A joint letter from UUA President, the Reverend Susan Frederick-Gray, and UUA General Assembly and Conference Service Director, Ms. LaTonya Richardson, updating information on General Assembly 2020 was released on April 16th.

They report that by February, the GA 2020 planning was off to a great start with almost 2,000 early registrations and a record number of program proposals and guest speakers. Then came the state of emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The letter goes on to explain that, because of the current need for physical distancing and other logistical concerns, the UUA Board has passed a resolution canceling plans for a physical assembly in Providence, RI, and authorizing a 100% virtual GA for 2020. The letter further expounds, “A 100% virtual GA comes at a time when many UU congregations have embraced virtual meetings and virtual Sunday services. Although this pandemic has been challenging for many, a silver lining is that UUs are adapting to and seeing the value of incorporating technology into their religious lives. With so many UUs already online, this year’s GA could well be our highest-attended Unitarian Universalist gathering in history! It will be accessible to a more diverse and global audience. It will also help reduce our carbon footprint, which aligns with our commitment to care for the earth and environment.”

If you have already registered for GA 2020, your registration has been converted to virtual and you will receive a survey regarding the options for applying your refund. If you have not registered for GA 2020, you may do so online by going to UUA.org and clicking on the registration link. Virtual registration for GA 2020 is $150 per person and is the same process for delegates and non-delegates.