The Unitarian Universalist Society for Community Ministries

02/01/2026

Tonight 2/1/2026

FREE Entrepreneurial Ministries Didactic/Support Group

By the Rev. C. Scot Giles, Former President of UUSCM and Entrepreneurial Minister

Meeting on the first Sunday of each month on Zoom at 6pm Central Time

If you are a member of the Unitarian Universalist Society for Community Ministries (UUSCM), you are welcome to attend this free monthly didactic-support group for entrepreneurial ministry. The program is offered by UUSCM as a membership benefit. It is an official UUSCM program, which we host on our site as a convenience. If you are running or setting up a fee-for-service ministry, this group is intended to help you.

Examples of such ministries would be community chaplaincy, a practice of spiritual direction, pastoral counseling, coaching, governmental relations (aka lobbying), professional writing, art creation or similar endeavors. Anything where members of the public pay you directly rather than working for a company or institution.

We cover the “nuts and bolts” of what you need to know. Each session begins with a short didactic presentation on the meeting theme, then moves to an open discussion about how you might relate to the ideas presented. Each session is recorded and you can access past video recordings.

Click to learn more: https://www.csgiles.org/for-entrepreneurial-ministries
Click to see the topics: https://www.csgiles.org/upcoming-topics
Click to see the Zoom invitation to sign in: https://www.csgiles.org/zoom-invite

01/13/2026

Benediction for the Heavy Heart

Good morning. I missed your “good”
because a plane, because a truck, because
a gun, because a cop, because a government,
because a people suffering, because too many
people suffering, because war, because famine,
because some mornings it is so hard
to rise, to wake, to be a self.

There is a pause here. There is a deliberate
cessation. I want a cessation to the noise
in my head, to the ache in the collective
heart of this world. When I was young
this seemed possible. . . .

I want your mornings “good,” your evenings “good,”
all the late nights and sunrises and afternoons
and moments pressed against the ticking
glass of your life “good.”

Breathe. For yourself. For each other. Let
us breathe in when others cannot. When we
can do nothing else. Let us stretch ourselves
open to embrace our friends, extend
our bodies outward to anyone willing to meet us
and even those we think may not be willing. Let us
hold each other for this moment. For this
blink of human existence.

—Mason Bolton, To Wake, To Rise: Meditations on Justice and Resilience

01/02/2026

Beloveds,
Happy New Year! We'll gather for our first First Friday of 2026!

Friday, January 2, 2026
See you at 7 pm Eastern, 6 pm Central, 5 pm Mountain, 4 pm Pacific.

First Friday Zoom Link
Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81037190401?pwd=LW6PdZUeTaFgG0CdfDEvb0xs06QPhr.1

Meeting ID: 810 3719 0401

Passcode: 068049

11/25/2025

11/23/2025

Hello, Community Ministers, UUSCM Members, and Beloved Stakeholders! Let's be honest about the journey this fall—it’s been a whirlwind!

Our organizational mission remains the anchor: to Represent Community Ministry, Uphold our Code of Practice, Grant Endorsement, and Offer Support. Everything we do is tethered to these four essential goals.

The Recent Shifts: October to Now
Following our summer call for new Board members, the organizational landscape saw rapid changes:
* October 9th: The Executive Administrator submitted notice to vacate in July 2026, citing workplace conflicts and a dissatisfaction with communication and trust among Board Members.
* October 13th: President Ben Gabel resigned as President but remains on the Board until December 5th, after six years of dedicated service and, with Board agreement, appointed Lincoln William Statler as Interim President. Lincoln graciously accepted.
* October 25th: The Board voted unanimously to accept the Executive Administrator’s offer to move their departure date up to December 31st. We thank the Administrator for their willingness to transition swiftly and wish them well.
* October 28th: Board Member Rev. Betty Stapleford gave notice of their resignation.
* November 5th: After six years of service, Rev. Terra Collier-Young gave notice to vacate the Board on December 5th.
* November 13th & 14th: While the Executive Administrator temporarily signaled an intent to rescind their resignation, the Board remained steadfast in maintaining the agreed-upon December 31st departure.

A Path Forward: New Beginnings
Change, though challenging, offers a powerful opportunity for renewal. Acting President Statler immediately began working with membership to secure new Board Members and to implement a more sustainable, quarterly meeting schedule (moving away from the strenuous monthly rhythm!). Crucially, Lincoln is also securing members to lead a series of facilitated Membership Support Groups.

We are now focused on our Annual Meeting on December 5th. Lincoln and the Board has prepared the Order of Service and is seeking your counsel: Do we move forward with completely new leadership or maintain the modified schedule for the Board of Directors? Will the updates on the Code of Practice be accepted by the Membership at Large?

Your voice, your presence, and your hope for resolution are vital as we come together to build the next stable, healthy, and successful chapter of UUSCM. We are honest about the bumps, but profoundly hopeful for the road ahead.

10/30/2025

Did you read the special announcement sent to your email address?

10/27/2025

Members of UUSCM:
Please read the special announcement and attached Draft update of our shared Code of Practice.
Please read, review, take notes, and come to the December 5th Annual Meeting at 7pm EST.
Thank you.

10/11/2025

Membership Annual Meeting this December 5th at 7pm EST. Please attend.

10/11/2025

Book Signing Event with Authors of Imani Rituals
October 15th 7:30 p.m. ET, at Charis Books and More/Charis Circle: a conversation with the authors of Imani Rituals: Nurturing African Spiritual Heritage. In person and online (register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/3293c9x4QP6JDUGJg6IxPw #/registration). "Charis welcomes authors Ayanna Kafi, Dr. Anthony Stringer & Rev. Duncan E. Teague for a discussion of their book Imani Rituals: Nurturing African Spiritual Heritage, a powerful and necessary collection of rituals centering the African American experience and the African Diaspora."

10/11/2025

✨ “One of the reasons that the UU faith in particular has been such a good fit for me is that the core values of justice-seeking — what I call love in action — is core to everything [we] believe and do.” — Laurie Carafone

Laurie Carafone, a proud Unitarian Universalist and longtime member of All Souls Unitarian Church in Washington, DC, has stepped into a new role as Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, the organization behind “Nuns on the Bus.”

Her journey reflects what can happen when faith and justice intertwine—when love in action becomes a way to reshape systems and build a more just world.

Read part one of her interview on the UUA In Good Faith blog: https://www.uua.org/pressroom/ingoodfaith/network-laurie-carafone

10/11/2025

Plain language steps for digital security, because protecting yourself helps keep your whole community safer. Built by activists, for activists with field-tested, community-verified guides.

10/11/2025

Community ministry is where our covenant meets the pavement. It is the living expression of our faith- taking our principles of love, justice, and compassion beyond the sanctuary walls. In the streets, clinics, and quiet corners of need, we serve, connect, and build the beloved community one relationship at a time.