I mentioned that there are a number of Unitarian Universalist congregations that are not members of the Unitarian Universalist Association but neither are they

1. declared to be “emerging” with the goal of joining the UUA,
2. really dormant or inactive; in essence a “submerged congregation,”
3. independent, which includes some former members of the Universalist Church of America,
4. “half-federated” with a historic Unitarian or Universalist partner, but only affiliated with another denomination or none, or
5. a member of the American Unitarian Conference or (theoretically) some other group.

What’s left is, in essence, district-sanctioned revivals of the Fellowship Movement. But even this might not be quite right, as it isn’t clear if these congregations “in orbit” are simply “pre-emerging.” I also wonder if there’s a financial incentive to keep a few small congregations “off the books” for purposes of Annual Program Fund participation yields. The fact is that we don’t know: we don’t even know who or what these congregations are, much less what policies cover them in the districts or any statistics. Thank God a few have Web sites. (I’ll add them in as time permits.)

Since they seem to be a district-level phenomenon (or that some districts account for them better than others) that’s how they’re listed.

Heartland District

• Petoskey, Michigan: UU Congregation of Petoskey
• New Hudson, Michigan: New Hope - A Progressive Religious Congregation

Mountain Desert District

• Gunnison, Colorado: Never Sink Fellowship

Northeast District

• Eastport, Maine: Congregational Society (Unitarian)
• Greene, Maine: First Universalist Church of Greene
• Hiram, Maine: First Universalist Society
• Orono, Maine: Orono Church of Universal Fellowship
• Rumford, Maine: emerging congregation?
• Saint John, New Brunswick: Unitarian Universalist Church

Prairie Star District

• Okoboji, Iowa: Iowa Lakes UU Fellowship
• Storm Lake, Iowa: UUs of Storm Lake
• Hutchinson, Kansas: Hutchinson Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship
• Buffalo, Minnesota: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
• Minneapolis, Minnesota: Lighthouse Sanctuary
• St. Cloud, Minnesota: Spirit of Life Church
• St. Paul, Minnesota: Groveland UU Fellowship
• Osceola, Missouri: UUs of Osceola
• Warrensburg, Missouri: UUs of Warrensburg
• Dickenson, North Dakota: Ocean of Grass UU Fellowship

Pacific Central District

• Morgan Hill, CA: South Valley Unitarian Fellowship

Pacific Southwest District

• Seal Beach, California: Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Leisure World

After the Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly in 2006, I asked if any new congregations were admitted. This I researched and also noted which congregations were no longer a member.

I’ve just now reviewed the minutes of the UUA Board of Trustees and the observer notes of the District Presidents Association since then and here are the additions and deletions to the congregational roster. Numbers in square brackets are most recently reported membership figures.

• April 18-20, 2008 meeting (DPA notes only)
1. Church of the Open Door [Chicago] “will no longer exist.” Quite a shame that, though it has also been a congregation that’s been very difficult to get much information on.
2. Washington [D.C.] Ethical Society admitted as a joint member with the American Ethical Union, accounted as a multi-denominational congregation for membership, delegates, etc. [148; unclear if that’s the whole or the half]
3. Unitarian Universalist Society of the Chesapeake, California, Maryland admitted. [36]
• January 19-20, 2008 meeting
1. Prairie Circle Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Grayslake, Illinois admitted. [65]
2. Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Rocky Mount, North Carolina admitted. [32]
• October 20-21, 2007
no affiliations or disaffiliations, but DPA records reports “on applications for affiliation and disaffiliation.”
• June 19 and 25, 2007
no affiliations or disaffiliations, and no DPA report.
• April 21-22, 2007
1. Unitarian Universalist Church of Hot Springs, Arkansas admitted. [37]
• January 21-22, 2007
1. Unitarian Universalist Peace Fellowship, Raleigh, North Carolina admitted. [40]
• October 21-22, 2006
no affiliations or disaffiliations, and no DPA report.

I grabbed this domain today. (No content.) Seems unwise for it to be floating available — it could be snapped up by anyone — when it could be very valuable for Unitarian Universalist promotion.

Even more valuable than magazine ads.

Cost: $24 for two years.

Just saying.

Since a picture — or map — is worth a thousand words, I’ve created a Google map showing where all the emerging congregations in the Unitarian Universalist Association are. I’ve tried to put the most recent details with each congregation, but if you see an error, please make a comment.

View Larger Map

You can also view this page in Google Earth if you have it installed on your computer.

Google Map of Emerging UUA Congregations

P.s. Want to guess what my next project is?

I’m going to take a couple of days to consider the issue of congregational growth in the Unitarian Universalist Association.

So I asked myself: How many emerging congregations — organizations in formation and those (once covenanted) that plan to join the Unitarian Universalist Association — are there? Their number is a good indicator of the UUA’s growth prospects. I’ve heard that 5% per year growth is desirable, but I don’t recall where I heard that and besides, it reminds me a bit of the unsustainable growth economy we know all too well in the United States. (When the Southern Baptists have a drop in baptisms, you know something’s up.) Even so, you need to grow a bit just to make up for the congregations that disband, disassociate and consolidate.

So what’s the number? 41, or about 4%. If all emerging congregations became members within a year, but that’s hardly the case. Some have been “emerging” for several years, and I have to wonder if there’s a time where a congregation is mature enough (whatever its size) to be admitted. Or they should affiliate with the regional district and be done with it.

Or if there’s a lack of fostering and a want of resources to get over the hump with enough speed to fend off fatigue. That’s not a hypothetical idea. When combing the roster for emerging congregations, I noticed two omissions. Not emerging, not members. Gone.

I’ll go back over the last three years of Board of Trustees minutes to see what the congregational growth rate is, and how it compares with growth in individual members.

Do you know of free and open source software (FOSS) for managing public transit (public transportation) systems? Especially small, bus-based systems. Perhaps I don’t know the lingo well enough, but all I can find are expensive, proprietary systems. You would think there was a need.

As in earlier requests, pointers to good association or government sites, or thoughtful blogs, are also welcome.

A follow up to the idea of congregation growth in the Unitarian Universalist Association.

The fact is that, at last, everything dies: organizations and relationships included. Congregations do choose to leave the UUA, consolidate or (perhaps not by choice) disband. Even though we often talk about human death in a beautiful and pastoral way, I’ve noticed talk of congregational demise has vanished.

There was a day, I recall, when news of congregational departures was included in the milestones section of the denominational magazine — I’ve been a reader for a couple of decades — with the news of new congregations and ministerial comings-and-goings. And am I hallucinating but weren’t departures once a part of the opening ceremony at General Assembly?

It seems right to say goodbye with respect. Let’s bring this news back to print — the blogs can help — and in our public ceremonies. As with human life, our tributes show the value we afford congregational life, help heal the hurt of loss, honor the gifts remaining and draw its past presence into sharper, sweeter focus.

It’s no secret I love OpenOffice.org. It’s no secret that there’s a new 2.4 release and a beta for the 3.0 release out. Perhaps less well known is that you can run Windows and use OpenOffice.org. (The 3.0 version, with full release due in September, should benefit long-suffering Mac users.)

The Rev. Angela Mather knew her colleague J.W. at the nearby Asbury-Judson Larger Parish is a Linux freak — first out of cost necessity, later on principle — and this was her concern. For now, she wanted a tool, not a cause. But it turns out the office suite an easy download from www.OpenOffice.org. With a high-speed connection, the download and using all the default settings (best for most people) it takes about a half hour.

High-speed connections are rare in Wolastoq County, so J.W. gave Angela a copy of OpenOffice.org on CD-ROM, which she could then copy or share freely. Or, as J.W. put it, “to share the love.”

J.W. offered this additional bit of advice: once you’re in OpenOffice.org, go to Tools > Options and fill in the User Data, which are the fields that you see when that window pops up. “That will help with automating office practices later.”

Do you know of a good organization (a c3 or an advocacy c4) — in addition to the National Association of Railroad Passengers — that advocates for increased passenger rail service in the United States? Especially state initiatives. Thoughtful blogs are welcome, too.

You’ll recall the Rev. Angela Mather and her cash-strapped parish in Lower Walnut, Maine: a use case for free and open source software and other solutions for congregations.

One of the problems she had was an old Windows computer that was sluggish and temperamental. A friend from seminary thought it might be infected with viruses.

But anti-virus programs cost money or lead you on with a limited version. But there is a free (intellectually and financially) version called ClamWin that she can use. There’s also a portable version you can keep on a USB drive in case you have to use a strange computer.