from Nashville...
to the World
The UUA General Assembly
June 22-26, 2000

Unitarian Universalists who traveled to Nashville from across North America concluded their annual General Assembly on June 26 with a ceremony featuring the wondrous sounds of the Children's Honor Choir. More than 4,100 UUs, record attendance for a General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association, spent five days listening to reports from denominational leaders, participating in worship services, and attending workshops on subjects ranging from abortion rights to Zen Buddhism.

Highlights of the General Assembly included a lecture by Morris Dees, the co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, on the struggle to create a more tolerant America, and an impassioned sermon on economic injustice by the Rev. Marilyn Sewell, senior minister of First Unitarian Church in Portland, OR, at Sunday's Service of the Living Tradition, a worship service that honors the Association's professional ministry.

Of the five study action issues under review, the assembled delegates voted to send the one calling for the reformulation of drug policies ("the war on drugs") on to the 1,050 Unitarian Universalist congregations for further review. They also passed resolutions calling for an end to the death penalty, urging campaign finance reform, and calling for the registration and licensing of handguns. Another resolution called for support for the Dalai Lama and for the withdrawal of China from Tibet.

An unscheduled yet significant event at the General Assembly was provided by a group of Unitarian Universalist youth. Reacting to the sight of a homeless man in a Nashville park, the group collected $300 from among their ranks, used the money to buy food, and delivered the food to a local homeless shelter. After announcing their actions in a plenary session of the General Assembly, the young people raised an additional $2,700 to aid the homeless.

Media Coverage
from the Tennessean:

• June 27: Unitarian teens chip in, assist city's homeless
• June 25: Lesbian minister discusses life as a Unitarian
• June 24: Unitarians urged to take pride in liberalism
• June 17: Unitarian Universalists are living the adventure

GA 2000 Hometown Press Release

The Sights
Photos from Nashville with links to event coverage where available (see below for complete list of event coverage)

The Sounds
RealAudio and RealVideo from Nashville to you.
Order Video Tapes from the Planning Committee
Order Audio Tapes from the Planning Committee

The Personal Experience

• A GA Journal by CLF Board member Dan Harper (updated June 27)
• Empty Shelves: A GA Community Project
• GA 2000 Church Fans: a contemporary UU version of the Southern church fan
• UUs Protest at Gore HQ in Nashville
• The UUA Bookstore in Nashville: Author booksignings and bestsellers

The Big Picture
Every GA event, with description, is listed in the GA 2000 Program, with links to events that were covered by GA reporters. See also: Speaker Index, Sponsor Index.

Thursday, June 22

• Find your banner in the Banner Parade!
• 101 GA Orientation: Plenary and CSW Sessions in a Nutshell
• 120 Young Adult Caucus Gets Underway
• 123 Plenary I: 2000 GA Begins with Bluegrass Music, Inspiration and Energy
• 125 Latin/Caribbean Dance Highlights Thursday Night Reception

Friday, June 23

• 202 Friday Morning Worship: "Giving Up God"
• 203 Plenary II: The State of the UUA
  • UUA Finance Committee Budget Report
• 204 A System Dynamics Perspective of World Human Consumption
• 207 Standing Before Us: UU Women Doing Justice
• 209 A Taste of Fire Offers Musical Inspiration During Friday GA Programming
• 210 Church Office Basics
• 217 The Carver Model of Policy Governance
• 219 Contemporary Issues in Liberal Religion
• 223 The Labyrinth for Unitarian Universalists
• 228 Parents as Sexuality Educators
• 231 The Unitarian Universalist Case Against the Death Penalty
• 232 Working Action - Getting Youth Involved in General Assembly
• 237 Establishing, Supporting, and Managing Your Congregational Endowment Fund
• 239 Humanism/Paganism: Can This Marriage Be Saved? II
• 242 Gift and Estate Planning for Alternative Families
• 243 Racism, Theology and the Institutional Church
• 246 Reaching Out with Wisdom and Worship
• 249 Building Right Relationships: Spirituality, Money and UUs
• Continuing the Dialogue: Youth and Racism
• 252 Articulating (Y)OUR Faith
• 263 Friday Evening Worship: "Bridges Go Both Ways"
• 265 Southern Unitarian Universalists in the Civil Rights Era
• 266 Youth Caucus Business Meeting II
• 270 Sophia Fahs Lecture: Meditate, Liberate, Educate
• 275 The Missa Gaia - Earth Mass
• 276 Lifecraft: The Art of Meaning in the Everyday
• CLF Installation of the Rev. Dr. Jane Ranney Rzepka

Saturday, June 24

• 302 Saturday Morning Worship: "Another Music City Miracle"
• 303 Plenary III
• 308 Fulfilling the Promise - Our Common Call
• 314 Virginia Durr: Southern Belle turned Liberal Activist
• 317 Socially Responsible Investing
• 318 Responsible Consumption as a Moral Imperative: Monitoring Progress
• 326 Let Justice Roll Down Like Waters
• 327 I Do - Grassroots Activism in Vermont
• 328 Commissioned Lay Leadership: Education for Service
• 329 Listening to Our Youth
• 334 Rough and Smooth Patches -- Prose, Poetry and Healing
• 336 On-Line Ministerial Settlement: First Year Review
• 341 To Be or Not to Be of Use
• 343 All Souls: A Family Story from Southie
• 344 Painless Person-to-Person Annual Canvass
• 352 Campus Ministry 101
• 353 Sexual Morality, Healing and Justice
• 355 A UU Christian Church in Your Neighborhood?
• 357 Buscando Americanos: Race versus Culture
• 360 Making YRUU into Progressive Social Justice Force
• 362 Stop the Killing Now! Goal - Moratorium on Executions
• 365 Youth Caucus Business Meeting III
• 367 Liberal Religious Humanism: Toward a New Synthesis
• 368 UU Peace Fellowship Adin Ballou Award
• 377 Let's Talk about Sex: Practice Makes Perfect
• 379 Partners in a Divine Adventure
• 384 CLF Worship Service: "Home Still Rocks My Soul"
• 385 Annual General Assembly Bridging Ceremony

Sunday, June 25

• 402 Awards Breakfast
• 403 Service of the Living Tradition
• 404 Plenary IV
  • Financial Advisor's Report - PDF file (PDF instructions)
  • Statement of Conscience: "Economic Injustice, Poverty, and Racism: We Can Make a Difference!"
• 408 Leadership for the New Millenuim: What's the Vision?
• 411 A Lover's Quarrel: Unitarian Universalists Wrestling with God
• 413 Starr King President's Lecture
• 415 The Gospels as Midrash
• 421 Creating More Vital Congregations through Intergenerational Programming
• 425 Creating Accessible Congregations
• 431 UUWF Ministry to Women Award Ceremony
• 437 Youth Caucus Business Meeting IV
• 440 Vocal Harmony Performance/Workshop
• 443 Why Anti-Racism Could Fail
• 444 Our Common Call II
• 445 Mission Centered Ministry and the Transforming Congregation
• 447 Our Global Faith
• 450 Interfaith Views on the 2000 Election
• 452 Sharing Our Good News!
• 456 Stewardship Worship Service
• 457 UUCF Communion Service
• 459 Award Winning Social Justice Sermon: Skinner Sermon Presentation
• 460 Ware Lecture: "Responding to Hate: Voices of Hope and Tolerance"
• 461 All GA Youth Worship
• 462 Young Adult Coffee House

Monday, June 26

• 504 Creating a Dynamic Newsletter
• 505 InterConnections: What's Working in Our Congregations
• 512 Developing Our Ministers - The Next Generation
• 513 Meet the Candidates for President
• 514 Transcendentalists, Abolitionism, and the Unitarian Association
• 518 New Face of the Family
• 519 Creating Lay Pastoral Care Team Ministry
• 520 Financial Management for Congregational Leaders
• 525 Taking it to the Streets
• 529 Youth Caucus Business Meeting V
• 530 How Christianity Must Change or Die
• 532 Meet the Candidates for Moderator
• 535 Your Congregation and the Internet
• 536 UU Backpacking: A Faith for the Road
• 537 How to be a White Anti-Racist
• 544 The Impact of Women on Unitarian Universalist Ministry
• 548 Award-winning Intergenerational Worship and Adult Sermon: "Sex Education and Religious Liberty"
• 550 Plenary V
  • Actions of Immediate Witness
• 554 Closing Celebration

Ministry Days

• 2P Conversation About White Anti-Racism
• 3P Keynote Address: "The Triumph of Meanness"
• 5A The Minister as Social Justice Leader, or Are We Prophetic Yet?
• 8A Practical Tips to Effectively Confront Classism Through Your Ministry
• 9A Safer Sexuality Education
• 12A Wider and Deeper Ministry Using Small Groups
• 20A The Berry Street Lecture
• 3B Ministering to Youth Groups
• 6B The Accessible Congregation
• 10B What Makes Us Think We're Multi-Cultural? Maybe We're Just Cultural
• 21X UUMA Celebration of Ministry

Extension Ministry Days

• 1P What's Working in UU Congregations

General Assembly 2000 Online is produced by the UUA's Office of Electronic Communication, with the support of the Information Technology Services Office and the UUA's Electronic Communication Committee as well as many volunteers. Special thanks to the GA Planning Committee for their assistance and support. Have something to add to our coverage? We appreciate all submissions.

Questions? If you have questions about GA, contact the GA Office. If you have questions about a specific session, please contact the sponsoring organization for the particular session.

week ending
August 11
514
308

week ending
August 4
berrystreet

week ending
July 28
459
334

week ending
July 21
bookstore
548
450
518
456
budget report
231
425
421
379
413

week ending
July 14
263
314
217
210
Plenary IV
202

July 9
239
326
452
Web Team
AIWs

July 7
SOC
Protest at Gore's
519
513
532
308

July 6
445
461
462
403

July 5
377
384
385
368
219

June 30
460
447
444
443
402
530
525
243
246
251

June 29
554
544
537
536
520
512
505

June 27
Plenary V
440
437
431
415
411
408

June 26
367
GA Journal
(last entry)
Banner Parade
362
357
360
352
344
403
328
504
535
341
460
336
353
355
343
329
327

June 25
317
CLF Installation
270
237
314
403
302
6B
8A
5A

June 24
Plenary III
101
Empty Shelves
276
327
266
265
207
302
246
243
219
252
242
223
251
243
228
Plenary II
318
275

June 23
249
239
232
Plenary I
12A
120
125
GA Fans

June 22
10B
3P
3B
21X

June 21
330
504
204
309
402
1P
9A
2P