The Maumee Valley UU Congregation will be the reciepient of the May-July Chalice Lighter Call to kick start their religious education program as part of their growth plan. Learn more about the call.

UUs of Color are invited to join monthly, online gatherings beginning in May, 2013. Jessica York, UUA Director of Youth Programs, will convene groups for adults, young adults, and youth of Color looking to create community within Unitarian Universalism. "Whether someone is in a congregation where they are one of a few People of Color, in a congregation with a solid community of People of Color, or affiliated with no congregation at all, there are other UUs who could benefit from being with you," says York, a black religious educator who is part of a UUA staff team creating resources to help Unitarian Universalism become more multiculturally welcoming. The group will use a small group ministry format. People who identify as Latino/a and Hispanic, multiracial/multiethnic, Native American, Asian, Arab, African descent, transracially adopted, and bi-racial are encouraged to join a gathering.
Learn more at http://www.uua.org/documents/lfd/130405_flyer_uuc_mtg.pdf.

The North UU Congregation in Lewis Center, OH and the North Hills UU Church in Pittsburgh, PA are among the six congregations selected for the Central East Regional Group (CERG) Threshold Congregation program. They join the nine congregations selected last year and the nine congregations selected in 2011. Other OMD Congregations participating in the program include First Unitarian Church, Pittsburgh, PA (2011), UU Church of Akron, OH (2012) and UU Fellowship of Wayne County, Wooster, OH (2012). Read the full article on the CERG website; or learn more about the Threshold program.

The annual report is now available and can be downloaded as a pdf

The UUA Accessibility Office and Equual Access have been working on the development of a certification program for congregations who want to be recognized as more inclusive of people with disabilities in congregational life. The link below is to a document announcing the pilot phase of this project and inviting congregations to submit applications to be part of the pilot project.

http://www.equualaccess.org/StartDisabilityAbilityActionProgram.pdf

At the 2013 General Assembly in Louisville, KY, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) will be holding elections for many positions including Moderator.

The UUA Board of Trustees has nominated two individuals to consider for a six-year term for the Moderator position according to bylaw section 9.5(a).

Our elections of people to serve the members and congregations of the Association are at the heart of our fifth principle of our faith and our trust in the democratic process. Please take the opportunity to learn more about each candidate by watching these moderator candidate election videos.

• Jim Key's 2013 Moderator Candidate Election Video (http://www.uua.org/uuagovernance/elections/moderator/282892.shtml).
• Tamara Payne-Alex's 2013 Moderator Candidate Election Video (http://www.uua.org/uuagovernance/elections/moderator/282898.shtml).

For more information on the 2013 UUA elections, please visit http://www.uua.org/uuagovernance/elections/index.shtml.

is now available for February. http://www.uua.org/communications/bulletin/282155.shtml

At GA 2013 the general assembly will elect a new moderator and president as well as several other committee and commission positions. To learn more about the election process visit www.uua.org/uuagovernance/elections/281126.shtml

In the wake of the terrible tragedy in Newtown, CT, news reports described the shooter as having Asperger's Syndrome. In many of those reports, it was implied that this syndrome may have been a factor in compelling the person to commit these horrific acts. Nothing could be further from the truth. We want you and your congregations to know the facts.

The CERG UU Disaster Relief Fund has raised over $200,000 in the two months since Sandy hit the mid-atlantic coast. The CERG staff offer this video as a thank you for your support.