Workshops! Participate in the Planning for UCA Conference 2024 (USA)

March 18, 2024

If you have an idea for a workshop or are interested in presenting one, please review the following:

Workshops are designed to complement the theological presentations. They are intended to be practical and interactive, and are aligned with the “connecting with others” aspect of the UCA mission. Having meaningful dialog among a group is a way to learn about each other and make new connections. A lecture results in you getting to know the lecturer, but a topic that creates lots of discussion means you get to know a dozen people in the room. Workshops give us the opportunity to put unitarian thought into action.

Workshops are designed to be in a different format than the paper presentations to holistically round out the conference and participants’ needs. So, we have opted for a clear demarcation between these two types of sessions.  Paper presentations are theological, scholarly, detailed lectures, with a Q&A at the end to dig in. The workshops are designed to facilitate discussions. They could be run by an individual, a team, or a panel.

To make workshops as broadly useful as we can, we are favoring topics that are practical, like tools, skills, or building more connections. Some examples of past workshops include homeschooling, interpersonal conflict, deconstruction of faith, and running online church groups.

If you have a workshop idea that fits the above guidelines or the ability to present a workshop, please submit your idea to Laura Willenburg, our workshop coordinator, using the email: workshops@unitarianchristianalliance.org. Please provide a detailed explanation of the topic and some possible points of discussion for the session.

Thank you for making the workshops a valuable part of the UCA conference experience!

Extracurriculars at the 2023 UCA Conference

October 17, 2023

There’s more in store than just the workshops, meals, and excellent presentations!

Pre-party at “The Abbey”

Arrive early and drop in at “The Abbey” for the UCA Pre-party, Oct. 19, noon to 5pm. It’s just up the road, so stop in for refreshments, and visiting. Alan Cain shows you around in the video below!

UCA Pre-party Video

Evening Visits

Gather with others after the evening meeting (ending around 8:30). There are restaurants, a brewery downtown, and plenty of space to just hang out and get to know others. If you are a young adult, hang out after the evening session on Thursday and Friday nights for a dedicated time together of encouragement and new friendships.

Baptistry

There is also a baptistry available Saturday lunch for any who want to use it.

Local Attractions

Come early or stay later and take in some local attractions, including the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, and more (listed on the Conference page).

See you there!

Allegiance to the King

October 16, 2023

Allegiance to the King (A2K) is once again a UCA Conference Partner. A2K continues their work to connect and fellowship with people far and wide, building faithful followers of our King. 

A2K has two missions:

  1. To promote faithfulness and allegiance to our Lord Jesus and our Father God.
  2. To grow the number of unitarian churches worldwide.

To serve isolated unitarian Christians, A2K has built an online unitarian church called Christian Virtual Fellowship (CVF) which has proven to be a significant blessing to many. Connecting over the internet can be difficult, but A2K has worked diligently to learn and grow through the process, achieving a successful model with members from all over the world. When Christians come to a unitarian view of God through online resources such as the UCA, they often find that there are no local unitarian churches for them to connect to. Christian Virtual Fellowship provides a church home for these isolated brothers and sisters.

A2K also works to both plant and grow local churches including actively supporting the planting and growth of other unitarian ministries’ churches. 

With a host of great teachers, A2K produces many teaching resources and makes them available online. Check out their website (https://allegiancetotheking.org/) to peruse the hundreds of videos they have published on topics from Christian living, teachings on our God and his Messiah, and on the Kingdom of God.

Thanks to A2K for participating and supporting this conference. We are blessed to work alongside you.

New Covenant Press

October 9, 2023

It’s a pleasure to welcome New Covenant Press as a first-time, 2023 UCA Conference Partner! New Covenant Press is a publisher of unique and well-researched theological titles including Little Known Facts About the Trinity, Christological Controversies in the Epistle to the Hebrews, and their most recent release, Scripturae Contra Trinitatem, which is Latin for “Writings Against the Trinity.”

Both the Christological Controversies and Scripturae Contra Trinitatem focus
on the Epistle to the Hebrews, and were inspired by John Locke, the 17th century Enlightenment thinker, philosopher, and physician. Locke once suggested that trinitarians themselves, unawares, have already disproved the doctrine of the Trinity: “There is scarcely one text alleged by the Trinitarians which is not otherwise expounded by their own writers . . .”

Locke claims that if you were to take each proof-text used by trinitarians to support the doctrine of the Trinity (e.g. John 1:1–18, Romans 9:5, Colossians 1:15–16, Titus 2:13, Hebrews 1:2–12), and broadly examine what trinitarian commentators, expositors, and scholars have written, you will discover in nearly every case, there exists a respectful number of dissenters within the trinitarian camp who argue against the “orthodox” interpretation, siding with unitarian Christians’ interpretations of these key texts.

Both Christological Controversies and Scripturae Contra Trinitatem are the fruit of investigating whether John Locke’s claim was correct as it applies to the NT epistle to the Hebrews. Watch for future editions in this series which examine other books of the Bible.

As for Little Known Facts About the Trinity, one reviewer said the author “hurls 38 succinct but devastating arguments against the doctrine of the Trinity.” It’s an easy read, very accessible to the average Christian, and is a great introduction and teaching tool if you want your trinitarian friends to better understand the unitarian
position.

Thank you to New Covenant Press for partnering with us and for the excellent work furthering the truth of the singular and amazing God of our exalted Lord Jesus. Stop by their booth to see these books and more at #UCAcon2023.

Building Connections and Advancing Truth: New UCA Giving Options

August 23, 2023

The Unitarian Christian Alliance has been steadfast in its commitment of connecting unitarian Christians and promoting the teaching that God is singular, and Jesus is God’s son, our human Messiah. In pursuit of these vital objectives, the UCA is thrilled to introduce three new giving options, each providing a unique opportunity for donors to directly contribute to specific areas of our mission. These targeted funds allow you, our valued supporters, to actively participate in the growth of the UCA by investing in the initiatives that align most closely with your passions.

1. The International Conference Fund: Building Connections Worldwide

The UCA is committed to help forge relationships and share the truth among unitarian Christians, regardless of their geographical location. The International Conference Fund is designed to support efforts in hosting UCA Conferences outside of the United States. By contributing to this fund, you are helping us

  • Cover venue down payments and expenses
  • Offset meal costs
  • Provide financial assistance to attendees

Keeping conference costs low helps ensure that as many individuals as possible can attend and benefit from these events.

International UCA Conferences provide a remedy for the widespread isolation that afflicts so many, letting us come together to share, form friendships, and promote truth. Your support for the International Conference Fund directly contributes to these invaluable, in-person gatherings on a global scale.

2. The Marketing and Advertising Fund: Amplifying Our Message

Effective marketing and advertising are essential to reaching a broader audience with the truth. The Marketing and Advertising Fund is instrumental in

  • Creating compelling content
  • Promoting on various platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, and other online channels
  • Purchasing tools (e.g. animation software), and covering social media fees and other costs

Your support here directly translates into more people encountering the message of our marvelous, unique Creator and the extraordinary testimony of his authentically human son. It’s an investment in the future growth and impact of the UCA.

3. The Publishing Fund: Crafting Theological, Philosophical, and Historical Scholarship

Education is core to our mission, and the Publishing Fund plays a pivotal role in achieving this goal. This fund supports

  • Publishing and editing tools
  • Editing, design, and publishing costs
  • The valuable time of individuals like Dale Tuggy in creating high-quality and compelling books

When you contribute to the Publishing Fund, you become a partner in the dissemination of works designed to push back against the tumultuous slurry of Trinitarian academia and apologetics. Your support enables us to produce exemplary resources for those seeking to either deepen their understanding of unitarian Christianity, or to interrogate their own traditions.

Conclusion

The Unitarian Christian Alliance is excited to offer these three new giving options, empowering you to be directly involved in the areas that resonate most with you, ensuring that your giving goes exactly where you want to see truth flourish. These options exist in parallel with the UCA Operations Fund which is financed through membership subscriptions and other generous donations, and which covers website and podcast hosting, website development, and the annual UCA Conference.

Join us in building a brighter and bolder future for unitarian Christians where the truth of the Shema (Deut. 6:4) rings out, unmistakably clear and unhindered by traditional Christian speculations.

Introducing Regional UCA Conferences to Expand Connections Globally

March 22, 2023

The main UCA conference can only be in one location each year, so how can we facilitate in-person connections in other regions? Regional UCA Conferences! These conferences will be organized and hosted by a local group or church. The goals:

  1. Introduce the host group and their ministry to a wider audience.
  2. Allow UCA members within a region to gather and connect, experiencing similar elements of the main conference.

A UCA conference, by design, is not a denominational event. It’s an opportunity to connect with people from various backgrounds and practices and to advance the truth of the simple monotheism of our Lord Jesus.

A Regional UCA Conference is a partnership. The host group coordinates the details of the event, location, food, schedule, etc., and the UCA helps to promote it broadly, sends at least one board member, provides registration tools, and helps cover the expenses so the event is affordable.

These conferences will have some of the same features of the main conference, like ample time to visit, at least one scholarly or biblical presentation that advances the movement, and at least one practical workshop. The host group arranges the other activities of the event. For example, they may include other classes, panel discussions, roundtables, brainstorming sessions, Q&A, possibly offering a unique regional experience, other ways to get to know the host group and their ministries, or ways to learn more about each other.

If your group is interested, write conference@unitarianchristianalliance.org. Stacey Berger, our Conference Coordinator, will provide more information and help with questions.

We’re excited for the possibilities.

Save the date: UCA Conference 2023!

February 24, 2023
UCA Conferences Preview – Come join us!

The UCA Board is pleased to announce that our third annual conference will be hosted again this year by the Lawrenceville Church of God in Springfield, Ohio! The venue is excellent and the hosts are gracious. Stay tuned for plans to expand the locations and reach of future conferences.

Registration will open in the coming weeks.

Check-in for the conference will begin at 4:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, October 19, 2023, and the conference will end with the last session after dinner on Saturday, October 21.

Last year, attendees had the opportunity to attend church on Sunday at one of the several unitarian Christian groups in the area. It was a positive experience for many, and it will be an option again this year.

If your unitarian group, ministry, etc. would benefit from an opportunity to gather in person (e.g. a board meeting), the host church has generously offered to make rooms available before the conference starts that Thursday. If your team is already coming to the conference, get some extra work done! Please contact us at conference@unitarianchristianaliance.org.

Watch this space for coming announcements about submitting a paper to be presented. The deadline for submissions will be August 1, 2023 (one month longer than last year).

We hope to see you there!

Allegiance to the King

October 10, 2022

Allegiance to the King is once again a UCA Conference Partner. A2K continues their work to connect and fellowship with people far and wide, building faithful followers of our King.

For isolated unitarian Christians, their Christian Virtual Fellowship has proven to be a significant blessing. Connecting over the internet can be difficult, but A2K has worked diligently to learn and grow through the process. They have a successful model. A2K has helped put together a workshop for this conference called “How to Create and Lead an Online Fellowship.” If you are coming to the conference and looking to benefit from the lessons learned by those who have gone before you, this workshop is for you.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Edgardo Gavino (54. This Fire in Me) from the Philippines on the UCA podcast this last May, 2022. The ministry that is taking place there is amazing, as is God’s utilization of the humble, supportive, and encouraging people of A2K who work with Edgardo.

A2K produces many teaching resources and makes them available online. Check out their website (https://allegiancetotheking.org/) to peruse the hundreds of videos they have published on topics from Christian living, teachings on our God and his Messiah, and on the Kingdom of God.

Thanks to A2K for participating and supporting this conference. We are blessed to work alongside you.

Secure your seat! Registration closing for #UCAcon2022

September 28, 2022

If you were thinking of registering, the time is now. On Sept. 30th the catering order goes in, so we need accurate numbers. That’s only a few days away.


So what can you expect? The longer…and funner(?)…answer is on UCA podcast episode 60, Pre-UCA Conference 2022 Roundtable (below). But here’s the purpose in short form:

  • Connect with other unitarian Christians
  • Present academic papers to advance the unitarian case
  • Share practical knowledge to empower each other’s ministries

It’s shaping up to be a great event. Your feedback from last year’s conference was excellent. It inspired this year’s workshops, the meetups, and a unique program for the closing night plenary session.

If you’ve registered, be sure to download the Eventleaf app to your mobile device and sign in. If you can’t make it this year, follow @UnitarianChrist on Twitter (the official UCA account) and watch for hashtag #UCAcon2022. We’ll have “live” updates and posts throughout the weekend.

We’re excited to see many of you again, and many of you for the first time!

Here’s the roundtable discussion skipped ahead to where we start talking (02:44).

A sneak peek into the upcoming UCA Conference 2022

September 14, 2022

Today’s UCA podcast roundtable is about next month’s conference (schedule here), and it’s brimming with information. Anna Brown, Jake Ballard, and I discuss:

  • The paper review process
  • Paper topics listed and discussed
  • Q&A time information
  • Affordances of the larger venue
  • Workshop topics (will run parallel to paper presentations)
  • Evening plenary sessions
  • Meetup topics for Friday afternoon
  • The available baptistry and debate training on Saturday afternoon
  • The Conference Partners
  • Info about our twitter live event postings #UCAcon2022 (follow @UnitarianChrist)

Thanks to Anna and Jake for or a great discussion. Enjoy episode 60 – Pre-UCA Conference 2022 Roundtable!