Gatherings and Information Galore!

Last updated on: June 25, 2015 at 5:18 am by J.K. Hildebrand

Gatherings and Information Galore! 2015-06-25T05:18:46+00:00 J.K. Hildebrand

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Welcome Summer Solstice!
Photo from Yeko Photo Studio/BigStockPhoto.com

Summer is here and so begins the season of various gatherings in many faith traditions including Unitarian Universalists, Pagan and earth/nature centered communities. We light the fires welcoming the Sun’s warmth.

For myself, and many others CUUPSters, our season started by attending Pagan Spirit Gathering (PSG) sponsored by Circle Sanctuary. While a few CUUPS chapter leaders and I were sitting in a workshop with Selena Fox about caring for Sacred Land the news came. Due to torrential rains over the course of several days, the nearby creek was going to flood and would displace approximately 300 participants. There was about two hours to get people to their campsites in the low-lying area before the floodwaters came in. There were no injuries and everyone was safe.

As I look at what worked, I am present to the level of trust in the leadership of the gathering and impeccable listening and speaking present. No time for debating, committees, or general dickering. Everyone jumped into action of some form. Each person led, followed and was in incredibly aligned and committed action. As evening came, the musicians of the encampment cared for our hearts with song, and the drum beats of the fire circle lulled us to sleep and rest. As a long time CUUPS member and PSG participant, I commend Circle’s leadership, participants and members.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2015 – PORTLAND, OREGON
Coming out of the mud and rain to my office, there were many emails for CUUPS board members preparing to go to General Assembly. It was a whole different world. A world of committees, votes, to do lists and so on. Rituals and accommodations in hotels and conference center space. The common thread was the commitment to teamwork. This week begins the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association in Portland, Oregon with a theme of Building a New Way. CUUPS will have a booth in the vendor areas and their annual Summer Solstice Ritual on Thursday, June 25, 2015 in the Portland Ballroom 254 along with their annual meeting.

On Saturday, June 27th from 4:45-6:15 PM PDT, those interested can join the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly and members of the Lummi Nation to take a moral stand against climate change and the fossil fuels industry and call for climate justice with Commit2Respond, a broad coalition of Unitarian Universalists and other people of faith and conscience working for climate justice. It is fully accessible to people of all abilities and open to the public.

CUUPS CONVO 2016
CUUPS was due to have CUUPS Convocation this year. Due to the many obstacles, the board voted to postpone convocation to next year, 2016. So you now have lots of advance notice to register, get accommodations and plan to join us! Some of the people we hoping to schedule to speak are: The Rev. Shirley Ranck and Jerrie Hildebrand on their book about UU Paganism to be released next year; Druid and CUUPS member John Beckett; Activist Peter Dybing; and author and hoodoo practitioner Byron Ballard. We will also be adding other speakers and presenters as we move towards and into Convocation. So SAVE THE DATES of August 26-28, 2016 at First Church Salem Unitarian Universalist in Salem MA! First Church Salem’s history began when thirty of the newly arrived Puritan settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony gathered together to form a church on August 6, 1629. You can register for Convocation at drastically reduced rates.

PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD RELIGIONS
As an Ambassador to the Parliament of the World Religions, I am inviting all you are interested in attending to come to this incredible event October 15-19, 2015 in Salt Lake City, Utah. On October 15 during the day, there will be the first Women’s Assembly of religious leaders from around the world. So far there are some board members and chapter leaders from CUUPS attending. We would love to know if you are too!

The Parliament is the oldest, the largest, and the most inclusive gathering of people of all faith and traditions. Parliament includes diverse programming and this year will focus on climate change, wealth gap and wasteful consumption, and issues important to our times. There will be trainings in dialogue, interfaith activism, fundraising, and organizing. Also there are opportunities to hear world-class religious music, see films, exhibits and performances and visit vendors. Go here for a full list of this year’s speakers.

How can you participate in Parliament if you cannot come? Easy peasy!

I have created a project with Circle Sanctuary to be displayed at Parliament and used during a ritual honoring the Earth. You can send a ribbon about twelve inches long to the Circle Sanctuary office with a wish for our planet written on it. It would be a fun project for any chapter or congregation participate in. You can go to the Circle website for their address. Mark you envelope Attn: Parliament Ribbon.

If you are a CUUPS member or a member of a UU congregation and you are going to Parliament we would LOVE to hear from you. Let us know you are attending.

In closing out this entry on the Nature’s Path blog, I wish all of you a wonderful and fun summer season. Be blessed and stand in gratitude! Be the light in the world.

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