CUUPS Convo in Review

CUUPS Convo in Review August 31, 2016

Jerrie Hildebrand and Rev. Shirley Ranck at CUUPS Convo in Salem, MA. 8/28/2016
Jerrie Hildebrand and Rev. Shirley Ranck at CUUPS Convo in Salem, MA. 8/28/2016

This past weekend CUUPS Continental held a Convo in Salem, Massachusetts – and …

  • people came from all around the country
  • we discovered a few of the amazingly diverse ways different CUUPS chapters meet and operate in different congregations
  • we found ways to share what we knew and learn from each other
  • we heard DYNAMITE speakers and attended kick-ass workshops
  • we started talking about where and when the NEXT Convo might be held …
  • and we started wondering what would be added if YOU had been there?

We heard from UU Minister (retired) Shirley Ranck, who was asked in the early 1980s to put together a curriculum on women in religion … and created Cakes for the Queen of Heaven … which pulled thousands of us into both Paganism and Unitarian Universalism, and which the UUA took five years to approve.

We heard from Byron Ballard, an Appalachian folk magic practitioner who shared wisdom about having the courage of our convictions.

We heard from John Beckett, a former vice president of the CUUPS Board who blogs about CUUPS, Druidry, and Paganism.

We heard from Gypsy Ravish, longtime leader of the Temple of Nine Wells.

We learned a lot this weekend. We learned that we CAN put on an amazing, successful conference, even if the team has to come from a two-hour radius of the conference location. We learned (again) that many hands make light work.

We met in small and large groups for a detailed look at several topics (in no particular order, honest):

  • Prison ministry, from volunteering in person to maintaining pen-pal relationships with inmates, supporting those who have found Paganism in prison as well as longtime Pagans who find themselves inside;
  • Daily practice for Pagans in the modern busy world;
  • Recognizing that this is no time to stop and gawk – we need to begin to move into the post-industrial age, creating cooperative, sustainable, resilient community;
  • Asking what our descendants are going to need from us, from our actions today;
  • Boosting the signal of those at ground zero, bringing renewing love;
  • Bringing peace and peaceful processes forward from ancient peaceful cultures;
  • Bringing old magic from Appalachia, and from the British Isles where many Appalachian families came from;
  • The integrity it takes to own the word Witch;
  • What a recent CUUPS survey can tell usabout UU-Pagans and UU-Paganism – and where the work is;
  • Pagan voices in UUism … and UU voices in Paganism … and how they became a book;
  • Being willing to step forward and do something for its own sake, and then recognizing the larger impact it develops;
  • Being willing to stand up for what’s important, even when that’s unpopular;
  • Speaking truth to power and braving the disapproval of authorities;
  • Salem – the Witch City – and how it became that;
  • How to create a classroom experience that serves experienced Pagans and newcomer seekers alike;
  • Land spirits, ancestors, and how you might work with them;
  • Herbs and herb magic;
  • Lessons of the Chambered Nautilus – for humans, for groups, for growth and change;
  • … and so much more.

A lot of networking went on; lots of cross-pollination of ideas and sharing of successes, failures, and learning experiences.

One thing we got wrong was … YOU weren’t there.

Some folks weren’t there because of scheduling – it was the last weekend before school started for some folks, and the first weekend after college started for other folks.

Some folks weren’t there because of cost – for registration, for lodging, for travel.

Some folks weren’t there because of job commitments, and the need to take at least one workday off for travel.

Some folks weren’t there because they weren’t sure they were invited – maybe Convo would be “only for chapter leadership,” or maybe “only for people who had a CUUPS chapter in their home UU congregation.” Or maybe, some people thought, it might be only for people of a certain skin color or a certain marital status or a certain lifestyle.

We’d love to hear some feedback from the folks who weren’t there, as well as those who were – through comments on this post, or via e-mail to convo@cuups.org We’d also love feedback from the folks who were there, but there’s a more formal method for that.

Most important question, either way: What would you like to see in the next CUUPS Convo? What can we do to get YOU there?

Blessed Be

— Maggie Beaumont, August 30, 2016


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