CERG

A chorus of Unitarian Universalist prophetic voices has been building for several years, challenging us to make the changes that will position us to grow in numbers, in spiritual depth, in commitment and in outreach to a hurting world. In short, to be the religion for our time. All of these voices are urging us to pay attention to the rapidly changing demographics in the United States as well as to the needs of a generation now coming into its own as a political and social force. They call us to attend to the spiritual and religious needs of multicultural America and work to create Unitarian Universalist communities that are multigenerational, inclusive, welcoming and open, seeking justice within themselves and in the wider world.

Congregations are asking for help to respond effectively to these needs. Their increasing requests are coming at a time of tight budgets, when there is enormous pressure to maximize resources. We must make available the expertise that will help them to move faithfully into the future as vibrant, healthy, growing congregations.

Important questions are facing us as district staff and district leadership. How do we best help our congregations meet the challenges of the future? How do we seize the opportunity to reach out to a younger generation, who can grow our faith in breadth, depth, and numbers? How do we move toward becoming the multicultural, multigenerational, theologically deep faith we envision? How do we offer to our congregations the specialized resources needed to strengthen and grow their ministries despite limitations of budget, time and distance? If we succeed in effectively responding to the challenges and opportunities before us, then Unitarian Universalism can be the religion for our time.

Lay and professional leaders in the Central East Regional Group (CERG) of the UUA (Joseph Priestley, Metro NY, St. Lawrence and Ohio-Meadville Districts) have spent the last three years exploring ways of better serving all of our congregations, and Unitarian Universalism as a whole, by cooperating and working across district boundaries. We have found through experience that we can support congregations and our faith better when we work together. Just as congregations benefit from working in cluster groups, so, too, do districts benefit from regional working relationships. The proposal for regional resource sharing and growth builds on the collaboration among these districts achieved thus far.