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Metro NY Minute --
June 2010 |
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News From the
District
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UU
Leadership Team Institute By the Sea, hosted by
the Joseph Priestly District and the Metro NY District
and scheduled for August 26-August 29 at the Ocean Grove
NJ Retreat Center, is a residential learning experience
for congregational leadership teams to equip them with
practical tools and powerful ideas that can transform
their congregations. For a flyer,
click here  .
For track descriptions,
click here .
To register,
click here. For more information, contact
Patricia Infante.
The
St. Lawrence District is sponsoring a UU Leadership Team
Institute Leadership retreat July 25-28
at Notre Dame Retreat House in Canandaigua Lake NY for
congregational leaders in the four districts comprising
the CenEast Regional Group -- Metro NY District,
Ohio-Meadville District, Joseph Priestly District, and
St. Lawrence District. Registration is $305. For a
flyer,
click here .
For a mailable registration form,
click here .
For online registration,
click here. For more information, contact
Jan Gartner.
The
Ohio-Meadville District Summer Institute,
July 11-July 17 at Kenyon College, Gambier OH, includes
workshops that focus on lay theological education and
are sponsored in part by the
UU
Leadership Team Institute (UULTI). More than 600 UUs
are expected to attend this year's Summer Institute.
Congregations signing up for
Association Sunday 2011 are automatically
entered into a raffle, and UUA President the Rev. Peter
Morales will deliver a sermon on Association Sunday to
the winning congregation. As an added bonus,
congregations that sign up by the closing of General
Assembly -- June 27 -- will have twice the chance to
win. Watch
a video message from President Morales.
More Good Stuff to Check Out!
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 The work of
the District Anti-Racism and Diversity Committee (ARDC),
chaired by the Rev. Michael Tino, will be
highlighted in a presentation at General Assembly 2010 by UUA
Secretary Tom Loughrey reporting on the results of General
Assembly's 2009 Responsive Resolution calling on UUs to address
making inclusion a reality in congregations. In January, the ARDC
prepared a
comprehensive set of materials
for congregations to use in addressing inclusion.
The District Grievance Policy
is included in the
Volunteer Policy Manual and
includes recommended procedures for registering
concerns about District staff or consultants.
Workshop materials from the 2010 District Annual Meeting are now
available online. Also available from the meeting are the
keynote address by the Rev. Burton Carley and the
2010 Annual Reports.
Click here.
News From the
UUA 
 The
Rev. Peter Morales, UUA President, was among more than 500
UUs participating in a march in Phoenix AZ on on
May 29 protesting the state's immigration legislation,
Senate Bill 1070 .
The legislation was signed into law in April and gives the
police broad power to detain anyone suspected of being in
the country illegally. The UU Congregation of Phoenix
sponsored a dinner and rally prior to the march. Addressing
the rally, President Morales said "Thousands of peaceful law
abiding residents will be subject to the most invasive and
discriminatory abuse of state power."
Read more. The May 29 march was the kick off to
Freedom Summer. Organizers -- including
those from Standing on the Side of Love --
will come to Phoenix this summer to organize against the
legislation.
Read more. The UUA Board of Trustees has
proposed a resolution, to be voted on by
delegates to General Assembly 2010, to boycott
Phoenix as the chosen site of General Assembly 2012. UU
organizations and individuals have been vigorously debating
the issue.
Read more.
Can't
make it to General Assembly 2010? You can still
participate!
Click here for good ideas about how to be involved from
home. The
final agenda for General Assembly 2010 is now online.
 Story,
Song and Spirit: Fun and Creative Worship Services for All
Ages by the Rev. Erika Hewitt is a new
offering available at the UUA Bookstore from Skinner House
Books. A collection of resources
for multigenerational worship services, the book includes
complete service scripts and recommended hymns, readings,
and props.
The
Commission on Appraisal (COA) has chosen as its new topic of
study "Who's in Charge Here? The Complex Relationship of
Ministry and Authority." The COA is charged to
"review any function or activity of the Association which in
its judgment will benefit from an independent review and
report its conclusions to a regular General Assembly." The
COA will report on its new topic at General Assembly 2013.
Read more .
Annual Reports at
General Assembly 2010 are presented by 11
committees, individuals, and organizations. To read the
reports,
click here.
The UUA Board of Trustees voted unanimously on May
20 to switch retirement plan providers after
Fidelity Investments refused to divest from companies doing
business in the Sudan. The UU Organizations Retirement Plan
has been managed by Fidelity Investments since 1999. In the
fall, the UUA's plan will switch to TIAA-CREF.
Read more.
The fifth episode of
A Religion For Our Time, a series of short
videos highlighting inspiring work in UU Congregations, is
now available. Episode five features the creation of an
alternative worship service at the Oak Ridge UU Church in
Tennessee.
News From Congregations
Milestones and Transitions
 The
Rev. Anthony P. (Tony) Johnson received
a Doctor of Ministry degree with a focus on
ministry in multifaith settings from New York
Theological Seminary on May 15. His
demonstration project, titled "Landlord,
Tenants, Neighbors: Can One Congregation's
Facility Become a Multifaith Neighborhood?”,
explored the relationships among the five
different faith groups at the Community
Church of New York UU (Manhattan)
and developed among three of them a practice of
active neighboring. The project also analyzed
the history and theology behind this
concentration of religious/spiritual communities
in one location. Rev. Johnson is Affiliated
Community Minister at the
Community Church and Consulting Minister at the UU
Congregation of the Palisades (Englewood NJ).
Julie Taylor will be ordained by the
Fourth Universalist Society (Manhattan) on October 10
at 5:00 pm.
Correction: The Rev. Rosemarie Newberry
is Community Minister at the UU Congregation of Monmouth County
(Lincroft NJ), not Consulting Minister, as reported in the May
issue of the Metro NY Minute. |
 The
UU Congregation at Rock Tavern (NY) celebrated Flower
Communion Sunday on May 23 in their new spiritual home. The
congregation held a private dedication and opening ceremony to
celebrate rebuilding the facility that was destroyed by fire in
September 2006. The congregation will host a public dedication and
open house in September. Pictured are Claire Reineman,
President (standing), the Rev. Jim Bridges (seated
left), and Terri Pahucki, Lay Worship Leader.
UU
Congregation of Princeton (NJ) member Allison Woolbert is
featured in a uuworld.org story covering her activism in supporting
federal legislation -- the Employment Non-Discrimination Act or ENDA
-- to end discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender people in the workplace.
Read more.
The UU
Congregation of Central Nassau (Garden City NY) will celebrate
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day,
on June 19 with a dinner and entertainment. Juneteenth is an
American holiday honoring African American heritage and celebrated
by people of all ethnic and racial backgrounds. It commemorates the
announcement of the abolition of slavery in Texas in 1865. The term
is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth and is recognized as a state
holiday in 36 states.
The UU Congregation of the
Palisades (Englewood NJ) held a service on May 16 that
focused on the achievements of Dr. Dorothy Height, President Emerita
of the National Council of Negro Women, who died on April 20.
Read more.
The First UU Church of Essex County (Orange NJ) held an
exhibit on April 25 presented by the artists of Arts UnBound, which
provides professional level art instruction and studio space for
people with learning, emotional, and physical disabilities.
The UU
Society in Stamford (CT) held a successful fundraising
event May 1 featuring a gourmet dinner with selected wines for each
course. Twenty one guests attended and raised $2100 for the
Society.
Other Noteworthy Items
 Heritage Week
at Murray Grove
August 1-6 will feature workshops on UU history and UU religious
education history led by the Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Strong with the
Rev. Carol Haag and the Rev. Dr. Carol Taylor. For
a flyer,
click here .
For more information, call 609-693-5558. Marafanyi
-- West African drum, dance, and song in poetic motion -- will be
the featured entertainment on July 14 at the Grove Gathering Coffee
House, with a potluck at 6:00pm and entertainment from 7:00-9:00pm.
Coffee Houses are scheduled for the second Wednesday of every month.
The Drum and Dance Fest will be held August 13-15,
and Homecoming 2010 will be held September 24-26,
featuring Michael Dowd and a presentation of the intergenerational
musical Oh Jonah!
The UU
Ministry for Earth has created a series of "green
papers" on environment and justice, focusing on areas
such as food, climate disruption, environment and health, and animal
welfare. The papers are a result of a collaborative review and edit
process with over 30 UU ministers, lay people, and UUA staff
participating.
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Upcoming Workshops and Meeting
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| Visit the District's Calendar and Events page for these and other events: |
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Building Healthy Congregations: June
12, UU Fellowship of Briarcliff, Croton, and Ossining
(Croton-on-Hudson NY). For more information, contact
Doug Zelinski. |
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Liberal Religious Educators Association District
Chapter Retreat: June 13-16, Ocean Grove NJ. For
more information, contact
John Cavallero. |
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Star Island Lifespan Religious Education Conference:
July 11-17, Star Island off the coast of Portsmouth NH. |
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UU Mid-Atlantic Community:
July 18-24, DeSales University in Center Valley PA. For a flyer,
click here .
For a brochure and registration form,
click here .
For more information, contact Jo
Paoletti. |
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UU Leadership Institute
Leadership Retreat: July 25-28, Notre Dame Retreat House,
Canandaigua NY. For a flyer,
click here .
For a mailable registration form,
click here .
For online registration,
click here. For
more information, contact
Jan Gartner. |
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Junior/Senior OWL Training:
August 6-8, Murray Grove Retreat and Conference Center, Lanoka
Harbor NJ. For a flyer, click
here .
To register,
click here. For more information, contact
Andrea Lerner. |
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UU
Leadership Team Institute By the Sea: August 26-29,
Ocean Grove Retreat Center, Ocean Grove NJ. For a flyer,
click here .
For track descriptions,
click here . To
register,
click here. For more information, contact
Patricia Infante. |
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Annual Leadership Day: October 2, UU Congregation
at Shelter Rock, Manhasset NY. For more information, contact
Andrea Lerner. |
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UU Ministers Association
District Chapter Meeting: October 6, location to be
announced. For more information, contact the
Rev. Tony Johnson. |
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Elementary OWL Training: October
15-17, UU Congregation at Shelter Rock, Manhaset NY. For more information,
contact Andrea Lerner. |
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