Day 2 NAUA Summit
Day two of the North American Unitarian Association (NAUA) summit began with a keynote speech by John Wood, Jr. Wood is a national ambassador for Braver Angels, the United States’ largest grassroots, bipartisan organization dedicated to political deplorization. Keynote speech starts at 17:15.
Business Meeting
At the business meeting the proposed NAUA bylaws were adopted with only one minor modification. The slate of proposed NAUA Board of Trustees was also fully endorsed. The Board members are:
- Rev. Dr. Todd Eklof
- Lynn Jinishian
- Dr. Judi Durham
- Jan Anderson
- Bob Simoni
- John Wunderlin
- Marga Hanna
- Dr. Stephan Polmar
- Dr. Terry Anderson
- Mike Long
- Ron Strange
After the Business Meeting, four Discussion Table sessions were offered, They were NAUA Academy Programs, NAUA Activities, Getting to Know Other NAUA Members, and International Alliances.
Summit Celebration and Dinner
Day two of the Summit closed with a celebration of advancing the NAUA from provisional status to a member endorsed organization. All in-person attendees then enjoyed a catered on-site dinner.
Day 3 – Summit Close
Day three of the Summit will close with a Sunday service at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane by Rev. Dr. Todd Eklof. The topic of his sermon is Reaching the Summit.
It was for me from France a historic event. I was able to express my concern and hope that the content of the 7 principles and 6 sources would be included in the programmed up date of the bylaws. Also, that up dated bylaws would include a strong international commitment. The meeting on the international alliance was good: intense, dense, enthusiastic. It covered the immense work and activities of the past year in furthering the international outreach of the International Alliance of UUs.There was much hope for the future including its planned activities. As a result, there may be increased… Read more »
I was so glad to see you there, John, and think your suggestion to include the Seven Principles and Six Sources in the bylaws was one of the best suggestions I heard all day!
I have to run to a “Souls to the Polls” event, but just wanted to check in and say how fun, informative, and invigorating this Summit has been. Thanks, again, to everyone involved, especially Frank, Jay, and Helen – without you all, this historic event would not be the same! 😉
John Wood is a compelling and polished speaker, the kind that does not need notes or teleprompters. He is able to marshall a broad array of sources and weave them seemlessly into the message he so elequently delivered on behalf of Braver Angels, the nations largest cross-partisan, volunteer led movement devoted to bridging the partisan divide for the good or our democratic republic. We at the Fifth Principle Project embrace and support this effort. We urge our members to explore Braver Angels more thoroughly.
P.S. We apologize for not asking for his pronouns. LOL.
I am active with Braver Angels, including their interfaith efforts, in my local area (Southern CA).
Attending from Hillsboro OR meant a six-hour drive each way. It was well worth it! Both my wife and I were impressed by the intelligence, drive and friendliness of everyone we met. What a neat group of people. We both came away with renewed hope for UUism in North America!
Jay Hamlin
Co-leader of the new Unitarian Society of Tualatin Plains
The link below goes to the Spokesman Review of Spokane and a review John Woods remarks at the NAUA Summit. Worth the read.
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2024/oct/21/north-american-unitarian-association-hosts-its-fir/