NAUA hosts a monthly worship service on the third Saturday of each month, followed by small group discussion. February's worship service is on "AI and Spirituality." 

Image: "Tree of Life" by Clinton Harris

Greetings, !

NAUA Member Clinton Harris submitted the artwork above in response to our discussion about World Interfaith Harmony week and Unitarian principles/foundations. Look closely at the image and you will spot many hidden words. How many can you find?

Below you will find a lovely poem submitted by Rev. Jeremias Bacaling: "This poem is my story. It comes from the struggles I carry quietly every day. I learned early that life is not always gentle. I have faced worries about family, finances, and responsibilities that sometimes feel heavier than I can explain. There are nights I question myself and mornings I rise anyway, because people depend on me and giving up is not an option.

Still I Walk

- Rev. Jeremias Jr. B. Bacaling

Note: Members and readers are invited to share a poem, short letter or artistic rendition of their hopes for NAUA and the wider world in the coming year. Please email your contribution to jmkrettek@gmail.com for inclusion in this newsletter or posting to our social media accounts. 

If you are age 70½ or older and take Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from an IRA, you may be able to make your giving to NAUA both meaningful and tax-efficient through a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). A QCD allows you to direct all or part of your RMD—up to $111,000 per year in 2026—directly from your IRA to a qualified nonprofit organization like NAUA. The amount donated through a QCD counts toward your RMD but is excluded from your taxable income, which can help lower your adjusted gross income and reduce taxes on Social Security or Medicare premiums.

NAUA members may wish to consider this option because it aligns financial stewardship with personal values. Instead of taking a required distribution and then writing a check, a QCD allows your retirement savings to directly support our liberal religious community—making your required distributions an expression of purpose, not just obligation. Ask you IRA custodian about making a Qualified Charitable Donation (QCD) to NAUA (EIN #92-1079431).

We are recruiting NAUA members and friends who are willing to serve on the committee and help with any of the following:

• Identify a theme and keynote speaker
• Host a workshop
• Contact, recruit and support session speakers
• Invent ways in which this event can rise to new Summit heights! 

We are are especially in need of folks with a background or skills in promotions/marketing to recruit organizations to serve as conference sponsors or partners. Sponsorship perks may include the opportunity to host a session or booth or have the organization's logo added to the Summit website and materials.

Finally, we know that many (most?) NAUA members have areas of particular interest, skill, expertise or knowledge that they could share during a 50-minute Summit session. We have room for a wide variety of  sessions - musical, travel, personal care, friending, historical, theological, scientific - the possibilities are endless.  Those interested in speaking will be asked to submit an outline of their session and (if available) a recording of past presentations. Workshop leaders will be selected by the committee based on a number of factors, including the topic's relevance to liberal religion and/or the Summit theme (TBD). 

If you are interested in serving on the Summit 2026 Planning Committee or assisting during the Summit, PLEASE email the committee at summit@naunitarians.org. We would also like to invite suggestions for any of the following (even if you are unable to serve on the planning committee):

• Summit theme
• Possible options for a keynote speaker and how we might contact them
• Suggestions for workshop leaders or topics
• Organizations that might be interested in supporting and/or sponsoring the Summit

Again, please email summit@naunitarians.org with your ideas and/or interest in helping with the Summit!

NAUA Interim Board President Roy Dickerson has successfully completed his surgery and in-hospital rehabilitation. He is now recovering at home and will be undergoing physical therapy. Roy is able to receive messages, cards and emails but not ready to accept phone calls or attend online meetings. If you'd like to send him messages of support, please email them to president@naunitarians.org. We are all wishing Roy a full and restful recovery. 

Each week the group reads about and discusses a different topic of interest. This week's topic is free will.

"Free will and responsibility have been central  principles in thinking about morality and law for centuries. In recent years, some progressive thinkers have cast doubt on these ideas by trying to show how much our behavior is shaped by our economic or social class, or by our childhood trauma, or (more recently) by our genes. What do neuroscience, psychology, and genetics actually imply about free will? Is free will compatible with scientific laws?  What kind of free will is worth having? Do we have that kind of free will?"

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We seek to understand how science confirms or contradicts religious or philosophical conceptions, think about how the disagreements might be resolved, and also identify religious or philosophical issues that have been neglected by science, which might lead to fruitful growth on both sides.

• Session 1: February 7 (completed, recording available)

• Session 2: March 7

• Session 3: April 4

• Session 4: May 2

Register with IARF.net and then register for the course at https://iarf.net/network/courses/30/. The time is always 8:30 AM ET. The course has a discussion board for announcements, asking questions and general conversation related to the subject. Don't worry if you missed the first session; simply review the recording from that session and join for the remainder of the series.

At the age of 7, Penny rejected traditional conservative Christianity. As she became an adult, she began to crave a spiritual connection with a power greater than herself. After many years of searching, she discovered “the god of her understanding” through a 12-step program and eventually found her way to Unitarian Universalism. She considers herself a panentheist, believing that god exists within and without everyone and everything.  Her favorite place to connect with god is anywhere.

Penny lives in Port Townsend, Washington, and is an active member of the new Salish Sea Fellowship.

If you are interested in joining or observing a board meeting, please read the board meeting participation policy on our website before emailing our board secretary for the Zoom link: secretary@naunitarians.org.

Note: Past board meeting minutes can be found on our website.