Dear Unitarian Universalist Congregations,
Shortly after the 2024 election in the United States, we did a post in the UU Hysterical Society telling people that if they were feeling discouraged, sad, angry, or alone, they might want to check out a UU church. It was a simple post, with a bit about what to expect, and assurances that nobody would try to strong-arm them or convert them.
Eighty five thousand people saw that post.
We hear stories all the time from people who learn about UUism through our group and find congregational homes, even though representing UUism is not the only—or even primary—purpose of the group. Mostly, we are about humour and kind community. We think of the group as a soup kitchen for the soul. But we also have a responsibility to Unitarian Universalism that we take very seriously—our moderators’ team is headed by paid UU professionals, to ensure that we are representing UUism in a way that is positive, accurate, and nuanced. We put the words “Unitarian Universalist” in front of nearly two million people every month—we want to do that responsibly.
Historically, the group has been supported financially by its members. We receive no funds from the UUA (although the UU Funding program gave us grants in the early years—and we couldn’t have done it without them). That’s as it should be—the bulk of our funding should be from the people who use the group.
But… We would love it if a small portion of our funding also came from UU congregations and communities. We would like to invite you to consider a small pledge.
I am not talking a lot of funds. In fact, I explicitly would prefer if congregations pledged an amount that is not noticeable to their bottom line. We do not want to place a hardship on congregations, many of whom are struggling financially.
The goal is to demonstrate (if it’s true, and I believe it is) that congregations value the work of the UU Hysterical Society. A pledge of even ten dollars a year, in a congregation’s name, demonstrates that you value what we are doing. That we are claimed by Unitarian Universalism as a whole.
Donations to the UU Hysterical Society can be made at uuhystericalsociety.com. (Not from the Facebook group itself—the platform has made that quite unmanageable). Please feel free to share this message (edit it as. much as you like, of course) in any platform you think would be helpful for getting the word out.
In gratitude,
Liz James (group founder)
P.S. While I have you… Did you know that we have a whole bunch of resources available to help funny up congregational life? Designed explicitly for congregations? Our store has a bunch of free pdfs for congregations to use… Things like Indulgences you can sell at your next church fundraiser, or an “in case of tech problems” worship element that sits on your pulpit and can be read to kill time in a meaningful and lighthearted way in the event of a worship crisis. And a pranking kit, and funny signs for your wifi password. We even have a “for when thought and prayers are not enough” sheet that you can post near the doorway that lists the location of the fire extinguishers, water main, and breaker panel. People laugh because it’s funny… But they remember, when something catches on fire. We also have worship resources like readings and videos, and a preaching and workshop program.