“Unitarian Universalism: Now More Than Ever”
2025 PSWSA Assembly (Pacific Southwest Service Area Assembly)
Friday, April 25 to Sunday, April 27, 2025
First UU Church of San Diego
Come one, come all, and join Unitarian Universalists this April in San Diego! We’ll explore how we can better cultivate a culture of love and put our beliefs into action. Come for a weekend full of amazing keynote speakers, informative workshops, great music and food. There will be time to connect with old friends and make some new ones!
We can hear inspiring speakers plus join in small-group discussions. We’ll meet and connect with our “extended family” of UU cousins, kids, and elders from across Southern California and Arizona. The nonprofit Camp de Benneville Pines, Inc. will also hold its Annual Meeting, so we’ll get the latest news about this important sanctuary and resource up in the San Bernardino National Forest. (Did you know it’s UU congregations in the Pacific Southwest who bought the camp in 1961? It’s ours!)
“Now More Than Ever” plans for Friday afternoon through Sunday noon feature:
Friday:
12 Noon — Leaders Luncheon with Camp de Benneville Pines Board President Pat Gordon and the Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh
1:30 – 4 pm — Two optional Walking Tours: Balboa Park and Three Bridges
3 – 7 pm — Registration check-in and social time
6 – 7:30 pm — Dinner
7:45 – 8 pm — Welcome, Worship and Land Recognition
8 – 9:30 pm — “Liberalism and Faith: Rekindling the Flame of Religious Freedom” by Keynote Speaker Peter Bolland, author of the upcoming book, The Seven Stone Path: An Everyday Journey to Wisdom, and a philosophy professor and a singer-songwriter
Saturday morning:
8 – 9 am — Continental Breakfast
9 – 9:45 am — “UU Faith Moving Forward” by Keynote Speaker Rev. Meg Riley. A devoted leader in our denomination, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), she serves as Senior Minister of the Church of the Larger Fellowship. CLF is a congregation without walls, with more than 3,500 members around the world.
10 am – 12 noon — Camp de Benneville Pines Annual Meeting*
12 noon – 1:15 pm — Lunch
Saturday afternoon workshops 1:15 – 2:45 pm:
1) “UU Faith Moving Forward” Q & A by Keynote Speaker Rev. Meg Riley
2) “Renewal in the Mountains” by First UU San Diego’s Men’s Fellowship
3) “Helping Congregants Counter Hate While Keeping Love at the Center” by Kathleen Moscato, President of the district chapter of the Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA), and Matthew David Vasko, educator and founder of Century of Compassion
Saturday afternoon workshops 3 – 4:30 pm:
1) “Build Homes – Not Walls” by UUJMCA’s Rev. Betty Stapleford, Douglas Pillsbury, Jan Meslin
2) “Embodied Healing Practices to Sustain Us in our Justice Work” by Rev. Kristen Kuriga, Assistant Minister and Valeria Aguilar, Social Justice Coordinator, First UU San Diego
3) “Current Immigration Laws, Policies and Enforcement” by Katia Hansen, President and CEO UURISE
Saturday evening:
5 – 6 pm — Social Hour hosted by First UU SD’s Men’s Fellowship
6 – 7 pm — Honors Dinner
7 – 7:45 pm — Honors Program
8 – 9:30 pm — Concert by award-winning Los Angeles-area singer-songwriter Karen Hart
Sunday morning:
7 – 8 am — Continental Breakfast
9 – 9:45 am — Morning Meditation
10 – 11 am — Join First UU SD’s Sunday Worship Service
11 – 11:15 am — Closing Ceremony
11:15 – 12 noon — Social Hour
REGISTRATION for in-person attendance includes the above events and five (5) meals!
There are two ways to attend the Assembly: In Person and Virtually. It is planned that all programming and workshops will be available virtually. We hope that most folks will opt to attend in person (it’s so much more fun that way!).
There is a 2-tier Registration fee structure, and the cost to attend either In-Person or Virtually is the same.
- Tier 1 at $100 covers the basis cost of attendance.
- Tier 2 at $125 helps support others who need financial assistance in order to attend.
Please contact Dale Botts if you need financial assistance. AND, you don’t need to be a delegate* to attend the Assembly! You might consider taking Amtrak instead of a car.
WHERE TO STAY? Arrangements have been made for a block of discounted rooms at the Days Inn near First UUSD. Click here for Lodging Suggestions and instructions on how to take advantage of the special deal. San Diego does not have convenient public transportation to First UU SD or your hotel, but there are good Lyft and Uber services available.
*Annual Meeting; According to de Benneville’s Bylaws, every Member Church (UU Churches, UU Congregations, UU Fellowships) in the Pacific Southwest Service Area shall designate delegates from its membership and shall have the right to be represented in membership of the governance of de Benneville Pines, Inc., based upon the number of church members as certified by the Member Church to the UUA each year. With over 250 members, our congregation is entitled to 7 delegates. To be a delegate, contact UUSM President, Eileen McCormack.
Last April’s Assembly, “Promoting Justice; Amplifying Voices,” was superbly hosted by the Ventura UU Church. Many longtime Camp volunteers also pitched in to make for a successful event. Here are photos of some of the connections we made: Pacific Crest Trail hiker Teddy Boston (in a blue shirt, with Ellé), Camp’s Executive Director Janet James (in a purple shirt, with a friend), Emma’s Revolution’s concert, Rev. Nica Eaton, our 2015 Intern Minister then Summer Minister, now Minister of Chalice UU in Conejo Valley (in a navy blue jacket), Rev. Carlton Smith, UUA Congregational Life Staff (in a beige sweater), the congregation’s tech crew and their equipment.
— by Ellé Long and Joyce Holmen
