What a year it has been! Like all church years, it has come with twists and turns, great successes, and a few misses. Yet this is the course of life. Neither good nor bad, right or wrong, it just is. So much of the practice of one’s faith, especially as Unitarian Universalists, is holding the space between what is and what can still be.

As the 2025-2026 church year comes to a close, I find myself sitting in that space and reflecting on all the vital ministries that we have engaged in across the Central East Region. From the moments of collective witness in Washington, D.C.; Minneapolis, MN; and Newark, New Jersey. To the more personal, one-to-one moments of tenderness in which we cared for the hearts and souls of others. Whether they gained notoriety or went by silently, know that your Regional Staff are deeply thankful for all that you have done in practicing Love.

Furthermore, I find myself growing a sense of deep pride in the ways that we are growing in faithful partnership with one another. This year alone, religious professionals and lay leaders of all kinds have taken part in many offerings that have strengthened our collective and individual ministries. From the Minister and Religious Education (RE) Calls, to participating in the Building Beloved Community Beyond the Binary and Mosaic Spring conferences, to the Wave Cohorts where we learned more about the growing edges of our denomination, and the community building for Unitarian Universalists of Color in Taproot and the CER BIPoC group. And still to come, the 2026 Summer Institute in Oberlin, OH, from July 5 – 11th. Through these opportunities of connection, skill building, and resourcing, we grow in our abilities to conjure heaven on earth.

In the coming months, you will hear more about our 26-27 programmatic year and all the ways that we can continue to build and strengthen our partnerships in embodying our values. Know that supporting your efforts in fulfilling your congregation’s mission is of the utmost importance to us. So please, do not hesitate to reach out to any member of your regional staff. It has been an absolute blessing to join in worship, fellowship, and opportunities to develop as leaders. We look forward to doing the same in the years to come as we embody UU-identity, engage spiritual depth, and share in all forms of generosity with one another.

Dear Ones, as we close this church year, I offer you this blessing:

For all those things completed and left undone. May grace be with us.
For the wisdom acquired and for the things still needing to be learned. May peace be with us.
For all of the wins and successes, misses and mishaps. May mercy be with us.
And for all the things that are still becoming, may Love be with us.Thank you for saying “yes” to the ministry.

The following events sponsored by CER and the UUA are upcoming. For full details and a complete list visit the CER Calendar Page. Also, please note, if you are mailing a check to pay for your registration, you must write the name and date of the event in the memo line. Otherwise we may not get it properly credited.

If your congregation or cluster has an exciting project that could use funding from our Chalice Lighter Program, our next Intent to Apply deadline is August 1 for grants to be awarded in October 2026.

The Central East Region is excited to offer congregations and their boards a new opportunity with the “Board Facilitation Training: Grounded, Faithful Leadership” on Saturday, August 22 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. This virtual opportunity will provide leadership with a toolbox of materials on: governance; a workflow checklist; roles and responsibilities; the importance of mission in Unitarian Universalist governance; church year calendars; shared ministry and committees on shared ministry; yearly goal setting; and further resources for continued education throughout the church year.

“Leadership is people leading spiritual lives,” says Hilary Allen, a member of Congregational Life Staff in the New England Region. As practicing Unitarian Universalists, we have historically proclaimed that all have a role to play in creating the Beloved Community. But in times of stress and constant motion, how do we engage the depths of Love as a grounding force?

In Leading Spiritual Lives, a summer workshop offered by the Central East staff, participants will come to a deeper understanding that trustworthy, inspired leadership is aligned with deep spiritual work that guides our choices, priorities, and actions with our professed values. Not only will we learn about the essential history and theology of our tradition, but we will also explore the ways that it is present for us today.

To attend you must register for CERSI.

You may know me from my work in the Church Staff Finances (Benefit Plans and Services) group at the UUA. Well, I’m still equipping congregations as employers, but now through a position on the Congregational Life team.

I’m delighted to introduce you to our new Growing Administrative Capacity pages in LeaderLab. Check out this 3-minute introductory video! And if you’re attending General Assembly, look for the Grow Administrative Capacity prerecorded workshop in the Whova app.

Also at GA, I’d love to have you join me for a 3-hour online cohort about Staffing Sustainably and Faithfully.

Please browse our reorganized and refreshed Congregations as Employers pages, and feel free to contact me at CongregationalStaffing@uua.org.

Would you like to attend General Assembly on June 19-21 without traveling to Louisville, KY? Register to attend at one of our region’s satellite sites. You can attend at First Unitarian Church of Rochester, NY or the UU Congregation at Montclair, NJ. You can add your satellite site when you register. Virtual attendees are also welcome. See the full schedule and register at the UUA website.

The Celebration of Firsts multigenerational worship is polished and is absolutely profound.

Big ups to DRE Sol Cornell along with NEAT who put this thing together: “I wrote this ritual with the intention of providing congregations with a practice that, while applicable to all ages, acknowledges and honors one of the most defining features of the young adult. Firsts are a lifelong experience, a daily one even, but many of us have some of our most foundational and transformative firsts in that turbulent period of early adulthood.” Here’s a video (YouTube) of First UU Austin doing the service. Once more from Sol, “Your firsts are holy, and you are holy for living them.”

Join us at Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH, July 5-11, 2026 with Rev. Susan Ritchie, speaking on Co-Creating Hope: The Art and Beauty of Resilience. Registration is open but closes June 20th so don’t delay.

Seeking Raffle Donations – if you have something to donate for the raffle for the scholarship fund, please reach out to Charlie Tridrick, Bookstore Coordinator at bookstore@cersiuu.org.

Visit the website of the camps in our region to learn more about their programs:

Quick Links

Find Your Primary Contact ~ CER Website ~ Better Together Blog ~ UU Institute ~ CER Events ~

UUA Job Board ~ Submit a Job to Be Posted ~ Chalice Lighters ~ Neighboring Congregations ~

Guest In Your Pulpit ~ Disaster Relief Fund ~ Stewardship For Us Blog ~ InSpirit UUA Bookstore ~

Faithify.org ~ State Advocacy Networks