ScandaloUUS: April 2026 – Issue #6

We’re back! Welcome to the sixth edition of the acclaimed tabloid, ScandaloUUs, the Canadian Unitarian Council’s (CUC’s) annual April 1 eNews supplement. Sit back, relax, and keep reading if you want to know all the jUUicy tidbits.

We are really going to “spill the tea.”

(Psst… We’re always eager to know what’s going on. Send us everything you’ve got from your congregation or community. Anonymous contributions are welcome.)

 

In This Issue:

“Unitarian Universalists: The MUUsical” Coming to a Congregation Near You

Congregations are in for a treat this spring with the CUC’s national service. Starting April 2, 2026, a recording will be provided to all congregations who request it of the smash Broadway hit: “Unitarian Universalists: The MUUsical.”

“Unitarian Universalists: The MUUsical” was written by a group of musically gifted UU young adults who hoped to give Unitarian Universalism a publicity boost similar to that which “The Book of Mormon” gave to that faith.

In keeping with the living tradition that has long guided UU’s, the musical puts a fresh spin on old classics. Audiences will find themselves singing along with “The RuuM Where It Happens”, a spoof of the song from “Hamilton”, about the hidden world of UU board meetings, and “Oklahoma”, which has been rewritten as a gospel tune featuring the choir of Tulsa’s All Souls Unitarian Church, one of the world’s largest UU congregations.

While the recording of the musical is being provided to congregations free of charge, tickets for live performances are hard to come by: seats for the Broadway show have been packed for months.

Outgoing CUC Executive Director Vyda Ng to Launch Food Truck Fleet in Retirement

After a long stint as Executive Director of the Canadian Unitarian Council, many people would be happy to follow it up with a relaxed retirement — but not Vyda Ng.

Ng announced recently that her first task upon concluding her tenure as CUC Executive Director in June will be an expansion of her NUUdle Nerd trUUck, which currently circulates around the Greater Toronto Area, to locations across Canada.

The food truck fleet will serve as more than just a passion project for Ng, functioning instead as a source of employment for young or underemployed UU’s who will staff the food trucks, and a source of revenue for Canadian congregations and the CUC as a whole, which will receive a cut of the profits from the food trucks’ sales. Work is underway on creating a fair and equitable formula for financial contributions from food trucks in both large and small locations — details to follow shortly.

Ng intends to remain in charge of her own food truck but plans to take a largely hands-off approach to the other trucks in the fleet once they are up and running. Her only stipulations are an encouragement to use as many U’s as possible on menus and a strict prohibition on the use of acronyms.

Study Group on Mushrooms Issues Report

Mushroom lovers rejoiced recently with the issuing of a report by a study group commissioned to investigate whether mushrooms should remain allowed within UU settings and investments. 

The report, the product of a study group struck by CUC Executive Director Vyda Ng at last year’s AGM, concluded that the CUC’s congregational polity and principles including a free and responsible search for truth and meaning would go against a total ban on consuming the popular fungi. The report instead suggests congregations take steps such as offering mushroom-free alternatives at congregational potlucks.

While most are happy with the middle ground the report has taken, some feel the study group didn’t go far enough, noting it missed an opportunity to endorse the legalized consumption of psilocybin (magic mushrooms). 

 

 

New UU Tool Helps Congregations Translate Meeting Language

A new tool developed by the CUC will help congregations better understand common phrases used during meetings.

Examples include:

    • “Let’s take this offline.” Translation: We will discuss this again in three different meetings.
    • “I’m hearing a lot of energy around this.” Translation: We are not close to agreement.
    • “This deserves more discernment.” Translation: We will revisit this sometime in the next two years.

Early testers report the tool has already improved meeting clarity and emotional preparedness.

RAMP! Workshop Confirms: Participants Are Indeed “Here”

The RAMP! workshop “You Are Here”, held March 28, helped participants reflect on their current reality and identify opportunities for growth.

After thoughtful reflection and discussion, participants reached a major shared insight:

Yes, we are indeed here.

Organizers say the next workshop will explore the slightly more complicated question:

Where do we go from here?

 

 

That’s all, folks! Send us your gossip, your dogs, and your strong opinions on mushrooms. Until next time—keep it jUUicy.

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