This year we have added a new holiday to the calendar: Universal Day! November 3, we invite all members of the Universal Life Church Ministries in Minnesota to join us to kick of the first annual celebration of this very special new holiday. There are a great number of ways to observe and participate in Universal Day. You just need to read on to learn about a few of the ways you might celebrate in your area.
1. Become Ordained in Minnesota
Have you applied to be ordained yet? If you haven't- that's the first step! A core tenet of what the Universal Life Church believes is that anyone who feels called has the right to take charge of their own spiritual life by becoming ordained. Famously, we facilitate that process over the internet on our website. The application for ordination is totally free and only takes a couple of minutes. We welcome you to join us by, clicking the big button below to get that process started.
2. Vote in Minnesota
Step two is to VOTE! Voting is the best way to make sure your voice counts toward actualizing a better future. This is a unique situation for all of us, but we'd encourage you to still do what you can to mark Universal Day by taking part in this important civic duty.
So long as you are a registered voter in Minnesota, you will be able to make the request for an absentee ballot using the application for your state. Please do not forget to request and mail in your ballot with plenty of time to spare. This will ensure it gets processed on Universal Day!
Voter Registration Details
- In-person Registration Deadline: 11/3/2020
- Mail Registration Deadline: Received 10/13/2020
- Online Registration Deadline: 10/13/2020
- Election-Day Registration: Yes, In-Person
Register to Vote
Don't worry if you are not yet registered to vote. You might still have time to get on registry by clicking the button below.
Taking Time Off Work
Health officials have provided suggested measures and guidelines for staying safe while voting in person. If you are going to a physical polling location to cast you vote on Universal Day, please keep these in mind. We want everyone to be aware of employees rights around voting and what your employers responsibility is. Employers are required to make accommodations allowing their employees the ability to participate in the voting process. Check with your HR department to better understand how the company policy works. If you run in to any issues when you request for time off to vote, you can let them know you will be observing Universal Day on November 3rd. As an official religious holiday, your employer ought to be aware of federal law allowing you to observe Universal Day. No matter who or what you vote for, here's a wholehearted reminder to make sure your choices are in-line with your values and are made freely with a conscientious mind and heart.
3. Write to Elected Officials
And once you have cast your vote, don't stop speaking up! The task of making the world better never ends. Another fantastic way to mark Universal Day is by writing to your representatives - take time to communicate with them about what you value, and how they can help you make the progress you want to see in your community. Enter your zip code below to see the direct contact information for your representatives!
4. Meditate or Pray
We've been talking a lot about ways that you can communicate your beliefs to other people, but it's equally important for you to take the time to communicate with yourself! Each of us is on our own journey through the universe, and it is critical that on Universal Day, in addition to advocacy, you honor that journey by taking a few moments to reflect/pray/meditate - whatever you want to call it - so you can better understand who you are, what you think is right, and what you can do to make that happen. An old adage teaches us that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - we'd argue that it actually begins when you decide on a destination. With a goal in mind and heart, you're ready to start marching!
5. Help Build Community
As a minister of the ULCM, you are already a leader in your community. We're so amazed to see all of the good that you do every day, and hope that Universal Day will give you even more opportunity to organize for good in the future. We've already listed a number of ways that you can individually mark this special new holiday, but true power often comes in numbers. By connecting with other brave, vocal, and powerful people like yourself in your community, you can multiply the progress happening around you.
Stay Connected
We would encourage you to reach out to like minded people like these (of course maintaining all health guidelines) to rally together and make use of your joined voices.