Day 1 NAUA Summit

The North American Unitarian Association (NAUA) first Annual Summit started on Octobr 17, 2024 with a evening “meet and greet” session at a Spokane, Washington area hotel. The official first day of the  Summit was held on Friday at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane. The Summit was a hybrid event hosting in-person attendance as well as Zoom and live-streaming access. Approximately 120 people from across the U.S. and international locations particiated in the event.

Opening Words

Rev. Dr. Todd Eklof, the minister of the Spokane church and the  inspirational founder of the NAUA, opened the Summit with these words:

Why Are We Here?

We are here to celebrate a new beginning for liberal religion and all that we have already accomplished in such a short time.

We are here to hasten and bolster our liberal religious community by building and deepening our friendships and connections.

We are here to prove to each other that we are not alone, and that our congregations and fellowships remain free and autonomous, yet they are not alone in our common hope, commitment, and determination to make our world a better and more just place for all people, our fellow creatures, and our mother Earth.

We are here to promote and uphold our perennial liberal religious values and principles by letting the world know they are not dead, they cannot be removed with a vote nor edited out of existence, and that we have not abandoned our commitment to religious freedom and to the inherent worth and dignity of every person and to all peoples.

We are here to make history, just as Unitarians and Universalists have been doing for centuries.

We are here to prove that despite attempts to demonize, dehumanize, and dismiss us, that we are still standing, still vibrant, still filled with the joy of life and positive purpose.

And we are here to roll up our sleeves and get to work helping to make human society more just, more brave, and more compassionate and tolerant toward one another.

Thank you all for joining me here, at this historic first Summit of the North American Unitarian Association. Thank you for all you have had to endure to get to this place. Thank you for standing with me and giving me strength when it felt like my whole world was being pulled out from under me. Thank you for being here for each other. And thank you for your continued commitment to our historic and hopeful liberal faith and principles. Thank you for all that we have already accomplished and thank you for all the good things I know we will continue to accomplish tomorrow and during the years to come.

Workshops

Two workshops were held that allowed both in-person and virtual particapants to interact and share their expectations moving forward and reflect on the many changes that have ocurred within UUism.

Judi Durham lead a Visioning NAUA’s Future workshop that solicited ideas. The formal assembly of all ideas will occur after the Summit but a sampling of ideas include:

• Develop resources to attract family with children and young adults
• Grow local and regional structures to encourage face-to-face interactions
• Consider ways to raise sufficient income to support the NAUA mission
• Develop a mechanism to help congregations and fellowships hire ministerial staff
• Consider programs such as podcasts to reach college students
• Develop programs to allow people to find spiritual connections

Lynn Jinishian lead a Losing Your Religion: Moving Toward Wellness session that allowed people to reflect on the changes and losses that have happened over the past several years with UUism. This workshop was also developed by Candace Schmidt who, unforunately, was ill and unable to participate.  This workshop revealed the pain from the loss of friendships, church connection, and distance that has grown among the UUs in a once closely knit UU community. The encouraging watch word was to keep your eye on a hopeful long term future.

Rev. Dr. Todd Eklof closed the day with a group workshop entitled Kerdcera – The Art of Being Thoughtful. The word kerdcera (pronounced kerd CARE ah) is a mash-up meaning heart and mind. The key components of emotional intelligence are self-awareness, self-control, self-regulation, social skills and empathy. Eklof shared that thoughts and feelings are two expressions of the same experience. The Kerdceran Method has four elements: 1. What are your biases? (This will influence your thoughts and opinions.) 2. Whats’ the what? (What’s the point?) 3. What’s the why? (the reasons or premises) and 4. Does the what follow from the why?

Eklof closed with an exercise in which over 20 people, both in-person and on zoom, responded to a situation about a child being paid by a parent to read. Every answer was different and showed a range of  logic and emotion, which was Eklof’s point.

Day 2

The Saturday schedule includes a keynote address from John Wood, Jr, the business meeting to formally establish the NAUA Board and bylaws, and more workshops.

NAUA Membership

The NAUA membership is available to both individuals and institutions (e.g. congregations and fellowhships). Lear more that the NAUA Membership page.