In June, I will be attending the 94th Assembly of the American Ethical Union (AEU), which will be held this year in St. Louis, Missouri, from June 11 through June 14. I will be one of three voting delegates from our Society. The others are Mary Ellen Stanton and Hank Gassner. Additional NoVES members who will be attending are Jone Johnson Lewis, our Leader, Hugh Taft-Morales, our Leader Intern, Betty Chia Karro and Bill Lewis as alternate delegates, Phyllis Duncan as a member of the AEU Board of Directors, and Mary Bellamy representing the Secular Coalition of America, of which the AEU is a member. There may be additional NoVES members there as well.

Some of our members may not be aware of what the AEU does or what it means to the Ethical Culture movement. Here are the basic facts about the AEU. The AEU, which was founded in 1889, is the umbrella organization for all American Ethical Societies. Its mission is to support existing Societies and promote the growth of new ones. In fact, our Society’s formation in 1983 was, to a large degree, made possible by the support we received from the AEU, including essential financial support. Presently there are 24 Societies in 13 states, including the District of Columbia, plus the Ethical Society Without Walls, an internet-based Society that serves those who may not live close enough to one of the other Societies to become active members. There are many small groups that are in the early stages of forming their own Societies. They also receive guidance and support from the AEU. The AEU has a Board of Directors, officers, and a few paid staff. There are numerous AEU committees, including a Membership Committee, Leadership Committee, Religious Education Committee, Finance Committee, Mediation Committee, Fund Development Committee, and even a Law Committee (of particular interest to me due to my legal background). The AEU regularly holds assemblies at which member Ethical Societies send delegates and other members to interact, attend workshops to learn from each other’s experiences, and vote on important issues. Assemblies used to take place every two years. Lately they have been taking place each year.

At one time, I had very little knowledge of or interest in the AEU. I didn’t really start to appreciate its value until I attended the AEU Summer School in North Carolina in 2002. There I met many wonderful Ethical Society members from all over the country and was exhilarated by the fact that there were other people from different locations in the country that had a similar outlook on ethics and religion to mine. I learned valuable techniques in working with groups to achieve goals and became inspired to take a more active role in our Society. I had similar feelings of exhilaration when I attended AEU Assemblies here in Northern Virginia in 2005 and in Austin, Texas, last year. I’m greatly looking forward to seeing familiar faces, learning useful information and voting on important Ethical Culture issues when I attend the Assembly in St. Louis.

The Ethical Culture movement is small. We can move forward only if we work together and learn from each other. In order for this to happen Ethical Societies must support one another and concentrate on growing the movement. In my view, this is something that can best be done through the leadership of the AEU and makes the AEU essential to the future of Ethical Culture.

I urge you all to become more familiar with the AEU. To learn more about the AEU you can visit its website at www.aeu.org.