Report from General Assembly 2025, held in Baltimore, Maryland, both in person and online. Attending were 1882 credentialed delegates from 592 congregations in 48 states and 4 countries. Delegates attended business meetings and voted on issues and elections. (Recordings of the business meetings and Sunday Service are available on YouTube, search for UUA General Assembly 2025.)
MUUF Congregational Delegates this year included Jeanne Craft, Shari Loe, Elias Ortega, Nan Perigo, and Judie Romano. Shari and Elias were able to attend in person, while the rest of us attended online to the activities and the Business sessions of the UUA.
The theme for this year was “Meet the Moment” – introduced at GA and meant to help guide the UUA for the coming years. Meet the Moment is a movement-wide framework helping Unitarian Universalists analyze, discern, and take values-based action in response to today’s religious, cultural, generational, and political realities. Subscribe to Updates for more information and to join the movement.
Several decisions were made by delegates, including the election of Officers and new GA co-Moderators (Rev. Kimberly Quinn-Johnson and Bill Young were elected for a six-year term) (see UUA Elections). The candidates for Actions of Immediate Witness (AIW) and the Congregational Study/Action Issues (CSAI) were also discussed and decided upon.
AIWs are statements about significant actions, events, or developments in the world that encourage immediate engagement action among UU member congregations and groups, it empowers local efforts and actions and helps our movement work together nationwide.
The Actions of Immediate Witness (AIWs) affirmed this year include:
Immigrants Are People Who Have Inherent Worth and Inalienable Rights
Defending LGBTIQ Freedom Amid Funding Crisis: A Call for Global Solidarity
CSAIs are issues selected for three years of study, reflection and action; the purpose is to provide member congregations with an opportunity to address and engage in the study of a common issue – the end result being a deeper understanding of our religious position on the issue, expressed as a UUA Statement of Conscience.
This year’s CSAI (Congregation Study/Action Issue) is Abolition, Tranformation and Faith Formation, which be the subject for congregations nationwide in the 3-year study, reflection, and action. “Abolition is a holistic approach to systemic social change that includes, but is not limited to: the abolition of slavery; replacing systems and cultures of violence, coercion and control with transformative justice and relational practices; and dismantling the prison-industrial complex as we now know it. It requires the transformation of our society and the replacement of our current public theologies of retributive justice and violence.” Contact [email protected] if you have questions regarding AIWs or CSAIs or how to get involved.
We were treated to music from the new virtual UUA Hymnbook, Sing Out Love. There were many excellent speeches and reflections offered during the business meetings, including during reports, awards and installations. My favorite includes a quote from Howard Thurman: “We are headed into dark times, and you need to be your own light. Do not accept brutality or cruelty as normal, even if it is sanctioned. Protect the vulnerable, and encourage the afraid. If you are brave, stand up for others. If you cannot be brave, and it is often hard to be brave, be kind. But most of all, never lose sight of who you are and what you value.”
Next year’s GA will be virtual, held June 14-21, with business meetings June 19-21, 2026. GA2027 will be a multiplatform event hosted in San Jose, California June 23-27, 2027.
Submitted by Nan Perigo, MUUF delegate to UUA-GA 2025
