News: June 19, 2026
Dear Members and Friends of First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston,
It is General Assembly season, which means that Unitarian Universalists all over the country have come together to do the business of our Association. As I write this, we are wrapping up the business portion and will transition at the end of this week to programming focused on spiritual and community nourishment. General Assembly is a time to practice real polity – to make decisions democratically, to try our best to listen and love across lines of difference, and to aim for progress rather than perfection.
It is also a time to pay attention what isn’t being said in our movement, what isn’t being covered.
Since I returned from my witness and solidarity pilgrimage to Palestine, I’ve been more attuned to the ways that our Unitarian Universalist communities engage with the ongoing genocide of Palestinian people and fight for their freedom. I don’t want my life-changing experience to be washed away by the busyness of life.
On Saturday evening, General Assembly will offer the Ware Lecture, a tradition spanning over 100 years of inviting a prestigious guest to address both our movement and this moment in time. Reviewing previous Ware Lecturers is awe-inducing. The list includes such names as Ibram X. Kendi, Cornel West, Maria Hinojosa, Winona LaDuke, Mary Oliver, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Shirley Chisholm, and so many more. This year’s lecture is offered by Bishop Mariann Budde of the Washington DC Archdiocese of the Episcopal Church.
Bishop Budde is brave. She exemplified speaking truth to power when she used her pulpit to address Donald Trump directly, imploring him to show mercy to communities suffering under his violent and loveless regime. She has further demonstrated bravery as she led clergy protests in Minneapolis as the city suffered under ICE invasion. She has even written books about being brave, inviting people to follow Jesus’s model of radical and inclusive love.
Alongside all of this life-affirming work, Bishop Budde has made public statements that minimize or are silent about the role of Israel and the United States in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. She also has been a part of coalitions that break solidarity with Palestinians as they fight for liberation. When she has spoken up about the conflict, there has been a marked lack of holding the United States and western imperialism accountable for the very material ways that it makes this genocide possible every day. Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East (UUJME), the coalition that organized my pilgrimage, is urging UUs to tune in to Bishop Budde’s Ware Lecture to listen for what is being said and what is being left unsaid.
I am not writing this to call-out or cancel Bishop Budde. I believe her work is a blessing to this world. And no one person is responsible for holding the banner of freedom for all. Rather, I use this opportunity to illuminate the forever-complexity of being people doing the work of love and justice. Palestinian liberation matters to me and therefore I pay attention to where it is platformed and where it is not. Part of justice work is remembering what we must fight and live for every day.
What matters to you?
How do you see your justice priorities reflected in our community?
I hope you will consider joining the Ware Lecture, it is available to General Assembly registrants and will be livestreamed for all (regardless of registration status) on Saturday evening at Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church from 7:00-8:00pm. Together, let’s listen to and learn from what is and isn’t being said.
In Tuesday’s General Assembly business session, the Rev. Anya Sammler-Michael said, “The greatest midwife of justice is relationship.” This work that we do – the work of reconnecting with ourselves, each other, and our shared future – it can be difficult and feel grueling. But it is also where we go for spiritual nourishment and renewal. Being in community with each of you this year has multiplied my joys and lightened my burdens and I’m so very grateful for that. I hope we can continue coming together in this changing, practicing, beautiful community for a good long time to listen and love with open ears and open hearts.
If you haven’t already tuned into UUA General Session programming, consider joining us this weekend. On Friday night, First UU is streaming a GA worship service in our sanctuary. Doors will open at 6:30pm and the program will run from 7:00-8:30pm. On Saturday, all are invited to join for a full day of programming at Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church (1900 Bering) to include worship and group programming that offers a chance to go deeper in our values-oriented work. Daytime programming is 10:00am-5:00pm and the Ware Lecture is 7:00-8:00pm. If you plan on attending, please let us know so we can order enough food. Register at https://tinyurl.com/HoustonGA2026.
This newsletter is already so long, but two more important things before I wrap up. Firstly, thank you to the six First UU members who have served as delegates for the business sessions this week. You are co-creating our future!
Finally, you’ve likely heard that 15 people were indicted this week in Minnesota for their protective actions against the ICE brutality in January. Specifically, they were charged with “conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer.” Those charged are accused of using tactics to disrupt federal immigration enforcement, including blocking agents’ vehicles with blocks of ice, and using homemade shields made of plastic, wood, and metal. It is unclear whether the officers who committed murder during those horrific weeks, however, will pay any restitution. The federal government is calling these 15 people domestic terrorists for doing the work of caring, of protecting, of speaking and acting out against something they know is wrong. I am, perhaps naively, hopeful that justice will prevail for these comrades but regardless the outcome, I am proud of every person fighting for liberation.
Many blessings to you as you continue this hard work. Remember to nourish just as hard as you fight.
Love,
Nina
It is General Assembly season, which means that Unitarian Universalists all over the country have come together to do the business of our Association. As I write this, we are wrapping up the business portion and will transition at the end of this week to programming focused on spiritual and community nourishment. General Assembly is a time to practice real polity – to make decisions democratically, to try our best to listen and love across lines of difference, and to aim for progress rather than perfection.
It is also a time to pay attention what isn’t being said in our movement, what isn’t being covered.
Since I returned from my witness and solidarity pilgrimage to Palestine, I’ve been more attuned to the ways that our Unitarian Universalist communities engage with the ongoing genocide of Palestinian people and fight for their freedom. I don’t want my life-changing experience to be washed away by the busyness of life.
On Saturday evening, General Assembly will offer the Ware Lecture, a tradition spanning over 100 years of inviting a prestigious guest to address both our movement and this moment in time. Reviewing previous Ware Lecturers is awe-inducing. The list includes such names as Ibram X. Kendi, Cornel West, Maria Hinojosa, Winona LaDuke, Mary Oliver, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Shirley Chisholm, and so many more. This year’s lecture is offered by Bishop Mariann Budde of the Washington DC Archdiocese of the Episcopal Church.
Bishop Budde is brave. She exemplified speaking truth to power when she used her pulpit to address Donald Trump directly, imploring him to show mercy to communities suffering under his violent and loveless regime. She has further demonstrated bravery as she led clergy protests in Minneapolis as the city suffered under ICE invasion. She has even written books about being brave, inviting people to follow Jesus’s model of radical and inclusive love.
Alongside all of this life-affirming work, Bishop Budde has made public statements that minimize or are silent about the role of Israel and the United States in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. She also has been a part of coalitions that break solidarity with Palestinians as they fight for liberation. When she has spoken up about the conflict, there has been a marked lack of holding the United States and western imperialism accountable for the very material ways that it makes this genocide possible every day. Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East (UUJME), the coalition that organized my pilgrimage, is urging UUs to tune in to Bishop Budde’s Ware Lecture to listen for what is being said and what is being left unsaid.
I am not writing this to call-out or cancel Bishop Budde. I believe her work is a blessing to this world. And no one person is responsible for holding the banner of freedom for all. Rather, I use this opportunity to illuminate the forever-complexity of being people doing the work of love and justice. Palestinian liberation matters to me and therefore I pay attention to where it is platformed and where it is not. Part of justice work is remembering what we must fight and live for every day.
What matters to you?
How do you see your justice priorities reflected in our community?
I hope you will consider joining the Ware Lecture, it is available to General Assembly registrants and will be livestreamed for all (regardless of registration status) on Saturday evening at Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church from 7:00-8:00pm. Together, let’s listen to and learn from what is and isn’t being said.
In Tuesday’s General Assembly business session, the Rev. Anya Sammler-Michael said, “The greatest midwife of justice is relationship.” This work that we do – the work of reconnecting with ourselves, each other, and our shared future – it can be difficult and feel grueling. But it is also where we go for spiritual nourishment and renewal. Being in community with each of you this year has multiplied my joys and lightened my burdens and I’m so very grateful for that. I hope we can continue coming together in this changing, practicing, beautiful community for a good long time to listen and love with open ears and open hearts.
If you haven’t already tuned into UUA General Session programming, consider joining us this weekend. On Friday night, First UU is streaming a GA worship service in our sanctuary. Doors will open at 6:30pm and the program will run from 7:00-8:30pm. On Saturday, all are invited to join for a full day of programming at Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church (1900 Bering) to include worship and group programming that offers a chance to go deeper in our values-oriented work. Daytime programming is 10:00am-5:00pm and the Ware Lecture is 7:00-8:00pm. If you plan on attending, please let us know so we can order enough food. Register at https://tinyurl.com/HoustonGA2026.
This newsletter is already so long, but two more important things before I wrap up. Firstly, thank you to the six First UU members who have served as delegates for the business sessions this week. You are co-creating our future!
Finally, you’ve likely heard that 15 people were indicted this week in Minnesota for their protective actions against the ICE brutality in January. Specifically, they were charged with “conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer.” Those charged are accused of using tactics to disrupt federal immigration enforcement, including blocking agents’ vehicles with blocks of ice, and using homemade shields made of plastic, wood, and metal. It is unclear whether the officers who committed murder during those horrific weeks, however, will pay any restitution. The federal government is calling these 15 people domestic terrorists for doing the work of caring, of protecting, of speaking and acting out against something they know is wrong. I am, perhaps naively, hopeful that justice will prevail for these comrades but regardless the outcome, I am proud of every person fighting for liberation.
Many blessings to you as you continue this hard work. Remember to nourish just as hard as you fight.
Love,
Nina
