Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota, 3975 Fruitville Road, Sarasota FL 34232, Tel. 941-371-4974
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This page is under construction. General Assembly events are available below in reverse chronological order
            Friday: 1:30-2:45 pm: General Assembly General Session 4 (details below).
                          6:00-7:00 pm: General Assembly Synergy Bridging Worship (details below).
      Saturday: 1:30-2:45 pm: General Assembly General Session 5 (details below).
                          4:00-5:00 pm: General Assembly General Session 6 (details below).
      Sunday,  10:00-11:00 am: General Assembly Sunday Morning Worship Service (details below).​

Sunday, June 28: 
Worship Service at General Assembly (Events 501, 503.1)
​(no Forum or Religious Education Zoom meetings today)

Click the red Play button to watch and listen. Move your mouse to the bottom of the video to pause, adjust volume and go to full-screen mode. (If it does not play smoothly, change the quality settings to 240p.)
                                                                   Order of Service:

                                         “Beyond the Water’s Edge”
These are uncertain and volatile times. These are times that call on us to work towards our collective
liberation while also tending to our spiritual needs and caring for others. How do we ready ourselves
for what is being asked of us? How do we keep moving even when we don’t feel ready?

Gathering Music

Honoring the Land and Welcome                                                                                Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray

Call to Worship and Chalice Lighting                                                                         Rev. Joan Javier-Duval and
                                                                                                                                                              Rev. Mykal Slack

Opening Song “We Are...”     by Ysaye Barnwell                                                                            GA Virtual Choir
                                                                                                                                             directed by Benjie Messer
                                                                                                                                             Soloist: Dr. Ysaye Barnwell
A Message for Us All            Rev. Mykal Slack

Offering                                   Tomaquag Museum
                                                 Testimonial from Lorén Spears, Executive Director of the Tomaquag Museum
                                                 Flute music by Ridge E. Spears

Meditation and Prayer          Rev. Mykal Slack

Responsive Music                 “Deep River” trad. African-American spiritual                                  Philip Rogers,
                                                                                                                                                               Nivek Anderson

Reading                                   adapted selection from Three Dreams in a Desert                        Clyde Grubbs
                                                  by Olive Schreiner                                                                                        Aja Davis
                                                                                                                                                                Yuri Yamamoto

​Anthem                                    “Tomorrow” by Kate Miner                                                              GA Virtual Choir

Sermon                                   Beyond the Water’s Edge                                                    Rev. Joan Javier-Duval

Closing Song                          “Keep On Moving Forward” by Pat Humphries                     Emma’s Revolution

Benediction                                                                                                                             Rev. Joan Javier-Duval
Picture
The Unitarian Universalist Association's General Assembly
is available in part on this website. More details about these events are below. 

Click the red play button below to watch and listen. 


Saturdy, 4:00-5:00 pm: General Session 6 (event 414 )
Move your mouse to the bottom of the video to pause, adjust volume and go to full-screen mode. (If it does not play smoothly, change the quality settings to 240p.)

In case of technical difficulties, live responses will be posted here. If that happens, you will need to refresh this page in order to read the latest response. Sometimes all it takes is to refresh the screen and hit the play button.


General Session 6
4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
  • Final Reports from Chaplains and Right Relationship Teams
  • Courageous Love Awards
  • Co-Moderators’ Report
  • Installation of Incoming Co-Moderators
  • Appreciation of Co-Moderators Rev. Mr. Barb Greve and Elandria Williams
  • Words of Thanks
  • Invitation to GA 2021
  • GA Theme—Rooted, Inspired, and Ready to Act
  • Final Credentials Report​
General Assembly (GA) is the annual meeting of our Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA). Participants worship, witness, learn, connect, and make policy for the Association through democratic process. Anyone may attend. The following events will be streamed live on this page. 

Test your system in advance by watching any video on the UUA's YouTube channel.
Read more about General Assembly...  ​               Download the program book...
The complete schedule is available ​at www.uua.org/sites/live-new.uua.org/files/2020_grid_east.pdf

Music at GA

PictureMusicians at a recent GA. (Photo by Nancy Pierce/UUA)
GA is a very musical event, with congregational singing and special musical performances always an important part of worship services and interspersed throughout the general sessions and included in some of the workshops.. 

Picture
2019 GA choir (Photo by Nancy Pierce/UUA)
Picture
2019 GA band (Photo by Nancy Pierce/UUA)

Wednesday evening, Thursday afternoon through Saturday afternoon, June 24 - 27: General Sessions

PictureDelegates voting at a previous year's general session. (Photo by Nancy Pierce/UUA)
  • These are the sessions during which the business of the Association is conducted, moderated by Mr. Barb Greve and Elandria Williams. The schedule is:
  • 1. Wednesday, 8:45 pm to 9:30 pm
  • 2. Thursday, 1:30 pm to 2:45 pm 
  • 3. Thursday, 4 pm to 5 pm Commission on Institutional Change Report (File available to download below.)
  • 4. Friday, 1:30 pm to 2:45 pm
  • 5. Saturday, 1:30 pm to 2:45 pm
  • 6. Saturday, 4 pm to 5 pm
  • Agendas for these sessions are listed on pages 64 and 65 of the program book, available here...

commission_on_institutional_change_report_widening_the_circle-text_with_covers.pdf
File Size: 1651 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

This Sunday, June 28, at 10 am:
Worship Service from Virtual General Assembly
​(no Forum or Religious Education Zoom meetings today)

PictureRev. Joan Javier-Duval
Join us for the largest annual gathering of UUs joining in worship. This powerful, communal worship experience will stream live right here. Each year a talented group of choral singers performs at the Sunday Morning Worship for the General Assembly audience. Worship Leader is Rev. Mykal O'Neal Slack and the sermon will be given by Rev. Joan Javier-Duval. The worship service will include a collection for the Tomaquag Museum, an indigenous museum featuring an extensive collection and archive of Southern New England tribal communities. ​

Picture
Rev. Mikal O'Neal Slak

Music during the Sunday Morning Worship Service

Picture
2017 Sunday Morning Worship in New Orleans, Louisiana (Photo by Nancy Pierce/UUA)
PictureBenjie Messer, music director at the Sunday morning worship service
For many, singing in the choir is a key part of coming together as UUs at General Assembly. This year, instead of joining voices in person, the choir members will join in a virtual choir! Each singer will record a video of themselves singing, and those individual videos will be edited into one glorious combined video to be premiered during GA’s Sunday Morning worship service. 

An example of what such a virtual choir might look and sound like is shown below. Click the Play button in the middle to start the video. Volume, settings and full screen buttons are at the bottom of the video. (If it does not play smoothly, change the quality settings to 240p.)

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In their 11th year performing and exhibiting at General Assembly, the duo of Emma's Revolution notes that they will be leading the final song, with two wonderful guest musicians!

General Assembly events are available below in reverse chronological order
            Friday: 1:30-2:45 pm: General Assembly General Session 4 (details below).
                          6:00-7:00 pm: General Assembly Synergy Bridging Worship (details below).
      Saturday: 1:30-2:45 pm: General Assembly General Session 5 (details below).
                          4:00-5:00 pm: General Assembly General Session 6 (details below).
      Sunday,  10:00-11:00 am: General Assembly Sunday Morning Worship Service (details below).​
Saturdy, 1:30-2:45 pm: General Session 5 (event 413 )
Move your mouse to the bottom of the video to pause, adjust volume and go to full-screen mode. (If it does not play smoothly, change the quality settings to 240p.)

In case of technical difficulties, live responses will be posted here. If that happens, you will need to refresh this page in order to read the latest response. Sometimes all it takes is to refresh the screen and hit the play button.


General Session 5
1:30 - 2:45 p.m.

  • GA Theme—Rooted, Inspired, and Ready
  • Installation of Elected Volunteers to the Board of Trustees, General Assembly Planning Committee, and Nominating Committee
  • Voting Process Review
  • Consideration of Actions of Immediate Witness
  • Responsive Resolutions (if any)
Synergy Bridging Worship (Event 322)
PictureSynergy Bridging Worship at GA 2017. (Photo by Nancy Pierce/UUA)
Bridging (the transition out of youth communities and into young adulthood) is a moment of transformation. Join us for this public worship honoring those bridging, and reaffirm our commitment to multigenerational community. This year's service, planned by youth and young adults, explores this moment through a metaphor of compost.
This is a transformative multi-generational worship. Come be inspired and illuminated at a celebration of treasured worship elements, rites of passage and brilliant contemporary musical performances.​

Part One: “Held in Love / In the compost heap”
Opening, Welcome, & Chalice Lighting
Reflection: “Returning to Wisdom”
Collection: The Katie Tyson Fund for Young & Young Adult Ministry
Song: “Lean on Me”

Part Two: “Transformed by Spirit / Becoming soil”
Reflection: “To Change & Be Changed”
Prayer & Meditation
Ceremony of Bridging
Song: “There’s a River”

Part Three: “Living in Faith / Nourishing the garden”
Reflection: “Sending You Forth”
Charge to the Gathered Congregation
Closing Words
Song: “Building A New Way”
Move your mouse to the bottom of the video to pause, adjust volume and go to full-screen mode. (If it does not play smoothly, change the quality settings to 240p.)
​Friday, 1:30-2:45 pm: General Session 4 (event 315 )
Agenda General Session 4
  • Call to Order
  • Opening Words
  • GA Theme—Rooted Inspiration
  • Chaplains, GA Planning Committee, Right Relationship Team Updates
  • Voting Process Review
  • Rules Review
  • Bylaw Amendments
  • Music
  • Business Resolutions
  • Closing Words
  • Announcements

6:00-7:00 pm: Service of the Living Tradition (event 216)

Picture2018 Service of the Living Tradition (Photo by Nancy Pierce/UUA)
Led by the Ministries and Faith Development Staff Group, this service honors fellowshipped and credentialed religious leaders; remembering those who have died, recognizing those who have completed active service - we expect our former minister, Roger Fritts, to be included among these - and welcoming those who have received fellowship or credentialed status in the past year. 

The sermon will be delivered by Rev. Danielle Di Bona. She is the former President of the Diverse and Revolutionary Unitarian Universalist Multicultural Ministries (DRUUMM).. Music Director for this service is Dr. Zanaida Stewart Robles, a fierce advocate for diversity and inclusion in music education and performance. She serves on the national board of the National Association of Negro Musicians.

4:00-5:00 pm: General Session 3: Report by Commission on Institutional Change (event 214)
​(details below, including the report).
commission_on_institutional_change_report_widening_the_circle-text_with_covers.pdf
File Size: 1651 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

General Session 2: (event 213)
Agenda of General Sessions 2: 
  • General Session 2
    1:30 - 2:45 p.m.
    • GA Theme—Roots
    • Preliminary Credentials Report
    • President’s Report
    • Special Collection: UU the Vote
    • Commission on Social Witness Report
    • Presentation of Actions of Immediate Witness
    • Framing for Breakout Groups​
General Session 1 (event 105)
Agenda of General Session 1
  • Call to Order
  • Welcome
  • Libations—honoring those who have come before
  • Introduction: GA Youth / Youth Caucus
  • Introduction: YA@GA—Young Adults at General Assembly
  • Introduction: Chaplains
  • Introduction: Right Relationship Team
  • Introduction: Accessibility
  • Adoption of Rules of Procedure
  • Closing Words​​
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3975 Fruitville Road, Sarasota FL 34232
Tel. 941-371-4974
Office hours are 10am to 2pm Tuesday - Friday

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