Rev. Erik David Carlson, UUA Trustee

Amidst the sounds of New Orleans jazz wafting through the board conferencing system, UUA Trustees broke into small groups to focus on the story of Katrina and the Federal floods of 2005, the story of our UU sisters and brothers on the ground, and the story of the UUA/UUSC response to our UU churches there. Having visited with the New Orleans area congregations at our meeting in January, the people and their stories were fresh in our minds and hearts.

Through a guided process of reflection, conversation and reporting, the Trustees agreed that there was much work to do to rebuild the ties between the UUA and our New Orleans area congregations. There was also a strong sense that the complexity of the issues involved in this process demands more time, and the Trustees have committed to continue this important work as it pertains to our congregations in New Orleans and our future response to congregations in need.