For Such a Time as This - Revs. Dawn Cooley and Carlton E. Smith, UUA Southern Region Staff - Sunday, August 19, 2018

​Unitarian Universalists have a heritage to celebrate in Mississippi, standing for justice, equity and compassion when it wasn’t popular. Today, we will consider the legacy we’ve received as liberal religious people in the Deep South, and the legacy we might leave behind us.


Carlton Smith recently wrote, “If there was ever a time when Unitarian Universalism was ripe for renewal, this is it. The national political landscape disturbs many of us, and yet the disruption it represents can be an opportunity to rethink how and why we do what we do as liberal religious people.”

Join our service this morning to explore what it means to be Unitarian Universalist in Mississippi today! 

REV. DAWN COOLEY

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The Rev. Dawn Skjei Cooley believes that Unitarian Universalists are called to "Love the Hell Out of the World" and tries to practice this on a regular basis. She is passionate about helping congregations adapt to the changing cultural religious landscape. After seven years as the minister of First Unitarian Church in Louisville, KY, this passion for helping congregations led her both to begin a Masters program in Nonprofit Management and to join the staff of the Southern Region of the UUA. 

REV. CARLTON SMITH 

Carlton Smith grew up in Holly Springs, MS, where his family was active in the town’s public life in many ways and where his father was mayor for over a decade.  Carlton left home to attend Howard University in Washington, DC, where he received not only his undergraduate degree but also, in 1992, his Masters of Divinity.  As a Unitarian Universalist minister he served congregations in New York, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Virginia before joining the Southern Region staff in 2012.