The UU Humanist Association is proud to announce

Connie Barlow and Michael Dowd

as the recipients of our

Religious Humanists of the Year Award, 2016

Please join us

Friday, June 24, 6:00 pm

at the Columbus, OH, Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly

Hilton Columbus Downtown, Edna Boise Hopkins Room

Following the award ceremony will be their talk on Read more about Announcing Connie Barlow and Michael Dowd, Religious Humanists of the Year, 2016 »

The Unitarian Universalist Association recently signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) a move toward reconciliation after years of separation. This MOU was pursued at the direction of the 1999 General Assembly, which passed an Action of Immediate Witness calling upon the UUA to, as President Peter Morales writes, “seek reinstatement of the curriculum and emblem and to encourage UUs to join scouting to work for change within that organization.” The MOU also came after the BSA had taken significant steps toward inclusion of gay scouts and leaders. Read more about UU Humanists Engage UUA on New Boy Scouts Memorandum of Understanding »

The UUA presidential race is just getting underway. UU Humanists would, of course, like the next UUA president to understand and support humanism in the association, help us attract humanists to Unitarian Universalism, and to increase the influence of our progressive philosophy in the culture at large. Our friends at the Humanist Group of the Unitarian Church in Summit, NJ have suggested that we solicit questions from our members and local groups in order to “crowdsource” the task of coming up with the best questions to pose to the candidates. This would be a great topic for a humanist group meeting at your congregation or on-line if you do not have a local group.

Read more about Questions for the UUA Presidential Candidates »

The UU Humanists will be tabling at the upcoming American Humanist Association conference in Chicago, IL. We're also pleased to announce that our Unitarian Universalist Association president, Peter Morales, will be hosting a breakfast at the event on Sunday, 8am. When you register for the conference, you can select the breakfast with your registration, or use the "Already registered?" link, then the Modify button to add the event. (The breakfast will only cost you $20, with over 2/3 of the cost being covered by the UUA.) Read more about Join Us for Breakfast with Peter Morales at the AHA Conference »

Washington Ethical Society's Attendance Increases By Fifty Percent in a Year

The Washington Ethical Society’s second Sunday service, first offered last week, was a dramatic success, shown by the nearly fifty percent increase in attendance in comparison to the same Sunday a year before, Senior Leader the Rev. Amanda Poppei announced today.  “Our growth and appeal demonstrated the need for a second Sunday service, and we’re excited about that,” said Poppei; “We were thrilled to welcome about 230 people on Sunday, divided between the two services – and that was a Sunday during Spring Break for many in our community. Last year, that same Sunday had about 170 people in attendance. When we did a major building renovation nine years ago, our theme was opening our doors to the world. Well, we opened them, people came, and they weren’t disappointed!” Read more about Washington Ethical Society's Inaugural Second Service a Big Success! »

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), our leadership organization, announced last week on March 24 that it was renewing ties with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). The two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that restores the relationship after, as the related UU World article put it, "a years-long split over gay scouts and God". The split was 17 years, to be precise, and the reconcilliation was prompted by the changes in BSA policy last summer that removed the ban on gay scouts and adults. Read more about An Update on the UUA / Boy Scouts Agreement and the "God Issue" »

Another year's over and a new one's just begun!

Happy New Year, everyone! 2015 was filled with accomplishments for the UU Humanist Association and 2016 is shaping up to be equally exciting. Last year we: Read more about Happy New Year! »

Let people outside your congregation know that UU communities are welcoming to atheists, agnostics, humanists, and other non-theists, and that you value diversity and questioning. A large part of the growing percentage of Americans who have left supernatural beliefs behind still value community and are not anti-religious -- they still seek supportive, loving relationships and a place to belong where they can give back through service. Read more about Applications Being Accepted for Freethinker Friendly Congregations »

A feature of food pantries in December is the distribution of groceries tied not only to day to day survival, but also to the provision of a festive holiday meal. Client counts rise, lines grow longer, as do the volunteer lists. An added feature this year at the Maple Park/Morgan Park community Food Pantry on Chicago's Southwest side is environmentally friendly dish washing soap. Fully recyclable dispensers of non-toxic, biodegradable Method soap, manufactured in a LEED platinum certified factory just a few miles away are handed out (separately bagged as per health regulations) along with the turkey's, yams, cranberries and other seasonal staples. The first delivery of 100 18 oz bottles was made on December 8, by Roger Brewin (who helped set up the pantry more than 30 years ago) on behalf of UU Humanists. Read more about SOAP for the Holidays and the New Year »

The Fall 2015 issue of the Journal of Religious Humanism has now been delivered to active members' mailboxes and/or Inboxes.

Humanism is so often described as being in opposition to, or at best in a creative tension with religion, that the path of interfaith cooperation can seem highly problematic, and perhaps more trouble than it is worth. Yet increasingly, individuals and Humanist groups join with their religious counterparts on specific social justice and service projects, and simply to further the goal of living side by side, even if in an uneasy peace. The fall 2015 issue of the Journal of Religious Humanism explores these efforts from several points of view - from the humanist organizations that have embraced particular events and coalitions, to individuals of many persuasions who have struggled with what it means to work and celebrate with those whose basic perspective on life is very different. Read more about The Fall 2015 Issue of the Journal: The Threading the Interfaith/Interpath Needle »