Newletter Sept06 - Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association

From the President ...
September 2006
U N I T A R I A N U N I V E R S A L IS T M I N I S T E R S ’ A S S O C I A T I O N
UUMA News
Volume 40, Issue 1
The GA experience for Exec
members is unlike our other
three yearly meetings. We do
convene for business, but amid
days spent otherwise. Tuesday
and Wednesday were Ministry
Days. Thursday we sponsored
a breakfast with our candidates
for ministry and aspirants; had
orientation for our newest members; ate lunch and conversed
with Bill Sinkford; and had
“Suite Talks” all afternoon,
until at the end of the day we
attended a part of the plenaries,
by prior agreement with UUA
Moderator Gini Courter.
Committee on Ministry for
Anti-Racism, AntiOppression, and Multiculturalism, together with the
UUMA representative on
the UUA’s Diversity in
Ministry Team; our liaison
with students preparing for
ministry; and representatives of the Interim Ministry
Guild, Lambda, Part-Time
Ministers, and our UUMA
Community Ministry Focus
Group.
an open discussion with
But back to Ministry Days.
Bill Sinkford, to the 25/50
I can report (in case you
service the next morning,
weren’t there) that everythe redesigned UUMA Anthing went very well, I
Suite Talks are occasions for
nual Meeting (with triple
think, from CENTER’s
the Exec to meet with various
last year’s attendance),
worship
services,
a
wellindividuals and groups, this
collegial conversations, and
year for Thursday afternoon and received CENTER presenBill Schulz’s powerful
tation, and the workshops
then for most of Friday. Our
Berry Street essay.
that afternoon, ending with
guests were Ralph Mero (who
gave us an update on the pro(Continued on page 7)
gress of the new UUA health
insurance plan); the chair of the
MFC and one of our representaDr. Laurel Hallman
tives on the MFC; our own
June 21. 2006
Nominating Committee; the
new UUMA Advisory CommitI have conducted enough memorial services to know that
tee on Ethics and Collegiality;
while each of us is unique, the stories of our lives fall into
the new UUMA Guidelines
general patterns common to our time. When I memorialRevision Committee; Beth
ize men who are in their 80’s, and now 90’s, the story is
Miller (new Director of the
of living through the Depression and the Second World
Ministry and Professional Lead- War, of toughing it out, and not looking back. The
ership Staff Group); leaders of
women of those days founded non-profit social services,
UURMaPA (UU Retired Minis- perfected the processes and power of parliamentary proters and Partners Association –
cedure, and electoral decision-making in The League of
a large and very active group
Women Voters. To give only two examples.
these days); Gini Courter and
UUMA members of the UUA
Now to be sure, presented with similar circumstances,
Board of Trustees; the UUMA’s
Celebrating 25 years of Ministry
(Continued on page 2)
Inside this issue:
From the Editor
And We Remember . . .
Celebrating 50 years of Ministry
UUMA CENTER
UUMA Representative Reports
UUA Health Insurance and UUA News
New Publications
Member Announcements
UUMA Publications / A Lighter Look
New Members
2
3
8
10-11
14
15
16
17
19
20
To contact the UUMA Office:
Janette Lallier, Administrator
25 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108
Phone: 617-848-0498 Fax: 617-848-0973
Email: [email protected]
Address Changes, Membership Renewals, etc.
From the Editor
Beloved Colleagues,
It is an honor to begin service as your On-Line Communications / Publications portfolio-holder on the UUMA Executive
Committee. I’d like to thank my predecessor, Roger Brewin,
for his years of service and also extend an invitation to any of
you who have thoughts to share, and especially those of you
with expertise to lend, not to be shy about reaching out to me.
Unfortunately, the prototype for the Holographic Preacher that
I talked about at Ministry Days is on-hold. Similarly, I am
sorry to report that the Pastoral Care Droid is experiencing an
empathy malfunction and the Justice-Bot 3000 is having technical difficulties with its gentleness and anger settings. All
this is to say that ministry is not obsolete.
But other important work is going forward. This Fall I will be
leading an examination and redesign of our UUMA web-site.
We are looking not only to make the current site more visually
enticing and more easily navigable, but also to determine what
other content and attractions we might want to feature. Again,
I extend an invitation to any of you who have thoughts to
share, and especially those of you with expertise to lend, not to
be shy about reaching out to me.
My heartiest thanks go to Janette Lallier for her good work on
all things communications related in the UUMA office. Her
thoughtfulness and attention makes my position 1/10th as difficult as it might be otherwise.
Whether you are Blackberried and Blue-toothed or are more
comfortable with Palm Sunday than your Palm Pilot, I wish
you a great year ahead, and invite you to enjoy this newsletter
and visit UUMA.org.
Thom Belote
Email: [email protected]
On-Line Communications / Publications Portfolio
UUMA Executive Committee
Celebrating 25 years of Ministry
ships as a kind of hobby. But I had no image of myself as a
minister. Even when others suggested it, I just couldn’t imagine
people can respond in very different it.
ways, but life in the larger sense,
It was not until I realized that I didn’t want to marry a minister,
gives each of us the questions for
I wanted to be one — that whatever that internal process is that
our time, our place, our particular
we say is a call, began to take hold and propel me toward theocircumstances, to answer with our
logical school.
lives.
(Continued from page 1)
And so, in this brief time, I want to lift up the challenges of our I look back now and laugh at myself. How could it have been
such an utterly impossible thing to imagine? And then in an
time — those of us who were ordained 25 years ago; and in a
even stranger turn, how did it become such a compelling necessomewhat confessional way, tell you what I know now.
sity?
The first of those challenges I give witness to by simply standFor years after my ordination, I could feel the generations of
ing here — a woman, having been a minister now for twentywomen at my back who couldn’t imagine futures for themfive years. There were others ahead of me: Kendyl Gibbons
selves because it just wasn’t available: — I had never seen a
spoke in this place just last year; there were four women with
woman minister — all of those women at my back who might
me in my entering class at Meadville Lombard.
have imagined a different life if they could have just seen a
There were always women in the Universalist and Unitarian
possibility.
ministry. But in our time, it was a struggle to choose the minisThere is not time here to talk about all the changes that came
try, to stay the course. To tough out the disappointments not
knowing if it was gender related, or simply a disappointment of about because women came into the theological schools in ever
larger numbers, and into the churches. Except simply to say
life.
that now these twenty-five years later what a privilege it is that
More importantly, for my point today, I want to tell you that
I can give witness to the changes and speak my deep gratitude
until I physically moved to Chicago and began theological
that I got to do what I believe I was truly called to do, knowing
school, I could not imagine myself as a minister. I worked in a how rare that is at any time. And at that time it was extraordichurch. I had been involved in churches all my life. I loved
(Continued on page 3)
churches. I had started preaching in small churches and fellowPage 2
UUMA NEWS
And then I would show up! Those were tough years, with
threats and hate letters, and service after service in which the
‘secret’ of AIDS was a painful and difficult reality.
(Continued from page 2)
nary.
The corollary to the movement of women into
our ministry in the years around 1981— the
corollary was that if you had an opportunity,
you took it.
“I didn’t want to marry a
And then, in what was a most stunning turn of
events, the ‘cocktails’ of drugs began to hold
the advancement of the disease at bay; and
then they began to prevent the wasting; and
then, we had to work with people who had
assumed they were about to die who then had
to reconstruct a life worth living. Because
they were living. And many still are.
minister,
There had been so little opportunity, that when
the doors opened, there was no question, but
I wanted to be one”
that we went through it. This was not only true
for the women ministers of my time, but also
for the men. Because most of us had been raised by Depression The pandemic is not over, certainly not world wide. Never
Era parents, we had been taught to value opportunity, to seek it again will we be able to think ourselves protected by some
out, to see where it would take us.
magical special-ness from disasters. Certainly 9/11 and the
It was a path of formation for us, the men and women of those
years. We have by and large, thrown ourselves into our work,
our call, and our ministries wherever they took us, and have
been shaped by those experiences. Self-care came later. Some
other twenty-five year speaker will have to talk about that. The
self-care movement has been a good corrective to overwork.
The church can be insatiable in its desire for our ministry. But
even that said, many of the graduates in 1981, and the years
before and after that time, have much to teach about being
carved out by the work, being tangible bearers of God’s grace,
and the blessing that comes even when it seems we have nothing left to give.
more recent Katrina and Rita destruction has reminded us—as
if we needed reminders.
Those of us ordained twenty-five years ago, and who are still
ministering, will tell our stories of these more recent tragedies.
But if the question is formation, if the question is how we were
shaped by our world, by our place in it, by the fact of our ordination 25 years ago—then I would say, the simple reality of
being able to imagine women in the ministry — not as wives or
daughters—but as ministers.
One Sunday a man asked me why our music sounded like a
dirge. I said, “It’s because our organist is dying.” I don’t know
Our ministry with people living with AIDS will, I expect, be
if he was surprised. I surprised myself at how normal that
counted as central to the formation of the graduates in my time. sounded. The test of AIDS, both in its destruction, and then
I did my CPE quarter in 1979 at the University of California
turning with people who were preparing to die, and helping
Hospitals in San Francisco. There was some talk about some
them live again--.
patients showing up at San Francisco General Hospital with
These are the things that have shaped so many of us who went
mysterious and intractable symptoms. But not much.
into the Ministry 25 years ago. There are other things, of
It wasn’t until 1987 when I moved to Dallas that the enormity course. I was typing my sermons those first few years! Who
of the situation began to become clear to me. Not long after I
would have thought technology would transform how we orarrived, our organist asked me to go with him when he received ganize ourselves, perhaps even how we think?
the results of his HIV test. It was positive as he had suspected it
There is so much to say about what has formed and shaped us,
was. I realized that he would die in our midst, week by week,
not the least of which is that we’re expecting to live a lot longer
and I didn’t know how to minister to him, or to the church. I
than we had originally planned. So I’ll have to save the rest in
didn’t know how the church would react. In the end over 250
the hope I’ll be invited back for our 50th anniversary.
people in the church became involved in his care. It wasn’t
easy. He wasn’t always easy even before he was sick. But they
kept him out of the hospital until two weeks before his death,
when I realized it had to end.
He was, of course, the first of many; and it was clear we couldn’t manage the care of every person in the way we had cared
for Tom. It seemed to be a pattern, in which at any one time at
least one person was visibly wasting away before our eyes at
church. Typically, a young man in a small Texas town, the instant he could do it, would move to Dallas where he could
come out as gay. These young men, who had never encountered death in their lives (at least in the early years of the epidemic) would then have to go home: tell their parents that they
were gay; that they had AIDS; would probably die soon; and
then add that they had joined the Unitarian Universalist Church.
SEPTEMBER 2006
Page 3
And We Remember . . .
Charles Otis Barber
Helena P. Chapin
Ronald Eugene Clark
Elizabeth S. Jones
The Reverend Charles Otis Barber died on March 5,
2006 in Deland, Florida. He was 87 years old.
Donald W. Rowley
Dayton Theodore Yoder
Shore Unitarian of Deerfield, Illinois, and then served the
First Parish of Framingham, MA. She also served Paint
Branch Unitarian Universalist Church in Adelphi, MD,
the First Unitarian Society of Schenectady, NY and the
First Church in Belmont, MA.
The Reverend Barber was born on December 7, 1919 in
Springfield, Massachusetts. He earned a BS at The State
University in 1942, and also received a MS in Educational Administration at Syracuse University in 1973. On Rev. Chapin later served the North Shore Unitarian
November 30, 1971 he received Preliminary Fellowship, Church in Deerfield, IL and from 1990 to 2002 she was
with Final Fellowship on February 17, 1975.
Minister of Religious Education at the First Unitarian
Church of Rochester, from which she retired. She volunRev. Barber was ordained on May 10, 1964 by the Uniteered for Planned Parenthood, The Susan B. Anthony
versalist Church of Foxboro, MA and then he went on to
House, was an advocate for Seniors and animals.
serve the First Universalist Church in Dolgeville, NY. He
also served the congregations of First Universalist SociSurviving Rev. Helena are her children Hanuman (Lalita)
ety of Salem, Walpole Unitarian Church, the First UniDurgama-Lescault of Farmington, ME., Todd Palmer
versalist Church of West Chesterfield and the Unitarian
(Jodie) Chapin of Northboro, MA., Leila Chapin
Universalist Church of West Volusia. Rev. Barber re(Michael) Rice of Canandaigua; and 6 grandchildren,
ceived the honor of Emeritus Minister at both the WalPratita Hridayani, Madison, Juliet, Timothy and Gus.
pole Unitarian Church and the Unitarian Universalist
Memorial contributions, in her memory, may be made to
Church of West Volusia.
Lollypop Farm or to Planned Parenthood. Messages of
Surviving Rev. Barber are his wife Madelyn C. Barber
remembrance may be sent to Rev. Helena Chapin's
and his two children Susan E. Murphy of Florida and
daughter:
John R. Barber of North Attleboro, MA.
Leila Rice
Messages of remembrance may be sent to:
5165 Fieldstone Trail
Canandaigua, NY 14424
Rev. Madelyn C. Barber
605 Heron Point Way
A memorial service was held on Saturday, July 1, 2006 at
Deland, FL 32724
2:00 pm at the UU Church of Canandaigua. The Reverend Carl Thitchener officiated.
A memorial service was held Saturday March 26, 2006 at
2:00 p.m., at The Unitarian Universalist Church of West
Volusia, 820 N Frankfort Ave. Deland, FL. The Reverend
Mary Louise Dewolf, and family officiated.
The Reverend Ronald Eugene Clark died on August
16, 2006 at the age of 70.
v
v
Rev. Clark was born on April 30, 1936 in Wilmington,
The Reverend Helena P. Chapin died June 21, 2006 in North Carolina. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree
Rochester, NY She was sixty-eight years old.
in Electrical Engineering at Purdue University in 1959.
Ronald went on to Starr King School of Ministry where
Rev. Chapin was born on May 16, 1938 in Evanston, Illihe earned a Masters of Divinity Degree. In 1968 he renois. She earned a BA at the University of Michigan in
ceived Preliminary Fellowship, with Final Fellowship
1966, and received an M.Ed at the University of Maryachieved on September 28, 1971. He was ordained on
land in 1973. Rev. Chapin completed her Minister of ReNovember 17, 1968 at the May Memorial Society in
ligious Education work in the Independent Study ProSyracuse, NY.
gram.
Rev. Clark served as a minister at May Memorial UnitarOn October 9, 1986 she received Preliminary Fellowship,
ian Society of Syracuse, NY, from 1968-1971, and the
with Final Fellowship on September 20, 1992. Rev. ChaFirst Unitarian Church of Salt Lake City, UT, from 1971pin was ordained on February 10, 1985 by the North
Page 4
UUMA NEWS
1976. Reverend Clark served First Unitarian Church of
Stoneham, MA between 1986 and 1992 where he was
granted the honor of Emeritus Minister. He also served
the Unitarian Universalist Association as the Department
of Extension Director between 1976 and 1981 and as the
Director of Church Staff Finance from 1981 to 1985.
Ronald is survived by his wife Sharon and his three children Kevin, Kristen, and Jeffery. Messages of remembrance may be sent to:
Sharon Jackson Clark
502 Locust Street
Danvers, MA 01932
A memorial service will be held October 1, 2006 at 1:30
PM at the North Shore Unitarian Society in Danvers, located at 323 Locust Street, Danvers. MA.
v
The Reverend Elizabeth S. Jones died on April 14,
2006, of hepatoma. She was 79 years old.
Rev. Jones was born on May 15, 1926 in Los Angeles,
California. She earned a Bachelor's Degree at University
of California, and a Master of Divinity at Starr King
School for Ministry. She also received her Doctorate of
Ministry at San Francisco Theological Seminary. In
1980 she received Preliminary Fellowship, with Final
Fellowship on September 24, 1984. She was ordained on
November 22, 1980 by the Unitarian Church, Santa Barbara CA, and she then went on to serve Unitarian Universalist Church in Idaho Falls, ID. Rev. Jones received the
honor of Emeritus Minister at Unitarian Universalist of
Livermore, CA.
Among her many contributions, Elizabeth helped to
found the Open Heart Kitchen in Livermore, served on
the board of the Starr King School, and served as a national Good Offices representative for the UUMA.
Surviving Rev. Jones are her husband Jeffrey P. Lambkin, her four children Stephen, Nancy, David and Susan ,
SEPTEMBER 2006
and four grandchildren, Gabriel and Amanda Helman and
Arthur and Alexander Culang. all of whom reside in California.
Memorial contributions, in her memory, may be made
either to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley or
Heifer International. Messages of remembrance may be
sent to:
Rev. Jeffrey P. Lambkin
1811 Ralston Avenue
Richmond, CA 94805
A memorial service was help Tuesday, April 25, 2006 in
the Atrium of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkley. The Revs. Barbara & Bill Hamilton-Holloway officiated.
v
The Reverend Donald W. Rowley died on March 27,
2006 at his home in the Hunt Community of Nashua, NH.
He was 83 years old.
Donald Wesley Rowley was born May 10, 1922, in Cooperstown, NY. He received a BA from Hartwick College
in 1948, and a STB from Harvard Divinity School in
1951.
He was ordained by the Rockingham Congregational Association in New Castle, NH, in 1951, and received fellowship with the UUA in 1956.
Rev. Rowley served as minister at the First Parish
Church, United, in Westford, MA, from 1953-1958, and
the Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashua, NH, from
1958 until his retirement in 1987. In recognition of his 29
years of service, he was named Minister Emeritus of the
Nashua church in 1994.
In 1985, the Meadville -Lombard Theological School,
affiliated with the University of Chicago, presented the
Rev. Rowley with its honorary Doctor of Divinity. In
1995, he was named minister emeritus of the Unitarian
Universalist Church of Nashua at a special ceremony at
Page 5
the church. In 2000, the Nashua Charitable Foundation
presented the organization's Humanitarian Award to the
Rev. Rowley.
Rev. Yoder was born on September 10, 1905 in Haven,
Kansas. He earned a Bachelor's Degree at Garrett Theological Seminary, and a Masters at the Drew University.
In 1933 he received Preliminary Fellowship, with Final
Fellowship on January 19, 1933.
He was a tireless advocate for social justice programs in
the greater Nashua community, especially in the fields of
hospice and mental health care.
Rev. Yoder was ordained on January 19, 1933 by the
Unitarian Church, Montpelier, VT. and served there as
In the early 1960s, the Rev. Rowley became a founder
minister until 1938. He then went on to serve the Unitarand president of the Nashua Mental Health Committee,
ian Universalist Church of Spokane until 1942. Part of his
and the goal of the group was to educate the community
ministry was hosting a weekly radio show on religious
about the need for mental health service. He served as
matters.
chairman of the Community Council's Mental Health
Committee, which was becoming a major provider of
Before his retirement in 1971, Rev. Yoder served the
mental health services.
Unitarian Universalist Association as Associate Director
of Development (1961-61) and then as Vice President for
Development from (1967-71)
He was elected chairman of the committee that formed
the Nashua Family Planning Association and later beDayton married his wife Dorothy in 1930, with whom he
came the founder and president of the Nashua Fair Hous- raised two children. Upon his retirement, they sold the
ing Practices Committee, which worked to secure hous- family home and took to the road in an Airstream trailer,
ing for African American families in the Nashua area. He visiting 49 states and Mexico. After he was widowed in
has served on the board of Harbor Homes, the board of
1987, Dayton shared a warm and wonderful companiondirectors of the Nashua Big Brother Chapter, board of the ship with Lucille Bursch of Spokane, traveling all around
Adult Learning Center, and served as a director and vot- the world before settling down in Spokane.
ing member of the New Hampshire-Vermont Blue Cross
Dayton is survived by Lucille Bursch, his daughter
Blue Shield. He also served on the board of trustees of
Nancy Yoder of Ashland, OR, his son Richard Yoder of
the Matthew Thornton HMO and served on the regional
Boston, MA, his granddaughter Shira Rowland, and his
health planning committee.
great-grandson and namesake Dayton Reid Rowland,
both of Champlin, MN. He will also be greatly missed by
In March 1943, at the height of World War II, the Rev.
Rowley left college and enlisted in the Army. He served Lucille's daughter Joanne Cenis and son Ed Bursch, both
in the 103rd Infantry Division on or near the front lines in of Spokane.
France and Germany. In November 1945, he was disMemorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Spocharged.
kane, P.O. Box 2215, Spokane, WA 99210-2215. MesRev. Rowley was predeceased by his wife, Norma, and is sages of remembrance may be sent to:
survived by his two sons, Dana and Philip. He enjoyed
Lucille Bursch
spending time with his family, fishing, hiking, gardening
1616 E. 30th Avenue #112
and outdoor activities. He requested a private interment
Spokane, WA 99203
service.
A memorial service was held Thursday, August 17, 2006
at 11:00 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane.
v
The Reverend Dayton Theodore Yoder died August 9,
2006 at Harvard Park in Spokane, WA. He was one hundred years old.
Page 6
UUMA NEWS
From the President
(Continued from page 1)
At our own Exec meetings, we dealt with a grievance filed by one UUMA member against
another, the second we have dealt with already this year, after eight years in which there was a
total of one. We also passed a motion “to urge the Director of District Services to establish
policies that require a District Executive who has substantive contact with members of a congregation served by a UUMA member to notify that minister. Exceptions to these policies
should be made following consultation with the Director of District Services.” (Since then, a
protocol has been developed for District staff that accomplishes what we desired.)
We were pleased with the success of the Leadership Assembly we held before Ministry Days
for UUMA Chapter leaders; and are determined to continue to strengthen the ties between the
Exec and Chapter leaders, and to provide another pre-GA opportunity in 2007, to be determined at our October meeting.
Looking ahead to that October meeting and the year beyond, I and other Exec members have
begun to set our priorities: to strengthen the Good Offices program; to continue to build connections between the Exec and Chapter leaders; to create an enticing and useful UUMA website; and to have the UUMA relate to UU theological students in a closer, more supportive
way. If you have other concerns you think we on the Exec (or I as president) should be paying
special attention to, please let me know.
It was hard to have to say good-bye to three Exec members I have served with these past three
years, each of whom brought valued skills and personalities to the group that will be missed:
Wayne Walder (CENTER), Mark Christian (Secretary), and Roger Brewin
(Publications/Communications). But those of us who are continuing on are delighted at the
arrival of Don Southworth (Secretary), Thom Belote (Communications), Joan Van Becelaere
(CENTER), and Rob Eller-Isaacs (President Designate).
I hope your ministries and your lives are going well. And I hope that when the times come
when that’s not the case, you can turn to your colleagues and count on us for understanding
and support.
All best wishes,
Ken
PS. I should let you know what is going on with the PLCC (the Professional Leadership Coordinating Council), to which the UUMA belongs along with the LREDA, UUMN, AUUA, and
SCM (i.e., religious educators, musicians, administrators, and community ministers – whether
ordained or not). Leaders of the groups have been meeting for the last four GAs for breakfast,
and mid-winter in Boston for the last two. Another meeting is scheduled for this coming winter, and the UUA has put the endeavor into its budget for future years. (In its start-up, the
member groups chipped in. The UUMA has been the largest donor, contributing $2,000 each
of the last two years, and for next year.) Our UUMA Administrator Janette Lallier and I attend
these meetings, and in the past Mary Katherine Morn and Wayne Walder have as well. At GA
this year, Janette and I were joined by Rob Eller-Isaacs.
2006-07 UUMA
Executive Committee
Ken Sawyer, President
[email protected]
Phone: 508-358-6133
Rob Eller-Isaacs, Pres. Desig.
[email protected]
Phone: 651-228-1456
Mary Katherine Morn, VP
[email protected]
Phone: 703-892-2565
Gail Geisenhainer, Treasurer
[email protected]
Phone: 772-794-5880
Donald Southworth, Secretary
[email protected]
Phone: 919-489-2575
Thom Belote, Publications
[email protected]
Phone: 913-381-3336
Randy Becker, Arrangements
[email protected]
Phone: 708-748-4250
Clyde Grubbs, ARAOM
[email protected]
Phone: 813-907-9864
Joan Van Becelaere, CENTER
[email protected]
Phone: 303-765-3106
Jane Rzepka, Chapter Visits
[email protected]
Phone: 617-948-6161
Susan Manker-Seale, GOP
[email protected]
Phone: 520-877-8961
The issues that the group deals with are complex, powerful, and have been emotionally charged at times. I think relations are
good at this point, and the group is enjoying the success of its GA efforts (a reception and three well-attended workshops), which
were the PLCC’s first concrete attempts besides the unified fund-raising effort for our various colleagues in New Orleans after
hurricane Katrina. Thanks go to Wayne Walder and Judy Tomlinson, who were our UUMA representatives on the team that
made the GA plans – and who have agreed to continue in that role.
One provocative subject of continuing discussion among the PLCC leadership is, what is “ministry”? At last winter’s meeting it
was suggested that, “Some of us are ministers, but we all do ministry” -- “we all” meaning all the professional staff. This wording has generated varied responses among UUMA members who have heard of it, and I am ready to hear more
([email protected]) in advance of this winter’s PLCC meeting.
SEPTEMBER 2006
Page 7
Celebrating 50 years of Ministry
David B. Parke
June 21, 2006
Sisters and brothers:
To be deputed by one's colleagues to represent them on this
occasion is high honor indeed.
again, and an assertion of the necessity for intellect and meditation.
It has been a good trip. At this time I invite your acknowledgment of the unique and enduring ministries of these diverse
A few of you may recall Clinton Lee Scott's fiery speech in the
and cherished ministerial colleagues.
early 1960s in which he said, The best thing about being the
50-year speaker is that I've outlived all my enemies, goddam
The first Unitarian ministers I knew were my maternal grand'em.
parents, Richard and Harriet Barton Boynton. Richard, from
Boston, and Harriet, from Turners Falls in western MassachuAt a ministers meeting early this month a colleague reminded
setts, met at the Meadville Theological School, then in Meadme of an experience of mine in Germantown many years ago.
ville, Pennsylvania, in 1892. Richard was born in 1870. HarReading a Beacon Press book on the subject of fire by a French
riet was eleven years his senior, born in 1859, the year of Darauthor, I decided to preach on it. The announcement board on
win's Origin of Species and of John Brown's raid at Harpers
Lincoln Drive for that Sunday said,
Ferry. Although neither was a college graduate, they graduated together from Meadville in 1895, were married immediUnitarian Church of Germantown
ately after graduation, and in due course were ordained at the
Fire
Unitarian Church in Roslindale, Massachusetts, now a part of
David B. Parke, Minister
Boston. Richard was minister of the Roslindale church. HarAnd they did.
riet worked with him for three years until their first child was
In the year 1956 eleven ministers were ordained, according to born. After five years, grandfather accepted a call to Unity
UUA records. They are Carl Bretz, David Brown, Bob Eddy, Church, Unitarian, in St. Paul, Minnesota, where a second
Bob Hadley, Manuel Holland, Rick Kelley, Ken LaFleur, Vern child, also a daughter, was born. This was my mother, Mary.
Nichols, Wes Stevens, Donovan White, and your speaker.
In 1908, seeking a more hospitable climate, the family moved
In April I invited these colleagues to respond to six questions. to Buffalo, New York. I assume Richard brought his snow
All ten replied. So we have a profile of the cohort of UU min- shovel with him. Richard was minister of the First Unitarian
Church in Buffalo 1908-26 and 1937-42. He established the
isters ordained a half-century ago.
philosophy department at the University of Buffalo, a private
We averaged 33 years of full-time or part -time ministry. We
university now incorporated into the State University of New
served a total of 87 congregations, which is 8.3 per cent of the York, and taught there for 30 years. Harriet, an invalid for
total of 1,042 congregations listed in the current UUA Direcmuch of her life, died in 1938 when I was ten.
tory. I was sure I would head the list with 18,
Richard died in 1961 when I was 33. I officiincluding 12 full-time interim ministries 1988ated at his memorial service in Buffalo.
2005, but Wes Stevens topped me with 20.
In Puritan times the church was a function of
“Every one ought
Asked, What was your greatest satisfaction in
local government, and the minister was an offiministry, six of 11 said preaching and conduct- to know what they are
cer of the town. The church is "a company of
ing worship. Other responses included onerunning to
people combined together by covenant for the
on-one counseling, social action in church and
and away from
worship of God," the Cambridge Platform states,
community, particularly civil rights and peace,
and "There is no greater Church [than] a Conand
why”
building meetinghouses for two congregations,
gregation" (Williston Walker, Creeds and Platand sharing life at its most vivid with parishforms of Congregationalism [reprint Boston,
ioners and colleagues.
1960; first ed. 1893], 210, 207). Pastors and teachers "are
given by Christ for the perfection of the saints," pastors
Asked, Are you actively involved in Unitarian Universalism
through the office of preaching the Word, teachers through the
today, ten said Yes, one said No.
office of instruction in doctrine; pastors and teachers were both
Asked, What message will you send to UU ministers ordained authorized to officiate at the sacraments and to execute cenin 2006, the responses included, Enable personal growth, Hang sure, an application of the Word (211). The work of pastor and
in there, Enjoy every day, Keep a sense of humor, and Every
teacher was often performed by the same individual. With
one ought to know what they are running to and away from
disestablishment of church and state, the church became an
and why.
entirely voluntary association of persons, the power to tax citizens for support of a local church having constituted the raison
Asked for additional thoughts, the colleagues wrote, There
were bumps in the road, but it has been a good trip, I'd do it
(Continued on page 9)
Page 8
UUMA NEWS
(Continued from page 8)
1920s, as "the odd couple."
The ideals of the liberal ministry are embodied in great measure in the careers and teachings of those responsible for theological education -- Francis Greenwood Peabody and William
Wallace Fenn at Harvard Divinity School, and Franklin C.
Southworth and James Luther Adams at Meadville, which 82
years after its establishment in PennsylIn 1900 the large majority of Unitarian
vania, relocated in Chicago in affiliation
churches were liberal Christian congrega“the great increase in the number with the University of Chicago. (In 1956
tions, but the theological spectrum of the
Adams, after two decades at Meadville,
ministry, reflecting the Transcendentalist
of women in ministry has
joined the Harvard Divinity School faccontroversy, the conservative backlash, and
transformed the denomination”
ulty.)
the Issue in the West, was as broad proporA new training center for ministers opened
tionately as it is today. Other factors contribits doors in Berkeley, California in 1906. Originally named
uting to the liberalization of church and ministry in the 19th
the Pacific Unitarian School for the Ministry, it adopted the
century were biblical criticism, abolitionism, the controversy
over evolution, and the globalization of faith as symbolized by name Starr King School after World War II. Its long-time
president was Earl Morse Wilbur, the great historian of the
James Freeman Clarke's "Ten Great Religions," published
Unitarian movement in Europe, who died in 1956.
1871-73.
d'etre for separation. Ministry, theretofore regarded as a lifetime connection, became a profession, as clergy were freed,
throughout their careers, to move from congregation to congregation at their own discretion.
Urbanization was a major factor in Unitarian growth in the
20th century as in earlier periods. Downtown congregations
prospered as the Unitarian denomination expanded westward
and southward. As in village and town, the minister was frequently recognized as an influential public citizen. Unitarianism, and its sister denomination, Universalism, offered a gospel of spiritual freedom and self-respect to persons whose religious needs were unmet by traditional churches. The failure
of the Modernist movement in Roman Catholicism (1907)
constituted a foil for Unitarian preaching, as did the rise of
Protestant fundamentalism, signaled by the publication of
"The Fundamentals," a series of religious texts produced between 1910 and 1915.
Modern religious humanism emerged to history in 1917 in the
upper Midwest. Ironically this reassertion of human perfectability occurred as the destruction of European civilization
was unfolding in the trenches and on the battlefields of the
Great War. William R. Hutchison refers to humanism and
fundamentalism, both of which grew markedly during the
This brief survey brings us to the question, What significant
events for church and ministry have occurred among us in the
past half-century.
First, religious liberalism in North American has since World
War II become a genuinely continental movement. Comprehensive and sustained innovation in transportation technology-the automobile, commercial aviation, mass transit, the interstate highway system -- has expedited the movement of peoples, the configuration of cities, the growth of congregations.
The completion of the lower forty-eight states with the addition of Oklahoma in 1907 and of New Mexico and Arizona in
1912, opened up the southwest for settlement. The rise in the
standard of living -- accomplished by domestic political reforms under Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and
Franklin D. Roosevelt, by Keynesian economic policies, and
by the emergence of modern, secular colleges and universities,
and the establishment of land-grant colleges and state universities-- created a new middle class seeking cultural advantages, including new forms of religious faith and practice.
Organizational advances in liberal religious
institutions, including leadership development, long-range planning, and vision-based
fundraising, augmented by research and funding agencies such as the Alban Institute and
the Lilly Endowment, have enhanced the capabilities of local congregations. The Unitarian fellowships program begun in 1946 created hundreds of new lay-led societies
throughout the continent and spurred the development of informed, skilled, and motivated lay leaders.
Second, the great increase in the number of
women in ministry has transformed the denomination. Women, be it known, were not
strangers to the pulpit in late 19th century
American Unitarianism and Universalism.
Following the ordination in 1863 of Olympia
(Continued on page 12)
SEPTEMBER 2006
Page 9
Continuing Education Network for Training, Enrichment and Renewal
What does CENTER do for you? How can CENTER do a better job? What might Ministry Days look like in the future?
What kind of Chapter Visits do you need or long for? This year is the Twentieth Anniversary of the formation of CENTER.
The members of the CENTER Committee looked this spring at its Charter:
•
•
•
•
•
•
To identify and articulate the roles and function of continuing education in ministry.
To strengthen collegiality.
To provide support and assistance to ministers in the design of our own personal programs for continuing
education.
To be a clearing house (providing information and access to successful courses, programs, institutions,
workshops, activities).
To provide continuing education programs.
To find funding to support continuing education activities.
CENTER is reassessing its mission and is going to wrestle very seriously with the issue of the changing needs of ministry and ministerial continuing education in the 21st Century. It is asking itself, our colleagues, and key stakeholder
groups a number of questions: How has Unitarian Universalist ministry changed in the 21st century? What are the
changing needs for continuing education for our ministers currently in the field and for those who will be entering our
ministry in the next decade? How can seminaries help meet those changing needs? What resources can they offer? How
are seminaries working to prepare students for those changing needs? What is CENTER’s role in meeting the needs of
new ministers, as well as those who have been in our ministry for some time?
When the CENTER Committee met with the UUMA Executive Committee in New Orleans in April, a proposal was
made to have a facilitated Summit Meeting in the Spring of 2007 with the stakeholders to discuss long-range plans for
continuing education for our ministers, as well as identifying any gaps currently found in ministerial education and how
they might be filled. The stakeholders identified are the Ministry and Professional Leadership Group, the Ministerial
Fellowship Committee, the UUMA, and the theological schools. The theme of the Summit will be “Mapping the Ministry Matrix: Collaborative Ministerial Formation for the 21st Century.” The goal of this conference will be to identify
best practices and environmental scanning regarding the nature of and need for continuing theological education and
ministerial formation. Ministerial formation is viewed as a process that combines scholarship, religious/spiritual development, and practice—active profesCENTER Committee:
sional engagement.
Roberta Finkelstein, Co-chair Jan Johnson
Ed Piper, Secretary
Portsmouth, NH
The CENTER Com603-436-4762
mittee will be [email protected]
ing their planning for
the Summit and the
Wayne Walder, Co-chair
issues involved at their
Toronto, ON
November meeting.
416-691-3230
UUMA members are
[email protected]
encouraged to be in
Michelle Bentley, UUA
touch with CENTER
Professional Dev. Dir.
Committee members
Boston, MA
to provide input.
617-742-2100
[email protected]
Page 10
Walnut Creek, CA
925-691-7221
[email protected]
Waynesboro, VA
540-942-5507
[email protected]
Roy Reynolds
Augusta, GA
706-733-7939
[email protected]
Maddie Sifantus, Publications
Wayland, MA
508-358-7091
[email protected]
Carol Huston
White Plains, NY
914-946-1660 x3
[email protected]
Joan Van Becelaere,
UUMA Exec
Denver, CO
303-765-3106
[email protected]
UUMA NEWS
CENTER DAY 2007
A Paradigm Shift: From Theory to Praxis
Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007*
Portland, Oregon
The 2007 CENTER main presentation will take place in two
parts. A Paradigm Shift will lay out the scholarship and research
over the past half Century that helps seminarians and pastors to
embrace the global view of God's world, God's people and their
different cultures as a positive tool for doing ministry and for
understanding that different does not mean deficient. This is a
break with the old North Atlantic model which presumed that
only Europe and European models of scholarship had validity.
After a short break, From Theory to Praxis will give ministers
some examples of doing ministry from a Progressive Faith
perspective in a culturally diverse world while not buying into
notions of superiority and the conservative mood of the dominant
culture. How "to serve this present age" while maintaining
personal integrity and honoring various traditions will be the focus of this presentation
Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr. became Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ
(TUCC) on March 1, 1972. Within a matter of months he demonstrated an understanding and
deep commitment to help TUCC achieve its motto and vision. The motto, "Unashamedly Black
and Unapologetically Christian", was a phrase coined by his predecessor, the Reverend Dr.
Reuben Sheares, and was officially adopted by the congregation shortly after Pastor Wright
began his ministry.
Trinity United Church of Christ’s membership currently exceeds 8,000 and in May 1997 a new
2,700 seat worship center was dedicated. The membership continues to grow numerically and
spiritually with large numbers of members tithing and participating in bible classes. Over 70
ministries are offered to enhance our Christian journey.
More on
CENTER Day07
Watch the UUMA News for
more information on the 2007
CENTER Day. CENTER will
offer worship services and the
usual workshops related to
various aspects of ministry, as
well as those related to the
topic of the day.
CENTER
Publications
CENTER regularly publishes Annotated Resource
Lists and Practical Wisdom short essays produced
by Colleagues, UUA staff,
or CENTER Day presenters. If you have a bibliography or helpful guide for
colleagues please contact
any member of the CENTER committee.
Annotated Resource Lists
and Practical Wisdom are
distributed during CENTER Day and through the
CENTER website:
www.uuma.org/center
* At time of printing the GA2007
dates had not been confirmed.
Watch the UUMA News for 2007
date confirmation
Pastor Wright holds a Doctor of Ministry Degree from United Theological Seminary, a
Master’s degree from Howard University, an additional Master’s degree from the University of
Chicago Divinity School and seven honorary doctorate degrees. He has lectured at many
seminaries and universities in the nation, and has represented Trinity and The United Church of Christ around the world. He is
recognized as a leading theologian and pastor and has published four books and numerous articles.
He shares his life with his wife, Ramah Reed Wright, and is the father of four daughters: Janet Marie Moore, Jeri Wright-Harris,
Nikol D. Reed and Jamila Nandi Wright; and one son, Nathan D. Reed. He is also the grandfather of three grandchildren;
Jeremiah Antonio Haynes, Jazmin Lynne Hall and Steven L. Moore, Jr.
Continuing Education
Current information on what’s
available for your continuing
education is available from:
♦ www.uuma.org/center
♦ CENTERfold of the UUMA News
♦ Continuing Education sections of
the Department of Ministry Packet
SEPTEMBER 2006
Continuing Education Grants Thanks to the Continuing Education Endowment raised
through the UUA’s Handing on the Future campaign, Ministry and Professional Leadership Staff
Group offers grants for continuing education. Individual grants are available on a matching basis
with one third paid by the minister, another by the congregation or organization, and the third
through the grant. Leadership teams planning professional education programs may also apply. A
maximum of $500 is available to any one participant per year.
Send applications to the Office of Professional Development at UUA with a description and
objectives of the program, and a breakdown of costs.
Page 11
Celebrating 50 years of Ministry
(Continued from page 9)
Brown, a Universalist graduate of Antioch College and the St.
Lawrence Theological School, women were a minority among
Universalist and Unitarian ministers, but an active and influential minority, as Olympia Brown's career and the history of the
Iowa Sisterhood attest. Samuel Eliot, president of the American Unitarian Association 1900-27, opposed women in ministry. It took three decades to overcome institutional inertia on
this issue, including the reluctance of women to seek careers in
a profession in which they were marginalized. The Meadville
Theological School, as we have seen, accepted qualified applicants with or without a college degree for much of its history.
Less venturesome on this issue, the Harvard Divinity School
accepted its first class of women ministerial candidates in
1955. We salute our colleague Judy Hoehler, a member of that
pioneer class. To all outward indications, a majority of candidates for the ministry approved during the past five years by the
UUA Ministerial Fellowship Committee are women (I have not
been able to secure exact figures).
Third, the professionalization of the ministry has elevated liberal religious leaders to full parity with expert practitioners in
the fields of law, medicine, dentistry, university teaching, the
sciences, civil service, and business. Before the establishment
of a department of ministry, it was said that Samuel Eliot as
AUA president carried the name, position, salary, and prospects
of every Unitarian minister in North America in his head. Such
informal arrangements are not conducive to healthy relations
between management and labor or between ministers and congregations. Professionalism has to do with standards of performance, working conditions, and compensation. The work of
raising standards requires commitment from the denomination
to congregations and to ministers, from congregations to the
denomination and to ministers, and from ministers to the denomination, to each other, and to the churches they serve. It is
impossible for any of the parties involved to raise standards
unilaterally. It must be done through principled collaboration.
In the 1960s, concerned that every minister stands alone in negotiating the terms of agreement with the church he or she
serves, the Rev. Rudolph Nemser began agitating for a statement of professional guidelines governing the responsibilities
of ministers and congregations in relation to each other. The
first such guidelines were adopted by the annual meeting of the
Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association in 1968 (see Rudolph W. Nemser, "We are Not Alone: the Origin of the
UUMA Guidelines," Kairos No. 15, Summer 1979, 6). To
what, you ask, can the responsibilities and compensation of a
liberal minister be compared? Nemser answers: a reasonable
standard is the workload, working conditions, and compensation of the superintendent of schools in a given community or a
foreign service officer of the United States Department of
State.
Today the UUMA Guidelines and Code of Professional Practice constitute a fair and comprehensive standard for ministers
and congregations. What have the Guidelines accomplished?
As a benchmark of institutional goals and ethical standards,
they give coherence and stability to ministers, congregations,
and their interactions. In the area of sexual ethics, they set a
high standard for ministers in relation to each other and to congregants. The grievance process utilizes the adversarial principle to challenge misconduct. Ministerial salaries have increased substantially during the four decades the Guidelines
have been in force. Congregations realize that ministers enjoy
the support of a professional organization that stands ready to
intervene, in protest or in advocacy, in the minister's behalf.
The existence of a level playing field in the recruitment, placement, and evaluation of ministers has heightened morale in the
ranks, especially important in a time of shifting gender balance
in the ministry.
Periodically revised, the Guidelines are one of the chief evidences of institutional health in the UUMA and in the UUA.
The Guidelines assure us that, to the extent we can make it so,
the principle of "the inherent worth and dignity of every person" is built into our covenants with each other and into our
agreements with the congregations we serve. May it always be
so.
UUMA Newsletter Submission Deadlines
♦
When is the Deadline?
Nov. 1 for the electronic (holiday) edition (posted Dec)
Feb 1 for the Winter/Spring edition (mailed/posted Mar)
May 1 for the Pre GA electronic edition (posted June)
August 1, for the Fall edition (posted and mailed Sept)
♦
I just missed the deadline; can you edit the posted edition
to include my item?
We can, but in almost every case we won’t. This is one
of those things that are technically possible, but humanly
very messy. Besides the newsletter, only documents
approved by the UUMA Exec are posted to the UUMA
website. To allow exceptions would be to expose our
web person to a potentially continuous stream of requests.
♦ If I’m happy reading it on line, do you have to send a print
version too?
No, and we’ll be pleased to save the trees, printing and
postage costs. Just hit the button on the Newsletter page
of the website that says, “Skip the printed version.” Or
send an email (be sure to include your full name) that
says: “SKIP IT” to [email protected].
Questions? Comments? Submissions?
Email [email protected]
Page 12
UUMA NEWS
Ministry Days 2007
Below are those ministers who will be celebrating anniversaries in June of 2007. If you believe your name to be on
this list in error, or feel your name has been omitted please contact Janette Lallier, UUMA Administrator in the
UUMA Office ([email protected], 617-848-0498.) To be included in the speaker ballot please notify us by
Nov. 1, 2006.
The following UUMA Members, ordained in 1957, will celebrate 50-yrs of service:
Joseph Craig
Ira Carter
Peter Scott
Arnold Thaw
Sidney Freeman
Diether Gehrmann
Roger Greeley
Webster Kitchell
Edwin Lane
Robert Lewis
Christopher Raible
Stephen Howard
Carl Scovel
Alan Seaburg
Philip Smith
Garth Van Nest
Robert West
Donald Wheat
The following UUMA Members, ordained in 1982, will celebrate 25-yrs of service:
Elizabeth Alcaide
Harold E. Babcock
Terence Ellen
Nina Grey
Judith Mannheim
Tracey Robinson-Harris
Sarah York
Jane Mauldin
Dorris Alcott
Richard Beal
W. Jim Eller
Gary Kowalski
John Marsh
Craig Roshaven
Jeanne Foster
Katharine Winthrop
James Anderson
Ellen Brandenburg
Alicia Forsey
Peter Lanzillotta
Makanah Morriss
Laurel Sheridan
Nannene Gowdy
Stanley Aronson
Terry Burke
Joan Gelbein
Peter Luton
Barbara Pescan
Adele Smith-Penniman
J. David MacMillan
UUMA 2006 Annual Worship Photo Gallery
June 21, 2006
St. Louis, Missouri
Exec Members: Roger Brewin, Jane Rzepka, and
Mary Katherine Morn
Rob Eller-Isaacs welcomes Members to Worship
Processional of 25/50 yr Celebrants.
SEPTEMBER 2006
Page 13
From UUMA Representatives
The Compensation, Benefits, and Pension Committee
Dear Colleagues,
As summer winds down, I am writing as the UUMA representative on the Compensation, Benefits, and Pension Committee of
the UUA, to urge you to give full consideration to the newly
available UU health insurance program, not only for yourself but
for your co-workers. If you or anyone on your staff are uninsured, I hope you/they have already enrolled! Here are a few
other ways to think about it.
One. Although the program is targeted to the currently notinsured, it might be of interest to someone who is paying out of
pocket for their own health insurance. It may well be that our new
program is a better deal. Might the premium payments in our new
program be lower than what you or a co-worker currently pay?
Might the benefits be better?
Two. Although it is recommended that congregations pick up
80% of the cost, those that have already approved their 2006-07
budgets may not pick up that much (or any!) of the tab. However,
if an employee is currently paying 100% of another plan’s premiums, even a 5, 10 or 20% payment by the employer toward the
premium for the UUA’s plan might be of help. The congregation
could commit to increasing that percentage over a specified number of years. Or not. Something is better than nothing.
Three. Those clergy or staff who are currently covered by a
spouse’s employer may do well to compare what we are paying
through payroll deductions with the cost of the UUA’s new health
insurance program. The trend in the public sector and in many
industries is to significantly reduce the employer-paid portion of
health benefits, which may make the UUA’s plan look even better
in the future.
Four. The UUA’s plan is portable. So if you or anyone on your
staff is considering a move to a UU congregation or UU-related
organization in another state, it may make sense to switch to the
UUA plan now (avoid pre-enrollment medical exams and gaps in
enrollment).
You and your co-workers can find out if any of these scenarios
apply to you by reading the materials you should have received in
the mail from the UUA. It might be well worth your time! (If you
didn’t receive a copy, please contact Ralph Mero at
[email protected] for a copy).
Those interested must sign up by October
15th. Better to look into it and decide
soon, during these last few weeks of summer, than to wait until the onslaught/excitement that is September!
Sincerely,
Diane Teichert, Minister
First Parish UU - Canton, MA
781-676-0097 ~ [email protected]
The Campus Ministry Advisory Committee
As I near the end of my term as your
UUMA Liaison to our Association's Campus Ministry Advisory Committee
(CMAC), I can cheerfully report that this
committee is both blazing new trails and
creating new systems of support for existing campus ministries.
Here are a few of our recent accomplishments:
•
•
•
•
•
plans to make the Code of Ethics more meaningful by creating a clear process of accountability, dealing with violations
and handling consequences, as well as educating staff and
representatives about the Code of Ethics
•
The CMAC is considering adding a representative from the
Society for Community Ministry
A full range of upcoming Campus Ministry and Young Adult
nationwide events is continually updated at www.connectuu.com
On the heels of last summer's release of a well-crafted outreach video for UU campus ministry, "A Living Faith"
(available from the UUA Bookstore), the CMAC is preparing
a video discussion guide with talking points and "how tos"
for use by campus groups
Colleagues, I encourage you to explore the many Campus Ministry resources available online, including the ever-popular
"Organizing Campus X," an online Campus Ministry Guide for
those of you who are considering implementing a Campus Ministry program in your congregations. (Visit www.uua.org/yacm/campus/index.html)
A Young Adults/Campus Ministry Professionals Directory
has been created to foster connection and communication
I have served on the CMAC with great pleasure, and have deep
appreciation for all of you who have dedicated parts of your ministry to our campus ministry students and our young adults. Thank
you for assuring that this living faith of ours will be kept alive,
and deepened, by the next generation!
Two online seminars were held last year for Young
Adult/Campus Ministry leaders across the country
Last fall (2005), five campus ministry trainings were held
from California to Massachusetts., with over 70 participants
Following the creation (in 2005) of a Code of Ethics for peer
leaders in Young Adult and Campus Ministry, the CMAC
Page 14
Respectfully submitted,
Rev. Erika Hewitt, Parish Minister
Live Oak UU Congregation of Goleta, Calif.
UUMA NEWS
UUA Health Insurance Update
August is here, UU folks are getting back in the groove of congregational activities, and it’s time to highlight enrollment in
the new UUA health plan. We are making great progress toward obtaining the 500 enrollees we must have by October 15
in order for the plan to go into effect on January 1, 2007.
need to have special Congregational Meetings in September to
act on budget revisions – or even ask people to increase their
pledges - but that can be done.
This is the time for eligible staff without adequate health insurance to speak up and make their needs clear to their employers.
All churches have received health plan information by direct
If you feel the UUA Office of Church Staff Finances should
mail. Many congregations have received phone calls from their call someone in your church leadership about this, please let
district compensation consultants. UUA Trustees will be asked Jim Sargent know who that someone is. Jim is at 617/948-6405
in September to contact the churches in their districts whose
or [email protected].
eligible staff members have not yet enrolled. Eligibility means
This is the best and last opportunity we will have to make a
ANY church staff member who works at least 1,000 hours per
good health plan available to those who serve our congregayear, which is slightly less than half-time.
tions. We know that church leaders can find additional money
A third announcement will be in the next mailing to congrega- when they learn that their staffs don’t have health insurance for
tions from the UUA. If that lands on your desk, be sure the
themselves and their children.
health plan insert is put in the hands of the president and minisWe must not let this opportunity pass by because those who
ter. Further health plan information is on the UUA website at
need this critical benefit didn’t raise their voices. Please don’t
http://www.uua.org/leaders/insurance/.
hesitate to let me hear from you if we can be helpful.
Congregations are urged to contribute 80% of the premium cost
Thanks.
for enrolled staff, and 50% of the premium cost for dependents.
Ralph Mero
But we have no way of controlling those percentages, and some
congregations will pay greater or lesser amounts, with the enrollee having the balance subtracted from their monthly salary.
Premium statements will be mailed to the congregations, just
like for our other insurance services. Some congregations will
From the Department of Church Staff Finances
Social Security Issues
In past years it was common for some conservative clergy to "opt out" of Social Security based on a conscientious objection to all
forms of government run social insurance programs. A few UU ministers have made this mistake as well. The UUA is not officially
opposed to social insurance programs, and we don't endorse such efforts to opt out.
Congress has recently decided that it will not allow another period
during which ministers can revoke this exemption from Social
Security, so those who opted out will remain outside the Social
Security and Medicare systems, at least as far as their employment
in ministry is concerned.
We urge colleagues to carefully consider the impact of forfeiting
Social Security benefits as the trade-off for avoiding the selfemployment tax that clergy must pay on their salary and housing
allowance.
Scholarships for Children of Ministers
Children of UU ministers in fellowship may apply for modest
undergraduate scholarships from the Office of Church Staff Finances.
The application is on the UUA website at:
www.uua.org/programs/ministry/finances/scholarshipapp.html.
Note that the deadline for submission is September 30, 2006. This
is firm. With college costs skyrocketing, even a few hundred dollars for books can be a real help.
SEPTEMBER 2006
News from
the UUA
———————
What’s New on UUA.ORG?
Please visit http://www.uua.org/whatsnew.html for
new and important online highlights on UUA.org
Please share the above link and relevant information
with those who might find it useful!
On behalf of the Office of Electronic Communication,
Julie Albanese, [email protected]
Office of Electronic Communication
———————
Page 15
Sermon Award Announcements
2006 APF/UUMA/LREDA
Stewardship Sermon Award Winner
2006 Richard Borden
Excellence in Sermons Awards
The Rev. William Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2006 Richard Borden Excellence in Sermons Award
competition.
The winning sermons and their authors are:
♦ First Place: Sharing a Journey
– Lisa Sargent, Starr King School for the Ministry
♦ Runner-Up: Getting Real About Food
– Ana Porter, Meadville Lombard Theo. School
♦ Contemporary Slavery: You Can Make a Difference
– Kathryn Ellis, Wesley Theological Seminary
♦ Resisting Reasonable Atrocity
– David Schwartz, Harvard Divinity School
Unlike previous years, in which the Borden Sermon contest was
open to all ordained UU ministers, this year’s contest was restricted to Unitarian Universalist theology students who had aspi2007 APF/UUMA/LREDA
rant or candidate status prior to January 1, 2006. The eligibility
rules were changed in order to better support the next generation of
Stewardship Sermon Award
Unitarian Universalist ministers as they complete their theological
Why is it important for us to financially support our Unitarian Uni- studies and embark upon their ministry.
versalist faith?
Entries were evaluated based on how well they met several criteria,
The Stewardship Sermon Award was established in 1984 and is
including describing ways in which Unitarian Universalists can
given annually for the sermon judged most effective in exploring apply our seven principles to better our world, country, communiand promoting financial support of our Unitarian Universalist
ties, and the lives of family, friends, and others. Special considerafaith. This $1,000 award is co-sponsored by the Annual program tion was given to sermons which demonstrate how UUs, individuFund, the Unitarian Universalist Ministers’ Association and the
ally or collectively, can take leadership roles in these efforts. In
Liberal Religious Educators’ Association.
particular, the judges sought sermons that focused on turning hope
and good intentions into practical action, with the goal of making
All professional leaders, including those in their second year of
UU principles come alive to solve problems and move our world to
professional study or beyond, are invited to submit a sermon on
the, delivered between Jan. 1, 2006 and Feb. 11, 2007. The recipi- a better place.
ent will be invited to deliver the award sermon at one of the Gen- A variety of topics were covered in the entries submitted, and
eral Assembly 2007 worship services in Portland , Oregon.
the passion, grace, and desire to inspire action in the service of
justice and truth demonstrated in each sermon speaks volumes
All submissions should be sent to Melissa Ferris, APF Assistant,
[email protected] , by the deadline of Feb. 14, 2007. For more details about the quality of our future ministers and the future of our
liberal religious movement.
on the submission format and selection process, visit:
www.uua.org/giving/apf/sermon.html , or contact Laurel Amabile,
Director of the APF, [email protected] or 617-948-6513.
“The Land of Enough”
by Cecilia Kingman Miller
Cecilia Kingman Miller is the District Special Consultant, Wy'east
UU Congregation, Portland OR, serving as consulting minister,
and is a stewardship and fundraising consultant. She believes tithing is a radical act in a materialistic culture!
The selection committee had the daunting task of evaluating 22
wonderful sermons this year. Serving on the committee were:
♦ Pat Ellenwood, LREDA representative and DRE, UU Society
of Wellesley Hills, MA
♦ Reverend Bruce Clary, Minister Emeritus of First Parish
Church in Dedham, and former APF Committee member
♦ Reverend Naomi King, Minister of the UU Church of Utica,
NY, UUMA liaison to the APF Committee, and last year's
winner.
New
Publications
by Colleagues:
Marilyn Sewell, Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Church in
Portland, OR, announces two new publications. First, Threatened
with Resurrection, a book of 36 sermons on diverse subjects such
as "What We Have by Grace," "Feeling Like God's Jilted Lover,"
and "The Soul of Sexuality."
course, and suggestions for new ways of being for our churches
and our people. Both are available at the UUA bookstore.
v
Matthew Tittle, minister of the Bay Area Unitarian Universalist
Church, has published his first book Taking Back Faith: Heretical
Thoughts for a New Century . The book is a collection of 25 sermons that I preached during 2004-05. I hope you will consider
buying a copy. All proceeds are going to benefit BAUUC's current Capital Campaign.
You can get FREE SHIPPING on copies ordered directly from
www.revmatt.org. You can also order Taking Back Faith from
And second, a 28-page monograph entitled "Unitarian Universalist
major online booksellers such as amazon.com and
Culture: the Present and the Promise," which is an analysis of the
barnesandnoble.com. Churches and other event planners can
cultural predilections that prevent Unitarian Universalism from
contact me directly for discounts on orders of 5 or more copies.
growing and from being a more potent voice in the public disPage 16
UUMA NEWS
UUMA Member
Announcements:
Journal of Religious Humanism
The latest issue of the twice yearly publication of HUUmanists (the
membership organization for humanists with UU affiliations) contains articles by our colleagues Christine Robinson on the UU Journey beyond Humanism, and Peter Tufts Richardson, critiquing the
Commission on Appraisal's report, “Engaging Our Theological
Diversity.” This volume also has Mike Werner's take
on foundation liberal religious values and Beth Staas' nominees
from Western literature for a “humanist scripture.”
Discount rates are available to UU ministers and seminarians Single copies are available for $8, yearly subscriptions for $15 ($28
for two years). The Journal is also included with each membership
in HUUmanists, discounted at $35 for one year and $65 for two
years. Colleagues should place discount orders through the editor,
Rev. Roger Brewin at 10559 S. Wood St. Chicago, IL 60643,
[email protected] (773) 881-4028.
be ready for GA and available at the Community Ministry booth.
The departments specifically supporting our ministries are enthused about this project and look forward to referring seminarians, candidates, and ministers to directors from within the denomination - directors who are better prepared to meet the unique spiritual needs of our members. I look forward to creating a resource to
enhance the journey! Visit the Spiritual Directors Network on the
web at www.uusdn.org
With blessings, Rev. Jade Angelica
v
Revival 2006
Revival 2006 will be at the Fourth Universalist Society, New York
City, Nov. 2-5. "Universalism: God's Reviving Grace" featuring
keynote lectures by Dr. Gary Dorrien and Jim Mulholland, plus
worship led by Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt and others (centering
prayer/taize, communion, prayer and healing service, opening and
closing worships). Small groups and workshops will be led by the
keynoters and Revs. Tim Jensen, Suzanne Meyer, Tom Schade,
and others. Early Registration deadline for much reduced rate is
Oct. 2.
Full-color brochures are available by email so you can download,
print and copy, and/or send on to church email lists and church
newsletters and to others you know who might be interested, especially in the NYC and surrounding area and in other faith communities. A great time to be in NYC.
UUCF Publication: Good News
More information is also available at www.uuchristian.org .
Subscriptions to the bimonthly "Good News" periodical and the
Rev. Ron Robinson, Executive Director
annual theological Journal are only $50. Vol. 60 is available now, Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship
a special issue on "Universalism" featuring a major article by Rev. [email protected]
Mark Harris with responses from Revs. Carl Scovel, Joseph Bassett, and other articles exploring Universalism then and now. To
subscribe email Rev. Ron Robinson at [email protected].
v
v
v
UU Spiritual Directors' Network
Summer Vacation Week at Star Island
Again this year there will be grants for a free week on Star Island
for UU parish ministers and family. NO MINISTERIAL RESPONSIBILITIES. From previous recipients:
More and more UUs - ministers, seminarians and members - are
“For us as a family it was a week without distractions (I am
embarking on meaningful life "journeys." Many are actively seeknot sure that has ever happened before): pure magic for all of
ing guides to accompany them along the way. In recent years, a
us. If there is anything extra you do today, apply for this grant
number of UU clergy and lay community ministers have sought
and then pray (if you do that) with reckless abandon that you
training in the ancient practice of spiritual direction, and we are
find yourself on Star Island next summer.”
currently - eagerly - available to provide direction for UU seekers.
- Rev. Sue Kingman, Sanford, ME.
In response to the growing need to connect seekers among us with
trained UU directors, I am honored to be answering the call to
"We were welcomed warmly by Old Shoalers and enjoyed
develop The Spiritual Directors' Network.
sharing the beauty of the island with them for an entire week
Gathering the names and contact information of all ordained and
... not to mention the good food, the polar bear swims, the
lay directors who have completed or are enrolled in a certificate
tournaments, and the precious porch time. I encourage all of
program in spiritual direction is the first step in developing The
our colleagues to take advantage of the grant program and
Network. If you are a certified director please email me at janexperience Star for themselves."
[email protected] . If you know of lay spiritual directors, please
- Rev. Paige Getty, Columbia, MD.
ask them to email me. After directors are identified, each will be
asked to submit their contact information, program attended and Contact Brad Greeley at [email protected] or Rosemarie Smurzyndate of completion, and a brief description of their practice. When ski at [email protected] for details.
all the information is gathered, the directory of spiritual directors
will be distributed as a resource to various departments and websites associated with the UUA. If all goes well, the directory will
SEPTEMBER 2006
Page 17
Other Announcements:
Starr King—Meadville Merger
Over the past eighteen months, representatives from Starr King
School for the Ministry, Meadville Lombard Theological School,
and the UUA have discussed ways to nurture and enhance Unitarian
Universalist theological education, specifically the possibility of
merger or consolidation of the schools. The vision crafted during
these conversations is a compelling one, and all parties are committed to this vitally important work. Starr King, however, does not
believe that it is in its best interest at this time to enter into a formal
process of negotiations aimed at merger or consolidation. Although
the negotiations for merger or consolidation will not move forward
at this time, all three parties remain open to the possibility of future
partnership and collaboration.
- Lee Barker, President, Meadville Lombard Theological School
- David Sammons, Acting President (during Rebecca Parker's sabbatical), Starr King School for the Ministry
- William G. Sinkford, President, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
On Sale NOW
A project of the
Unitarian Universalist
Musicians Network
Order forms available at www.uumn.org
Or contact [email protected]
The Church of the Larger Fellowship
CLF wants your sermons!
While you’re filing this summer, consider sending sermons for consideration in Quest, the Church of the
Larger Fellowship’s monthly publication, and/or for use within our online library. The Church of the Larger
Fellowship has over 3,000 members from all over the world, and we would love to have your words be part of
our spiritual community.
The Church of the Larger Fellowship’s website has over 350 complete services with sermons by well-known
Unitarian Universalist ministers available for use in worship.
If you would like to contribute a service for consideration, please email materials to [email protected]
And… Check out these important CLF links:
CLF Homepage: http://www.clfuu.org
Quest: http://www.uua.org/clf/quest/2006/07/index.html
Religious Education: http://www.uua.org/clf/re/
Online Community: http://www.uua.org/clf/community.html
Questions? Contact the CLF at 617-948-6166. We would love to hear from you.
For more information about the Church of the Larger Fellowship, including CLF membership,
go to www.clfuu.org.
The Church of the Larger Fellowship is a UU congregation serving UU individuals and small groups all over the world.
The Church of the Larger Fellowship is supported by its membership.
Page 18
UUMA NEWS
UUMA Publications:
From The Communion Book:
1.
An End of Summer Service:
This is a communion service to be celebrated on the first Sunday of the new church
year when the congregation re-gathers after the summer recess. It was developed by
David and Beverly Baumbaugh. The ceremony comes at the close of the morning
service and uses small packets of dried flower petals that are distributed to the congregation. . . .
To order The Communion Book ($15) or
other UUMA Publications visit:
www.uuma.org/main/textpublications.htm
email: [email protected],
or call: 617-848-0498
. . . “The calendar says it is still summer.
Our minds read the seasons more clearly —
the sudden flocking of birds,
the subtle spots of red on the maple,
the fall of leaves in a quiet rain —
And we know we’ve come to summer’s end.
Our hearts still cling
to warm sunlight ,
to the verdant trees,
to the long days and short nights,
to the season of pause and renewal.
But already the work
and the promise
of autumn intrude.” . . .
A Lighter Look:
Do you have a funny story, sermon title, or other juicy tidbit to share with your colleagues?
Email it to [email protected] to be included in this lighter look at ministry!
Each summer I happen to see a bumper sticker message or sign that provides a great sermon
title and topic for the upcoming year. Last year it was a bumper sticker that said:
"MILITANT AGNOSTIC: I don't know and you don't either!"
This year's title came from a sign in front of an insurance agency in Maine.
I can't wait for next year.
"Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?"
the Rev. Patricia Shelden, Cleveland Heights., Ohio
I once preached a sermon on feminism titled:
The sermon that has gotten the most
congregational notice this summer was entitled
"In Defense of the "F" word"
"I'm Too Busy To
It was well attended.
Come Out of the Closet."
Rev. Doc. Silvia R. Behrend
SEPTEMBER 2006
Jill M. Bowden, M. Div.'05, Candidate for Ministry
Page 19
New and Upgraded Members
The below list contains the names of individuals who have either joined (or rejoined) the UUMA or have received a membership upgrade since the last UUMA News Printed Version (Feb. 2006). Welcome!! For a complete membership directory visit
www.uuma.org/members/directory.asp (member password needed)
Name
Matthew D. Alspaugh
Peggy Amlung Clarke
Linda Anderson
Shawn E. Anthony
Steve Aschmann
William T. Breeden
Patricia Brennan
Brian H. Covell
John T. Crestwell
Megan Dalby
Jeanelyse Doran Adams
Elizabeth K Ellis
Heather Fawcett
Megan Foley
Paula Gable *
Barb Greve
Margot C. Gross
Janis Hall-Fuller
Patricia Haresch
Michael W. Hennon
Karen L. Hering *
David Hutchinson
Carie J. Johnsen *
Nina I. Kalmoutis
Anthony F. Lorenzen
Membership
Candidate
Candidate
Regular
Candidate
Associate
Regular
Regular
Regular
Regular
Candidate
Candidate
Life
Regular
Candidate
Regular
Candidate
Life
Candidate
Regular
Regular
Candidate
Associate
Candidate
Candidate
Candidate
Chapter
Pacific Central
Iroquois
Iroquois
PKUUMA
Ohio-Meadville
Central Midwest
Mass Bay
Central Midwest
Chesapeake
Southwest
Pacific Central
PKUUMA
UUMOC
PKUUMA
Southeast
Pacific Central
Pacific Central
Pacific Central
Emerson Ballou
Central Midwest
Central Midwest
Northeast
Ballou Channing
Pacific Central
Clara Barton
Name
Stephanie L. Ludwig
Carole Martignacco
Julia McKay
Margaret Meeker *
Emily A. Melcher *
Jeremy T. Melvin
Angela J. Merkert
James M. Moir
Christina M. Neilson
Roger W. Paine
Victoria S. Rao *
Myriam Renaud
Donald Robinson
Adam Robersmith
Jessica P. Rodela
Anya Sammler
Joseph Santos-Lyons
David Schwartz
Terrance L. Sims
Lauren A. Smith *
Amy F. Strano
Timothy D. Temerson
E. John Wright
Renee Zimelis -Ruchotzke
Membership
Candidate
Regular
Candidate
Candidate
Candidate
Candidate
Candidate
Candidate
Regular
Associate
Candidate
Regular
Regular
Regular
Candidate
Candidate
Candidate
Candidate
Regular
Candidate
Candidate
Candidate
Candidate
Candidate
Chapter
PSW
UUMOC
Pacific Central
Iroquois
Mass Bay
Central Midwest
Mountain Desert
Central Midwest
Ohio-Meadville
Mass Bay
International
Central Midwest
Chesapeake
Central Midwest
Central Midwest
Pacific Central
Mass Bay
Mass Bay
PSW
Mass Bay
Metro NY
Ballou Channing
Pacific Central
Central Midwest
* Membership will be voted upon at the October Exec Meeting
UUMA News
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