REPORTS OF UCM DELEGATES TO THE 2025 UUA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
On June 18-22, 2025, the Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly was held, both virtually and in person.
In May, the board appointed and the congregation ratified a full slate of five delegates, two of whom, Steve Grunewald and Judith Hinds, attended virtually, and three, Steve August, Jennifer Matthews, and Emily Seiffert, who traveled to Baltimore for the event.
Their reports and reflections follow.
If you are interested in being a UCM delegate to the 2026 General Assembly, you may want to speak to any of these members, or to a member of the board, Reverend Joan, or me. ~Steve Finner, Denominational Resources
Pictured above: three on-site delegates, Emily Seiffert, Jen Matthews, and Steve August; Rev. Joan Javier-Duval, and Elaine Ball, Congregational Life Coordinator
STEVE AUGUST
I attended the General Assembly in 2025 as a very new member of the Unitarian Church of Montpelier. I was inspired by the teachings and values of the church, and wanted to see for myself how these principles were established in my first experience at the General Assembly (GA). I wanted to see how the sausage was made.
The experience ended up being much more expansive than that. I drove down with Jen Mathews and we talked together for about seven hours to Baltimore. We each got to know each other and share life’s war stories. The same was true on the ride home with Jen and Elaine. What a raucous good time we had!
Although I did get to see some sausage getting made, I was unexpectedly surprised by the sheer presence of love in all of the sessions. I knew that love was at the center of Unitarian Universalism, but I got to experience it first-hand. Inspiring talks, requests for deeper dialogue and involvement in the church, as well as rituals like gospel music and a church service for thousands in the same room.
It was inspiring to see so many people from all walks of life who shared the values of love and justice. I felt held up by this community and took back the hope that all things are possible! Of course, it may take a while, but I am no longer alone in wanting it to happen!
STEVE GRUNEWALD
I attended General Assembly (GA) as an online delegate, which meant I could only attend the General Sessions, the Moderator Candidate Session, and the Sunday Service (all online). It was meaningful to observe how the UUA makes decisions, and to be able to participate in the decision-making. We spent a substantial portion of the General Sessions discussing issues that the UUA will emphasize over the coming years. I was struck by the care, civility, and candor brought by all interlocutors in these discussions. The topic we chose for Congregational Study/Action is Abolition, Transformation, and Faith Formation (you can follow the link to learn more about this topic). We also selected three Actions of Immediate Witness, chosen by the delegates to be priorities for our engagement.
The moderator selection was perhaps the most significant agenda item for this GA. The moderators chair the UUA Board and the GA for 6 years. I felt the discussion between candidates was handled with great respect. We elected a co-moderator team: Rev. Kimberly Quinn Johnson and Bill Young; I am confident they will lead us very well into the future.
Thank you for selecting me as a delegate to the 2025 GA. I felt honored to represent you all.
JUDITH HINDS
GA 2025 Highlights
Besides electing new moderators and Board members, the major items of business at GA 2025 were the adoption of a new nationwide Congregational Study/Action Issue (CSAI) for the next three years, and the adoption of three Actions of Immediate Witness (AIWs). All were announced ahead of time, discussed extensively, and voted on by the several thousand delegates. For a summary of the business sessions and results, go to https://www.uua.org/ga/past/2025/business.
I attended virtually this year, as a delegate only, i.e. I didn’t participate in any of the workshops or “fun stuff.” As with past GAs, I was impressed by the number of delegates (yes, we are a movement!) and the professionalism of the business meetings. Most fascinating to me were the discussions of the three proposed Congregational Study/Action Issues (CSAI’s). One related to the prison abolition movement, one to housing inequities, and one to the fat liberation movement.
Each proposal had been vetted and found to meet UUA standards. Discussions were varied and interesting. Ultimately the abolition issue was chosen, so we’ll be hearing a lot more about it over these next three years. The choice of which issue to vote for was difficult for me. Fat liberation is dear to my heart, as I was a target of sizeism for decades of my life and I worry about what our society’s obsession with thinness does to our girls and young women. The movement to “build justice and inclusion for larger bodies” (quoting from their proposal) is often not taken seriously in our culture, and indeed it came in a distant third when the vote was tallied. But all the options were full of potential, and I was not unhappy with the result. I look forward to learning a lot more about how “Abolition Is Faith Formation” in the months and years ahead.
JENNIFER MATTHEWS
In June 2025 I travelled to Baltimore, Maryland for my first in-person General Assembly (GA) as a delegate for UCM. The experience isn’t one I’ll soon forget, from singing with the choir during Sunday service, which I affectionately refer to as Unitarian heaven, to meeting my doppelganger from North Carolina (I was hugged by so many people who thought I was Marion), and so many incredible moments in between, all shared with other like-minded UUs. For this reflection I’ll be focused on the Ware Lecture which in my opinion was a powerful call to action for the Unitarian Universalist faith.
Each year the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) President, in consultation with the General Assembly Planning Committee, invites a distinguished guest to address the General Assembly as the Ware Lecturer. Previous Ware Lecturers have included Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Stacey Abrams and Desmond Meade, Sister Simone Campbell, Mary Oliver, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and so many more.
This year’s Ware Lecturer was Imara Jones, the award-winning creator of TransLash media. You can watch the Ware Lecture, or learn more about Imara and her incredible work here – Imara Jones, UUA Ware Lecture. In an hour, Imara presented the case of how transgender humans, humans who make up approximately 1% of the population, are being purposefully marginalized as a heavily-researched and well-funded test to undermine democracy. She said it’s time to “care about trans people,” as a way to counteract this undermining. She urged those in attendance to call their legislators, to oppose anti-transgender legislation, and more importantly to speak up and challenge people who make anti-trans remarks. She urged us to show up whether it be locally or more globally, the time is NOW to show up for and support transgender humans.
The time is now to live our values “because justice is a verb, because democracy is a verb, because righteousness is a verb.” Transgender humans need allies now more than ever.
If you’re interested in doing something tangible to support transgender humans, particularly transgender youth in Unitarian Universalist Churches in red states, please stay tuned for a project I’ll be conducting this spring. And if you’re interested in seeing my North Carolinian doppelganger, I’d be happy to share the photo and the hilarious journey to our introduction.
EMILY SEIFFERT
It’s been almost seven months since I attended General Assembly (GA), so I started this reflection by looking back at my photos and videos, which quickly brought me back to the 95-degree days of Baltimore in June; the need for a good Vermont sweater for the frigid convention hall; the joy of scootering to dinner one evening with Joan; and the stimulation of four packed days engaging with UUs from around the country. One highlight for me was watching recently ordained clergy process to the stage — each with their own unique stole, and many bejeweled with protest pins, antifascist t-shirts, and other markers of identity that both celebrated diversity and trumpeted our unity as a gentle, angry people.
My love for singing — and in particular my love for Gospel music and singing with The Rev. Verdis LeVar Robinson — brought me to GA, since Verdis was selected as the choral director for the 2025 GA. Jen and Elaine and I joined a choir of UUs from around the country to sing for the Sunday morning GA worship service — the culminating event of the convention. I was moved by the music Verdis chose; the passion which animated his teaching and conducting; and the collaboration and mutual respect which brought together 100 voices, several soloists, and a full band. To sing for 2,000+ people in the hall and who knows how many more online (including many of you!) was an amazing experience I’ll never forget. (Want more? Watch the service here!)
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about ‘collective effervescence,’ a term coined by Émile Durkheim, referring to the joy and unity that occurs when a group of people do the same thing together at the same time. I know we were collectively bubbling over that weekend in Baltimore, and I know here at home we are fortunate to regularly experience this on Sunday mornings at UCM. We also build it when we work together to serve human need, and protect the Earth, our home. We share it at Holiday Fairs and Small Group Ministry meetings. There is great power in unity. There is great strength in diversity. Unitarian Universalism celebrates both.