Miscellaneous tidbits from the final day of the UUA General Assembly:

Delegates filled out ballots to record their favorites among the 30 mission-oriented statements [pdf] that emerged from the Open Space exercise in which more than 1,000 attendees participated. Each delegate was allowed five votes to use as they wished—one vote for each of five statements, [...]

As General Assembly 2007 was coming to a close Sunday evening, delegates came forward with six “responsive resolutions,” which were approved with little or no debate:

Reaffirming 2004 and 2006 Actions of Immediate Witness regarding the Iraq war and urging delegates to take “all necessary action to end the U.S. Occupation of Iraq.”

Encouraging congregations and the Association [...]

In the Assembly’s final report before adjournment, Moderator Gini Courter told the Sunday afternoon plenary that she’d detected a trend that amounted to a “near miracle”: After “decades of disconnection,” she said, Unitarian Universalist congregations are making great progress working together.

“We are better together,” she said. “We are called to care about the congregation down the [...]

All six proposed Actions of Immediate Witness were approved by significant majorities in the Sunday morning plenary at General Assembly 2007. Two inspired spirited debate.

A resolution entitled “Repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” which calls for an end to a policy that allows gay people to serve in the military only if they are closeted, drew statements [...]

In Saturday afternoon’s plenary, delegates placed six proposed Actions of Immediate Witness on the agenda for debate on Sunday. These resolutions are about timely issues and result from delegates gathering petitions after General Assembly gets under way. The titles:

AIW-1: Support for the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

AIW-2: Support Immigrant [...]

A Statement of Conscience entitled “Moral Values for a Pluralistic Society” was approved Saturday morning by delegates to the UUA’s General Assembly in Portland, Oregon.

“As Unitarian Universalists,” the statement says, “we must affirm the moral influence of liberal religion in society.” It issues a call to action for individuals, congregations, and the UUA.

Because drafting Statements of [...]

On the second full day of General Assembly 2007, delegates elected two trustees and candidates to five UUA committees and attendees took part in a giant open meeting exercise to work out an answer to the question, “In today’s complex world, what is our mission as a faith community?”

The goal of the exercise is to [...]

Here is the schedule of Open Space workshops at the UUA General [...]

In his address to the Assembly Thursday morning, UUA President William G. Sinkford announced a comprehensive fundraising campaign called “Now is the Time.” The new campaign is the most ambitious the UUA has ever undertaken—the goal is to raise $20 million in cash and $30 million in planned giving commitments—and it’s off to a fast [...]

General Assembly 2007 got under way in earnest as Paul Rickter, secretary of the UUA Board of Trustees, announced at the opening of Thursday morning’s plenary session that 5,464 people had registered. Because registration typically grows as the Assembly progresses, this strong start all but guarantees that this year’s GA, in Portland, Oregon, will be the [...]