Green Sanctuary Program to be Managed by UUA Beginning July 1
April 16, 2008Dear Friends:
On behalf of the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Ministry for Earth and the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUA), we are delighted to share some exciting news. Staring this July, the UU Ministry for Earth's successful Green Sanctuary Program will start to be managed by the UUA as a part of their Congregational Services program.
The Green Sanctuary Program, created and nurtured by the UU Ministry for Earth, has seen exponential growth in recent years, indicating a deep longing by congregations to put their values into action in regard to their Earth concerns. We are proud of the congregations who have taken the work to heart and used the program to challenge themselves to a deeper commitment to a sustainable and just world. After years of dedicated stewardship by the UU Ministry for Earth board, volunteer Regional Coordinators, and congregational activists, this vital program will become the first UUA program devoted exclusively to Earth concerns. The phenomenal success of the Green Sanctuary Program represents the power of committed Unitarian Universalists to transform themselves, their congregations, and their Association.
This transition will allow the busy Ministry for Earth leadership to cultivate important new environmental justice issues and to support UU congregations with congregational resources and training. It will also allow the Green Sanctuary Program to benefit from additional staff and financial resources through our national Association.
UU Ministry for Earth is now moving into a new phase of its work, developing new partnerships and deepening its commitment to bring our religious values into effective and transformative work for justice and sustainability.
We wish to thank the UU Ministry for Earth members, board of directors, and director Rev. Katherine Jesch for their hard work developing the Green Sanctuary Program into a nationally recognized example of spiritually-engaged ecological sustainability. Let us take a moment to recognize and celebrate the success of this remarkable program even as we look to expand its reach to more congregations.
In Faith,
Barbara Ford
Board Chair, UU Ministry for Earth
William G. Sinkford
President, Unitarian Universalist Association
Last updated on Thursday, April 24, 2008.
