I laughed. I cried. I felt challenged. I felt empowered. I felt moved...and moved again.
The first two days of General Assembly were HOT! (Temperature, that is.) So, my first thoughts were about the oppressive heat, since I don’t do well in it. However, when Andi and I walked into the Hynes Convention Center for the first time on that scorching Thursday afternoon, my thoughts soon changed to the virtual sea of UU’s we encountered. (Not to mention feeling gratitude for the invention of air conditioning!) I was blown away.
Following a rather swift sign-in process, we proceeded to the orientation workshop -- a must for first-timers like us. That was followed by an in-gathering session of the Joseph Priestley District, with the Executive Director, Richard Speck, leading. It included all of us introducing ourselves by name, home church, and what number GA it was for us. Following dinner, it was time for the Opening Celebration.
The Opening Celebration was internally simulcast on two large screens with a real-time screen for deaf and hard of hearing attendees. Our numbers were so huge, we took up the main auditorium (including many in the balcony) and an exhibition hall! It included an acknowledgment of Native American peoples, the Parade of Banners from attending UU congregations, six selections from the Unitarian High School Tour Choir from Transylvania, a preview of a video titled ‘Ahead of the Wave’ which deals with UUA history regarding civil liberties including Beacon Press’ publishing of ‘The Pentagon Papers’ [I got a copy of the video], and a welcoming of new congregations (including Juneo, Alaska). It was a moving and bright opening to the next five days.
The plenaries were interesting. They included votes on this year’s Statement of Conscience, Economic Globalization, and the passing of five Actions of Social Witness -- urging George W. Bush and Congress to restore funding for AmeriCorps; endorsing the Depleted Uranium Munitions Act introduced by U.S. Representative Jim McDermott; calling on Congress to appropriate monies to fight global HIV/AIDS; calling for public hearings on the moral and legal justification of the war with Iraq; and, support of women’s rights, including supporting the UU Women’s Federation Clara Barton Internship for Women’s Rights and participation in the March for Reproductive Freedom planned for April 25 of next year in Washington.
There were workshops, lectures, and presentations a-plenty, to be sure. Too many to get to. (Those of you who have attended in the past know what I mean.) A few of those I attended were ‘Defending Liberty in America Today’ with Wendy Kaminer dealing with the erosion of civil liberties in this country, ‘UU Youth Explore Unitarian Roots in Transylvania’ with a group who traveled there last year sharing its experiences, and ‘Faith in America’ with Rabbi Harold Kushner dealing with fundamentalism and moral issues. (The Rabbi Kushner lecture was so powerful, I ordered a copy of the video.) There was so much to do; however, I did not get to all that I wanted. All in all, I attended roughly 60% of those workshops that I originally hoped to attend.
One of the most interesting, and interest-garnering, pieces was an approximately forty-five minute discussion during a plenary session about the language of reverence. UUA President William Sinkford has introduced this into our corporate denominational discussion. It was fascinating to hear how passionately and eloquently those who spoke articulated their viewpoints. I feel it is a discussion we all need to have, including UUCinCH, and need to have often. I believe it is that important.
I got to see, even if for a brief conversation, a number of people at GA. In addition to our minister, Melanie Morel Sullivan, a few of those I saw were fellow UUCinCH members Nan Hall and Lucie Lenore, members of the Lancaster church, the minister and community minister from the York, PA congregation, two fellow LTS students, and Judith Wright, widow of our former Minister Emeritus, Rudy Nemser.
The Service of the Living Tradition was incredible and immense. Held at the Fleet Center, approximately 9,000 Unitarian Universalists gathered for the service that honors the living tradition of UU ministry. During the ceremony, sixty-six candidates received preliminary fellowship, fifty-nine ministers received final fellowship, twenty-nine ministers were honored as they retired from full-time ministry, and thirty ministers were honored in memoriam from the past year, including our own Rudy Nemser.
Andi and I also had the opportunity to speak with a Transylvanian UU minister, Zsolt Solymosi, who helped arrange an itinerary for most of our trip to Romania in August of this year. We also spoke with Colleen Sanders, who recently returned from living in the country for two years, and she was a font of knowledge as well. As a result, we feel much more confident about our trek east.
I’m sure it will take some time to unpack all that I learned and experienced at this year’s General Assembly. It was an experience I will not forget. To be assembled with so many fellow Unitarian Universalists from around the world (including Italy and France), was truly heartening and empowering. If you have never been to a GA, I would encourage you to do so. It will be an experience that you, too, may never forget. And so, Boston is history and GA now sets its sights on Long Beach, California, for General Assembly 2004.
