General Assembly

General Assembly is the annual meeting of our Unitarian Universalist Association. Attendees worship, witness, learn, connect, and make policy for the Association through democratic process. Anyone may attend.

The 2023 General Assembly will be June 21-25 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

General Assembly 2023 will be a multiplatform event, with registration options for in-person and/or virtual participation. In-person registration includes access to events scheduled to take place in Pittsburgh, as well as everything available to virtual registrants. Full virtual registration includes access to the GA app, as well as all on-demand programming, live webinars, and live-streamed events.

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GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2023

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh sits at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers, and is home to some of the more beautiful American bridges. Pittsburgh is affordable, has temperate summers, and is known for its friendly and sincere residents. The city is home to many cultural attractions including the Carnegie Museums and Library, the Andy Warhol Museum, and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. Learn more about traveling to Pittsburgh for GA.

Event Details

Registration for General Assembly 2023 is open now! Rates will increase on May 15. In-person attendees must be vaccinated and/or self-test negative for COVID prior to entry in UUA GA spaces. Additionally, in-person attendees agree to safely distance from others when eating and/or singing, and to wear approved face masks while indoors and in close proximity. Learn more about health and safety at GA.

The schedule of events is now available, including exhibit hall hours, workshop times, the Ware Lecture, and more.

Starr King at General Assembly

Starr King Lounge

Wednesday, June 21 – Sunday, June 25

Convention Center – Exhibit Hall

Make sure to stop by the Starr King lounge (booth #306) in the Exhibit Hall! On top of brand new Starr King swag, we’ll have lounge space to rest and recharge your body, mind, and phone. We’ll also have cornhole set up if you need a break to play!

Banner Parade & Opening Celebration

Wednesday, June 21, 6:00 pm – 7:15 pm ET

Convention Center – General Session Hall

Join us for the return of the GA Banner Parade! This will be the first processional since 2019. The Banner Parade is one of our favorite parts about GA and we’re so excited for its return! We welcome all students, graduates, faculty, staff, trustees, and friends of Starr King to walk with us. We will meet in the Exhibit Hall and make our way through the General Session Hall. If you’d like to join us, come by the Starr King booth (#306) at 5:45 pm.

Friendship Lunch

Thursday, June 22, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm ET

The Westin Pittsburgh – Westmoreland West & Central Ballroom

The annual Starr King Friendship Lunch is on Thursday, June 22 at 11:00 am! This is an opportunity for graduates and the larger Starr King community to connect over a free catered lunch and catch up on new developments at the school. Attendees will also be treated to a special video premiere! Registration for this event has closed.

Empowering Young Leaders and Building Multigenerational Community

Thursday, June 22, 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm ET

Convention Center – Ballroom BC

This interactive workshop will inspire and equip you to build dynamic social change efforts across the generations. Learn from Unitarian Universalist history and theology, hear from young leaders and their allies, identify opportunities for multigenerational partnership in your local communities, and vision for our future with UUs of all ages. Speakers include Betty-Jeanne Rueters-Ward (Starr King Graduate & Research Scholar), Rev. Dr. Gregory Carrow-Boyd, Karishma Gottfried, and Lindsay Caddle LaPointe.

Graduate Association Meeting

Thursday, June 22, 5:45 pm – 6:45 pm ET

Convention Center – Room #338 or Online via Zoom

All Starr King graduates are invited to attend the annual Graduate Association Business Meeting. Agenda items include electing new officers, learning more about recent SKSM developments, and what the future holds for our beloved school! There will also be time to reconnect with other SKSM graduates. You do not need to be registered for GA to attend online. Please RSVP at www.sksm.edu/grad23rsvp.

Discerning Seminary?

Friday, June 23, 6:15 pm – 7:00 pm ET

Convention Center – Room #323

If you are in discernment or have a call to ministry, this is a time for you learn more about this process and connect with others. Matthew Waterman, Director Admissions and Recruitment, will be there to answer your questions about seminary, credentialing, financial aid, and more.

Ministerial Formation Q&A

Saturday, June 24, 9:00 am – 10:30 am ET

The Westin Pittsburgh – Cambria Ballroom

Are you or is someone you know discerning whether or not they want to be a UUA credentialed/ordained minister? This is an in-person Q&A opportunity in Pittsburgh to meet with members of the MFC, the Co-President of the UU Society for Community Ministries, and representatives from both Starr King and Meadville Lombard. Topics will include the credentialing process, the seminary experience, and more. For more information, contact Jonipher at jkwong@uua.org.

President’s Lecture – WEAV: A Path to Sacred Change for Congregations

Saturday, June 24, 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm ET

Convention Center – Ballroom A

Educating to Counter Oppression (ECO) is the heart of Starr King’s theological model. A pilot program for congregations, WEAV, created by faculty member Dr. Shannon Frediani, utilizes our model in small group ministry format. Our goal: to inspire participants as agents of sacred social change. President Rosemary Bray McNatt will be joined by Rev. Laura Shennum, Minister of Congregational Life at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco, to discuss this pilot program.

2023 Award for Distinguished Service to the Cause of Unitarian Universalism

Sunday, June 25, 2:30 – 4:30 pm ET

Convention Center – Hall A

Our beloved president, the Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, is the recipient of the 2023 Award for Distinguished Service to the Cause of Unitarian Universalism. She will receive the award during the General Session on Sunday, June 25. The Award for Distinguished Service to the Cause of Unitarian Universalism is one of the most prestigious awards given by the UUA. Recipients of this award have strengthened the institutions of our denomination, clarified our message in extraordinary ways, and exemplified what Unitarian Universalism stands for. Please join us in congratulating Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt!

Other Starr King Community-Led Programs

On Demand

Beloved Conversations: Racial Justice as Faithful Practice
Speakers: Dr. Mark Hicks, Rev. Kierstin Allen, JeKaren Olaoya (Current Student)

Build Your Organizing Toolkit and Community
Speakers: Rev. Ranwa Hammamy, Rev. Cathy Rion Starr (Graduate)

Conflict Resolution Unifying Congregations Through Collaborative Decision Making
Speaker: Rev. Cathleen Cox (Graduate)

Exploring the Geography of Grief
Speaker: Jennifer Springsteen (Current Student)

Gray Panthers and Radical Grannies
Speakers: Randy Block, Barbara Meyers (Graduate), Cindy Piester, Sally Gellert

Honoring All Leadership Gifts
Speakers: Rev. Patrice Curtis (Graduate), Rev. Keith Kron (Graduate)

Including Islam in UU Sources Inspiration
Speakers: Dr. Dennis Neyman, Rev. Riffat Hassan, Rev. Kathleen Owens (Graduate), Rev. Dr. Joseph Brennan

Journaling: Possibilities, Benefits, and Getting Started
Speaker: Rev. Dianne Daniels (Graduate)

Supporting Asylum Seekers as a Congregation
Speakers: Jessica Sapalio, Heather Vickery (Current Student), Rev. Deanna Vandiver

The Repercussions of Misconduct
Speakers: Rev. Dr. Terasa Cooley, Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh, Rev. Sunshine Wolfe (Graduate)

Understanding Embodied Metaphors: Creating Anti-Ableist Worship
Speakers: Rev. Suzanne Fast, Elizabeth Foster, Rev. Naomi King, Rev. Caitlin Cotter Coillberg (Graduate)

Using Roleplaying Games to Create Community and Justice
Speaker: Sara Elizabeth Dyer-Santa Cruz (Current Student)

Wellness and Mutual Aid
Speakers: Astoria Nickerson, Nancy 3. Hoffman, Barbara Meyers (Graduate), Rachel Myslivy, Rev. Robert Murphy

Friday

Liberation, Incarceration, and Our Faith: CLF Worship
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM – Ballroom A
Speakers: Rev. Dr. Michael Tino, Christina Rivera, Aisha Hauser (Research Scholar), JeKaren Olaoya (Current Student)

A Trauma Toolkit for Leaders: An Interactive Workshop
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM – Ballroom A
Speakers: Rev. Leslie Takahashi (Adjunct Faculty), Michael Macias (Current Student)

Fahs to the Future!
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM – Ballroom BC
Speakers: Mx. Katharine Childs, Kirsten Hunter, QuianaDenae Perkins (Current Student), Emmalinda Maclean

The Spiritual Practice of Mussar
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM – Webinar
Speakers: Rev. Marti Keller, Rev. Jay Wolin, Rev. Alison Miller (Trustee)

Saturday

Mental Health Peer Support in Congregations
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM – Webinar
Speakers: Barbara Meyers (Graduate), Rev. Chris Rothbauer, Erin White