February is CUC Month!
How much do you think you know about Canadian Unitarianism? Try our
CUC Month QUUiz and enter for a chance to win a $50 prize from the CUC Store.
We hope you’ll hold a Sharing Our Faith Sunday (the 2014 SOF Resource is available
here), as well as gather with delegates to discuss the proposed resolution on
Human Rights in Palestine and Israel, and the CUC Board’s
proposed mission statement, refreshed vision and new priorities.
2014 Sharing Our Faith Resources
Sharing Our Faith, a CUC funding program for growth and outreach initiatives, demonstrates the generosity of our congregations. Since 2001, Sharing Our Faith has collected and awarded over $135,000 to congregations. We hope you’ll hold a Sharing Our Faith Sunday this year, with the aid of our
2014 SOF Resource Package. This was compiled by Rev. Fiona Heath, with assistance from the UU Ministers of Canada.
Congregations can
apply for funding for growth initiatives; deadline is March 31, 2014.
Looking for a Parliamentarian
The CUC Board is seeking a Parliamentarian. Jaime Dunton, the current Parliamentarian, will be resigning at the end of this year’s Annual General Meeting. Many thanks go to Jaime for his careful reading of documents, his expert advice on drafting new CUC by-laws, and his keen eye for detail.
The CUC Parliamentarian provides advice to the Board President and Executive Director on matters of procedure and application of democratic principles during and between Annual General Meetings. If you are well-versed in parliamentary procedure and Robert’s Rules of Order, have experience in chairing formal meetings, and are familiar with CUC Annual General Meetings – you may be the one! More information and Terms of Reference
click here.
Resolutions for Annual General Meeting 2014
Resolutions for the 2014 Annual General Meeting are on the
Governance page of the CUC website under “
CUC Resolutions.” Get together with your congregation and delegates to discuss and inform your delegates on how to vote.
More Annual Meeting information coming soon.
Calling Lay Chaplains and Lay Chaplain Committee Members
Two lay chaplain learning workshops will be held in Montreal on May 15 and 15
th, 2014. Rev. Carole Martignacco will lead “
Challenging Memorials” and Amanda Tarling will present the “
Outreach for Lay Chaplains” workshop. The “Outreach” workshop is particularly pertinent for congregational lay chaplain committee members, webweavers and publicity folks – it will show you ways to increase your visibility!
These will be held just prior to the beginning of the
Annual Conference and Meeting at the
Sheraton Montreal Airport Hotel.
Register now!
Refugee Sponsorship In 2014
Would your congregation like to sponsor refugees in 2014? As a Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH), the CUC has been approved for a number of uncapped spaces, as well as a specific number of spaces for Syrian refugees. Follow this
link for the latest information regarding the Syrian Refugee Crisis.
If your congregation would like to be involved in sponsoring a refugee, please contact the CUC’s Social Responsibility Coordinator, April Hope at
april@cuc.ca.
Youth and Young Adults – Gather in Montreal!
Young Adult and
CanUUdle registration for ACM 2014 is open. Register early for savings! Please note that CanUUdle is limited to 80 spaces this year, so register soon!
CUC Staff Change
Due to budgetary restrictions, a difficult decision was made to combine the Office Administrator and Financial Administrator positions into one full-time position. We regretfully say goodbye to Karen Claney, who has been Office Administrator with the CUC since 2009. Karen’s helpful presence with our members and committees, her willingness to go above and beyond, and her loyal commitment to the CUC will be missed. We wish Karen the very best, and hope that this challenging change will open new doors for her.
Vidya Sudama, who is currently our Financial Administrator, will be taking over the combined position effective February 18
th, 2014 and can be reached at
info@cuc.ca.
"YES, We Do!"
In May 2013, delegates to the CUC’s Annual Meeting voted “YES!” to the recommendation that we develop an electronic communications platform. Lots of UUs at the meeting were excited about the idea. Now it’s time for us to fundraise to make it happen. If you are keen to see Unitarians build connections across the country … if you want to see us improve our presence on the web and become more interactive … and if you want to be part of a group that gets this message out in a way that is fun, creative, and social-media savvy … contact Vyda Ng
vyda@cuc or Karen Fraser Gitlitz
karen@ucsaskatoon.org to get involved. This is a one year commitment, December 2013-December 2014.
Ontario Health and Safety Training Required
Presidents, Boards, Ministers and Congregational Staff - a new Ontario regulation will require health and safety awareness training for every worker and supervisor under
Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (
OHSA). The regulation comes into force July 1, 2014, allowing workplace parties time to prepare. More information
here.
Congregations in other provinces should become familiar with their provincial health and safety acts to ensure compliance with any new regulations.
2014.
Unitarian Congregation In Mississauga Looking for Music Director
The Unitarian Congregation in Mississauga is looking for a new Music Director, and is hoping to have one in place by April 2014. The position requires approximately 6 hours a week, including about 3 hours on Sunday morning. More information is available on the
UCM website.
The Biggest Global Health Threat of the 21st Century—and the Antidote
By Cymry Gomery, Unitarian Church of Montreal
What did Lancet, the world’s leading medical journal, describe as “the biggest threat to our health in the 21st century[1]’’? I will give you a hint: It starts with a ‘’C’’, but its not Cancer or C-difficile. . . Give up? It’s Climate Change. The World Health Organization concurs with Lancet’s gloomy prognosis for Earth in the 21st century, stating that, not only will vector-borne diseases expand their reach and death tolls, but water, food security, and extreme climatic events brought on by climate change will have a catastrophic impact on global health.
Read more …
Share Your Story
How did you come to Unitarian Universalism? Why do you stay? What energizes you about your UU community? What would you like your UU world of the future to look like?
We’d like you to share your UU story with us and with others. Send your stories to
communications@cuc.ca, spell-checked, no more than 600 words.
And if your congregation or community has done something you feel proud of or would like to celebrate, let us know! Send to
communications@cuc.ca, as above. Photos are especially welcome!
UU-UNO Spring Seminar on Rights of Indigenous People
The
UU-United Nations Office Intergenerational Spring Seminar takes place on April 3-5, 2014. Keynote speakers are Rev. Peter Morales, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association and Vyda Ng, Executive Director of the Canadian Unitarian Council.
Registration is open!
Nigeria’s Laws on Homosexuality an Attack on Basic Human Rights
Bruce Knotts, Director of the UU-United Nations Office, was quoted in The Star recently about the dangers faced by gays in Nigeria and Uganda. 38 African countries have laws criminalizing homosexuality, but the laws in Nigeria and Uganda seem especially harsh. Read the full article
here.
Support Canadian Interns at the UU-UNO
The CUC United Nations Advisory Council has established a fund to assist Canadians who intern at the UU-United Nations Office in New York. Donations may be made at
cuc.ca or by calling the CUC office at 1.888.568.5723.
Know a Canadian UU who is Knight-worthy?
Do you know of a Canadian Unitarian who has, as a volunteer, contributed at the national level to furthering the principles of Unitarianism in Canada? Annually, the
Knight Award is presented to a living person who exemplifies the principles upheld by the lives of Victor and Nancy Knight. Nominations may be submitted by any member or friend of a Canadian UU congregation, and must be accompanied by a citation describing what the nominee has done at the national level to promote liberal religious principles in Canada and why she or he should be considered for the award. Nominations must be received by March 31; details on submitting a nomination are
here.
Walk / Run / Ski for BioDiversity
USC Canada’s Run for Biodiversity is growing in popularity and has expanded to 7 cities. Check out their
new video and look for a city near you to R4B, and Go Wild for Food & Farmers in 2014!
Credentialling Committee Wanted
At the 2014 Annual General Meeting on May 16
th, 2 -3 people are needed to form the Credentialing Committee. This Committee registers delegates, counts delegates to make sure quorum is present, counts votes if necessary, and helps the Chair ensure that the Annual Meeting runs smoothly. If you’d like to be involved, please email
executivedirector@cuc.ca.