CUC eNews: February 14, 2020 – Issue 107

In This Issue:

National Conference Website Live

The National Conference website is live! Held at the University of King’s College in Halifax from May 15 – 17, the Conference is hosted by the Universalist Unitarian Church of Halifax (UUCH).

The Conference website contains all the information you need to prepare and register for the conference. Please read through the information BEFORE you register, as the information will inform your decisions about workshops, meals, and accommodations.

Payment Options
We are offering new payment options this year:
1) Sliding scale from $300 – $450, with an attendant Sliding Scale Fee chart to help you decide where you are on the scale;
2) Choose what you pay option, which allows you to decide on a figure either lower or higher than the sliding scale options.

You’ll notice there is no early bird registration. That’s because both payment options allow ample choice for the amount you pay for registration.

Annual General Meeting information, including motions, delegate registration, and online voting orientation, is found on the CUC website under Events – Annual General Meeting and Conference.

We hope to see you in Halifax. The UUCH Host Team sends you a warm welcome, and invites you to their Kitchen Party and UU Ukuleles session!

Visit the National Conference Website

How to Mark CUC Month This February

February is CUC month! The Canadian Unitarian Council operates year-round, of course, but since some of its work happens behind the scenes, it’s important to take this time to reflect on the vital role it plays within our national faith community. There are many ways to mark CUC month, including selecting delegates for the coming AGM, holding a Sharing Our Faith service, and discussing motions. We hope you’ll engage in all of these.

Keep an eye on the CUC’s Facebook page for an A-Z of famous Unitarians appearing daily, thanks to the research of John K. Sproule of the Don Heights Unitarian Congregation. Did you know that famous Unitarians wrote Little Women, developed the theory of evolution and helped design the World Wide Web? These are just some of the many feats we’ll be focusing on this month.

For congregations planning a Sharing Our Faith service, the 2020 package compiled by Rev. Fran Dearman with contributions from Canadian UU ministers focuses on the theme of Making Waves — also the theme of this year’s National Conference — and contains an eclectic collection of reflections, art, readings, and sermons. Organizing a Sharing Our Faith Service offers guidelines for preparing the service and collecting the special offering, and more info about Sharing Our Faith Services is available here.

February is also a good time to plan for the Annual General Meeting. Congregations are asked to discuss the motions in advance of the AGM, and submit any feedback to the proposers by February 28, using this form (please complete a separate form for each motion). 

Congregations are also required to select and register their delegates, whether they’re participating online or in person, by April 1 (delegates not registered by this date will not be able to vote). Congregations also need to register an online voting manager, one who is comfortable operating Google sheets, who will be responsible for entering their congregation’s votes during the AGM. Orientation for online voting will be held online in April – dates will be announced in upcoming editions of the eNews, and posted in the cuc-leaders and cuc-delegate Google groups.

Learn About the National Conference

Ministerial Profile: Rev. Beckett Coppola

Ministers play a vital role in Canadian Unitarian Universalist congregations and within the national faith community. This is one in a series of profiles of Canadian Unitarian ministers the CUC will be featuring in the eNews over the coming months.

Rev. Rebecca C. “Beckett” Coppola has served Kingston Unitarian Fellowship since the fall of 2017. Born and raised in New England, she grew up on a small subsistence farm in the region’s backwoods and got to experience a more old-fashioned way of life than many of her classmates (she recalls how she once stayed home from school for three days to help can tomatoes). Her growing up years continue to impact her life today, and she’s grateful to her parents for the perspective it gave her.

Although she feels she was always on the path to ministry, Beckett was “unchurched” until age 42, when she joined the Unitarian Universalist  Church Of Boulder, Colorado when she was studying for a Master of Divinity at Naropa University. Discovering Unitarianism provided her with a sense of where she was meant to serve and what she was meant to do, and looking back she says it was “serendipity to the extreme” that led her to Unitarian ministry. She finds that the vast range of human experiences she gets to observe and participate in as a minister is the most rewarding thing about this vocation.

“I think there’s a conversation there for me about being with people in the full scope of the human experience,” she says,  “including the difficult moments and the joyous moments, and I think there’s a way that we can in community work to find contentment, connection, deepening, and expansion as a community of faith.”

Beckett believes that Unitarian Universalism must work to engage with young adult leadership if it wants to remain relevant going forward. Young adults, she feels, favour more egalitarian leadership models, which is something that could be welcomed by Unitarians. 

“Young adults have something that our faith has been working towards for generations,” she says. “But if we aren’t able to welcome those voices into leadership, we risk becoming obsolete.”

Learn More About Beckett

Registration Open for Unicamp Summer Camps

Unicamp is a Unitarian Universalist camp located on 50 acres in Dufferin County, just north of Shelburne, Ontario, committed to providing a safe and welcoming seasonal camp and spiritual retreat to a diverse community. Its programs and activities are designed to grow awareness and practice of the UU values in which the camp is rooted.  Registration for youth and kids’ camps at Unicamp this summer is now open (the 10% early bird discount ends March 23).

Children’s Camp, for ages 7-13, provides young campers with the chance to connect with the natural world, learn new skills, immerse themselves in imaginative exploration, and build lifelong friendships.  With low camper-counselor ratios (5:1), Unicamp is able to provide individual support as campers explore and learn the seven principles as guides to help care for one another and our world.

Youth Programs, for ages 13+, challenge participants and give them many opportunities to learn and grow.

Learn More About Unicamp

Canadian Unitarians Share Experiences at Climate Summit

Two Canadian Unitarians, Ahti Tolvanen and Chai Kalevar, attended the recent COP25 climate negotiations in Madrid, Spain. Ahti, from the Lakehead Unitarian Fellowship in Thunder Bay, ON, participated as a registered observer with the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office, and his article on his experience is available here. Chai will be speaking on his experience at the talks at the First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto from noon – 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 16.

Welcome to the New Chorus Coordinator

We’re thrilled to have Carter Mahoney on board as the Chorus Coordinator for Conference 2020 in Halifax! Carter will be supporting all the young adult-specific events (known as Chorus) at the National Conference, along with a small team of young adult volunteers. Lots more info about the National Conference and Chorus will be coming out very soon – for now, mark May 15-18 in your calendars! Here’s a message from Carter:
“I have been a UU my whole life, I just didn’t know it until about six years ago when I joined the Unitarian Fellowship of Peterborough. My UUpbringing and edUUcation came through regional conferences and CanUUdle. I have been deepening my faith ever since, through work as a Lay Chaplain and Service Leader with my congregation. I am currently on a long and winding road towards a Masters of Divinity and Ministry work. I am thrilled to wear the hat of a UU coordinator once more, after having last worn the CanUUdle co-dean hat some years ago. I am ecstatic about adding my voice to the Chorus of fellow Young Adults who navigate the waters of this faith!”You can reach Carter at chorus@cuc.ca. Registration for Chorus will be open mid-February to April 30th.

Learn More About the CUC’s Young Adult Ministry

VIA Rail Discount for CUC Conference-goers

Consider travelling to Halifax by train! VIA Rail is providing a 10% discount for anyone travelling to the CUC’s National Conference May 15-18 using the code 14107. Travelling by train is more environmentally friendly than flying, and provides a wonderful opportunity to slow down and experience the geography of this vast continent. 

    • VALID: May 8th  2020  to May 24th  2020
    • TERRITORY: From all stations throughout the VIA system to Halifax, Nova Scotia  and return.
    • RESTRICTIONS: Fare applies to a maximum of two passengers per booking. One complimentary stopover is allowed at no additional charge. For travel on all fare plans in Business class, the first stopover is allowed at no additional charge, provided that this stopover takes place in Toronto, Montréal or Ottawa only.
    • DISCOUNT: 10% off the best available fare in Economy, Economy Plus, Business, Business Plus, Sleeper class. “Subject to the conditions and restrictions of the fare plan to which the additional discount is being applied.”
    • EXCEPTION: Discount does not apply in any Escape fares and Prestige Class.
    • IDENTIFICATION: Participants must reference the event’s VIA convention discount code: 14107.

Make a Booking with VIA Rail

Nurturing Youth and Young Adult Leadership – Fundraising Drive

Support the future of the Unitarian Universalist movement in Canada by contributing to the Dawning Future Subsidy Fund. This fund nurtures leadership through supporting youth, advisors and young adults to attend transformative in-person events. Attending these events is an important way for youth and young adults to build connections, deepen into their spiritual selves, and to grow as leaders in our faith. 

Last year, we awarded a record number of subsidies, and it made a big difference to our youth and young adult communities. We had 30 young adults attend Chorus, the national young adult conference, some of whom hadn’t been to a Unitarian event for ten years. In the words of one attendee who benefitted from the Dawning Future subsidy, 

“It’s hard to capture the impact of the Dawning Future subsidy fund in words. Because I don’t belong to a congregation, Chorus is the home of my spiritual well-being. Throughout the year I am comforted by the fact that though my day-to-day spiritual practice may fall by the wayside, come May I will be reunited with friends, faith, and myself at the conference. Attendance represents a sort of pilgrimage for me, one that would not be possible without the generous support of the Dawning Future subsidy. Chorus is an essential aspect of my ongoing journey as a Unitarian Universalist Young Adult, which is why a donation to the Dawning Future subsidy fund amounts to  much more than money: it is the gift of a ticket home.”

To read more testimonials from recipients of the Dawning Future Subsidy, check out the Canadian Unitarian Council’s Facebook page and CUC Youth and Young Adult Ministry on Instagram (@yayasofcanada) this week. You can support the fundraising drive by sharing these testimonials on social media.

Contribute to the Youth & Young Adult Leadership Fund

Visit & like the Canadian Unitarian Council on Facebook!

Upcoming Events 2020

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

Youth and Young Adults

Online – Gathered Here: Young Adult Check-In, March 9, April 13, June 8, July 13, August 10  – 8 p.m. ET
Gathered Here is a monthly online check-in and gathering for Canadian Unitarian Universalist young adults. Zoom (https://zoom.us/j/6792849010)

Truth, Healing and Reconciliation Youth Con Pilot, February 28 – March 1, 2020 – Hosted by the Unitarian Church of Vancouver and North Shore Unitarian Church, Vancouver, BC. Registration is now open until February 17.
Youth Registration: https://vancouver.breezechms.com/form/THR-youth-con2020-youthReg
Adult Advisor Registration: https://vancouver.breezechms.com/form/THR-youth-con2020-AdultReg

Regional and Online Events

What’s In a Name? – Online roundtable via Zoom,  February 22, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET
A recent discussion on the CUC Leaders list focused on the language we use to describe our Unitarian Universalist communities. This Roundtable is an opportunity for us to consider the summary, to review some additional materials and then to share our questions. Registration deadline: February 13.

Online: Connect and Deepen – Virtual Gathering, Monthly – March 8 (2nd Sunday of the month), 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. ET
Join us for the opportunity to discuss matters of spiritual and theological significance in small groups and connect with people across the country.

Online: Mission Statement: Who Are We? What Do We Do?, March 21, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET
This webinar will provide some background on mission statements and will also give us an opportunity to practice using one as a decision-making tool. Registration deadline: March 12.

Designing and Leading Rites of Passage, April 3 – April 5, Westwood Unitarian Congregation, Edmonton, AB
This workshop is for those considering Lay Chaplaincy, recently appointed Lay Chaplains and members of a congregation’s Lay Chaplaincy committee. It provides basic guidelines on the management of a congregation’s Lay Chaplaincy program and the training new Lay Chaplains need to begin their work. Registration deadline: March 7

Conflict and Congregational Vitality, July 18, 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p,m. ET, First Unitarian Church of Hamilton, Hamilton, ON  Congregations, in an attempt to foster unity and shared identity, sometimes foster a culture of conflict avoidance. Yet, without conflict we get stuck doing things ‘the way we always have’ and resist change and possibilities. In this workshop leaders and emerging leaders will learn how to manage themselves when conflict arises and will also learn how to ensure congregational priorities take precedence over personal preferences. Registration deadline: July 8

Serving with Spirit: Nurturing UU Leaders, August 21 – August 23, Queen’s Hour of Retreats, Saskatoon, SK
Explore where you find the “springs” which fill your life’s well of energy, and how you can live out of that rich resource. There will be opportunities to connect with and be informed by other UUs,  times to engage with others as we learn new and hone familiar strategies, and space to do deep reflection, identifying and strengthening the rich practice potential in your own life. Registration deadline: July 30

National

2020 CUC National Annual General Meeting and Conference, May 15 – 17, 2020, Halifax, Nova Scotia  Hosted by the Universalist Unitarian Church of Halifax
The theme for Conference 2020 is Making Waves! Register now, deadline April 30!

CanUUdle XX: Celebrate 20 years of CanUUdle!, May 15 – 18, 2020,  Halifax, Nova Scotia 
Hosted by the Universalist Unitarian Church of Halifax
CanUUdle is the beloved annual youth conference where youth and adult allies from across Canada (and sometimes from the States!) gather to worship, build community, and grow in their Unitarian Universalist identities alongside the multigenerational National Conference. In 2020 CanUUdle will be celebrating its 20th anniversary. Registration will open in winter 2020. Register now, deadline April 30!

Chorus 2020: National Young Adult Conference, May 15 – 17, 2020, Halifax, NS
Join UUs from across Canada at the National Conference, where the theme for 2020 is Making Waves. There will be specific programming, worship, and socializing opportunities just for young adults within the multigenerational Conference, as well as the beloved Bridging Ceremony and dinner with the youth of CanUUdle. Registration will open in winter 2020. Register now, deadline April 30!

International 

UU-UNO Intergenerational Spring Seminar On Climate Justice, April 15 – 18, 2020, New York, NY

Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly, June 24 – 28, 2020, Providence, RI
Early registration available through March 15.

International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU) Meeting & Conference, October 26 – November 1, 2020, Montreal, Canada
Supported by the CUC, this ICUU Conference is an excellent opportunity to meet and get to know UUs from all over the world. Donations from Canadians go to support leadership development for participants from emerging members groups. More information coming soon.