GA, the CSAI chosen was Abolition, Transformation, and Faith Formation (having a focus upon prison reform).
Phyllis Daniel, a veteran participant in General Assembly, provided the following summary:
The discussion on the topic of selecting a CSAI was tight but relevant. When the process failed, they did it again, with the buy-in of the delegates. The vote was changed after all delegates had an opportunity to participate. Each proposal had value; the first vote gave a majority of votes to issue of Housing. Another proposal addressed the need for reformation in the prison system and a third focused on an issue of inclusion. One speaker pointed out that several statements on the topic of housing had been made previously and suggested we challenge ourselves. The final choice of the delegates was the reformation of the prison-industrial system. Some adjustments have been made to make the meetings run more smoothly and they did, ending on time!
Two notable awards were given to UU’s some Orange Coast people will know. The Award for Distinguished Service to the Cause of Unitarian Universalism went to Paula Cole Jones, who has been important to our anti-racism work and was the leader of the Eighth Principle movement. Larry Ladd received the President’s Award for Volunteer Service. Larry, now in his early 90’s, was the president of Liberal Religious Youth as a young man and has contributed to the governance of the UUA in many roles through the years, including that of Financial Advisor. One of the re-elected members of the Board of Trustees of the UUA is the Rev. Justine Sullivan, currently the lead minister of the First UU Church of San Diego.
Next year GA will be primarily virtual with an opportunity for some groups to meet in-person, although details have not been worked out as yet. In 2027, the GA will be held in San Jose which will give us all an opportunity to participate in-person.
The willingness to take positions on current social issues is something that draws many people to our faith. I hope there will be increased interest in General Assembly as it becomes more local in 2027.
If you are interested in reading more details about the issues discussed and workshops presented at GA, you can view this UU World article.
Kathleen McFarlin is Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church's Board President.