eNews: April 16, 2025 – Issue 171

This Issue:

• Letter from Vyda
• Annual General Meeting Update
• Congregational Life Lead Position
• Two weeks left to Register for CanUUdle XXV: AdventUUre on the High Seas!
• Meet a Director of Religious Exploration: Jodi McIntosh
• National Service: From Possibility to Practice
• Help Shape Next Year’s Sharing our Faith Program
• Lay Chaplains Chat: Self-Care for Lay Chaplains – May 5th (New Date)
• Dismantling Barriers
• Nominate an Outstanding Unitarian!
• Saying Farewell to Erin Horvath
• First Ottawa Announces New Minister
• Reminder: Adventure Awaits: A Farewell Celebration for Rev. Linda Thomson
• Reminder: Virtual Hymnal “Sing Out Love” Submissions are Open
• Things to Know About the CUC
• What’s Making us Smile
• CUC Events from April 16 to June 26, 2025
  

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Letter from the Vyda

What Are We Doing with Your Money?

Money talk can be awkward. It doesn’t have to be. I’d like to share with you, Unitarian Universalists and congregations, what it is that the CUC Board and staff does with your money.

Guided by goals and strategic priorities approved by congregations and their delegates, the CUC staff team plan programming, engagement and learning opportunities. For 2026-2026:

Creating actions to fulfill these priorities requires fine balancing between human and financial resources. The CUC’s annual budget is in the range of $1M. We draw on several sources of income to power the programs and services from staff to UU congregations and communities:

• • Transfers from unrestricted funds (interest from investments): 56%
  • Annual Program Contributions: 34%
  • Event Registrations: 2%
  • Growing into the Future donations: 3%
  • Other income: 5%

 

The CUC’s financial portfolio is well diversified to maximize investment income and this provides the majority of the funds used for CUC work. The Finance Committee on behalf of the Board conscientiously scrutinizes expenses and calculates how much to reasonably transfer from investment income to sustain the work.

In 2024, the CUC transferred $471,450 to support operating expenses, a reduction of $115,150 from the approved transfers of $586,600.

The Finance & Investment Committee continues to use conservative projections for investment returns, and now especially for 2025 and 2026. There will likely be a negative return in 2025. ScotiaMcLeod (our portfolio manager) research suggests that tariffs could drive Canadian inflation to 7% and very likely drive growth to negative territory.

The sustainable use of investment income and protection of a ‘reserve’ for emergencies is very important for the long-term health of the CUC. Sustainable transfers are calculated to prevent the unrestricted assets from falling below $1,500,000. The average level of unrestricted assets has stayed above $2,000,000 since 2017.

The Finance & Investment Committee is putting a plan in place to return the CUC to a sustainable transfer amount.

APCS as Covenant

The Annual Program Contributions (APC) from congregations are an essential part of funding the work of CUC staff. This is a mutual covenant and commitment between your congregation and the CUC. We understand that each congregation has its own priorities for spending, and often, its own challenges and very much appreciate the contributions that you send.

What you give to the CUC, the staff team returns to you in the form of engagement and support for congregational health and vitality, which includes governance, visioning and planning, professional church staff transitions, conflict management, congregational conversations and connections, youth and young adult ministry, learning how to dismantle barriers to inclusion, worship, and more.

To do this work, the CUC staff team consists of six full-time and five part-time and contract staff, with other contractors brought on board as needed. As a staff team, we strongly belief that our work is to journey with you as you live out the eight Principles and foster a just and sustainable world and enrich the spiritual lives of your members.

The CUC Board is committed to being a fair employer and fair compensation for staff, and provides a CPI adjustment each year on January 1st. The rate is the annual average rate of change in the CPI as of Dec 31st each year.

What is the plan for managing CUC spending in 2025 and 2026?

The CUC Board and staff are planning for ways to use resources more effectively and increase income for the long term. Additional focus on financial systems and oversight will help ensure the best use of existing resources.

In April 2025, a Fractional (Financial) Controller service began, supporting the staff and Finance Committee with sound financial oversight. The change will also support the volunteer Treasurer by reducing the expectations for in-depth financial knowledge.  The expectation is that the support will streamline the work of administrative staff and make it easier for a volunteer treasurer.

Operating expense reductions are achieved through attrition or changes in programming needs. Some of the reductions in 2025 are:

• • Two Youth and Young Adult staff left in 2024 and the CUC will fill one YaYA Community Coordinator position.
  • One Justice & Equity staff resigned in March 2025, which will leave one Justice & Equity position unfilled in 2025.

The national program budget will be reduced from prior years as many programs are included in the Justice & Equity area and most programming is held online.

Staff continue to work on ways to reduce expenditures while searching for additional sources of revenue.

We are stronger together.

In these changing and uncertain times when so much seems to be out of our control, our spiritual and faith community is here to connect and support us, so that we can continue to live out our Principles and values. Please, stay engaged with us and with each other. And in a world where you can be anything, be kind.

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Annual General Meeting Update 

It’s almost time to talk all things CUC! The Annual General Meeting is just ahead. Held online on Saturday, May 31, the CUC Board and staff invites everyone to be part of this annual process to receive and discuss reports (including the financial statements and budgets), affirm the CUC’s goal and strategic priorities, and find out who are the recipients of grants. No new motions beyond the regular business motions were received for proposal.

Decision-making: For 2025, the CUC Board has approved the use of the Gradients of Agreement decision-making tool for use during the AGM. Before the AGM, join in hosted conversations for an orientation to this tool, to ask questions, and to share your feedback. The sessions will be held on April 19 and May 7 – come to one of these sessions to learn more and to participate in a mock vote. Register here. CUC Board members will be present at each session.  

Delegate registration: In order for your congregation to have a vote at the AGM, you’ll need to select delegates. Not quite sure what this involves? Here’s some information about what it involves and how many delegates your congregation is entitled to.

To register your congregation’s approved delegates, please fill out this separate form by May 7, 2025. Your delegates must be registered for your congregation to vote. 

Join us for the AGM on Zoom – all UUs are welcome.

Reports and documents for the AGM will be sent out in early May to congregations and delegates. 

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Congregational Life Lead position

Wanted: Congregational Life Lead for the Central and Eastern Regions

The CUC is searching for an exceptional individual who has strong community building skills, understands congregational and organizational dynamics, is a savvy facilitator, and who remains calm under pressure. The Congregational Life Lead for the Central and Eastern Regions will be part of the CUC staff team working to strengthen and support Unitarian Universalist congregations and communities in a changing world.

Here is the full job description.

HOW TO APPLY

Please send a letter and CV by May 5, 2025, to jobs@cuc.ca. We invite applications from qualified candidates who are dedicated to the 8th Principle of dismantling systemic barriers to full inclusion.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

Compensation is in the range of $69,990 annually. After a satisfactory probationary period, this position is entitled to the CUC benefits package, which includes RRSP contributions and health benefits.

NOTE: This position starts on June 1, with a two-week overlap period with the current CL-CE lead. 

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Two weeks left to Register for CanUUdle XXV: AdventUUre on the High Seas! 

Registration remains open for CanUUdle 2025, happening in Montreal from May 16th to 19th! 

Important Dates

• • May 1st: Registration deadline (midnight ET)
  • May 16th, 3 – 6pm – Arrive at CanUUdle!!!!
  • May 19th, 12pm – CanUUdle ends 🙁

What is CanUUdle? 

CanUUdle is the annual conference (“con”) for Canadian Unitarian Universalist youth ages 14-19 and their adult advisors (ages 25+). CanUUdle always happens over May long-weekend, and lasts from Friday evening to Monday at noon. The bulk of conference programming takes place at the host church building (Unitarian Church of Montreal this year). Youth and Advisors eat and sleep in the church for the duration of the weekend. 

CanUUdle is a youth-led con where youth and adults create an amazing community, worship together, attend workshops, play and grow as spiritual beings. It’s a beautiful weekend full of fun, laughter, games, discussion, thought, and above all, love and friendship—the special kind that can only be found in UU community! Many youth describe CanUUdle as a highlight of their Unitarian youth experience, as a place where they find acceptance, community, lasting friendships, and where their unique personalities can shine. If you are new to UU youth cons or CanUUdle, check out the CanUUdle page and the New to Youth Cons page for more information!

Hope to see you in Montréal! Click here to register.

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Meet a Director of Religious Exploration: Jodi McIntosh

Jodi McIntosh has served as the Director of Religious Exploration (DRE) at the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa since August of 2023. A member of the congregation for almost 20 years, she had previously served as its custodian when the DRE position opened up and she decided it was a good opportunity to use her background in education.

“I really strongly believe in the religious exploration program,” she says. “I think it’s really important for kids to have a safe place to be part of a community and feel included and engaged in some kind of values-based education.”

On a day to day level, Jodi’s role involves planning children’s activities for each Sunday according to the curriculum in use, choosing the story for the “time for all ages” in the service, running the Our Whole Lives (OWL) lifespan sexuality education program, and overseeing the congregation’s youth program. She also checks in with families in the congregation on a regular basis. 

Jodi finds offering the time for all age stories one of the most rewarding aspects of her position.

“I am working on becoming a better storyteller,” she says. “So I find it really rewarding when I get an email from a congregant saying, ‘oh, that was such a great story last week’ or ‘that story really hit just the right way’ or ‘it really helped me understand the service.’”

Jodi believes religious educators have a particularly important role to play in ensuring UU congregations remain sustainable.

“It’s the new families and the friends that they bring in and their children and their children’s children, that’s what will help our faith grow,” she says. “It also helps when there’s younger people in the pews, more younger families will want to come and stay and worship together. So it’s kind of cumulative.”

In her spare time, Jodi enjoys crocheting and going on hikes with her two kids and her dog. She’s also looking forward to travelling more in the coming years.

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National Service: From Possibility to Practice

What if sustainability isn’t just about how long we last — but about how deeply we belong to each other and to the future?

This service revisits Rev. Ray Drennan’s 2004 Confluence Lecture “An Idea of a Possibility” with insights from the UU Expressions research and other current UU practices. 

Join us for this National Service live on Sunday, May 18 at 10 am PT / 1 pm ET, followed by coffee time conversation.

The service will also be available as a ready-to-go package on Monday, May 12 for communities who wish to engage with it in their own way. If you would like this package, please fill in this form. 

 

 

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Help Shape Next Year’s Sharing our Faith Program

The annual Sharing our Faith program isn’t just a qualification for a grant. This program is an opportunity, a national conversation for Canadian Unitarian Universalists.

We want to hear from you:

• • Whether you experienced a book study or a service.
  • Whether you were an organizer or a participant.
  • Whether you attended in person or online.
  • Whether you joined a CUC conversation or an event offered by your local community.

This year we talked about belonging. Our intent was to offer an antidote to anxiety, distraction, and overwhelm. How did this topic land in your community? Was it useful to you personally?

There’s a lot at stake right now:

• • We have limited resources. Sharing our Faith programming needs to meet many needs. It must be meaningful and helpful. 
  • You are busy. The materials need to make your volunteer life easier, not harder!

We can’t do this without you; we are all in this together. Help us make this program even more meaningful by sharing your feedback.

Click here for the link to the survey.

Warm wishes,
Rev. Karen Fraser Gitlitz (Content provider for this year’s Sharing our Faith packet)

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Lay Chaplains Chat: Self-Care for Lay Chaplains – May 5th (New Date)

Months ago, when we set April 28th for a Lay Chaplain’s Chat, we did not know that it would be the day set for a federal election.

The National LC Program Committee has determined to postpone the Chat for one week until May 5th at the same time (4:30PT| 5:30 MT| 6:30 CT| 7:30 ET| 8:30 AT)

We certainly hope you can join us for the topic “Self-Care for Lay Chaplains” on the 5th.  Join us on Zoom.

 

 

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Dismantling Barriers Programming

Talking About Bylaws

Mark your calendars! Our next Dismantling Barriers session is April 24th where we’ll be discussing the topic of bylaws. Register now and take look at our tool kit.

Engaging with Solidarity

What does solidarity mean, and how can we put it into action? How do we stay committed to justice and equity, even when the work feels difficult?

Join the Justice and Equity Team and the Dismantling Barriers Lead for an interactive workshop and discussion. Together, we’ll explore what solidarity looks like in practice, how it strengthens our connections, and ways to stay engaged in this critical work for the long term.

When: May 29
Time: 7-9 pm ET
Where: Zoom (register to receive the link)

 

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Nominate an Outstanding Unitarian!

Do you know someone who lives the values of Unitarian Universalism? Contributed at a national level? Had a significant impact on UU life? Nominate them for the Knight Award!

Every two years, the Knight Award is presented to a living person who has, as a volunteer, contributed at the national level to furthering the principles of Unitarian Universalism in Canada. The award honours the ideals exemplified by the lives and work of Victor and Nancy Knight.

Nominations may be submitted by any member or friend of a Canadian UU congregation and must be accompanied by a citation describing what the nominee has done at the national level to promote liberal religious principles in Canada and why they should be considered for the award. Retiring members of the CUC board and CUC employees are not eligible for nomination until a minimum of five years after their departure. 

The citation should be at least 200 words in length and may be submitted by April 30 to John Hopewell by email to hopewell@telus.net. If you would prefer to mail your nomination in, please email John for his mailing address. 

Check out the list of exceptional Knight recipients here. 

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Saying Farewell to Erin Horvath

Erin Horvath has been the CUC Social Justice Lead since 2018. Throughout these seven years, Erin has engaged, provoked, taught and challenged us to go beyond the bounds of traditional processes and patterns in order to be more and do more. She has brought her deep experience in promoting right relations between Indigenous and settlers to her work with the CUC.

You may recall that Erin, together with Amber Bellemare, created the dismantling racism and inclusivity forums during the lead up to the 8th Principle vote. The materials and conversations made us think, made us uncomfortable, made us wonder and question, and ultimately forged new pathways for being.

Over the last year and a half, Erin and Amber have birthed and launched UU Expressions, an insightful and nuanced exploration of how some Unitarian Universalists are creating communities beyond congregations. This series is thoughtful, provocative and exciting in the possibilities we collectively hold.

The CUC staff team shared some tender and reflective moments with Erin before her departure. One staff member said, “…Another highlight of your being with the CUC is you rattle things,  you always brought new alternative perspectives. You also have the courage to challenge us. The way you shake things up and the way you voice things really is inspiring and I want to thank you for that.” Another team member shared how valuable it was to experience Erin being brave and courageous with the ability to calmly hold space in conversations when things became awkward and say ‘we can think this through, we can do hard things together.’

Erin’s gift to us is for us to become familiar with being uncomfortable and to always wonder if…

We know Erin will thrive wherever she is and what ever she does. Join the CUC staff and Board in wishing Erin well.

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First Ottawa Announces New Minister

The Board of the First Unitarian Congregation of Ottawa is very pleased to announce that the Rev. Lara Cowtan has accepted its offer to serve as the congregation’s next minister!  She will begin serving in this role in early August this year. This is a three-year contract-to-call position, which will offer an opportunity to explore calling Rev. Lara as First U’s next settled minister.

Rev. Lara is currently serving as the Minister of Congregational Care at Unity Church Unitarian in St. Paul, Minnesota, one of the largest UU congregations.  In that role she leads Unity’s work in pastoral care.

She is Canadian, originally from Winnipeg, where she traces her roots back several generations in that city’s Icelandic Unitarian community.  Her mother was also a UU minister.

Rev. Lara began her professional career as a Registered Nurse, practicing in Canada and the US before moving to Europe.  It was while living in Switzerland that she found herself drawn to helping create a UU community in Basel, which led to her calling to enter UU ministry and to devote herself to this faith she has described as, “the air I breathe”. Prior to her current ministry in St. Paul, she served for three years as the Interim Minister at Vancouver Unitarians, one of the largest Canadian congregations, and also briefly as the consulting minister at the Lakehead Unitarian Fellowship in Thunder Bay.

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Adventure Awaits: A Farewell Celebration for Rev. Linda Thomson

Saturday June 7, 2025: 1:00 pm PT | 2:00 pm MT | 3:00 pm CT | 4:00 pm ET | 5:00 pm AT | 5:30 pm NT (3 hours)
Location: In Person in Toronto and Streamed (Speeches) 4:30-6:30 pm ET 

Register to attend online or in person, June 7 from 4-7 pm ET (in person registration closes May 31). More information is available here.

 

 

 

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Musicians: Virtual Hymnal “Sing Out Love” Submissions are Open

The Unitarian Universalist Association’s Song Selection Team is ready for your submissions to the virtual hymnal “Sing Out Love”. More information is available here.

 

 

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Things to Know About the CUC  

CanUUdle is a cherished annual event for UU youth, and many of them were able to participate in it this year thanks to the Rev. Rod Fund for Youth and Young Adults, which provides financial assistance to Unitarian Universalist youth (14-19), young adults (18-35) and youth advisors to help them attend regional, national and continental conferences and faith development events.

Subsidies help make events more financially accessible and inclusive to as many people as possible, and donating today is a way to help ensure this remains the case.

 

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What’s Making Us Smile

ScandaloUUs was initially designed to provide some lighthearted laughs, but did you know that it’s also a portent of things to come?

• • Article from 2023: Listen to UU Tunes on Spotify. Today: Listen to UU Expressions on Spotify
  • Article from 2024: CUC Publishes Cookbook Today: CUC published a Cookbook in December 2024.

If you haven’t read this year’s issue yet and want a window into what the future holds for UUism, now’s the time (rumour has it Rev. Linda Thomson is seriously considering editing a campfire song collection).