Editing Canadian Unitarian Council

{{Short description|Canadian religious organization}}
{{distinguish|United Church of Canada}}
{{Third-party|date=June 2013}}

{{Infobox religion
|name= Canadian Unitarian Council<br/> <small>''Conseil unitarien du Canada''</small>
|image= Canadian Unitarian Council logo.svg
|imagewidth= 
|caption= The official logo of the CUC, based upon the [[flaming chalice]] motif and featuring a [[maple leaf]]
|abbreviation= CUC
|main_classification= [[Unitarian Universalism]]
|orientation= 
|polity= [[Congregationalist polity|Congregational]]
|founder=
|leader_title= Executive Director
|leader_name= Vyda Ng<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cuc.ca/staff/ |title=CUC Staff|publisher=Cuc.ca |access-date=2014-02-18}}</ref>
|founded_date= May 14, 1961
|associations=
|area= [[Canada]]
|headquarters= 302-192 Spadina Avenue [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], Canada
|congregations = 46 (includes emerging groups)
|members=3,804<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cuc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/The-Canadian-Unitarian-Spring-2016.pdf |title=The Canadian Unitarian |page=5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315161622/http://cuc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/The-Canadian-Unitarian-Spring-2016.pdf |archive-date=March 15, 2016 |url-status=dead |date=April 2016}}</ref>
|ministers=
|publications = ''The Canadian Unitarian'',<ref name="Canadian Unitarian">{{Cite web |url=http://cuc.ca/the-canadian-unitarian/ |title=The Canadian Unitarian |publisher=Canadian Unitarian Council |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709194928/http://cuc.ca/the-canadian-unitarian/ |archive-date=July 9, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> Canadian Unitarian eNews<ref name="eNews">{{Cite web |url=http://cuc.ca/cuc-enews/ |title=eNews |publisher=Canadian Unitarian Council |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110163708/http://cuc.ca/cuc-enews/ |archive-date=November 10, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|website= {{URL|https://cuc.ca/}}
|footnotes= 
}}

The '''Canadian Unitarian Council''' ({{langx|fr|link=no|Conseil unitarien du Canada}}) ('''CUC''') is a liberal religious association of [[Unitarianism|Unitarian]], [[Universalist Church of America|Universalist]], and [[Unitarian Universalism|Unitarian Universalist]] congregations in [[Canada]]. It was formed on May 14, 1961, initially to be the national organization for Canadians belonging to the [[Unitarian Universalist Association]] (UUA) which formed a day later on May 15, 1961. Between 1961 and 2002, almost all member congregations of the CUC were also members of the UUA and most services to congregations in Canada were provided by the UUA. However, in 2002, the CUC formally became a separate entity from the UUA, although the UUA continues to provide ministerial settlement services and remains the primary source for education and theological resources. Some Canadian congregations have continued to be members of both the CUC and the UUA, while most congregations are only members of the CUC.

The Canadian Unitarian Council is the only national body for Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist congregations in Canada and was one of the seventeen members of the now defunct [[International Council of Unitarians and Universalists]] (1995–2021).<ref>Daniel McKanan, "Unitarianism, Universalism, and Unitarian Universalism", ''Religion Compass'' 7/1 (2013), 15.</ref>

==Organization==
[[Image:CUC Regions Map.jpg|thumb|right|220px|A map of the four CUC regions]]

The CUC is made up of 43 member congregations and emerging groups,<ref>{{cite web |date=May 16, 2019 |title=Congregations |url=https://cuc.ca/unitarian-universalism/find-a-congregation/ |access-date=April 5, 2024 |publisher=cuc.ca}}</ref> who are the legal owners of the organization, and who are, for governance and service delivery, divided into four regions: "BC" ([[British Columbia]]), "Western" ([[Alberta]] to [[Thunder Bay]]), "Central" (between Thunder Bay and [[Kingston, Ontario|Kingston]]), and "Eastern" (Kingston, [[Ottawa]] and everything east of that).<ref>[http://cuc.ca/archive/programs/regions.htm Regions of the CUC] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120707054109/http://cuc.ca/archive/programs/regions.htm |date=July 7, 2012 }}</ref> However, for [[youth]] [[Youth ministry#Unitarian Universalism|ministry]], the "Central" and "Eastern" regions are combined to form a youth region known as "QuOM" (Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes), giving the youth only three regions for their activities.<ref>[http://cuc.ca/archive/youth/regions.htm Regions and Congregations<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407060453/http://cuc.ca/archive/youth/regions.htm |date=April 7, 2014 }}</ref> The organization as a whole is governed by the CUC Board of Trustees (Board),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cuc.ca/board-of-trustees/ |title=CUC Board of Trustees|publisher=cuc.ca|access-date=July 7, 2015}}</ref> whose mandate it is to govern in the best interests of the CUC's owners. The Board is made up of eight members who are elected by congregational delegates at the CUC's Annual General Meeting. This consists of two Trustees from each region, who are eligible to serve a maximum of two three-year terms. Board meetings also include Official Observers to the Board, who participate without a vote and represent UU Youth and Ministers.

===Service delivery===
As members of the CUC, congregations and emerging groups are served by volunteer Service Consultants, Congregational Networks, and a series of other committees. There are two directors of regional services, one for the Western two regions, and one for the Eastern two regions. Youth and [[Young adult (psychology)|young adults]] are served by a Youth and Young Adult Ministry Development staff of two.

===Annual conference and meeting===
Policies and business of the CUC are determined at the '''Annual Conference and Meeting''' (ACM), consisting of the '''Bi-Annual Conference''', in which workshops are held, and the '''Annual General Meeting''', in which business matters and plenary meetings are performed. The ACM features two addresses, a '''Keynote''' and a '''Confluence Lecture'''. The Confluence Lecture is comparable to the UUA's Ware Lecture in prestige. In early days this event simply consisted of the Annual General Meeting component as the Annual Conference component was not added to much later. And starting in 2017 the conference portion will only take place every second year. Past ACMs have been held in the following locations:
{| class="wikitable"
!Date||Location||Theme||Keynote||Confluence Lecturer
|-
|1985
|[[London, Ontario|London, ON]]
|
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|-
|1986
|
|
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|-
|1987
|
|
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|-
|1988
|[[Saskatoon|Saskatoon, SK]]
|
|
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|-
|1989
|[[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton, ON]]
|
|
|
|-
|1990
|[[Vancouver|Vancouver, BC]]
|
|
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|-
|1991
|[[Winnipeg|Winnipeg, MB]]
|
|
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|-
|1992
|[[Montreal|Montreal, QC]]
|
|
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|-
|1993
|[[Ottawa|Ottawa, ON]]
|
|
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|-
|1994
|[[Edmonton|Edmonton, AB]]
|
|
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|-
|1995
|[[Toronto|Toronto, ON]]
|
|
|
|-
|1996
|[[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax, NS]]
|
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|-
|1997
|[[Thunder Bay|Thunder Bay, ON]]
|
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|-
|1998
|[[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria, BC]]
|
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|-
|1999
|[[Mississauga|Mississauga, ON]]
|
|
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|-
|2000
|[[Calgary|Calgary, AB]]
|
|
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|-
|May 18–21, 2001
|Montreal, QC
|Growing Together In Diversity and Strength
|
|
|-
|May 17–20, 2002
|[[Kelowna|Kelowna, BC]]
|Widening Our Vision | Renewing Our Strength
|[[David Crawley (bishop)|David Crawley]]
|
|-
|May 16–19, 2003
|Winnipeg, MB
|Getting to the Heart of It
|[[Rabbi Neal Rose]] and Carol Rose
|[[Rev. Dr. John W. Baros-Johnson]]
|-
|May 21–24, 2004
|Edmonton, AB
|We Are the New Pioneers
||[[Honourable Lois Hole]]
|[[Rev. Ray Drennan]]

|-
|May 20–23, 2005
|Hamilton, ON
|Getting To Know UU
|[[Susan Walsh(Executive Director of USC Canada)|Susan Walsh]]
|[[Rev. Susan Van Dreser]]
|-
|May 19–22, 2006
|[[Saint John, New Brunswick|Saint John, NB]]
|Riding the UU Tide
|[[Dr. Allan Sharp]]
|[[Rev. Peter Boulatta]]
|-
|May 18–21, 2007
|Vancouver, BC
|Diversity in Community
|[[Rev. Bill Phipps]]
|[[Rev. Christine E. Hillman]]
|-
|May 16–19, 2008
|Ottawa, ON
|The Web of Life – In our Hands
|[[Will Brewer]] and [[Allison Brewer]]
||[[Rev. Meg Roberts]] and [[Rev. Brian Kiely]]
|-
|May 15–18, 2009
|Thunder Bay, ON
|Answering the Call
|[[Rev. Chris Buice]]
|[[Rev. Dr. Stephen]] 
|-
|May 21–24, 2010
|[[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria, BC]]
|How Shall We Live?
|[[Dr. Paul Bramadat]]
|[[Rev. Jane Bramadat]] and [[Rev. Wayne Walder]]
|-
|May 20–23, 2011
|Toronto, ON
|Trust the Dawning Future
|[[David K. Foot]]
|[[Rev. Diane Rollert]]
|-
|May 18–20, 2012'''^'''
|Ottawa, ON
|Spiritual Leadership Symposium
|[[Rev. Erik Walker Wikstrom]]
|
|-
|May 17–19, 2013
|Calgary, AB
|Diversity: Creating a Shared Understanding
|[[Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed]]
|[[Rev. Shawn Newton]]
|-
|May 16–18, 2014
|Montreal, QC
|Building Beloved CommUUnities: Sacred Spaces Beyond Walls
|[[Rev. Meg Riley]]
|[[Rev. Carly Gaylor]] and [[Rev. Jeffrey Brown]]
|-
|May 15–17, 2015
|Ottawa, ON
|Seeking Justice in a Changing Land
||[[Matt Meyer]]
|[[Rev. Stephen Atkinson]]
|-
|May 20–22, 2016
|Vancouver, BC
|Bolder Ways of Being
|
|[[Rev. Melora Lyngood]]
|-
|May, 2018
|Hamilton, ON
|
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|-
|May, 2019
|Toronto, ON
|
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|-
|May, 2020
|Virtual
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|-
|May, 2021
|Virtual
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|-
|May 19–21, 2023<ref>{{Cite web |title=CUC Symposium 2023 |url=https://sites.google.com/cuc.ca/cuc-symposium-2023/home |access-date=2023-05-23 |website=sites.google.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
|[[Ottawa|Ottawa, ON]]
|Living into the 8th Principle
|Albert Dumont
|[[Rev. Julie Stoneberg]]
|-
|}
::<small>'''^'''Not an ACM, but an "Annual General Meeting" and "Symposium", and unlike ACMs it was organized by the CUC and the Unitarian Universalist Ministers of Canada instead of a local congregation.  '''#'''Not a keynote presenter or lecturer, rather a symposium "provocateur".  '''*'''Upcoming locations<ref>{{cite web | url=http://cuc.ca/conference/| title=Annual Conference & Meeting| publisher=cuc.ca| access-date=Oct 9, 2013}}</ref></small>

===Principles and sources===
The CUC does not have a central creed in which members are required to believe, but they have found it useful to articulate their common values in what has become known as ''The Principles and Sources of our Religious Faith'', which are currently based on the UUA's former Principles and Sources<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240828210213/https://www.uua.org/beliefs/what-we-believe/principles |title=Our Faith - Beliefs & Principles - Principles|publisher=Unitarian Universalist Association |access-date=December 2, 2021}}</ref> with the addition of an 8th principle adopted by CUC members at a special meeting on November 27, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Eighth Principle|date=21 June 2022 |url=https://cuc.ca/unitarian-universalism/principles-sources/eighth-principle/|accessdate=Feb 15, 2023|publisher=Canadian Unitarian Council}}</ref> The CUC had a task force<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cuc.ca/statement/ |title=Statement of Principles Task Force |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207001422/http://www.cuc.ca/statement/ |archive-date=February 7, 2012 |publisher=Canadian Unitarian Council |date=October 1, 2011}}</ref> whose mandate was to consider revising them.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Principles and Sources |url=http://cuc.ca/principles-and-sources/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031020921/http://cuc.ca/principles-and-sources/ |archive-date=October 31, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The principles and sources as published in church literature and on the CUC website:<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Principles and Sources of our Religious Faith |date=16 June 2022 |url=https://cuc.ca/unitarian-universalism/principles_sources/|accessdate=Feb 15, 2023|publisher=Canadian Unitarian Council}}</ref>

{{blockquote|
''The Principles and Sources of our Religious Faith''

''Principles''

We, the member congregations of the Canadian Unitarian Council, covenant to affirm and promote:

:*The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
:*Justice, equity, and compassion in human relations;
:*Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
:*A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
:*The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
:*The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
:*Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part;
:*Individual and communal action that accountably dismantles racism and systemic barriers to full inclusion in ourselves and our institutions.

''Sources''

The living tradition which we share draws from many sources:

:* Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life;
:* Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion, and the transforming power of love;
:* Wisdom from the world's religions which inspires us in our [[ethical]] and spiritual life;
:* Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbours as ourselves;
:* Humanist teachings which counsel us to heed the guidance of reason and the results of [[science]], and warn us against idolatries of the mind and spirit;
:* Spiritual teachings of Earth-centred traditions which celebrate the sacred circle of life and instruct us to live in harmony with the rhythms of nature.

Grateful for the religious pluralism which enriches and ennobles our faith, we are inspired to deepen our understanding and expand our vision. As free congregations we enter into this covenant, promising to one another our mutual trust and support.}}

===Formation and relationship to the Unitarian Universalist Association===
The CUC formed on May 14, 1961, to be the national organization for Canadians within the about-to-form UUA (it formed a day later on May 15, 1961). And until 2002, almost all member congregations of the CUC were also members of the UUA and most services to CUC member congregations were provided by the UUA. However, after an agreement between the UUA and the CUC, since 2002 most services have been provided by the CUC to its own member congregations, with the UUA continuing to provide ministerial settlement services. And also since 2002, some Canadian congregations have continued to be members of both the UUA and CUC while others are members of only the CUC.

The Canadian Unitarian Universalist youth of the day disapproved of the 2002 change in relationship between the CUC and UUA.{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}} It is quite evident in the words of this statement, which was adopted by the attendees of the 2001 youth conference held at the Unitarian Church of Montreal:

<blockquote>We the youth of Canada are deeply concerned about the direction the CUC seems to be taking. As stewards of our faith, adults have a responsibility to take into consideration the concerns of youth. We are opposed to making this massive jump in our evolutionary progress.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cuc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/canu_july2001.pdf |title=Debating the autonomy resolution — Youth are worried |access-date=2012-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710041159/http://cuc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/canu_july2001.pdf |archive-date=2015-07-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref></blockquote>

=== Canadian Unitarian Universalist Women's Association ===
The Canadian Unitarian Universalist Women's Association (CUUWA), established in May 2011, is a [[women's rights]] organization associated with the CUC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cuuwa.org/about/ |title=About us|publisher=www.cuuwa.org |accessdate=June 24, 2014}}</ref> The CUUWA gained initial support from Prairie Women's Gathering and the Vancouver Island Women's retreat, and has since become a nationally recognized organization.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=History|url=http://www.cuuwa.org/about/history-2/|accessdate=4 October 2017}}</ref>
 
==== Mission ====
Originally called the Canadian Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation, the organization aims to raise awareness for women's education, rights, and equality of income.<ref name=":0" /> The association also aims to change societal attitudes about women<ref>{{cite web|last1=Benner|first1=Louise|title=Women in the 1920s in North Carolina|url=https://www.ncpedia.org/history/20th-Century/1920s-women|accessdate=4 October 2017}}</ref> and inform society of the issues women have faced locally and internationally.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|title=By-Laws|url=http://www.cuuwa.org/about/bylaws/|accessdate=4 October 2017}}</ref> As a part of their mission, the CUUWA circulates educational materials that highlight women's contributions to society.<ref name=":1" /> The organization hosts an annual general meeting during the Canadian Unitarian Council Annual Conference.<ref>{{cite web|title=Events|url=http://www.cuuwa.org/events/|accessdate=4 October 2017}}</ref>

===Name of CUC and playful abbreviation of Unitarian Universalist===
While the name of the organization is the Canadian Unitarian Council, the CUC includes congregations with Unitarian, Universalist, Unitarian Universalist, and Universalist Unitarian in their names. Changing the name of the CUC has occasionally been debated, but there have been no successful motions. To recognize this diversity, some members of the CUC abbreviate Unitarian Universalist as U*U (and playfully read it as "You star, you").<ref>[http://cuc.ca/archive/whos_who/ed/ed_letter_nov_2003.htm Unitarian*Universalist--You Star, You!] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710221553/http://cuc.ca/archive/whos_who/ed/ed_letter_nov_2003.htm |date=July 10, 2015 }}</ref> Note, not all CUC members like this playful reading and so when these people write the abbreviation they leave out the star (*), just writing UU instead.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cuc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/canu_spring2004_final.pdf |title=Letters to the Editor — NO ASTERISKS PLEASE |access-date=2012-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710221606/http://cuc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/canu_spring2004_final.pdf |archive-date=2015-07-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Religion}}
* [[First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto]]
* [[Lotta Hitschmanova]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://cuc.ca/ Official Website of The Canadian Unitarian Council]
*[http://www.usc-canada.org/ Unitarian Service Committee of Canada]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230809/http://cuc.ca/history/colony-to-nation/ The CUC: From Colony to Nation, 1961–2002]
*[https://cuuwa.ca/ Canadian Unitarian and Universalist Women’s Association]
{{Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canadian Unitarian Council}}
[[Category:1961 establishments in Ontario]]
[[Category:Congregational denominations established in the 20th century]]
[[Category:Congregationalism in Canada]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 1961]]
[[Category:Supraorganizations]]
[[Category:Unitarian Universalism in Canada]]
[[Category:Unitarian Universalist organizations]]