eNews: December 17, 2025 – Issue 178

This Issue:

 

A Year of Courage, Connection & Collective Growth — 2025 in Review

As 2025 comes to a close, we on the CUC staff team have been reflecting on the year we’ve shared with Unitarian Universalists across Canada. What rises to the surface is not a picture of perfect ease, but something far more meaningful: a community learning, adapting, stretching, and showing up with tenderness and courage in a world that continues to shift beneath our feet. 

Through national gatherings, justice initiatives, youth programs, identity-based spaces, learning sessions, and pastoral conversations, our national community grew — not in straight lines, but in widening circles of understanding and care. In a recent congregational conversation, people spoke honestly about “finding the energy,” and how being together — imagining, playing, and dreaming new ways of being community — restored something essential.

And in this unfolding, we saw the heart of what the CUC is here for: supporting congregations, nurturing spiritual life, strengthening the threads between us, and encouraging a way of being that meets the world’s needs with integrity and compassion.

This year also invited us into our own period of transition, as we prepare for Vyda Ng’s planned departure as Executive Director in June 2026. Rev. Anne Barker’s resignation as Transitional Executive Director is another part of this unfolding moment, one that invites us to reflect with gratitude and to step forward with intention. (Please see article below)

Transitions have a way of reminding us that growth and uncertainty walk closely together — and that our principles exist precisely for times like these. Compassion, equity, democratic engagement, and interdependence are not theoretical ideas; they are the practices that help us move with steadiness and clarity even when the way forward is not yet fully visible.

November & December: A Soft Turning

In the final months of the year, our programs reflected this gentle movement toward deeper understanding.

Fall Gathering

The Fall Gathering invited participants into an imaginative exploration of archetypes — the inner patterns of energy and insight that shape how each of us contributes to community life. People discovered their own archetypes and then explored how these different energies interact, complement, and challenge each other.
 From there, groups stepped into creative scenarios, imagining how their combined gifts might respond to real-world issues or opportunities.

It was playful, profound work — the kind that reveals something essential about spiritual community: that we each bring unique gifts, and that our greatest strength emerges when those gifts are seen, valued, and woven together. For many, this experience rekindled their sense of possibility, reminding them that UU community is not just a place to be, but a place to create together.

Transforming Hearts & Dismantling Barriers

As we marked Trans Day of Remembrance, we offered two connected programs: the Transforming Hearts Collective and a Dismantling Barriers session focused on the changing realities faced by our queer and trans beloveds. These spaces invited people into openness and vulnerability.

Participants spoke of feeling liberated by the chance to be their authentic selves and be accepted, to learn, to question, to be honest, and to release long-held assumptions.
Some reflected on how letting go of old understandings is not merely intellectual work but a spiritual practice of letting go, compassion, and inner freedom.

These sessions asked us a simple but profound question: How can we, as a faith community, protect and defend those we love in a challenging political landscape?
 And the answers emerged through connection, tenderness, and the courage to grow.

Preparing for 2026

What we lived this year — the insight and the uncertainty, the resilience and the tenderness — has prepared us well for the coming year.

As we look toward 2026, two themes are emerging that inspire and shape our work: Turning Toward One Another and Facing the Future Together, two expressions of the same spiritual work — two movements, two verses of the same poem. Turning Toward One Another calls us to deepen in relationship and nurture the compassion that sustains community. Facing the Future Together invites us into thoughtful, courageous action — responding to emerging needs with shared purpose. Together, they guide how we grow as a movement: grounded in connection, and ready to meet the future.

The programs ahead — RAMP!, Dismantling Barriers, Congregational Conversations, Sharing Our Faith, the Ecosystem Project, Lay Chaplaincy Training, CanUUdle, gatherings, and our ongoing justice work — all flow from this shared vision. Each one offers a pathway for deepening relationship and strengthening our collective capacity. Each one helps us grow roots that hold us together, and branches that reach toward what the future is asking of us. Together, they form a national tapestry of learning, leadership, and spiritual practice, inviting us, in many ways, to turn toward one another so that we may face the future together.

A Year Worth Celebrating and Sharing

We hope this reflection brings you the same sense of pride, humility, and possibility that we feel. What we have created this year is not the work of any single team or congregation; it is the unfolding of a national community learning, stretching, and showing up for one another with honesty and care.

As we close the year, we offer our heartfelt gratitude for everyone’s generosity — through leadership, participation, companionship, and financial support. Your offerings make this shared spiritual journey possible, and they help Unitarian Universalism reach those searching for community, meaning, and hope.

If the work we do together inspires you, and if you believe in strengthening and expanding Unitarian Universalism in Canada, we invite you to make a year-end contribution to support this collective work. Your generosity ensures that our shared values continue to grow, deepen, and touch many more lives.

Warmly,
The Staff of the Canadian Unitarian Council

RAMP! A New Intergenerational Adventure in UU Leadership & Community-Building

In 2026, the CUC is launching something bold, hopeful, and deeply rooted in our values: RAMP! — the Reciprocal Annual Mentorship Program.
This new four-month pilot program brings together UUs of all ages to imagine, learn, and lead side by side in a time when our communities are evolving and in need of fresh possibilities.

RAMP! is built on a simple but powerful belief:
when generations learn from one another, communities flourish.

Over the course of the program, emerging and established leaders will be paired in mentorship teams, exploring themes that speak directly to the heart of UU community life today:

    • Who are we, and what do our communities need now?
    • How do we sustain ourselves with justice and abundance, not scarcity?
    • How do we navigate conflict with courage and compassion?
    • How do we make decisions and lead in ways that honor our interdependence?

Each month includes a closed mentorship session and public events —workshops, Congregational Conversations, and Dismantling Barriers sessions— all aligned around a shared theme. We are hoping to see this form a vibrant, interconnected learning ecosystem where participants and the wider UU community grow together.

All public workshops are open to everyone, and each will offer practical tools, inspiration, and spiritual grounding for UU life in a changing world.

Who is RAMP! for?

Youth and young adults, elders, congregational innovators, social justice organizers, lay leaders, and anyone who feels called to shape the future of UU communities with intention, courage, and creativity.

When?

March 17 – June 30, 2026, with sessions on Tuesday evenings and Saturday afternoons.

If you feel even a spark of curiosity, we hope you’ll follow it.
RAMP! is a chance to learn, to imagine boldly, to deepen your leadership, and to participate in a national experiment in intergenerational, justice-centered, regenerative community-building.

Learn more or apply today
Join the public workshops even if you’re not applying 

Let’s RAMP! up our collective wisdom,  and step into 2026 with connection, courage, and hope.

AGM 2026 and National Discernment

An Invitation to Shape Our Shared UU Future

Save the date! The Canadian Unitarian Council’s 2026 Annual General Meeting will take place on Saturday, May 23, from 1:00–4:30 pm ET, offered in person at the First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto and online via Zoom so that UUs across the country can participate.

The AGM is more than a procedural requirement — it is one of the few moments each year when Unitarian Universalists from coast to coast come together to shape how our national community lives its values, responds to a changing world, and supports congregations in their spiritual and social mission.

Participating in the AGM — whether as a delegate or a community member — is a spiritual practice of interdependence and collective responsibility. It is a chance to lend your voice to the future of Unitarian Universalism in Canada.

How We Prepare for Shared Decision-Making

In early January, proposed motions and AGM materials will be shared with congregations and individual UUs. This begins a period of national discernment, during which people across the country are invited to reflect, ask questions, and offer feedback through:

    • CUC-hosted national conversations
    • congregational dialogues
    • feedback surveys

These hour-long conversations are open to you, and are designed to answer questions about the AGM, solicit feedback for the motions, and to invite curiosity and engagement. They will take place in February 2026:

All sessions are identical in content, so you can choose the one that best fits your schedule.

This year, no congregational motions were submitted by the December 15 deadline. The CUC Board will bring forward proposed updates to the CUC Bylaws, intended to clarify processes, reduce barriers, and better reflect how the organization currently operates. The full text of the proposed bylaw updates will be distributed in January.

Delegates: Holding the Voice of Your Community

Each member congregation is entitled to a number of delegates based on its size. Delegates are entrusted with voting at the AGM on behalf of their communities and participating in the discernment process leading up to it.

Congregations are encouraged to select delegates who:

    • demonstrate curiosity about national UU life,
    • can facilitate discussion within their congregations,
    • are willing to serve a one- or two-year term for continuity,
    • and are comfortable using Zoom and Google Drive.

Because the AGM is hybrid and accessible online, any congregation can select delegates without financial barriers, and many encourage broad participation so more members grow familiar with UU work at a national level.

Delegate registration is open, and congregations are invited to register their delegates by May 20, 2026. Learn more about delegate selection here.

What Is a Motion?

Motions are proposals with national relevance that guide CUC priorities, decisions, and public witness. Only accredited delegates may vote, and a quorum of delegates from across regions is required for motions to pass.

Even though no motions were submitted this year, the bylaw updates from the Board ensure that the AGM will still be a meaningful moment of collective discernment.

2026 CUC Congregational Conversations

A Year of Connection, Courage, and Collective Growth

In 2026, we invite you into a renewed season of Congregational Conversations — spaces where UU leaders and seekers gather not simply to learn, but to practice the spiritual work of community.

Each session is an opportunity to pause, breathe, reflect, and reconnect with the deeper purpose of congregational life. When you attend, you are not only nurturing your own leadership—you are offering a gift to your congregation and to our wider movement. Your presence helps strengthen the ecosystem of Unitarian Universalism across Canada.

These conversations are moments to ask:
What is emerging in our communities? What is being asked of us now? How can we lead with courage, imagination, and care?

Together, we cultivate wisdom that no congregation could generate alone.

New Rhythm for 2026

Beginning in January, we gather on Thursdays and Saturdays (Each session is 90 minutes and offered twice — choose the date that supports your flow) 10am PT | 11am MT | 12pm CT | 1pm ET | 2pm AT | 2:30pm NT

Winter & Spring 2026 Conversations

Each conversation is both a learning moment and a spiritual practice — an act of tending the communal soil we share.

    • Thurs Jan 22 & Sat Jan 24: 2026 Fresh Start
      A new year invites us into clarity, intention, and renewal.
      What are you longing to grow — within yourself, within your congregation, within the world we are building together?
      This session offers guided reflection and collective discernment as we set heartfelt intentions for the year.
      Your presence is an offering to your community’s future.
    • Thurs Feb 19 & Sat Feb 21: Ministry Updates 2026
      Ministry — professional and lay — is at the heart of congregational life. Whether your community has a minister, is in search, or is reimagining how ministry can look, this conversation supports you in navigating the evolving landscape.
      We’ll explore emerging models, best practices, and questions many congregations are holding right now.
      Special guest on Feb 19 only: Christine Purcell, UUA Congregational Transitions Director, joining us to share insights and answer questions.
      This is a chance to understand not just structures, but deeper callings: How do we sustain spiritual leadership that nourishes the whole?
    • Thurs Mar 19 & Sat Mar 21 (Topic coming soon)
    • Thurs Apr 16 & Sat Apr 18 (Topic coming soon)
Why Your Participation Matters

When you show up to these conversations, you…

    • Nourish your own spiritual grounding as a leader
    • Strengthen the resilience and imagination of your congregation
    • Contribute to the collective wisdom of Unitarian Universalism in Canada
    • Help shape the future of how we live our faith — together

These gatherings are a practice of hope, courage, and community.
 We look forward to being with you in 2026.

Announcement from the CUC Board of Trustees

Rev. Anne Barker Resigns as CUC Transitional Executive Director 

The CUC Board of Trustees has accepted Anne Barker’s resignation from the role of Transitional Executive Director, effective immediately. 

In Anne’s own words:
My deepest hope, for this time, is that Canadian UUs come together in a spirit of creativity and courage – to build a collective path toward a thriving future. And … after long and careful reflection, I recognize that I am not well situated to lead this process, in this moment.   

Anne has returned to serving as the CUC’s Congregational Life staff for BC and Western Regions. 

The CUC Board and Executive Director (ED) will be moving forward with our ED transition process marked by Vyda Ng’s planned retirement in June 2026.
Contact: president@cuc.ca

Sharing Our Faith 2026: Facing the Future Together

Packet now available + Orientation on January 15

The 2026 Sharing Our Faith packet is now live! This year’s theme — Practicing Hope: Facing the Future with Gratitude, Imagination, Courage & Action — invites Unitarian Universalists across Canada to reflect on how we sustain each other in uncertain times.

The theme was developed collaboratively by more than fifty UUs who participated in Canadian UUs Read this fall, including congregational leaders, independent UUs, and ministers. Drawing on seven books recommended by UU ministers, participants identified common threads of grief and gratitude, imagination and possibility, courageous truth-telling, and hopeful action.

Written by Rev. Karen Fraser Gitlitz, the packet offers a complete, ready-to-use worship service featuring a playful and moving Readers’ Theatre, a selection of original songs by Rev. Wendy Luella Perkins, reflection questions, and a conversation guide. Congregations may use the packet as written or adapt it to fit their community’s style and needs.

Download the full packet here

To support worship leaders and congregations, the CUC will host a Sharing Our Faith Orientation and Q&A on January 15, from 7:30–8:30 pm ET (4:30–5:30 pm PT). Attendees will receive an overview of the theme, guidance on implementing the service, and suggestions for small-group conversations.

4:30 pm PT | 5:30 pm MT | 6:30 pm CT | 7:30 pm ET | 8:30 pm AT | 9:00 pm NT

Register for the orientation

Congregations that take a Sharing Our Faith special collection will be eligible to apply for the annual Sharing Our Faith grants, which support growth, innovation, and outreach projects across Canada. We encourage congregations to consider holding their Sharing Our Faith service early in the new year.

We hope this year’s theme will spark meaningful reflection and energize communities as we face the future together.

Small Actions, Big Impact, one Canadian UU Ecosystem
By Rev. Karen Fraser Gitlitz

Ecosystem Project: Imagining Our Future, Together

The Ecosystem Project took root this past spring with the intention of helping Canadian UUs experience ourselves as an interconnected learning community. The project aims to build connections, support innovation, and help us meet the needs of human and more-than-human beings in our rapidly changing world.

The project began as a collaborative effort supported by UU Ministers of Canada, Religious Educators, CUC Board, and CUC Staff. This fall a dedicated team of 18 volunteers – lay leaders and religious professionals – has been working behind the scenes to create opportunities for engagement this winter and spring.  

Thanks to the leadership Lori Crozier, a recent grant from the UU Funding Panel will support the first major shared resource: a searchable library of Canadian UU innovation, where communities can share their innovations and learn from one another’s creativity and experimentation.

At its core, the Ecosystem Project asks: What becomes possible when we face the future together? As we move into 2026, the project will invite broader participation: offering opportunities to share your community’s stories, explore emerging ideas, and learn skills. Watch for the list of upcoming events in the January edition of this e-news.

Calling all changemakers: are you curious to know what we are learning? Do you want to understand the nutrients and resources that support innovation? Sign up for our e-newsletter launching in January.

We would also welcome help crafting the stories and sharing them in our newsletter (sign up using the same link).
Together, we can help grow a UU ecosystem that is resilient, imaginative, and grounded in mutual care.

Future Zine Issue 4 Is Now Available!

Issue four of FUTURE, the zine by youth, for youth is out now! Packed with creativity, insights, and voices from our youth community, FUTURE is a space for expression, ideas, and connection.

As always, the creators want to hear from you at yob@cuc.ca What did you think? Is there something you’d love to see in the next issue? Share your thoughts and make FUTURE even better together. And if you want paper copies for your congregation or youth group, you can request those as well.

 

 

Living Our Values: How Administrators Are Strengthening Our UU Community

Across Canada, Unitarian Universalists are finding new ways to weave connection, share wisdom, and support one another. One beautiful example of this community in action is the Canadian UU Administrators’ Chat — a peer-led monthly gathering created by Janni Kretlow of North Shore Unitarian Church.

This is a powerful model of what happens when we live our values of interdependence, mutual support, and shared leadership. When administrators come together, every congregation benefits as strong, connected admins strengthen the entire network that holds our communities.

Janni has been doing this work for more than 41 years, and her dedication is rooted in deep care.

“My job draws on my people skills, my ability to organize things, and my creativity — in a way that actually makes a difference in the world.”

She shared a moment that shaped her understanding of this ministry:

“A stranger once walked in, devastated because his teenage daughter had died by suicide. He wasn’t a member, but sensed our church was a safe place. Holding space for grief that large taught me that great love and great pain can both be true — a lesson I’ve carried ever since.”

Janni launched the Administrators’ Chat after seeing how other staff groups supported each other across congregations, and recognizing that admins needed — and deserved — that same collective wisdom.

“Peers understand each other in ways others cannot. When I have a question, someone else has solutions — and vice versa. By supporting each other, we help ourselves too.”

This gathering is a living example of our UU community: grassroots, relational, responsive, and strengthening the whole.

Click here to read the full interview with Janni

Join the Next Canadian UU Administrators’ Chat

If your congregation has an administrator, this monthly gathering is a vital source of connection and shared learning — and a gift to the whole Canadian UU movement.

NEXT SESSION: Tuesday, January 20, 2026
“All Things CUC” — How Admins Can Use and Shape National Resources
10:00 am PT | 11:00 am MT | 12:00 pm CT | 1:00 pm ET | 2:00 pm AT | 2:30 pm NT

First-time participants register here.
 (Past participants will receive the Zoom link automatically.)

Through this space, administrators:

    • strengthen each other’s capacity,
    • share real-world solutions,
    • support congregational health,
    • and help activate a more connected and resilient national community.

Please share this invitation with your congregation’s administrator.

Together, we lift one another up and strengthen the whole.

UU Midwinter Retreat
By Kalvin Drake, First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto

Cedar Glen Outdoor Centre, Bolton (Just north of Toronto)
Friday, February 6 (evening) ‒ Sunday February 8 (after lunch)
This Year’s Theme: “We Are All Interconnected”

The Southern Ontario Midwinter Retreat is warm, cozy, full of laughter and music, and offers the company of your fellow UUs ― old friends and folks who are there for the first time. 

Organized by UUs in Southern Ontario, the theme this year is “We Are All Interconnected,” and we are delighted to announce that Rev. Wayne Walder will be our keynote speaker. Rev. Wayne was the minister at the Neighbourhood UU Congregation for over two decades. Besides the keynote address, the weekend offers a choice of workshops, outdoor programs led by Cedar Glen staff, a Saturday night cabaret, games and euchre, and a Sunday service.

We will also have an Art Show, organized by Lauren Renzetti. Let us know if you would like to sell your work at the show (e.g. arts/crafts/books, etc.).

There’s also a special edition t-shirt (designed by Lauren!) that can be purchased in advance.
Early Bird registration will be open until December 30, and the registration deadline (for all registrations) is January 19.
Full details and registration are available on the website. 

For further information, please contact Helen Iacovino, Register at Midwinter@FirstUnitarianToronto.org.

ICUUW Looking for a New Executive Director
By Tina Huesing, ICUUW President

The International Convocation of Unitarian and Universalist Women is a global NGO connecting Unitarian Universalists worldwide to advance women’s leadership, self-determination, and equity.

We’re going into our 17th year full of energy and enthusiasm. Our organization is strong, impactful and growing. We are now looking for a new Executive Director to continue the good work that has been the hallmark of our organization for so many years. Do you know someone who might be interested in this challenging but rewarding position?

We are seeking a part-time contractor (10-15 hours/week) managing the day-to-day operations of this volunteer-driven organization. The role requires focus on ICUUW’s mission, supporting volunteers, overseeing programming and organizational development, and fundraising. The Executive Director reports to the Board of Directors. For a detailed job description and how to apply please visit our website.

The position is available January 1, 2026 and will stay open until filled. Applications are reviewed continuously. Interested? Then send us your expression of interest to search@icuuw.org.

Many Years Loved: Rev. Fred Cappuccino’s 100th & Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ottawa’s 30th
By allison calvern, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ottawa

Founding Minister Emeritus, The Rev Fred Cappuccino, led the 1996 inaugural service of the UU Fellowship of Ottawa, founded to serve Unitarians in the East end of the city. Fred turns 100 in January, and UUFO turns 30 two months later. To celebrate these many years loved, UUFO is hosting a party on January 17, 2026, 5:30 pm, in the sanctuary, 400 McArthur, Ottawa, K1K 1G8. 

A tribute book is being prepared to honour Fred, whose storied life is threaded brilliantly into UUFO, Child Haven International, and other ministerial accomplishments (hello Lakeshore Unitarian Universalist Congregation!). Please contact allison calvern, acalvern@gmail.com with your brief stories about Fred, and any stories you may have about UUFO. 

The celebration will consist of dinner, singing, conversation, and much laughter. Contact president@uufo.org for tickets at $30 apiece. A freewill basket will invite you to support Child Haven International.

Save the Date: CanUUdle XXVI
Vancouver, BC – May 15 to 18, 2026

CanUUdle, the national annual conference for Canadian Unitarian Universalist Youth, is taking place in Vancouver next May! 

Registration and more information about the CanUUdle XXVI will be forthcoming in the new year. For now, youth groups and youth advisors should think about fundraising initiatives to offset travel costs to Vancouver! For youth group fundraising ideas, contact Raven, the CanUUdle Coordinator at canuudle@cuc.ca

More about 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. It’s 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. Youth who attend CanUUdle, and especially those who take on a leadership role, are much more likely to stay connected to Unitarian Universalism. That connection can provide many former youth with loving community and support through times of transition in young adulthood. 

CanUUdle also offers participants:

    • A better sense of what it means to be a Canadian Unitarian Universalist
    • Spiritual youth-led worship services that help them reflect on big questions
    • Interactive workshops that teach skills, encourage reflection and discussion
    • Space to build close friendships with other UU youth that can last decades 
    • Opportunities for leadership development and personal growth and discovery – many youth say that youth cons give them more confidence and a better understanding of themselves 

To learn more about UU Youth Ministry and CanUUdle, visit the CUC’s Youth Page. 

Charity of the Month: The Stephen Lewis Foundation

Each month, the eNews will be profiling a different Canadian charity. We want to showcase the wide range of charitable organizations in Canada that align with our values and offer opportunities for UUs to give and serve.

In 2003, Ilana Landsberg-Lewis joined with her father, Stephen Lewis, to create a Foundation to work hand-in-hand with Africans struggling against the AIDS epidemic. The result was the Stephen Lewis Foundation, a progressive, feminist organization rooted in the principles of social justice, international solidarity, and substantive equality. The SLF was created with the express purpose of supporting community-led organizations working on the frontlines of the HIV epidemic in countries across Africa.

Many of these grassroots organizations were originally formed by small groups of individuals responding to the crisis AIDS had wrought in their own lives and in the lives of their neighbours. Over the years, they have developed into thriving local institutions with deep connections to their communities. The SLF’s community-led partners are turning the tide of HIV and AIDS by providing care and support to women, orphaned children, LGBTIQ individuals, grandmothers and people living with HIV and AIDS.

Since its founding, the SLF has raised $200 million in support of its grassroots partner organizations.

Holiday Office Closure

The CUC office will be closed from noon ET on December 22, reopening Monday January 5, 2026. We wish everyone a safe and restful holiday season.

Things to Know About the CUC

One important thing to know about the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) is that our national community is guided by two volunteer leadership bodies: the Board of Trustees and the Nominating Committee. Both groups play a vital role in shaping the health, direction, and future of Unitarian Universalism in Canada. 

The CUC Board is a democratic body, elected by congregational delegates. Its mandate is to ensure that UU communities in Canada – current and emerging Unitarian, Universalist, Unitarian Universalist and Universalist Unitarian (UU) religious communities (“Canadian UU Communities”) –  have the resources, support, and recognition they need to thrive spiritually, socially, and economically. Board members help hold the “big picture” of our movement:

    • navigating change,
    • listening deeply to congregations,
    • stewarding national priorities,
    • and helping shape the long-term health and direction of the CUC.

Board service is meaningful work. It is also relational work — grounded in listening, shared discernment, collaboration, and a commitment to living our UU values at a national scale.

The Nominating Committee is another essential part of our UU movement. Its role is to help identify and encourage UUs who feel called to serve at the national level – people with vision, commitment, curiosity, and a desire to strengthen our movement. The committee: 

    • cultivates leadership across regions, 
    • helps match people’s gifts with national roles, 
    • supports a democratic and transparent nominations process, 
    • and ensures the Board reflects a range of voices, identities, and perspectives. 

In many ways, the Nominating Committee prepares the soil from which national leadership grows. 

Leadership Opportunities: Serve on the CUC Board or Nominating Committee

The CUC is inviting applications for positions on both the Board of Trustees and the Nominating Committee, offering a unique opportunity to make a difference to the Unitarian Universalist movement in Canada. Serving on either the Nominating Committee or the Board is a great way to:

    • grow as a leader,
    • deepen relationships,
    • inspire and be inspired,
    • and participate in setting a course for the CUC in the future. 

Open Positions on the CUC Board:
The Nominating Committee is seeking nominations for two new Board members representing:

    • Central Region
    • BC Regions

If an applicant is not identified for these Regions, the Nominating Committee will consider applicants from other Regions (as occurred in 2023).

In addition, one other position on the Board is up for election or re-election. It is the practice of the nominating committee to open all available positions for nomination. However, the following Board member has agreed to have their name stand for a second 3 year term. 

    • Margo Ellis, representing the Eastern Region is completing her first 3 year term, and is standing for re-election. 

More information about serving on the CUC Board can be found here.

Open Positions on the Nominating Committee 

The Nominating Committee is seeking:

    • two new members from the following Regions 
    • Central Region 
    • Western/BC Region 

These openings are both for 3 year terms, starting in May 2026 

    • One additional member from the BC Region (two-year term to fill a vacancy)

More information about serving on the Nominating Committee can be found at Nominating Committee Overview. 

If you are interested in being considered for one of these roles, would like to suggest someone else, or would like more information, please email the nominating committee at nominations@cuc.ca. 

The deadline for nominations to be considered by the Committee for both the CUC Board and the Nominating Committee positions is Feb 28, 2026.

What’s Making Us Smile

Many UU’s are familiar with Mirth and Dignity, the organization which runs, among other things, the UU Hysterical Society, but the story of how the organization got its name one Christmas is likely less familiar.

 

CUC Events from December 17, 2025 to June 25, 2026

Share what’s going on in your congregation. Contact communications@cuc.ca

Rising Together: Unitarian Universalists of Colour
January 14: 4:30 pm PT | 5:30 pm MT | 6:30 pm CT | 7:30 pm ET | 8:30 pm AT | 9:00 pm NT (90 minutes)

Sharing Our Faith 2026: Orientation Session
January 15: 4:30 pm PT |  5:30  pm MT  |  6:30 pm CT | 7:30 pm  ET  | 8:30 pm  AT  | 9:00 pm NT (60 minutes) 

Congregational Conversations: 2026 Fresh Start
January 22: 10:00 am PT | 11:00 am MT | 12:00 pm CT | 1:00 pm ET | 2:00 pm AT | 2:30 pm NT (90 minutes)

Congregational Conversations: 2026 Fresh Start
January 24: 10:00 am PT | 11:00 am MT | 12:00 pm CT | 1:00 pm ET | 2:00 pm AT | 2:30 pm NT (90 minutes)

Lay Chaplains Chat: Things going sideways!
January 26: 4:30 pm PT | 5:30 pm MT | 6:30 pm CT | 7:30 pm  ET | 8:30 pm AT |  9:00pm NT (90 minutes)

Rising Together: Unitarian Universalists of Colour
February 11: 4:30 pm PT | 5:30 pm MT | 6:30 pm CT | 7:30 pm ET | 8:30 pm AT | 9:00 pm NT (90 minutes)

Annual General Meetings 2026 Conversations
February 12: 4:00 pm PT | 5:00 pm MT | 6:00pm CT | 7:00 pm ET | 8:00 pm AT | 8:30 pm NT (60 minutes)

Congregational Conversations: Ministry Updates 2026
February 19: 10:00 am PT | 11:00 am MT | 12:00 pm CT | 1:00 pm ET | 2:00 pm AT | 2:30 pm NT (90 minutes)

Dismantling Barriers: Lessons from the Ontario Railroad Towns
February 19:  4:00 pm PT | 5:00 pm MT | 6:00 pm CT | 7:00 pm ET | 8:00 pm AT | 8:30 pm NT (90 minutes)

Annual General Meetings 2026 Conversations
February 21: 10:00 am PT | 11:00 am MT | 12:oo pm CT | 1:00 pm ET | 2:00 pm AT | 2:30 pm NT (60 minutes)

Congregational Conversations: Ministry Updates 2026
February 21: 10:00 am PT | 11:00 am MT | 12:00 pm CT | 1:00 pm ET | 2:00 pm AT | 2:30 pm NT (90 minutes)

Annual General Meetings 2026 Conversations
February 25: 4:00 pm PT | 5:00 pm MT | 6:00pm CT | 7:00 pm ET | 8:00 pm AT | 8:30 pm NT (60 minutes)

Rising Together: Unitarian Universalists of Colour
March 11: 4:30 pm PT | 5:30 pm MT | 6:30 pm CT | 7:30 pm ET | 8:30 pm AT | 9:00 pm NT (90 minutes)

Congregational Conversations: Topic Coming Soon
March 19: 10:00 am PT | 11:00 am MT | 12:00 pm CT | 1:00 pm ET | 2:00 pm AT | 2:30 pm NT (90 minutes)

Congregational Conversations: Topic Coming Soon
March 21: 10:00 am PT | 11:00 am MT | 12:00 pm CT | 1:00 pm ET | 2:00 pm AT | 2:30 pm NT (90 minutes)

Dismantling Barriers: Assessment and Accountability
March 26: 4:00 pm PT | 5:00 pm MT | 6:00 pm CT | 7:00 pm ET | 8:00 pm AT | 8:30 pm NT (90 minutes) 

RAMP!  Reciprocal Annual Mentorship Program (Regenerative • Adaptive • Multigenerational • Pathways)
March 28: 10:00 am PT |  11:00  am MT  |  12:00 pm CT | 1:00 pm  ET  | 2:00 pm  AT (90 minutes) 

Rising Together: Unitarian Universalists of Colour
April 8: 4:30 pm PT | 5:30 pm MT | 6:30 pm CT | 7:30 pm ET | 8:30 pm AT | 9:00 pm NT (90 minutes)

Designing & Leading Rites of Passage: Basics Training for Lay Chaplains,  2026
April 11: 9:00 am PT | 10:00 am MT | 11:00 am CT | 12:00 pm ET | 1:00pm AT | 1:30pm NT (6 hours)
April 12: 11:30 am PT | 12:30 pm MT | 1:30 pm CT | 2:30 pm ET | 3:30 pm AT | 4:00 pm NT (3.5 hours)
April 18: 9:00 am PT | 10:00 am MT | 11:00 am CT | 12:00 pm ET | 1:00 pm AT | 1:30 pm NT (6 hours)

Congregational Conversations: Topic Coming Soon
April 16: 10:00 am PT | 11:00 am MT | 12:00 pm CT | 1:00 pm ET | 2:00 pm AT | 2:30 pm NT (90 minutes)

Congregational Conversations: Topic Coming Soon
April 18: 10:00 am PT | 11:00 am MT | 12:00 pm CT | 1:00 pm ET | 2:00 pm AT | 2:30 pm NT (90 minutes)

Dismantling Barriers: Positionality and Economics
April 23: 4:00 pm PT | 5:00 pm MT | 6:00 pm CT | 7:00 pm ET | 8:00 pm AT | 8:30 pm NT (90 minutes) 

RAMP!  Reciprocal Annual Mentorship Program (Regenerative • Adaptive • Multigenerational • Pathways)
April 25: 10:00 am PT |  11:00  am MT  |  12:00 pm CT | 1:00 pm  ET  | 2:00 pm  AT  | 3:00 pm NT (90 minutes)

Lay Chaplains Chat: Rites outside of child blessings, marriages and memorials
April 27: 4:30 pm PT | 5:30 pm MT | 6:30 pm CT | 7:30 pm  ET | 8:30 pm AT |  9:00pm NT (90 minutes)

RAMP!  Reciprocal Annual Mentorship Program (Regenerative • Adaptive • Multigenerational • Pathways)
May 9: 10:00 am PT |  11:00  am MT  |  12:00 pm CT | 1:00 pm  ET  | 2:00 pm  AT  | 3:00 pm NT (90 minutes)

Rising Together: Unitarian Universalists of Colour
May 13:  4:30 pm PT | 5:30 pm MT | 6:30 pm CT | 7:30 pm ET | 8:30 pm AT | 9:00 pm NT (90 minutes)

National Worship Sunday Service
May 17: 10:00 am PT | 11:00 am MT | 12:00 pm CT | 1:00 pm ET | 2:00 pm AT | 2:30 pm NT (1 hour)

CUC Annual General Meeting
May 23: 10:00 am PT | 11:00 am MT | 12:00 pm CT | 1:00 pm ET | 2:00 pm AT | 2:30 pm NT (3.5 hrs) 

Dismantling Barriers: Boundaries Are My Love Language
May 28: 4:00 pm PT | 5:00 pm MT | 6:00 pm CT | 7:00 pm ET | 8:00 pm AT | 8:30 pm NT (90 minutes)

Rising Together: Unitarian Universalists of Colour
June 10: 4:30 pm PT | 5:30 pm MT | 6:30 pm CT | 7:30 pm ET | 8:30 pm AT | 9:00 pm NT (90 minutes)

Dismantling Barriers: Engaging in Governance
 June 25:  4:00 pm PT | 5:00 pm MT | 6:00 pm CT | 7:00 pm ET | 8:00 pm AT | 8:30 pm NT (90 minutes)

RAMP!  Reciprocal Annual Mentorship Program (Regenerative • Adaptive • Multigenerational • Pathways)
June 27: 10:00 am PT |  11:00  am MT  |  12:00 pm CT | 1:00 pm  ET  | 2:00 pm  AT  | 3:00 pm NT (90 minutes)

Enews written, edited, and formatted by the CUC communications team: Tatiana Saliba, Comms Manager; Kenzie Love, CUC Writer; and Brigitte Twomey, CUC Website Specialist.