Remarks delivered at SWUUWCon 2025
SWUUW Mission:
SWUUW is a non-profit organization that supports women through worship, learning, leadership, community, and social justice . SWUUW addresses women’s issues, explores feminist theology, promotes friendships and celebrates the diversities that make us unique women on our individual spiritual paths. SWUUW is an organization open to all UU women, particularly those women in the Southwest District of the Southern Region of the UUA.
Where and how did SWUUW emerge? I’ll present a little background as you enjoy photos from SWUUW conferences of the past.
I am Celeste K, the president of SWUUW for the last year and on the SWUUW Board for several years prior. This segment of our opening program is to provide the Herstory ( history) of our organization. But because it has its roots in women’s role in religion throughout time – I would like to divide it into Past, Present, and future.
I have been studying and creating material for UU History for the new member orientation class in my congregation, Community UU Church in Plano, Tx. There is sooo much there. I encourage you to review the Faith Forward pro-grams put together by First Unitarian Church of Dallas – which adeptly describe UU History. I wanted to delve deeper into some of that as it pertained to women’s empowerment – but – recognizing time limitations for these remarks, I will do my best to provide an overview of how SWUUW supports and carries out our Mission in our congregations, our UU movement and the world – and refer you to other sources (such as Faith Forward programs) for more detailed information.
We will start with the historical past and the role of women in pre-Christian societies, move to the present-day successes of women – and SWUUW and continue by reviewing recent conferences and their locations.
We shall then turn to you as to how many years you have attended SWUUW, and announce our future conferences.
Past – Present – Future
Past
The roles of women in religion are as old as time.
SWUUW has Feminist Theology roots and has explored some of these – as our Mission indicates. We have connections to the Sumerian Goddesses of ancient Judea and early Christianity – from our use of the Cakes for the Queen of Heaven curricula. We associate ourselves with the Women’s Right to Vote Amendment initiated by Unitarian Susan B. Anthony and friend Elizabeth Cady Stanton culminating with the passing of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920.
The 1970’s: Civil Rights – Women’s Rights – the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) – the Roe V Wade ruling (First Unitarian Church of Dallas had a large role in this) – were happening! So, of course, the UU Women’s Federation was formed.
In 1977, at GA, UUs passed the Resolution entitled Religion and Human Dignity – which was known as the “Women and Religion” Resolution. Jack Mendelsohn, ca-didate for UUA President in 1977, said the resolution “calls for fundamental scrutiny of our own and related
religious traditions as deep-seated causes of patriarchal power..”
1979 – UUA – Women and Religion Organize
In 1979 the first gathering of Women and Religion at a District level – took place in Ohio.
In 1979 the Hymnal Revisions began. Tools were developed to assess and eradicate sexism from our denomination.
1987 – A Big Year
In 1987 the first Southwest District Women and Religion Conference was held.
In the same year the first Southwest District’s Women’s Conference was held.
Also in 1987 – the “Cakes for the Queen of Heaven” curriculum, by UU Minister, Rev Shirley Ranck, was first implemented in churches around the district. The curriculum challenged patriarchal assumptions … It explored the roots of sexism in religious myths and traditions – from ancient Sumer, to Greece, to Judaism and pre-Judean Christian cultures. It did this by exploring the feminine in Goddess stories and their significance. It aimed to reclaim women’s religious heritage of peace and power by citing the stories of powerful women of the past. It is worth noting this curriculum was published in 1987, during the women’s liberation movement period.
Here we are again – fighting for our rights, but I digress…
1993
The first SWUUW Conference was held in 1993. At first we held conferences under the auspices of Women and Religion – then as a stand-alone organization of UU Women in the previous Southwest District. The District was subsumed by the Region, but SWUUW covers the original District states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana.
The Present
SWUUW continues its association with Women and Religion. Several of our recent Chaplains – such as Rev. Beth Dana, and attendees such as Rev. Kathleen Ellis, have been active Women and Religion members.
Gretchen Ohmann, a co-convenor of Women and Religion, cannot be at this conference, but forwarded many of the historical flyers and logos for our slides – Gretchen has been on the SWUUW Staff, and attended and presented workshops at many SWUUW conferences- as well as selling items and presenting curricula for [Continental] UU Women and Religion. Gretchen has been SWUUW’s go-to person for the Spiral Dance and sometimes for the Calling of Directions. Thank you Gretchen! This time Jessica Trescher will handle both roles – new generations carrying on!
LISTING OF SWUUW CONFERENCES
We currently have a list on the SWUUW website of each of our conferences which includes our Themes and Keynote Speakers. It is under Previous Conferences. (The Flyers and Logos of these conferences appear in the current slides.)
Since our first conference in Midland, TX, our conferences have been hosted in Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Shreveport, Austin, Memphis TN, Little Rock, Fort Worth, Mo Ranch, Clear Lake City, Corpus Christi ( my first in 2013). This was followed by several including one in San Marcos, Tx; Lawton OK; Lafayette LA (a week before the world shut down in 2020); and even Virtu-ally in 2021. We were “Virtually Unstoppable”- our Theme!
We once again ventured out with the 2022 SWUUW conference in Grapevine, TX. Many thanks to Mary Kirwin for pulling that off!
In 2023, we were again in Dallas for “Phoenix Rising!”, holding the conference in First Unitarian Church of Dallas – with off-site lodging. Thank you to Convenor Becky Warren, we tried out a new model for a SWUUW conference.
In 2024 we “Nurtured Our Creative Spirit” in the beautiful piney woods at Camp Allen near Navasota- this is a Retreat Center with lodging on site. This is another model for SWUUW Conferences. Thank you to Katie Womack for leading the Host Congregation.
We are so glad that you have chosen to be with us this weekend in Houston, our “Sacred Space and Sacred Place” for the 2025 SWUUW Conference. This is a third model – a SWUUW Conference held at a Conference style Hotel in a cosmopolitan center.
RECOGNITION
Thanks especially to Gerrie Carr, Convenor, and her team for being our conference hosts.
Future
FUTURE SWUUW CONFERENCES
Next year, 2026, we return to Camp Allen outside of Navasota, Tx. For those of you who joined us there last year, I know that you are looking forward to returning. Camp Allen presents a rustic atmosphere surrounded by nature – with modern lodgings. It is a welcoming retreat center skilled at hosting conferences. The conference will be hosted by the small congregation of Pathways UU Fellowship of South Lake, Texas.
The Convenor will be Jessica Trescher, who is currently on your SWUUW Board.
We also have a Conference location for 2027 – Carrollton, Tx –hosted by Horizon UU Church with Convenor Donna Dier, who is this year’s incoming President.
So it is an exciting time to be in SWUUW!!
JOIN THE BOARD
If you are interested in supporting the planning of conferences consider joining the SWUUW Board.
HOST A CONFERENCE
If you are interested in having your congregation host a conference, the board would love to hear from you!
It is About You! Years of Attending SWUUW
Several of our SWUUW members have been significantly involved since our earliest beginnings. Kathy Calhoun, Sylvia Wheeler and Maggi Joseph come to mind.
To conclude:
I hope that you find your sacred space and sacred place here this weekend. Thank you all for coming to SWUUWCon 25!
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