Home

Get Involved!

Become involved with a project that has caught your passion: whether it's Green Sanctuary, Gift-Based Ministry, as a worship associate, leading a covenant group, or something entirely different, your congregation needs your involvement in order to benefit from your unique talents and gifts!

Become a religious educator. Whether you are working with children, youth, young adults, or adults, this work can be deeply fulfilling and fun!

Offer to become a lay leader in your congregation. Talk to your nominating committee. If your congregation's in search for new professional leadership, think about whether you might contribute in new and exciting ways to that venture.

Witness your faith in the company of others, on behalf of your congregation. Seek out connections with other religious groups who share similar values. Help carry the message -- beyond your congregation -- that makes clear Unitarian Universalism's values and voice in this challenging world.

Become a delegate to your UUA District's meetings. You'll learn new skills, develop a sense of Unitarian Universalism that extends beyond your own congregation, and help nurture the vitality of our faith in your district.

Don't wait to be asked: contact your congregation's Nominating Committee and tell them you're willing to serve. They'll be glad to hear from you!

- from the UUA

Central East Regional Group (CERG)

The Central East Region helps congregations of all shapes and sizes connect with each other and with resources that help them best express their Unitarian Universalist faith in a changing and hurting world.

Friday thru Sunday: January 14-16 —

Jubilee 3 Online Anti-Racism Training

You Are Invited to Participate in Jubilee Three Anti-Racism Training: Learning Together About Systemic Racism, January 14-16, 2022, online.

Do you wish to deepen your understanding of how race and ethnicity play out in our institutions and our daily lives? Are you ready to take a leading role to nurture a multicultural future in the face of opposing cultural currents? Come Join Us for this Life-Changing Weekend!

Weekend Activities: The training includes presentations, discussions, videos, exercises, and small group work. This 2 ½ day workshop is open to anyone who wants to journey toward making a stand against racism. Church members and church leaders of any faith, as well as non-church members are all welcome! Registration and details at the CER Website.

Saturday, February 12 —

Widening the Welcome

A Virtual Workshop for Your Congregation's Greeting Team Build the Beloved Community by Being Inclusive of All

This is an online webinar on February 12, 2022, which will have two sessions from 10a-12p and 2-4pm ET, including presentations and practice opportunities. Please plan to attend both sessions. Attendees from other regions are welcome.

We have a cap of 200 participants for this event to allow us to have adequate breakout spaces, so register early!

Cost: $25 for individuals. If you are attending as part of a congregational team, the cost is $5 per person. Details and registration at the CER Website.

Saturday, March 12 at 3-5pm —

A Second Slice of Pi: An Online Conference for Smaller Congregations

Join us online at the UU Institute (UUI) on Saturday, March 12, 2022 from 3-5pm ET for A Second Slice of Pi - an updated, pandemic safe conference for smaller congregations and covenanting communities! What will we be doing? Easy on demand resources for small congregations, opportunities to connect with leaders of other small congregations, and a chance to share your story. Registration is open!

Has your small (<120 members) congregation done something interesting lately? A new partnership? A unique social justice project? A new way of connecting your members? Would you like to share your success with others? A Second Slice of Pi is looking for stories to share with participants at the conference via a short video (we can help!). Contact your regional staff to let them know you’re interested or submit your idea with this form. Deadline for material submissions is February 1.

Happy Holidays, Central East Region!

Our picture sums it up, doesn’t it? We made it to a working retreat together this fall and we were masked and socially distanced and happy to be together and it was weird to be together and we had fun and got tired and we took our picture and, what the heck, threw our team mascot in for good measure. 2021 had so much to grieve, so much to celebrate, so much to work on, so much to learn. What’s next for any of us? Who knows? We’ll be with you in 2022 to do it all some more. We do know that our connections with each other make everything possible and better.

We hope for joy, peace, love and at least a little bit of fun for you over the next few weeks. The UUA will be closed from December 18 to January 3 so we can find some of the same. We’ll see you in the new year.

Yours,
Megan, Amy, Beth, Cristina, Evin, Pat, Renee, Sana, Shannon and Sunshine

CER and the Chalice Lighters Program

We are in the Central East Region of the UUA. Pat Infante is our Primary Contact. There are many interesting resources and trainings (both in person and via webinar) listed in the web pages. Explore https://www.uua.org/central-east

I found a nice dose of hope when I stumbled upon this year’s Gould Discourse which was delivered by Rev. Frances Manly, entitled "Kids These Days: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Hope Again." It was given at an annual event in May of this year. You can read her text or watch a video of her presentation on the page.

The Chalice Lighter Program is now administered by the CER. It was developed within the old system of UU Districts (we were members of the Joseph Priestley District). The CER Chalice Lighters Grant Program works to encourage new and existing congregations to grow, both in terms of numbers and in their efforts to increase justice, compassion and spirituality. The grants support the growth of UU congregations of all sizes.

We at Restoration benefitted from a Chalice Lighter Grant when we wanted to update our "audio-visual" capabilities in the Sanctuary. One of the key elements for being eligible for a Chalice Lighter Grant is having 20% or more of our congregation active in the Chalice Lighter Program by pledging to donate a sum of money three times a year, typically about $20 each "call."

Below, are two reports from recent meetings:

To find out more about this organization, visit this UUA SITE

Back to Top of Page