Deficit will bring changes

Others changes are grounded in visions for Unitarian Universalism's future.
By Christopher L. Walton
Fall 2014 8.15.14

As I reported on our website on June 25 (and on page 39 of this issue), the Unitarian Universalist Association ended the fiscal year in June with a surprising budget deficit of $1.35 million due to major gifts that did not materialize, and that are not expected to materialize in the new fiscal year, either. That revenue shortfall represents approximately 6 percent of the UUA’s operating budget.

We do not know as this issue goes to press what cuts the UUA administration will present to the Board of Trustees, which meets August 7 to review adjustments to the budget for the fiscal year that began July 1. Those cuts may bring changes to the magazine. They are certain to bring changes to other UUA programs, services, and staffing. Our website uuworld.org will have more information by the time this issue reaches your mailbox. (While you’re on the website, please click the link to sign up for our weekly email updates, too.)

The magazine in your hands introduces other changes that are grounded in visions for Unitarian Universalism’s future. Take a look at the UUA’s new environmentally friendly and technologically updated headquarters (page 10), which the staff moved into in May and which features more space for visitors to explore. (Our photo blog shows even more of our new space.) Read about the new models of ministry that energized the General Assembly in June (page 28). And learn how “developmental ministry” helped the UU Church of Boulder, Colorado, break out of a rut and welcome substantial new growth (page 33).

This issue also shows how UUs are engaged in making the world a better place. The cover story explores the deep roots of a Los Angeles UU church’s lawsuit against the National Security Agency’s surveillance programs (page 22). Read about the General Assembly’s vote in June to divest the UUA from the fossil fuel investments (page 38). And, frankly, we couldn’t even keep up with all the ways UU congregations and ministers sprang into action to perform same-sex weddings as state after state began issuing marriage licenses this summer (pages 13 and 40).

In June we launched UU World Digital, which offers the entire print magazine on your tablet, browser, or computer desktop. I hope you’ll try it and let me know how you like it.

We bid a grateful farewell to production specialist Tina Gleason, who left the magazine to take a new job as a graphic designer in July. We appreciated her adaptability, wide range of technical expertise, and creativity, especially in designing social media images for us.

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This article appeared in the Fall 2014 issue of UU World (page 3). See sidebar for links to related resources.

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