First Unitarian Church of Honolulu

Meet the religious leaders shaping the next generation of social justice activism The Yale Center for Public Theology and Public Policy is raising up the next generation of Christian leaders focused on social justice. It's led by Rev. William Barber, after retirement from his longtime congregation.

Let’s talk about it 🫶🏼 Join our Rainbow Support Circle on Wednesday, November 6 where we’ll discuss the challenges of navigating our mental health as a q***r individual.

This safe and inclusive space is designed for sharing experiences, offering support, and finding understanding among peers. All MVPFAFF/LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies are welcome. Let’s come together to foster empathy, resilience, and community. Link to save your spot to this FREE event https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rainbow-support-circle-tickets-1059163078279?aff=oddtdtcreator

🌟 SAVE THE DATE 🌟

We are honored to have Dr. Paula Cole Jones as she shares her Elder Spiritual Odyssey on November 14, 2024—an exclusive event for DRUUMM Members and BIPOC Friends. Join us in this sacred space to honor Paula's lifelong work in racial justice, faith-based organizing, and her role in the adoption of the 8th Principle.

Let’s gather to celebrate our elders’ wisdom and connect across generations.

🔗 RSVP today: druumm.org/events

🌈✨ Happy National Coming Out Day! ✨🌈

Whether you're out, not yet, or somewhere in between — you are loved and valued just as you are.

Coming out is a personal journey, and there's no right or wrong time to share your truth. Remember, your identity is yours to own, and you deserve to be celebrated every day, no matter where you are on your path. 🏳️‍🌈

Sending love, strength, and solidarity to everyone today. We honor and support you, always. ❤️✨

Since Unitarian Universalists cast the historic vote at General Assembly last June to adopt a new framework to express what it means to be UU, your UUA staff have been hard at work updating institutional information and creating educational tools to engage with this new Shared Values framework. I am grateful for their dedication to supporting congregations during this time of transition.

We know that the language of UU Principles and Purposes still resonates for many, and there is no effort by the UUA to remove or eliminate information on these expressions of our faith. Instead, we are focused on creating new resources, initially in the form of pamphlets and posters, to help congregations publicly share their affirmation of the new Shared Values. Learn more about additional online resources that will be available, as well as an updated version of our essay collection, Love at the Center, in an interview with UUA Publications Director, Mary Benard, in UU World. The link to the interview is in the comments below.

This evening marks the beginning of Rosh Hashanah in the Jewish tradition, a time for reflection and rest, of gathering with a meal, and setting intentions for how we want to live in the New Year to come. In this time when so much is broken and so much is uncertain, may we turn to one another with care and find peace and comfort in the traditions and practices that connect us.

May our Jewish beloveds and all people find solace in community during the High Holy Days and in all the days to come.

This summer Transgender Law Center offered a two-part Disability Justice workshop series on how to create accessible events and protests!

The teachings and conversation featured intend to bring a deeper grounding in accessibility, Disability Justice and cross-movement solidarity to the events, protests, meetings, and workshops that individuals and groups organize. Watch the recordings here: https://bit.ly/4e97NoE

[Image description: "The Disability Project" in black text, with two purple flowers on the left and right ends of the text, on a light gray background.]

Ballots Arrive in Mail
Voters receive their ballots for the 2024 Elections by:
October 18, 2024

Register to vote: olvr.hawaii.gov

Paper Registration Deadline
Paper Voter Registration Applications must be submitted to your County Elections Division by:
October 28, 2024

Absentee Ballot Request
Deadline to request a ballot be sent to an alternate address (if you are already registered to vote)
October 29, 2024

Voter Service Centers
They offer accessible voting, in person voting and same day registration.
October 22 - November 5, 2024
(Excluding Sundays)

Locate Voter Service Centers and Ballot Drop Boxes here:
https://elections.hawaii.gov/voter-service-centers-and-places-of-deposit/

Yay Lee Curran!

Announcing the UU Climate Justice Revival Sermon Award Winners!

Imagine that it's 2050 and we've achieved all of our wildest hopes for collective liberation. What is present in that re-imagined reality? What have our values led us to collectively abolish or move away from? How would our world transform if love was at the center of our climate actions and collective liberation were upheld as a uniting goal across all of the movement spaces that matter most?

With these questions in mind, the UU Climate Justice Revival planning team invited sermons that would ground us in this new reality. The number of submissions exceeded our expectations - evidence of the prophetic spirit and liberatory theology alive in our movement - and after much deliberation, we are proud to announce our sermon winners.

Congratulations to:

💐Andrew Batcher
💐Lee Curran
💐Diego Garrido Barreto
💐Meleah Houseknecht
💐Rev. Dr. Molly Housh Gordon
💐Frances Koziar
💐Edward Lynn
💐Rev. Arif Mamdani

Learn more about each awardee and read their award-winning sermon. Recordings of each sermon will be available by September 5th. https://www.uuclimatejustice.org/sermon

Image description: Graphic of all the sermon award winners. White background, with the UU Climate Revival logo of the two heads with globes and flowers facing each other. The text reads UU Climate Justice Revival Sermon Contest Winners. There is a headshot of each winner in a floral frame. Andrew Batcher's photo is in a square frame with pink and blue flowers. Lee Curran's photo is in a round frame with red flowers. Diego Garrido Barreto's photo is in a square frame with purple flowers. Meleah Houseknecht's photo is in a round frame with yellow and orange flowers. Rev. Dr. Molly Housh Gordon's photo is in a round frame with orange flowers. Frances Koziar's photo is in a square frame with green vines. Edward Lynn's photo is in a round frame with yellow flowers. Rev. Arif Mamdani's photo is in a round frame with blue flowers.

If you're new to BLUU or just looking for a refresher, we got you covered.

This summer, we have resumed our New 2 BLUU series where you can join us to learn the history of BLUU, our new operating structure, and how you can get involved today.

Our September session will be led by Organizing Collective Board Member, Rev. Kimberly Q. Johnson. Rev. Kimberly Q. Johnson serves as minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the South Fork. She has passion and expertise for racial justice work and ministry with youth.

To register, visit: https://blacklivesuu.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/blacklivesuu/eventRegistration.jsp?event=15

Do you wonder how, as UU’s, we can continue to advocate for disability rights and make spaces more accessible for everyone? In this conversation in magazine, UUA Disability Justice Associate Rev. Amanda Schuber shares her insights on progress being made, challenges that still need to be overcome, and ongoing UUA disability justice priorities.

Read the whole story and watch a video interview with Rev. Schuber from UU World: https://bit.ly/3YSgI9O

We are EXCITED to gather online and in-person to explore the MOSAIC of possibilities for anti-racist, multicultural transformation in Unitarian Universalism!

The in-person track of the UUA's Mosaic Fall Conference will happen October 18-20 at Cedar Lane UU Church in Bethesda, Maryland. The online track can happen anywhere.

Those coming in-person can join in an evening reception at Cedar Lane on Thursday October 17th.

Learn more about the conference and register here: https://www.uua.org/leaderlab/events/mosaic-conference

And learn all about the expanding Mosaic of resources, community connections, and learning opportunities at https://www.uua.org/mosaic

Set your calendar reminder! 📆🌈 Don’t miss your opportunity to participate in the most EPIC celebration and LGBTQIA+ community gathering of the year. Registration for the Honolulu Pride parade and festival will open tomorrow at 12 noon. Space is limited and registration available on the first-come-first-served basis so be sure to get your company or organization signed up quickly.

Links to register for the parade and festival will be available at 12 noon on 8/16 in our bio and on hawaiilgbtlegacy.com or honolulupride.com. 🔗

Spending my formative years in predominately white spaces really brought home for me the “everywhereness” of racism. In “I Won’t Shut Up,” I give that everywhereness a name:

White noise.

I call it white noise because it can be a subtle sush that lulls you to sleep, and it can be a loud and offensive blast of static that jars you.

White noise can be dangerous for those of us who find ourselves in predominantly white contexts. If we’re not careful, the subtle shush of everyday racism can dull our senses and and cause us to accept racism as a part of living. This is what happened to me.

I thought that racism was such a part of living that I accepted a whole bunch of nonsense from people because I assumed that white people couldn’t help but be racist and that it was my lot in life to dodge the blows.

I Won’t Shut Up tells the story of how I went from accepting and expecting racism (and honey, there are some doozies in there) to finding my voice and pushing back against racism.

You’ll also find out I Won’t Shut Up that I’m not always the hero of my own story. I didn’t always make the “best” choices.

You’ll see how racism in predominantly white contexts (and spiritual abuse) made me vulnerable to harm and toxic relationships with white people.

You’ll see me fail, but you’ll also see me hope. You’ll see me stand up for myself. You’ll see me have moments of loss, but also moments of victory.

That’s how life is. We cross thresholds, yes, but we don’t walk through life fully formed in our understanding of ourselves or the world. And I wanted to embrace that messiness in my book.

If anything I said resonated with you, I hope you’ll pick up a copy.

Join us for a free Sept 9 introductory session that overviews our "Aiming for Allyship" four part / 12 hour anti-oppression training series starting September 30th through October 21st. Dive into intersectional antiracism with expert facilitators (and UU's!) from Justice Movement, DRUUMM, and UU Allies for Racial Equity. Get a sneak peek into our transformative approach to allyship, with hands-on exercises and opportunities to connect.

The journey begins Monday, September 9th — don’t miss out! To learn more and register please go to druumm.org/events

H3RC proudly produces Drag Queen Story Hour Hawai'i! Encouraging inclusivity and reading for our youth. Help support our Drag Quee Story Hours by nominating us today!
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Love's Bakery and Hawai'i Foodservice Alliance is giving Hawai'i nonprofits a chance to receive part of $75,000 through their Spirit of Giving Initiative, and we need your help! 🌺 ⁠
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Nominate Hawai'i Health & Harm Reduction Center (H3RC) and support our mission to provide essential health services and harm reduction across Hawai'i 🏳️‍🌈⁠
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It's simple: ⁠
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Visit the link in our bio 🔗 ⁠
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Fill out the nomination form and choose H3RC ⁠
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Here is all the info you need: ⁠
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Contact at Organization: Heather Lusk (or a personal connection if you know a ⁠
H3RC team member!)⁠ Email of Contact at Organization: [email protected]⁠ ⁠
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Contact's Position: Executive Director ⁠
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Contact's Phone Number: (808) 521-2437 ⁠
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Type of Organization: Other⁠ ⁠
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Organization Address: 677 Ala Moana Blvd. Suite 226 Organization ⁠

website: www.hhhrc.org
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City: Honolulu⁠ Tax ID #: 99-0284222 ⁠
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Submit and share with friends and family! Your nomination can make a huge difference. Mahalo for your support! 🤙💖 ⁠
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Here in this session, we’ll discuss the challenges of navigating our mental health as a q***r individual.

This safe and inclusive space is designed for sharing experiences, offering support, and finding understanding among peers. All MVPFAFF/LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies are welcome. Let’s come together to foster empathy, resilience, and community. Save your spot at this FREE event here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rainbow-support-circle-tickets-982241018327?aff=oddtdtcreator

Worship is THIS coming Sunday, August 11th and we're excited to hear from BLUU's Community Minister, Rev. Mykal Slack !

His message is titled, "Our Best Days" and will focus on remembering and reflecting on times of joy but also what is possible in our futures that we are creating for ourselves.

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Worship Description: Reminiscing about the good old days is fine and good when that's what we need and want to do. And the intense noise (read: war, political foolishness, Black death, and any number of other things) all around us is real and keeps us from a "right now" and a "here on out" that is our birthright and up to us to keep track of.

Let us sit vigil over the ones who are gone senselessly and too soon, and let us also come together as the summer nears its end and remind one another what is possible about Our Best Days.

Register to attend at https://bit.ly/3wYfnjb

**Note: BLUU's online worship services are Black Sacred Space in their entirety - by and for Black people, with the words and voices of Black folks across the diaspora - and we hope that Black UUs and Black folks who share our values from far and wide will join us!

For our non-Black siblings in faith, please DO share this invitation with Black folks in your life and community. Getting the word out about BLUU’s gatherings and other programming is one powerful way of lending your support, and we deeply appreciate it!

For all of our services, feel free to come into our BLUU Zoom Room as early as 15 minutes before the start of the service to get settled, say hello to the folks who are already gathering, and listen to the music softly playing as we all prepare for our time together.

It's time to celebrate Black August!

Never heard of it before? Not sure what it's all about? 👀

This is the month that we celebrate those who have fought -- and those who continue to fight -- for Black liberation and justice.

It was initially started in the 1970s by California prisons as "a way to 'honor the lives and deaths of Black political prisoners killed by the state, bring awareness to prison conditions, and to honor the radical tradition of Black resistance against anti-Black state violence systemic oppression.'"
(Source: article that can be found here 👉🏾 https://www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2023/08/12/why-august-is-such-a-significant-time-for-black-people/)

Now, we honor ALL of our freedom fighters -- past, present, and future -- who work tirelessly for the liberties of Black folx. ✊🏾