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Who are we?

All* women are invited to join our UUAA WomUUn’s Community. Here you’ll find a huge variety of activities and sub-groups to satisfy your need for connection with, and support from, other women. We recognize that in a large congregation such as ours, it can be intimidating to find your place and make new friends. Whether you’re looking for social connections, advocacy opportunities, coordinated volunteer efforts, or simply a safe woman-centered space, the friendships and programs offered within the WomUUn’s Community will help you connect with others in a relaxed, not overwhelming way. Newcomers are always warmly welcomed.

We encourage you to explore the variety of activities we offer throughout the year, and also to check out some of the activity groups run by and for UU women.

However crowded or available your calendar looks, there’s sure to be an easy and comfortable way to get together with other UU women.Related to the WomUUn’s Community, the UUAA WomUUn’s Council is the volunteer leadership team that coordinates the group’s social activities, educational programming, advocacy, pastoral care and other connection opportunities for women at UUAA.      

 * including trans, cis, * non-binary +

We’d love to hear from you at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Ask to sign up for our email list to hear about upcoming events.

Download our information brochure.

2019 WomUUns Retreat

Upcoming activities and events . . .

• Outdoors Women - Women of all ages and skill levels plan and participate in outdoor and nature loving activities year round. Members gather in small groups to walk, hike, stroll, run, and bike. Some are interested in skiing and snowshoeing in winter; or swimming and kayaking in summer. Lots of us love picnics and bonfires. Partners, kids and dogs are usually welcome to join members at our outings. All* women are invited to join our small group on Realm or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
  
  
• Caregivers & Kiddos – Connect with other UU parents & caregivers of young children for play dates, support, nights out & childcare for UU events. Regular playdates are held the last Saturday of each month, from 3:30pm to 5:00pm, at the UUAA preschool playground. Join our email list for regular updates. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
  
  
• WomUUn’s Socials are held on the 3^rd Friday of each month. Typically hosted in an individual’s home or at a local park, or at UUAA, these casual gatherings are attended by 10-20 people and frequently involve a potluck meal. Hosts are needed every month. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
  
  
• In a WomUUn’s Circle, you will connect with 8-12 women looking for long lasting connection, friendship and support. Many existing circles have been around for decades! A WomUUn's Circle is a safe and sacred space. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
  
  
• WomUUn’s Breakfasts – [On hold due to Covid-19, resuming soon.] -- The West Side Breakfast is held on the 2nd Saturday of each month at a café on the far west side of Ann Arbor.  The East Side Brunch is held on the 3^rd Saturday of each month in an Ypsilanti café.

A Humanist Society Symbol from the 1950s is one of the decorations on pages of our membership book

Slogan: Carrying the flame of Humanism in the UUAA

Recent Activities

Structured Dialog on the UU 5th Principle

The Humanist Study Group sponsored a Structured Dialogue on the UU 5th Principle on February 13, 2022 on Zoom. The goal was to give members of UUAA an opportunity to share their thoughts and listen to others’ ideas about how we at UUAA incorporate into our lives the values stated in the UU 5th Principle. Please read the 4-page Structured Dialogue on the UU 5th Principle Report that describes the Structured Dialogue process, summarizes the results of the event, discusses their implications, and makes recommendations for both the future direction of the Humanist Study Group and the UUAA community as a whole. More detail on the comments made at the event is available in an 11-page summary that was used in preparation of the Report. The Instructions for Facilitators and Note-Takers document the process used and can help in planning future dialogues.

Mission

The Humanist Study Group provides a forum for members to explore and deepen their understanding and application of Humanism. We actively affirm, promote and support Humanism in the UUAA, the wider Unitarian Universalist community and Ann Arbor community.

This mission is a consolidation of the following input:

Who we are:

      An official subgroup or ministry of the UUAA who are interested in or have a humanist philosophy.

Who we serve:

1. The members of the HSG
   
   
2. The members of the UUAA
   • Adult members and friends of the UUAA
   • Members of the staff and students in the Spiritual Growth and Development Program

3. Members of the Ann Arbor area community who are humanists or are interested in humanism from a Unitarian Universalist perspective
   
   
4. Humanists in the world community in need of support

What we provide:

 To HSG Members:

• An opportunity to explore and share in depth knowledge and information about humanism and its inspirational contribution to society.
• An opportunity to examine and discuss topics related to humanism in the society.
• Knowledge and information about humanism and Unitarian Universalism.
• A forum in which participants can speak openly and frankly about any topic of interest to them.

To Members of the UUAA:

• Knowledge and information about humanist ideas and behavior.
• History of humanism in Unitarian Universalism in the UUAA and beyond.
• Advocacy for the visibility, preservation and enhancement of humanism in Sunday Services and the Spiritual Growth and Development Program.
• Examination of and advocacy for a UUAA culture, programs, policies, processes, and practices consistent with Humanistic principles while acknowledging our human limitations and aspirations.
• Support and advocacy for the use of transparent inclusive democratic governing and operational policies and practices in UUAA.
• The dedication to and promotion of actions and programs to recognize and enhance humanism in the UUAA.

To the Ann Arbor Community:

• A resource for speakers and materials about humanism.
• A venue for conversations about humanism and Unitarian Universalism.

To the larger UU Community:

• Support of Humanists who are being unjustly marginalized.

Our goals:

• We work to build and sustain a pluralistic community where free thinkers can feel safe and supported.
• We seek to give a voice to marginalized people, groups, and causes, and to humanists, atheists and agnostics through discussion, constructive activism, education, and philanthropy.
• We support the open sharing of the results of critical thinking and evidence-based understanding of the natural world even when controversial or unpopular.
• We support building communities using democratic principles and the active pursuit of the separation of religion and government.
• We seek to use our human capacities of empathy, compassion and rational thinking as the foundation for ethical behavior.

In Summary:

We commit our hearts, minds and muscle to the overarching first, fourth and fifth principles of Unitarian Universalism: the inherent worth and dignity of every person, the responsible search for truth and meaning and the right of conscience, and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large; and in so doing we intend to do our part in creating a better world.

History

Our congregation's connections to the Humanist Movement go back to the 1920s.  In 1933, congregant Roy Wood Sellars drafted the first version of the Humanist Manifesto. One of the signatories was our minister at the time,  Rev Harold P. Marley. The Humanist Studies Group explores our history of humanism and discusses issues relating to ethics, philosophy, religion (including atheism and agnosticism). Members of the group share books on related topics.

Meetings

The Humanist Study Group welcomes all members and friends of the UUAA Congregation.  There are meetings for those available during the day on the first and third Thursday afternoons of the month from 2:00 to 4:00 pm and for those who prefer the evening on the second and fourth Monday evenings of the month from 7:00 to 8:30.  The afternoon and evening discussions are loosely coordinated, and some people come to both. Check the white board at the UUAA entry for the room location.

The group is structured to be a place where individuals can share their thoughts and feelings openly without challenge or criticism. The Humanist label of the group means that anything which pertains to human processes of thinking, feeling, or behaving is open for discussion. It is not specifically focused on more general humanist doctrine or advocacy, but these topics do come up for examination.

To get an overview of this group's discussions click this link for lists of topics explored during the 2017-18 yer and 2016-17 year. By exploring concepts and issues of importance to the members, each of us thinks more broadly after our discussions. An implicit goal of the Humanist Study Group is to engage and apply the understandings, insights, and values we gain from our discussions in our lives outside of the group, to become better people.

Links to more information about Humanism

Humanism at UUAA

This congregation played a key role in the development of humanism as a prominent force in 20th century Unitarianism and in the evolution of humanism in the United States. Follow this link to read an excerpt from the history of our congregation that appears in the Program that was prepared to celebrate this congregation's 150th Anniversary.

To read the history of the UUAA Humanist Study Group follow this link.

Read a sermon titled Why Am I a Humanist? delivered by HSG member Terry Madden in January, 2010.

Spotlight on Humanist Books

• Humanist Voices in Unitarian Universalism, Kendyl L. R. Gibbons and William R. Murry, editors; published in 2017 by Skinner House Books, an imprint of the Unitarian Universalist Association, Boston, MA. Available from this link. This book is being discussed at the fall 2017 meetings of the Humanist Study Group.
  
  
• Regaining Balance: The Evolution of the UUA, by Michael Werner, published in 2013. Available from this link. The Humanist Study Group read this book in 2016.
  
  
• Book List on the topic Spotlight on the New Atheism

Humanist Manifestos

• Humanist Manifesto I (1933)  One of the people who helped draft this document was Roy Wood Sellars, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Michigan. He was an active friend of UUAA who signed our membership book in 1934. He also was a signer of the second Humanist Manifesto. This manifesto was also signed by the UUAA minister at the time, Harold P. Marley.
• Humanist Manifesto II (1973)
• Humanist Manifesto III (2003)

Other information

• Carl Sagan’s Baloney Detection Kit: https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/03/baloney-detection-kit-carl-sagan/

Humanist organizations

• American Humanist Association: Good Without a God link: https://americanhumanist.org/
• UU Humanist Association: http://huumanists.org/
• Freethinker-Friendly Program for congregations: http://huumanists.org/programs/freethinker-friendly

For more information about UUAA's Humanist Study Group send email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

We build our sense of community and caring for each other through a variety of social groups, including our 20’s & 30’s Group, monthly Bridge Mix, the Wednesday Morning Readers and many many more.

Whether you are looking for an opportunity to work with others or play with others, please browse through the many available activities and find one that might allow you to share your unique gifts and interests with others.

Follow these links to learn more:

Identity Groups

Multicultural Outreach

Friendship & Interest Groups

Social Justice Projects

Spiritual Growth & Development

Chalice Circles

Music

Helpful UUAA Volunteers

Building, Artwork, & Grounds

Fundraising Activities

UUs Beyond our Congregation

Unity Group

Events Calendar

Social Networks for UUs