Speakers

Keynote Speaker
Friday, April 8, 7:45 p.m.
Diversity in the UU Pew: Possibility or Pipe Dream?
The Rev. Dr. Michael A. Schuler

The Rev. Dr. Michael A. Schuler serves as the Parish Minister of the First Unitarian Society of Madison. During his 16-year tenure, the Society has grown rapidly to over 1300 adult members and approximately 200 active affiliates; 450 children are registered for Church School and youth activities.

First Unitarian Society is currently the largest UU congregation in North America. Schuler has been active on many local boards, including Wisconsin Interfaith IMPACT, several UW-Madison advisory groups, and is a member of the Steering Committee of Dane County United — a broad-based organization of faith communities, labor unions, and neighborhood associations. For several years he has been a regular contributor to the features and editorial pages of Madison’s afternoon newspaper, the Capitol Times. Denominationally, Schuler has served on the Meadville-Lombard Winter Institute Planning and chaired CENTER, a working committee that plans, coordinates and implements continuing education programs for Unitarian Universalist Ministers. He is presently President of the Central Midwest District UU Ministers Chapter and a member of the UUA’s Large Church Planning Team. Before being called to Madison, Schuler successfully served UU congregations in Binghamton, New York, and Sioux City, Iowa. He earned his BA in political science, received his M.Div. from Starr King School for the Ministry, and holds a Ph.D in the Humanities from Florida State University. Michael and his life partner, Trina, share their home with a 17-year-old son, Kyle.

Judy Lecture
Saturday, April 9, 9:00 a.m.
Liberal Religion: A Date with History
The Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt

The Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt is minister of New York’s Fourth Universalist Society, a 166-year old Unitarian Universalist congregation on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she is a graduate of Yale University and Drew Theological Seminary. For more than 20 years before answering the call to ministry, she worked as an editor and writer, most notably at the New York Times Book Review. A contributing editor to UU World and columnist for Beliefnet.com, she is author of three books, including her memoir, Unafraid of the Dark.

Currently she serves as a member of the Panel on Theological Education, as an adjunct professor at Union Theological Seminary, and is a founder of the Unitarian Universalist Trauma Response Ministry, created to provide culturally sensitive liberal religious responses to mass disaster and other significant trauma. Reverend McNatt lives in New York City with her husband, Robert, and their two sons, Allen and Daniel.

Saturday Night Entertainment

OVation   Created more than four years ago, OVation is the a cappella ensemble of One Voice Mixed Chorus, the Twin Cities’ award-winning GLBT choir. During its relatively short history, the group has performed in a number of locations, including the Northwestern Voices festival in Austin, Minnesota and the GALA Festival in Montreal. Recently, OVation performed for more than 5,000 at a National Kidney Foundation event held in the Metrodome stadium in downtown Minneapolis.

Mila   Mila is a professional women's vocal ensemble committed to the authentic reproduction of vocal traditions from over 30 countries with over a dozen distinct vocal styles. While grounded in the harmonic traditions of Eastern Europe, Mila’s repertoire also includes music from Central and Western Europe, Asia and the Americas. Mila’s eight members all hail from unique musical backgrounds and have studied with renowned vocalists from Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Macedonia, Serbia, Spain and Ukraine. Between them, the singers of Mila speak nearly a dozen languages. Through the integrity of its music, Mila celebrates the beauty of the world’s cultures.