Welcome to Summer

July 2025

Dear Friends in Faith,

As the warmth of summer deepens and many of us find moments of rest and reflection, I write to you with excitement for the journey ahead. June marks the end of our congregational year, and here at Bridges: A Unitarian Universalist Network, we are both grateful for your commitment to BridgesUU for our accomplishments this past year and energized looking forward to the new beginning in September.

If your congregation already is a BridgesUU Partner or hasn’t yet joined as a BridgesUU Partner in Ministry, this is the perfect time to connect. We invite you to join with us in shaping a Unitarian Universalism that is rooted, rising, and responsive to the needs of our world. Join us for a Welcome to Bridges session this summer on July 12th and/or August 2nd.

In 2025-2026, our work together will be guided by the central theme: “Rooted & Rising: Faith for a Changing World.” Recognizing we are in a time of deep transformation – spiritually, socially, and environmentally – our monthly themes will offer grounding, inspiration, and pathways for action. Each theme is accompanied by worship materials including fully prepared and scripted orders of service, new music, and children & youth activities, – created by and for Unitarian Universalists across traditions, cultures, and contexts.

– September: Rooted in Covenant
– October: Faith in Uncertainty
– November: Gratitude as Resistance
– December: Mystery and Magic
– January: The Sacred Work of Repair
– February: Courageous Love
– March: Liberating Our Theologies
– April: Nourishing Hope
– May: Interdependence in Action
– June: Beauty, Complexity, and Power

We are also thrilled to announce several new programs launching in September. These programs reflect our deep belief that ministry is not bound by walls or limited by geography – it is shared, rooted in relationships, and always evolving.

LifeSpan Learning for High School Youth & Adults
Four opportunities on Saturday for learning, in the Fall: Becoming UU and Constructive Theology: Creating Community and in the Spring: Sacred Passages

Culture & Transformation
Monthly initiative co-created with emerging leaders, dedicated to fostering UU spiritual grounding, creative expression, and cross-congregational connection focused on spiritual resilience, anti-oppression ministry, and community innovation that will assist in understanding how Unitarian Universalism is transforming to meet needs of the larger community. 

Leadership Workshops
Monthly online workshops and embodied learning spaces for lay leaders and religious professionals focused on practical congregational best practices, systems development, and resource sharing.

Seminarian Salon
Monthly gathering for connection, storytelling, and shared nourishment. This is a space for those on the journey of ministry to come together in fellowship, mutual support, and deepening relationship. Each month, we’ll share a meal, share our stories, and share the sacred space of community.

Thank you for your courage, your care, and your unwavering faith in community. Let’s begin this year together – hopeful, grounded, and ready.

With gratitude and vision,

AJ
Pastor AJ Blackwood
Executive Director
Bridges: A Unitarian Universalist Network
Phone (720-336-8323 x2
Phone (714) 699-3313 (Direct/Text)

For more information and access to other events, sign our Guestbook!