Greetings, !

This month we celebrate Freedom, both as a value and as an experience. When have you felt most free? What would you most like to do with your free time? What thoughts and expressions are most important for you to be able to freely express? 

In America and elsewhere, June is the month for celebrating PRIDE (freely expressing your sexuality) and Juneteenth (African Americans' freedom from slavery). In July, many nations celebrate their independence and freedom from foreign or authoritarian leaders.

• July 1: Canada Day, marking the anniversary of the British North America Act of 1867, which joined Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into the Dominion of Canada
• July 4: United States Independence Day
• July 5 : Algerian Independence Day
• July 6: Malawi Independence Day
• July 14: France Bastille Day, celebrating the 1789 storming of the Bastille and French revolution ideals

NAUA summarizes our values, which emerged during the Renaissance and flourished during the Enlightenment, as FREEDOM, REASON, and TOLERANCE, and considers them fundamental for any society to demonstrate respect for the worth and dignity of every person.
Let's reflect on our values prior to the fall Summit.

FREEDOM: Every person must be free to think and speak for themselves and to choose their own purposes and meaning in life.

“Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”  George Orwell

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."
Nelson Madela

“I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free... so other people would be also free.” Rosa Parks

“What is ominous is the ease with which some people go from saying that they don't like something to saying that the government should forbid it. When you go down that road, don't expect freedom to survive very long.” Thomas Sowell

Had purpose, praise, and pay

Had an unassuming sway

Had Moxy and Mojo

Had testosterone to coax me

Now, neither recognition nor support

None with whom to cavort

Trying to live up to what I once tried to be

Only on my own, with only me to see

A has-been, barely-was

A misled-by-the-applause

Get-by, get high, nearly was

A could-have-been, should-of-been worthy cause

Never pushed my way as the way

Never worried about my future pay

Never wanted to join the fray

Okay, I’ll go away

From NAUA member Byron Bradley Carrier. To read a full report of what this poem is about, please visit his website at: https://www.earthlyreligion.com/good-bye-from-the-edge/

Note: If you've written a poem, designed a work of art, or taken a photograph that might be a good fit for this focus on our values, please consider emailing it to jmkrettek@gmail.com. If we aren't able to use it here, we may request your permission to share it on our Facebook page or via other communications. Thanks!

Some members of the Board are completing their terms, and the Nominating Committee is interested in identifying individuals who would like to join the Board. 

Please let the Nominating Committee know if you are interested in assuming a role on the Board, or if you know of someone you believe would make a meaningful contribution as a Board Trustee. 

Kindly direct any questions or suggestions for potential candidates to the following email: nomcom@naunitarians.org 

Current NAUA Regional Groups:

Pacific Northwest: NW Washington State, SW British Columbia
Regional Leaders: Lorraine Day and Mike Slocum of Bellingham, WA

Central Canada: Eastern British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba
Regional Leaders: Odell Havsdottir (Teresa Klostreich) and Kent Klostreich of Winnipeg, Manitoba

Wisconsin
Regional Leaders: Ed Hudak and TBD

North and South Carolina
Regional Leaders: Mike Long and Lincoln Baxter of Charlotte, NC

New England: Maine, NH, Vermont, Massachusetts, RI, CT
Regional Leaders: Rev. Terry Cummings (CT), Judi Durham (CT), Rev. Stephen Sousa (MA)

Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee
Regional Leaders: Cindy Roesel and Geoff Bryson

Montana
Regional Leaders: Betsy Kohnstamm and TBD

If you live in one of these regions and haven't requested that NAUA "not share" your contact information, your name and email address have (or will be) provided to the regional co-leader(s). You should soon receive a communication about joining the group. If you do not receive a communication by the end of July but are interested in joining, please contact memberservices@naunitarians.org.

The Member Services Committee is still looking for co-leaders for other regions. The groups will begin on Zoom, so a little experience with Zoom would be helpful, but not essential. We will train anyone who does not feel confident. If interested, please contact NAUA Member Services at memberservices@naunitarians.org and include your location.

Your Are Invited!

Call for Volunteer Zoom Hosts

If you would like to help us plan or host the Summit, we'd love to hear from you. In particular, we are seeking technical volunteers to serve as Zoom hosts during the Summit. Training will be provided. Please email us at summit@naunitarians.org to let us know of your interest in any of these areas.

Thanks, and see you at the Summit! 

Note: There will be no International Alliance or NAUA Academy workshop during the month of July. 

The NAUA Academy Advisory Board will be meeting over the summer to plan an engaging and stimulating 2025-26 season. If you have ideas for topics or suggestions of speakers you would like to hear at an Academy Session, please email your ideas to academy@naunitarians.org.

Our July gathering is scheduled for Wednesday, July 2nd, from 4:00 - 5:30 PM PDT / 7:00 - 8:30 PM EDT. We’ll be discussing the liberal values of Freedom, Reason and Tolerance. Please take a minute to review these values - listed on the NAUA website. Click here: "About NAUA."

The NAUA Conversation / Discussion CIRCLE has no limits on participation and is open to all NAUA members and friends. 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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Note: The Forum Circle, which is led by Mark Reimers and requires a reservation, is taking a break over the summer. Twice monthly meetings will resume in the fall. 

Today I choose life. Every morning when I wake up I can choose joy, happiness, negativity, pain... To feel the freedom that comes from being able to continue to make mistakes and choices - today I choose to feel life, not to deny my humanity but embrace it.

Kevyn Aucoin, American Artist