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North American Unitarian Association is a member service organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the practice of liberal religion by embracing freedom, reason, and tolerance—rooted in our commitment to the inherent worth and dignity of every person and all peoples.

We are pleased to announce the addition of an eleventh organizational member to the NAUA, joining our ten existing organizational members:

• Canadian Unitarian Free Christian Ecclesia
• Glacier Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
• Hayward NAUA Fellowship 
• Open Hearts and Minds Fellowship
• The Unitarian Universalist Multiracial Unity Action Council
• Unitarian Christian Church of America (UCCA)
• Unitarian Christian Fellowship
• Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane
• Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Shoals
• Unitarian Universalist Faith Alliance & Ministries

Along with this new organizational member, the 75+ voting members of the UU Congregation of Flint (UUCF) have also joined the NAUA. The entire congregation recently held a unanimous vote to approve this move.

According to the church's co-minister (Rev. Jerry Kerr), "The UU Congregation of Flint (UUCF) has been around for 95 years.  We are a very 'typical' UU church in every way. Our congregants are gay, straight, transgender, Black, White, atheist, pagan and progressive Christians. We are promoting ourselves in several places as a good place for progressive Christians to be, and it seems to be working very well."

Rev. Jerry Kerr and his wife Rev. Lynn Kerr joined the congregation as ministers over 6 years ago. "When we came here, we found a congregation very uniformly upset at how the UUA treated them when they were searching for a minister. The UUCF moderator at that time told the UUA rep that the church might hire an African American man who was an activist and a community organizer, and was told that the UUA would 'mess with our mortgage' if we hired someone who was not in the UU Ministers Association (UUMA) process. Ouch!  (We didn't even have a mortgage with the UUA or even with the old American Unitarian Association—AUA.)"  

"When Peter Morales was fired, the congregants here (and Lynn and I in Ohio at that time) were concerned. We knew Peter, and his work, and something didn't seem fair about this. Fast forward to 2022 and our congregation sent a letter to Dr. Susan Frederick Gray asking that those who opposed the process and content of the proposed Article II, be given equal time in the UU World magazine. Dr. Gray said that would be expensive and there wasn't enough time to do this before the next GA. This did not happen before the next GA when Article II passed. More defrocking of UU ministers and punitive action taken against a good-offices advocate solidified this congregation's opinion that the UUA was not operating in accord with their own values."

In addition to the congregation's 78 voting members, they have many regular attendees who also pledge. Their average Sunday in-person attendance is 51, with an average of 60 "views" per service on their YouTube channel. 

According to Rev. Jerry Kerr, "We hope NAUA continues to champion the historic, precious values that created liberal religion out of the tradition of Calvinist Puritans. Upholding and honoring the faculty of reason, that helps us discern how to be truly loving, is of utmost importance. Our motto is: 'Love, Justice and Reason...in Faith'."

Welcome to our newest members! If your congregation is looking to join a member service organization that is better aligned with your congregation's mission and needs, you are invited to consider joining NAUA. For information on next steps, feel free to email info@naunitarians.org and an NAUA board member will respond.

This month's gathering takes place on the third Wednesday of February, from 4:00 - 5:30 PM PST / 7:00 PM EST. Everyone is welcome. Join in creating a vibrant, supportive space for dialogue and reflection. The zoom link is: https://tinyurl.com/naua-circle

For questions or to register for reminders, email us at circles@naunitarians.org. The circle will be facilitated by a member of the NAUA Board of Trustees. We hope to see you there!

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If you are already a member of this group, look for an email with readings and discussion questions from Circle host Mark Reimers a few days before the meeting.

If you are not currently a member but interested in joining, please send an email to circles@naunitarians.org to get added to the waiting list.

The NAUA Academy provides courses to members of the NAUA and others interested in Unitarianism, Unitarian Universalism and Liberal Religion. March's Academy session is a tour of religious expressions, statements, or symbols in the genre of popular film from "It's a Wonderful Life" to "The Matrix." "Religious" in this context means any scene or dialogue that makes sweeping statements about the nature of the world and what it means to be human within it. 

Beginning March 5th and moving forward, the NAUA Conversation / Discussion Circle moves to the first Wednesday of the month. The NAUA Conversation / Discussion Circle has no limits on participation and is open to all NAUA members and friends. The zoom link is:   https://tinyurl.com/naua-circle. 

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February NAUA Academy Recording:
"Boom or Doom:
Is Unleashing Artificial Intelligence Wise?"

February's NAUA Academy session shared reasons we could very well regret ever opening this Pandora's box. Ken Ing, session leader, created a five-page document with “Points to Ponder” – thought questions and references for further review.

If you missed the session, feel free to click on the image above to view the recording. Click here to view "Points to Ponder."