by Holly Bussey, Liaison, Denominational Affairs

With less than two months to go before the UUA General Assembly (GA), there is still time to register and attend via Zoom.

GA is the annual gathering to conduct the business of our Association, together with workshops, lectures, and worship services. The business portion is comprised of General Sessions, where representatives of congregations vote on Association-wide proposals. The number of delegates is based on the size of the congregation. Our delegates pay their registration fees but are expected to vote on matters according to their understanding of our church-wide wishes. Other attendees go to GA for the educational sessions and workshops and bring back what they learn to benefit all of us.

Each year, beginning in October, there is an open call for members willing to serve as one of our six delegates. Anyone is eligible who has been a member for at least 2 years, is willing to learn, to collaborate with the congregation on the issues, to attend all GA General Sessions, to participate in discussion, and vote on our behalf. We meet numerous times to discuss questions in the months leading up to GA.

Recruiting delegates has always been a challenge. Time away and cost must be considered. However, we have always managed to send delegates who represent our congregation fairly. To help lower the costs of attending GA, the UUA now offers a Business-only registration that provides access to the GA Delegate Platform for discussion and voting during General Sessions. Payment is not required but a donation to offset production and platform costs is suggested.

In the past, delegates have been introduced to the congregation at the annual meeting in June. Since the COVID pandemic, the timing of our annual meeting has changed and how we as an Association do business has also changed. As a result, the slate of delegates must be ready earlier. We have introduced them in other ways, including here in CrossCurrents.

This year, delegates will vote on a proposed change to our bylaws (Article II The Values Statement). Rev. Kim and Robin Pugh have held many informational meetings and attendance has been good. Polling attendees in these sessions, which will continue over the next few weeks, has enabled us to get a good sense of the congregation’s opinion on the proposal. Our conversations will continue over the next few weeks so that delegates are prepared to act on the congregation’s behalf.

On April 10, the Church Board voted unanimously to affirm the slate of delegates – Maria Baratta, Heather Edwards, Jane Root, Jim Sanders, Eileen Spedding, and Dan Tuft – and expressed confidence in their ability to faithfully represent the wishes of the congregation.

Please consider attending this year. Registration is still open. Meantime, talk with our delegates and tell them what interests you and what you would like to know more about. For more information on programs and the GA schedule, look here, or email DA@uucwc.org. For those who like to plan ahead, GA 2025 will be multi-platform, in Baltimore, Maryland, and online.