opening words

UU World: The Magazine of the Unitarian Universalist Association, May/Jun 2004

Marriage is one of the most remarkable and most courageous of human acts, the promise of two human beings to share life together on all levels-physical, economic, spiritual-a promise made in the face of the certainty of death, the certainty of change, and the uncertainty of everything else. There is nothing else quite like this act, nothing so foolish, nothing so profound.

FROM THE WEDDING OF DOUGLAS NEFF AND COREY ROTHERMEL

Performed in San Francisco City Hall, March to, by the Rev. Barbara Hamilton-Holway and the Rev. Bill Hamilton-Holway. Neff and Rothermel's marriage, one of 4,037 same-sex marriages licensed by the city before the California Supreme Court barred further licenses, is described in this issue (page 35).

MISSION

This magazine aims to help its readers build their faith and act on it more effectively in their personal lives, their congregations, their communities, and the world. To this end, it strives to be not only informative but also useful, provocative, and even prophetic.

HISTORY

UU World, which began publishing in its current magazine format in 1987, descends from a long line of Unitarian and Universalist publications going back almost two centuries: Universalist Magazine was founded in 1819, and the Unitarian Christian Register m 1821.

READERSHIP

Voting members of Unitarian Universalist congregations receive subscriptions as a benefit of their membership. The subscriptions are paid for by their congregations through contributions to the UUA's Annual Program Fund. Others may subscribe for $21 a year; see page 5.