Attention UUA Member Congregations: Be sure to Certify and Vote before 5 p.m. PST on February 1!

Certification of Membership is an annual process whereby member congregations report statistical information from their previous fiscal year, and a current certified membership number, to the Unitarian Universalist Association.

The certified number of members will be used as the basis for calculating your congregation’s Fair Share contribution to the UUA Annual Program Fund, as well as District dues (FY 2013).  The certified number also determines the number of voting delegates that may represent your congregation at the 2012 General Assembly.  Congregations are required to report this statistic each year before the February 1 deadline as part of the UUA’s Bylaws & Rules (Rule 3.5.1. Required Annual Report).

The votes that GA delegates cast have a huge impact on Unitarian Universalism. They determine our elected leaders, amend the bylaws and rules that govern our Association, and shape the justice work that we do.

Congregations certify online by logging in to the Data Services Login for Congregations.  In addition to providing statistical and financial data, congregations are also asked to the update the congregation’s contact information for the UUA Directory, and to participate in the Congregational Poll.

Congregational Study/Action Issues (CSAIs) are issues selected by Unitarian Universalist member congregations for four years of study, reflection and action.  In the third year of this process, delegates at General Assembly can vote to approve a Statement of Conscience (SOC) resulting from congregational feedback on the CSAI.  A fourth year is devoted to implementation.

Five congregations have proposed Congregational Study/Action Issues for 2012-2016.  The Congregational Poll will determine whether any or all of these proposals will be submitted to the delegates of the 2012 General Assembly (GA) for consideration.  Congregations should vote “Yes” for the proposals that the GA delegates should consider for adoption; “No” for proposals they should not; and “Abstain” for proposals about which the congregation does not have an opinion.

Proposed CSAIs for 2012 – 2016

• Climate Action and Adaptation Plans:
• Why Greenhouse Gases and their Effects Matter to Us
• Ending Slavery
• Exploring Class Barriers
• Families, Population, and the Environment
• Reproductive Justice: Expanding Our Social Justice Calling