Both inspiring and engaging, General Assembly is an opportunity for UU’s from all over to gather together to engage with one another, learn, debate, be inspired, and make new connections around shared interests and causes. Here are some highlights and reflections from each of your delegates.
From Carol:
This was my 5th GA (second online) and I left feeling energized and excited to be a UU. I have experienced GA both in person and online and found my virtual experience moving and meaningful. For those who choose to attend online next year, consider gathering in person to experience some of the sessions together.
UU’s care deeply about making sure everyone feels included and safe. I was inspired by the level of care that went into ensuring necessary accommodations were offered and instances of failure were publicly acknowledged with a commitment to do better. We are a passionate people and sometimes words got misused or misunderstood. We remind one another to uphold our covenant of mutual respect and point out and acknowledge when we make mistakes (for example, the lack of enough motorized scooters for those who needed them).
UU’s know how to work for justice with joy and compassion. I attended the UU the Vote session and learned more about all the great work being done by UU’s across the country to influence the political process. UU’s are forming communities to help causes in states that are most impacted by recent legislative setbacks affecting the rights of the most vulnerable. And UU’s are doing this together while forming relationships with one another and having fun (we ended the session with a dance party!). UU the Vote partners closely with Side with Love to offer opportunities for support and action in multiple areas. We can have more impact when we work collectively across our congregations.
UU’s are having a global impact. I learned more about how the UU Service Committee (UUSC) is advancing human rights together with an international community of grassroots partners and advocates. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) recently voted affirmatively on a resolution requesting the International Court of Justice (ICJ) offer an advisory opinion about the obligation of states in addressing the impacts of climate change. UUSC, its partners, and members have been consistently advocating for this resolution which introduces a new mandate for definitive action on climate change on an international level.
UU’s touch a wide range of people from all over. I attended the service for the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF), a virtual congregation that reaches people in areas without UU congregations, including over 1,000 incarcerated people. I learned that many who are members of physical churches also participate in and contribute to CLF. It was a joyous celebration!
UU’s are amazingly talented and articulate. The music of the UUA band and chorus was stunning, I mean really world class. We are fortunate to have so many talented musicians willing to contribute their time and talent to enrich GA for everyone. And the written words shared in worship and workshops were poetic and powerful. Just Wow.
From Winny:
I am honored to have been one of the 3 WUUC delegates at the General Assembly 2023. What an educational and inspiring event!
The virtual experience for me, included the Whova app, which creates a virtual conference. It sent out notifications of what was about to happen, provided On Demand videos and Webinars. In addition, a way to get to Zoom app in which an interactive virtual experience was provided. The delegates were provided with a secure dashboard where ballots were provided and discussion boards for arising questions and observations could be accessed. There were 80+ virtual presentations made available to us, which are still available.
I had the opportunity to hear Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt speak again, and I am honored to have voted for her.
The 2023 Ware Lecture: Dr. Imani Perry was as amazing, inspirational and enlightening as I had hoped she would be. She has a very calm and gentle demeanor as she delivers her powerful message. She believes in existence of ghosts, and describes stratified belonging. She teaches us that rage is often the most virtuous response that you can have. I felt some commonality with her, and was awed by her brilliance.
The Zoom meetings included views of the live locations and people in Pittsburgh. There was drama within the chats, with improper word usage being debated. A protest broke out during the Pros and Cons presentations for the Business Resolution and they drowned out the opposition.
All throughout, the message of love and respect for everyone was repeated. It was a very touching, moving experience for me.
From Jan:
This is my 4th General Assembly. The General Assembly planning team worked very diligently to create a welcoming and inclusive conference setting and schedule for those attending in-person as well as virtually, and it was evident throughout the conference. The conference was held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center directly overlooking the Allegheny River. There was easy access to outdoor areas to view the sights of Pittsburgh, including the many bridges that cross the 3 Rivers that run through the city – The Ohio River, The Monongahela River and the Allegheny River. Not surprising that many of the worship services had a “river theme”.
It’s always an amazing feeling to be in-person at GA amongst so many UU’s from all over the country. The congregation banner parade at the start of GA literally brings me to tears. I have such an appreciation for the diversity of the UU congregations across the country and yet I heard many attendees share about the same issues/concerns we are experiencing in our congregation: membership dropped during the pandemic, resource issues (both staff and volunteers), RE program rebuilding, disagreements about Article II, differing engagement related to social justice work. There was a clear message that Unitarian Universalism as a denomination is in the process of transformation itself and the engagement around Article II reflects that work of transformation. As a denomination, we are grappling with who are we as UU’s post-pandemic in 2023 and beyond. Faithfully becoming… (theme from GA2023).
I attended the Ware lecture and was touched and intrigued by Imani Perry’s weaving of UU history into her lecture. She also graciously stayed after the lecture to sign copies of her books. I got a signed copy of her most recent book “South to America” – a Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation. While standing in line, I had a lively and fun conversation with a few UUs from the East Coast about acronyms they are considering to be able to recount the 7 shared UU values in the proposed revision of Article II:
Love, Interdependence, Equity, Transformation, Pluralism, Generosity, Justice.
I’ll never forget this GA experience, especially getting to speak about a proposed amendment to hundreds of UUs.