After a several-year hiatus, two UU pilgrimages to the Khasi Hills region of India are being offered in 2025: one from March 17 to 25 and a second one in October (precise dates to be determined). Travelers also may choose to join a 10-day Essential India tour of the “Golden Triangle” from March 8 to 17 or extend their trip by visiting several other Indian cities.

For trip details and cost information, please contact John Dale (jdaleuupcc@yahoo.com). Please also reach out to Karen Litzinger (karen@karenscareercoaching.com) of First Unitarian’s Khasi Hills Partnership Team to obtain our guidelines for church ambassadors and seek team support.

The Khasi Hills – home to one of the largest population of Unitarians in the world ¬- lie in the far northeast of India, below Bhutan and above Bangladesh. Since 2003, First Unitarian has been a sponsor of the Annie Margaret Barr Higher Secondary School in the Khasi village of Kharang.

These are the first organized pilgrimages to the Khasi Hills to be offered since 2019. The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent organizational changes at the Unitarian Universalist Association led to the suspension of the visitors program.

The first Unitarian Church in the Khasi Hills was founded in 1897 by a Khasi man, Hajom Kissor Singh. This very poor and rural area is now home to about 10,000 Unitarian adults and children in about 45 congregations. The school our church sponsors is one of 34 Unitarian schools in the region that are open to all children.

In 2023, our minister, Rev. Dr. Kate R. Walker, was an honored guest speaker and church ambassador at the closing ceremony of the school’s year-long commemoration of the 50th death anniversary of British Unitarian minister, Rev. Annie Margaret Barr, the school’s founder. First Unitarian members and friends who have traveled to the Khasi Hills in recent years include Maureen Porter (2019), Lois Hurt (2018), and Karen Litzinger (2015).

Photo captions:

Maureen Porter (far right, with microphone) presents a quilt made by First Unitarian quilters during her visit to the school in 2019