CUUPS Newsletter

Late Summer 2024

General Assembly ’24 Update

Chapter News • CUUPS Store

Updates • Volunteering

The Summer Solstice and the UU General Assembly have passed. With their passing, there have been many changes. One of the big changes was the approval of the Article 2 amendment to the bylaws. When we look at the changes in the bylaws, however, how have they really changed? I think they have changed in form, but not in spirit.

Sometimes I think that we, as a society, get caught up in the forms. We get used to specific patterns. We expect certain things to happen the same way repeatedly so we feel comfortable. Any changes to the comfort, for some, is unbearable because it is just another thing that reminds us that the only constant in our lives is change.

The sun rises to its peak. We celebrate the longest day. It then begins to slowly descend upon the horizon making the days shorter and nights longer in the northern hemisphere until it reaches a point of balance between light and darkness. The darkness then begins to grow and last longer than the daylight. That is the way it has always been. There has always been change. Our ancestors learned to live with it and celebrate it even as Unitarian Universalism, from its beginning, dealt with learning to grow, learning to change, and learning how to expand its awareness.

We have begun to realize that life and progress are often circular, not linear. The craziness of politics and popular belief systems today are reminding us of this. It seems, as the ancients always thought, that we are going in a spiral moving higher and higher, but at the same time going in circles. The main understanding, I think, that we can derive from the present is to realize that even change can be a good thing because sooner or later if we work hard, the things that we don’t like will get better. As a great Muslim scholar once said, “This too will pass.”

Even so, as we take our journey in CUUPS we seek to expand our views about Earth Based Spirituality and Paganism. We seek to educate ourselves about other traditions, to expand ourselves, and to heal the wounds we have received from fundamentalist, patriarchal religions, including fundamentalist atheism, instead of trying to protect them. I hope that you will join us in this quest in the coming years and perhaps may even consider taking your part in this journey as volunteers, or on the national board. This world is changing. There is a growth in people interested in Earth Based Religions. Our traditions must change and expand even as we must. Perhaps you can be the one to help. Growth means change.

Namaste,

Om Prakash

Rev. Dr. Om Prakash (John Gilmore)

Co-Chair CUUPS & Right Relations Liaison

Review of Virtual UUA General Assembly ’24!

CUUPS Board members attended the Virtual CUUPS Booth in the Virtual Exhibit Hall this year. The UUA Program Committee accepted one public program, and we led one that was not on the program list.

Summer Solstice Bardic Circle – Co-Chairs Ron Zorn and Om Prakash, Chapter Coordinator Susan Foster, and many members tended the virtual fire circle on Zoom live. Many thanks to all who attended and brought readings, chants, songs, and poems. Many thanks to Past President Jerrie Hildebrand for managing the tech side. The theme of GA around Love Unites and Stories Ignite was present!

A Concert with Jennifer Berezan – CUUPS produced an online concert featuring Jennifer Berezan from the Bay Area of California (in the image above), celebrating and honoring the planet through activism and action. The concert will be hosted on the CUUPS Website in mid-August.

CUUPS in the Exhibit Hall – As in the past, we held a raffle gifting three people one-year memberships or a discount equal in price to the CUUPS Store. Congratulations to Julie Bretones, Shawn Gibson, and Norma Scarlett

We look forward to connecting in Baltimore, MD, in June 2025!

The CUUPS, Inc. Annual Meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. The meeting welcomes all paid members to attend and vote. If you are not a CUUPS member, you may also attend.

To participate, you will need to register in advance for this meeting at bit.ly/4fuDpGY

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We want to acknowledge the chapters joining CUUPS this past year:

July, 2023

• Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Eugene, OR CUUPS Chapter

August, 2023

• Spirit of the Sacred Journey, UU Church of Surprise, AZ
• Chestnut Grove, Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing, MI

September, 2023

• Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Newark, DE

October, 2023

• Piedmont UU Church CUUPS of Charlotte, NC
• Sanctuary of Solace CUUPS of Las Vegas, NV

July 2024

•  CUUPS Birmingham, UU Church of Birmingham, AL
•  Soaring Cattle, UU Fellowship of Winston-Salem, NC
•  Earth Rising, UU Fellowship of the Peninsula, Newport News, VA

The chapter area of the website is being updated. The Chapter Handbook has been updated and posted on the website. Newer organization resolutions and reciprocal-style covenant samples are also posted.

If you want to create a CUUPS Chapter in your congregation, email chapters.membership@cuups.org.

Blessings,

Susan Foster

Susan Foster

CUUPS Chapter Coordinator

Article 2 Passes at GA

The new Article 2 to the UUA Bylaws passed at GA last month. So what is different? The introductory statement states that the delegates voted to adopt some new language on the association’s core religious values. The new values are Equity, Generosity, Interdependence, Justice, Pluralism, and Transformation, centered around Love.

The Unitarian Universalist Association bylaws mandate that Article II gets reviewed every fifteen years. It has been revised numerous times over the history of the UUA. The last wholesale revision before this year happened in 1987. The text of the new Article 2 statement can be found on the UUA Website.

Visit the New CUUPS Store! Wear Your CUUPS Pride!

CUUPS has partnered with Bonfire to offer apparel for members and chapters! We set up monthly campaigns of products with the CUUPS logo on them. Apparel is available in adult and youth sizes. We hope to add other products while figuring out the new system.

It works like this: You order and pay for your items. When the campaign is over, the printing company will print everything and ship it directly to your home! Visit the CUUPS Store!

Invitation to Volunteer!

Many thanks to those who have stepped up to take on small projects this past year.

The CUUPS Board is opening up an invitation to those who are interested in participating on the board. The work of the organization is huge! The need and demand are high for more board members to help manage things.

We are a working board, so this is not one of those places where you can sit back and have some title. Workers are needed.

Skills to Participate on the CUUPS, Inc. Board

• Gmail, Google Drive, and Zoom skills are required.
• Strongly identifies as UU Pagan
• A current paid member of CUUPS at the national level
• In right relations with your own congregation & chapter
• Has great follow through and team spirit
• Experience serving on a “working board.”
• Has references to support their work
• A willingness to work in a team environment
• Young Adults welcome

Nominating Committee

• All of the exact requirements as board members
• An awareness of UU Pagans and Earth-Centered Spirituality to discuss participating on the board.
• Good Networker

Contact info@cuups.org with a short resume or bio about yourself and what your area of interest is!

More News & Happenings!

Update Your Chapter Contacts!

This is a gentle reminder that everyone on a chapter leadership team must be a CUUPS, Inc. member and their congregation. Please send information about any leadership changes to Susan Foster at chapters.membership@cuups.org.

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Bylaws Committee

The Bylaws Committee reviews our Vision/Mission Statements and Bylaws to ensure they align with the new UU Article 2 and our UU values.

Material Needed for Newsletters for Persons in Incarcerated Settings

We are working to finish a series of newsletters for persons in incarcerated settings who are Earth-centered in their spirituality. Personal meditations, simple poems, and such are needed. We will edit as we need to. No one’s name or contact information will be used in these. Please send the material to info@cuups.org.

Support Creating General CUUPS Online RItuals

The board is interested in hearing from chapters that lead rituals with us. We will run the tech for the event, handle registrations, and work with your chapter on online ritual development. Our tech can manage up to 100 people at a time, and we would record the service to add to the YouTube channel for other members to watch.

Meetings for Chapter Leadership

We have heard from chapter facilitators that they would like regular meetings with the Chapter Liaison. We have heard from you and are currently creating a schedule for 2025. What subjects would you want to know more about? What do you need support with? Send the Chapter Liaison your ideas and suggestions so they can be scheduled at chapters.membership@cuups.org

Information for UU Young People in Scouting

We have received inquiries about religious awards that are Earth-centered and/or UU. The UUA has programs for both Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts to participate in and earn the Religion In Life Pin. There are awards for almost every age level, from Weeblos to Eagles and Junior to Senior Girl Scouts. These programs can be found at https://www.uua.org/lifespan/re-sources/scouting

Also, Scouts for Equality has an award for scouts who celebrate the inclusive spirit of our world. You can learn more about this at https://www.scoutsforequality.org/isa/

Got Ideas? Wanna Help

If you have ideas for the board and want to help develop them, contact us at info@cuups.org.