Every summer, thousands of Unitarian Universalists gather together in one place, to socialize, celebrate, learn, share, and vote! This gathering is called “General Assembly,” GA for short, and it’s a glorious chance for members of all the scattered and isolated UU congregations to meet and connect with each other, sparking ideas and friendships that can carry us through the rest of the year.
General Assembly is in a different city every year, often alternating between the East and West coasts, but this June, GA will be in Pittsburgh, just eight-hours away for someone driving from Urbana!
General Assembly, Pittsburg PA, June 21-25, 2023
Rev. Sally will be at General Assembly in-person this year, and invites as many UUCUC members as are interested to join her there! Groups of UUCUCers might coordinate travel, lodgings, and other GA plans together, so reach out to your church friends, or let Rev. Sally know if you want to be connected to others planning to attend in person.
Virtual attendance is also a possibility, with most programming being offered on a hybrid platform, as in the previous pandemic years.
GA is where delegates from all the UU congregations vote on national-level denominational policy and leaders. This year, the voting is of particular interest, as we will be electing a new Denominational President: https://www.uua.org/uuagovernance/elections/2023-presidential-election, and also voting on big changes to the language of our current “7 Principles and 6 Sources” https://www.uua.org/pressroom/press-releases/why-change-principles
UUCUC can send up to six delegates to serve as representatives and vote their consciouses on these and other issues while at GA.
Of course, there’s lots to do at GA even if you don’t attend as a voting delegate. There are meetups for identity and interest groups, kids and youth programming, workshops and continuing education opportunities, vendors selling UU-related merchandise and reading material, and chances to participate in large scale worship services highlighting some of the best preachers, storytellers, and musicians our tradition has to offer.
If you know you want to attend GA this year, either online or in person, take advantage of early-bird pricing and register now! https://www.uua.org/ga/registration
If the registration fee is a barrier for you, you can apply for financial aid https://www.uua.org/ga/registration/financialaid/scholarships (which is first come first serve, so earlier is better!), or apply to serve as a volunteer https://www.uua.org/ga/registration/financialaid/volunteer, which will waive the registration fee. There are volunteer positions for both in-person and online participants.
If you end up being chosen as a voting delegate, but don’t intend to participate in any other offerings or programming at GA, you can also register under “business only,” which does not carry any registration fee.
Here is the General Assembly info page from the UUA website: https://www.uua.org/ga
And a few more specific links:
Registration: https://www.uua.org/ga/registration
Financial Aid Application: https://www.uua.org/ga/registration/financialaid/scholarships
Housing/food/transportation info: https://www.uua.org/ga/registration/financialaid/frugal-guide