Author: Jaco ten Hove

“Keeping It Together While Democracy Is Falling Apart”

Our spring conference opens on Monday, April 27. We have arranged for eight sessions—three on Monday, three on Tuesday the 28th and two on the 29th. Our theme—“Keeping It Together While Democracy Is Falling Apart”—will be presented during the first session on Tuesday.

We are lucky to have Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout to present the theme. He is a writer, worship artist, and longtime leader in UUcommunities, where his work has centered on how people remain human, responsive, and connected during seasons of profound change.

Drawing on music, ritual, and close pastoral attention, he has accompanied communities across generations—especially elders—through moments when familiar forms no longer steady life in the same way. He understands Unitarian Universalism at its best as a tradition that turns anxiety about the unknown into a relationship with it, inviting each life into deeper rapport with mystery rather than retreat from it. His writing and teaching attend to thresholds rather than answers, and to the practices that help people move with time rather than withdraw from it. Glen lives in Minnesota. His ministry is alive wherever love and the people call him.

Dr. Rideout believes there are seasons of life when time stops behaving like a straight line and begins calling to itself from multiple directions at once. He said, “For the elder, this widening is often felt immediately—when the forms we trust most no longer hold us in the familiar old ways: memory answering memory, body and story renegotiating their terms.”

When asked how our members might adapt to the challenge of our theme, he replied, “The work, then, is not to retire into withdrawal but to remain—to know when to recline and when to rise, to relax in order to revive, to return transformed—bearing a posture of openness that teaches us what is still possible, even where we least expect it to last, when the songs need to be sung.”

Other features of our conference are two worship services and a service of remembrance, a minister’s and a partner’s odyssey, connecting rooms for stronger and more personal interactions, and a concert on Tuesday evening.

Registration is now open. Please visit uurmapa.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3106236
The fee is $70, but tariffs have been deferred until April 6th. If you register before that date, the fee is only $50.

If you have never attended one of our conferences, the board is happy to waive your registration fee. If you need assistance with the fee or the registration process, help is available from our registrar, Barbro Hansson. Write her at conferences@uurmapa.org

We look forward to greeting you in April at our spring conference. In the meantime, know that every one of us has a part to play in our struggles for inclusivity and justice. If you live in the USA, you might be a little closer to the heat, but if you are not, you are still here, you are more than a witness, and we’re all in this together. 

We are pleased to announce that our next spring conference opens on Monday, April 27. We have organized eight sessions: three on Monday, three on Tuesday and we’ll close the conference with two on Wednesday. As in recent years, the conference will be transmitted via Zoom, an online video conferencing platform available to you on your computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone or (audio-only) a telephone.

See a DRAFT Conference Schedule HERE.

Barbro Hansson, who has guided numerous conferences for the Board, said, “I have loved every minute of this ministry, which helps our members connect with one another and explore what really matters, like how to keep our focus in these challenging times.”

Theme. Our theme is “Keeping it Together While Democracy Is Falling Apart,” and will be presented on the second day by Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout. Dr. Rideout is a worship artist and longtime leader in UU communities, and he suggests that as elders, we should not withdraw, but remain, and bear a posture of openness that teaches us what is still possible, even when we least expect it to last, and when the songs still need to be sung.
See more on the theme HERE.

Odysseys. The conference will feature a minister’s odyssey with the Rev. Diane Miller, and a partner’s odyssey with Barry Finkelstein. Diane said, “As an elder, I find myself looking back at decades of ministry and asking, ‘What was that all about?’ I hope that sharing my Odyssey will provide some insights.” Barry reminds us that sharing our life journeys is a wonderful way of connecting with one another and embracing our common humanity, and so important in these dark times. See more about the Odyssey presenters HERE.

Worship. The opening worship service will be produced by Wayne Arnason and Kathleen Rolenz. As always, our memorial service will honor those colleagues and partners who have left us. Tom Schade has gathered several people to produce the memorial service and a closing worship. See more about the Remembrance Service HERE.

Connections. Connecting rooms, where we can interact with others on a deeper level, are planned for three sessions. One session will follow the theme presentation and be guided by what we learn from Dr. Rideout and our own experiences and hopes for the preservation of democracy.

Concert. The last session on Tuesday will feature Dr. Rideout in a concert of music that underscores the theme and inspires us to live into our role in keeping it together in challenging times. There’s more to this conference, so be prepared for connections, inspiration, and fun when we meet in April.

Pods. Regional pods and local watch parties offer a way to experience our virtual conference in community. They are for people who long to worship, reflect, and learn alongside others, and to share meals and conversation while participating fully in conference programming. Pods offer in-person connection, care, and the joy of being together rather than watching alone. Currently, pods are being developed in Kingston, Massachusetts and Wilmington, Delaware.
See more information about these pods HERE.
Find a one-page PDF of the Pod Financial Aid Request Form HERE.

Registration is open. Please visit https://uurmapa.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/3106236

Fees. Inflation and tariffs have caught up to us, and we regret that we must raise our fee for the conference to $70. However, if you register before April 6, your cost will only be $50, unchanged from last fall. Early registrations help us make better plans for the conference. 

Assistance. Help with all things registration is available from Barbro Hansson, the registrar. Scholarships are available if you need help with the fee. If you have never attended a UURMaPA conference, the board happily waives your fee. If you would like a scholarship or you are a newbie, please send a message to conferences@uurmapa.org for more information. You will receive a special code to use when registering. 

Eyes on the Prize. We look forward to greeting you in April at our spring conference. In the meantime, know that every one of us has a part to play in our struggles for inclusivity and justice. If you live in the USA, you might be a little closer to the heat, but if you are not, you are still here, you are more than a witness, and we’re all in this together. 

As you may know, the UUA has published a new hymnal,  Sing Out Love, in an online format. (More info about this hymnal HERE) Subscription access to this hymnal is available only to institutions.  Individuals can browse, but if you want to download, say, lyrics to a hymn, chords, a piano part, or if you want to have your copy transposed into a key you can sing, you have to sign up through an institution, usually, a church. 

Your UURMaPA leadership has negotiated (and paid for!) access for retired UU ministers. We can have up to 999 people with log-in credentials, so…really, even if you just want to peak, you can get access.  

 Just Click this link: Access to Sing Out Love

Fill out the form, click submit, and the Sing Out Love staff will get you all signed up. (Might take a few days…be patient!) 

Need help? Email Christine Robinson.