New 'UU Primer' Published
March 15, 2009
The Unitarian Universalist Association’s (UUA’s) newest resource for prospective members is Welcome: A Unitarian Universalist Primer, a 78-page book describing Unitarian Universalist (UU) theology, worship, practice, and history. Small enough (4 x 6 inches) to fit in welcome or new member orientation packets, Welcome joins The UU Pocket Guide as a key resource for those new to the faith. Both are published by Skinner House Books, an imprint of the UUA.
Welcome is more introductory in nature and focuses more on worship than The Pocket Guide does, says Patricia Frevert, the UUA’s director of publishing and the editor of Welcome.
“When I was first introduced to Unitarian Universalism more than 20 years ago,” Frevert says, “I was sometimes confused by the vocabulary and the acronyms. Over time, I discovered that many other denominations had a wider range of introductory resources than we did. Then, one day about a year ago I was having lunch with a couple members of the Skinner Board. We agreed that there was a need for a new introduction for newcomers, and we talked about what it should be—small, attractive, inexpensive, and totally transparent, something you would understand even if you had no other knowledge of UUism. Welcome came out of that conversation.”
The new primer includes concise explanations of how and why we practice religious education and social justice. It also has possibly the best brief description of Unitarian and Universalist history.
Frevert says The Pocket Guide, published in 1988 and in its fourth edition, will likely be updated at some point.
Welcome: A Unitarian Universalist Primer is $5, with a 20 percent discount for 10 or more copies from the UUA Bookstore; (800) 215-9076. The Pocket Guide is $7 and is also discounted for multiple copies.
For more information contact interconnections @ uua.org.
Last updated on Tuesday, March 3, 2009.
