Rev. Morgan McLean, Congregational Life Minister
RevMcLean@uudavis.org
This week, I'm away, taking a few days to visit family before heading to St. Louis for the annual Board retreat of the Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council (UUPCC). This will be the fourth year I've chaired this board and find a lot of personal and professional fulfillment in the work. The UUPCC supports North American congregations in partnership with international Unitarian and UU congregations. These partnerships started in Transylvania over 25 years ago, and now include the Philippines, India, the United Kingdom and more. Building international connections takes intentional work based in mutual respect and a desire to understand others. While we each share common roots, each country has a unique branches of Unitarianism and Unitarian Universalism. Our twelve-member board focuses on the vision, structure, and financial sustainability of the organization. We have members from across the country and a mix of lay leaders and religious professionals. I got involved in this work when visiting the Transylvanian partner of the church I served in Pennsylvania. My week in Transylvania, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the church, connected me to those centuries of a struggle for religious freedom. Seeing Unitarians living their faith in very different ways. For several years UUCD also had a partner in Transylvania, and a trip was organized in 2013. Though this partnership has ended, there are still ways to learn and get involved. Each year in the Spring we have a visiting Unitarian scholar from Berkeley lead a Sunday morning service. And if you're interested in learning more about the UUPCC and trips you might join, check out the website: www.uupcc.org