The Pastor’s Pen – May 2025
Getting to Know the Greater Unitarian Universalist Community
This past weekend, I attended the Pacific Southwest Service Area Assembly (PSWSA) Conference hosted by First UU of San Diego and Camp de Benneville Pines. Our board President, Melissa Garcia, and Vice President, Lisa Sites, joined me for a fun and enlightening weekend. There were two great keynote speakers, one of whom was UUA Co-Moderator Rev. Meg Riley, six workshops, music, and social interaction.
I attended a workshop on building homes in Tijuana, a charitable program done by the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of Southern California in collaboration with Casas de Luz & UU Refugee & Immigrant Services and Education (UURISE), as well as an introduction to the UU Men’s Fellowship headquartered at First UU San Diego. They described what sounded like some amazing renewal gatherings at Camp De Benneville Pines.
In addition, I renewed acquaintances with many colleagues and friends I have not connected with in a while, and met and networked with many new ones. The theme was “UU Now More Than Ever!” and it truly was filled with UU spirit!
This weekend reminded me of the great value of being in community with other Unitarian Universalists outside of our congregation. The support exchanged between congregations, as well as the large UU community, is invaluable and further motivates me to do the work our values require.
I encourage you all to also investigate the many offerings and opportunities presented by the larger UU world. Some ways to do this are to check out our monthly UU World magazine, which is gifted to every member of our congregation, as well as always in the church office. A great way to find out more about our UU Association is to search the UUA website for its wealth of information and activities. I also encourage members of Pacific Unitarian to consider becoming a voting delegate representing our congregation at the national meeting of UUs, General Assembly. This year it’s in Baltimore, June 18-22, and I will also be attending.
It can sometimes feel like churches are on their own, but we have a nation full of like-hearted people and an organization working hard to support, which I highly recommend getting to know.
Pastor Berg
