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| Metro NY Minute -- July/August 2009 | |
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| | | | News From the District |  |
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 Be
a part of the Young Adult
Our Whole
Lives class starting in fall 2009! The age range of 18-35 is
a broad one with many changes and challenges, one of which is navigating
sexuality and relationships as an adult.
Facilitators Kirsten DeFur, the Rev. Jude Geiger, and Claire Sexton,
District Young Adult and Campus Ministry Consultant (pictured), will be
leading the 14-session course at the Community Church of New York UU
(Manhattan), beginning September 10.
The class will meet every other Thursday evening from 7:00-8:30 pm. If you
are interested in joining the class or have any questions, call or email
Claire Sexton at 214-868-6054 or
clairensexton@gmail.com. Read more  .
The District Anti-Racism and Diversity Committee is sponsoring
Creating a Jubilee World: An Anti-Racism Workshop on September
25-26 at the UU Congregation of Central Nassau (Garden City NJ). The
workshop is
designed to help congregations dismantle racism by encouraging participants
to examine both personal and institutional racism, and by empowering them to
develop a realistic plan that can move their congregations forward in
working for racial justice. All are encouraged to attend. For
a flyer, click here .
To register,
click
here. For more information, contact the
Rev. Hope Johnson.
Laurie
James, co-chair of the District Women and Religion Committee, has
received the Margaret Fuller Award, a grant of $2200, from the UU Women's
Federation for writing A Medley for Margaret Fuller, a dramatic
staged presentation highlighting the writings of Margaret Fuller, to be
presented at the Graduate Center of City University in New York City on May
6, 2010. The presentation, directed by Laurie and free to the public, is
part of the
Margaret Fuller Bicentennial Celebration.
| News From the
UUA |
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 Standing
on the Side of Love, a UUA public advocacy campaign promoting the
inherent worth and dignity of every person, was
enthusiastically launched at General Assembly 2009 June 24-28 in Salt Lake
City UT, highlighted by an interfaith public witness event in support of
immigrant families on June 26, attended by more than 1000 people.
View the YouTube video about the launch. All are invited to
join the campaign.
| | | Worth Repeating
The 2009 Fall
Junior Youth Retreat is scheduled for September 26-27 at Camp
Ma-Kee-Ya, Harriman State Park, NY. Youth and adults from across the
District attend. The retreat is staffed and run by high school UUs, with
religious education teachers and parents attending as additional staff
and advisors. The youth-adult ratio is about 5:1. For a flyer,
click here
.
For a letter to DREs or RE
chairs,
click here .
To register,
click here. For more information, contact
Peter Green.
Adult/Young Adult Our Whole Lives (OWL) Facilitator Training
will be offered August 14-15 at the Community Church of New York UU
(Manhattan). The training will run Friday from
2 pm to 9 pm and Saturday from 9
am to 9 pm. Shared guest room housing at the church will be
available for $50 per night (private at $150 per night), and commuters
are also welcome. OWL
is based on a philosophy of comprehensive sexuality education that helps
participants make informed and responsible decisions about their sexual
health and behavior. The young adult curriculum
helps participants navigate young adulthood with
accurate information, increased self-knowledge, enhanced safety, and
strengthened interpersonal skills. For a flyer,
click here .
To register,
click
here.
Lay Theological Education Grants are available to congregations for creating programs that focus on spiritual and theological deepening for lay leaders. Funded by Association Sunday 2008, typical grants will be in the range of $2,000-$10,000. The application deadline is October 1, 2009. Details are available at the Association Sunday website, including a blog link and information about how to apply.
The New York State Convention of Universalists will hold its 2009 Annual Meeting on October 16-17 at the
First Universalist Church of Rochester NY in Rochester NY. The keynote speaker will be the Rev. Richard Gilbert, Minister Emeritus, First Unitarian Church of Rochester. All UUs are invited to attend. For a flyer, click here .
More Good Stuff to Check Out! Worship Service Providers available to District congregations RE-Sources for religious education leaders Job opportunities around the District InterConnections for lay leaders Social Action of the Month of the UUA Congregational Bulletin, UUA monthly email uuworld.org, UUA's online magazine UU Service Committee news
Small Talk newsletter for small UU congregations |
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Delegates to General Assembly
debated proposed Article II UUA bylaws revisions presented by the
Commission on Appraisal, modifying the Principles and Sources,
and narrowly voted not to accept the revisions. For a comparison of the
proposed and existing language,
click here .
Delegates also voted to refer the draft Peacemaking Statement of
Conscience back to the Commission on Social Witness for
refinement, and passed six Actions of Immediate Witness.
Read more.
July 27 is the anniversary of
the tragic shootings that occurred at the Tennessee Valley UU Church
in Knoxville TN. In a statement marking the anniversary,
President Morales said "On this painful anniversary
of a terrible tragedy, let us all commit ourselves once more to
creating religious communities where love can flower."
Read more. The Rev. Chris Buice, minister of the Tennessee
Valley UU Church and the Rev. Mitra Jafarzadeh, minister of the
Westside UU Church, have written words for use in chalice lightings
during worship on Sunday, July 26.
Read more. "May Nothing Evil Cross This Door," a
series of 10 sermons delivered by Rev. Buice record his
response to the tragedy and the congregation’s progress toward
recovery and rebirth. The series is available on a three-CD set for
a suggested donation of $23. All donations will fund continued
recovery efforts at the church for those still struggling to heal
completely. For ordering information and a flyer,
click here .
Association Sunday 2007 and
Association Sunday 2008 raised a total of just over $1.8
million. Funds from 2007 were used for an extensive national marketing
campaign, the Diversity of Ministry Team's Initiative to support
ministers of color, and growth grants to districts, including three to
the Metro NY District: a
publicity push at the UU Congregation of the South Fork (Bridgehampton
NY), mapping software for organizing covenant groups based on geographic
location to keep members of the Morristown (NJ) Unitarian
Fellowship tied in to the community, and the installation of a
closed circuit TV system at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood
(NJ) to supply a live feed of their services to those parents sitting in
the nursery. Funds from 2008 are being used for grants to districts,
congregations, and seminaries for developing lay theological education
programs (1/2), the UU Ministers Association for continuing education
(1/6), scholarships to seminarians (1/6), and the Diversity of Ministry
Team’s Initiative to support ministers of color (1/6).
Read more . Association
Sunday 2009 is scheduled for October 4. Twenty-four
District congregations have signed up to participate so far. For a
flyer, click here .
At its April meeting, the UUA Board
of Trustees voted to approved bylaw revisions that govern the election
of the UUA president and moderator. The proposed revisions were
announced at General Assembly 2009 in Salt Lake City and are scheduled
for a delegate vote at General Assembly 2010. Under the proposed
revisions, the UUA would establish a Presidential Search Committee,
which would choose two candidates for the presidency. Candidates would
be announced at the General Assembly one year prior to the election.
Other individuals could run for the presidency by petition. A separate
committee would be formed to nominate at least one candidate for
moderator. Both the president’s and moderator’s terms would be shortened
from a maximum of eight years (two four-year terms) to one six-year
term. Read
more. To read the proposed changes approved by the board,
click here (see
pages 14-19).
The UUA recently announced that the
newly configured staff group comprising District Services,
Congregational Stewardship Services, Services to Large Congregations,
and Growth Resources would be named Congregational Growth and Vitality.
But UUA senior staff, working with President Peter Morales, has
reconsidered this name, determining that "Congregational Life" is more
easily understood and descriptive. Effective immediately,
Congregational Life is the name for the new staff group. Harlan
Limpert is Director of Congregational Life.
If you attended General Assembly, there's still time to
complete an evaluation. To take the survey,
click here.
News From Congregations
 The
Unitarian Church of Staten Island (NY) participated in the
5th Annual Staten Island Pride Parade and Festival on June 6,
sponsored by the Staten Island Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender
Center. The Church also held a Gay Pride service on June 14.
New staff join
District congregations this month and next. See the
Milestones and Transitions column on the right for more information.
The Rev.
Michael Tino, minister at the UU Fellowship of Northern
Westchester (Mount Kisco NY), is featured in an article about
the adult Our Whole Lives program in the July issue of Oprah's
O magazine. Rev. Tino co-authored the young adult
OWL curriculum. Read
the article.
The UU
Church in Middletown (NY) has changed its name to the
UU Fellowship in Middletown, effective
immediately. The vote of the congregation to change the name was
by a substantial margin.
Other Noteworthy Items
 The
UU United Nations Office (UU-UNO) invites UUs around
the world to celebrate
UN Sunday on one Sunday in October. UN Sunday is an
annual service dedicated to reaffirming the connections between
UU principles and vital issues dealt with at the UN. The UN was
founded on October 24, 1945. To assist with UU Sunday, the
UU-UNO offers a free
UN Sunday Resource Packet ,
including a draft order of service, relevant readings,
songs, religious education activities, information about the UN
and the UU-UNO, and more. The theme for this year's UN Sunday is
A Safe and Dignified Life for All. The UU-UNO also
invites you to to serve on their Spring Seminar Committee
to help plan the 2010 Spring Seminar. The first meeting is at
the end of August, so contact them soon and spread the word! For
more information,
click here
or
contact
office@uu-uno.org.
The Church of
the Larger Fellowship (CLF) offers outstanding
opportunities for online adult religious education,
including New England Transcendentalism as a Living Legacy,
Wisdom for the Soul: Biblical Wisdom Literature, Full-Spectrum
Joyfulness, Death and Dying, and In the Arms of the Beloved: The
Poetry of Rumi. To learn more about these courses,
click here.
Upcoming Workshops and Meetings
| Visit the District's Calendar and Events page for these and other events: |
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 | Young Adult/Adult OWL Training: August 14-15, Community Church of New York UU, Manhattan. For a flyer, click here . To register, click here. For more information, contact Andrea Lerner. |
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| Liberal Religious Educators Association Chapter Meeting: September 24, Community Church of New York UU, Manhattan. For more information, contact Chris Buja. |
|
| | | Milestones and Transitions
The Rev.
Virginia Jarocha-Ernst will be installed by the UU
Congregation of Monmouth County (Lincroft NJ) on November 1 at
5:00 pm.
 The Rev. Tracy Sprowls-Jenks
has been called to serve the First Unitarian Society of
Plainfield (NJ) as Minister beginning August 1. She will be
installed on April 18, 2010, at 5:00 pm. Rev. Sprowls-Jenks
previously served the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood (NJ) as
Religious Education Minister. The Society gratefully
acknowledges the Rev. Tony Johnson who served
the Society as Interim Minister.
The Rev. Orlanda Brugnola begins
serving the UU Fellowship of Poughkeepsie (NY) as
Interim Minister, following the retirement of the
Rev. Kay Greenleaf after 10 years of service. Rev.
Brugnola previously served the First Unitarian
Congregational Society in Brooklyn (NY) as Chaplain.
The Rev. Meg Barnhouse will join
the staff of the UU Congregation of Princeton (NJ)
as Interim Minister, following the departure of the
Rev. Forrest Gilmore. The Rev.
Barnhouse is a well known UU musician and served the
UU Church of Spartanburg in Spartanburg NC for seven
years.
Read more from the Spartanburg Herald
Journal
The Rev. Jef Gamblee begins serving
the First Unitarian Society of Westchester
(Hastings-on-Hudson NY) as Interim Minister,
following the departure of the Rev. David
Bryce, who will be minister at the First
Church in Belmont, UU, in Belmont MA.
 Michelle
Creech begins serving the UU Congregation
of Monmouth County (Lincroft NJ) as Director of
Religious Education on August 1. Michelle served
four years as Youth Program Director and Inreach
Coordinator at the
Main Line
Unitarian
Church in
Devon PA, where she
also directed the religious education program for
children and youth during the Family Minister’s
sabbatical. Michelle is currently
in the UUA Religious Education Credentialing
Program.
Laura Beth Brown will serve the
Unitarian Society of Ridgewood (NJ) as Director of
Religious Education beginning August 17. Laura
previously served the UU Congregation at Shelter
Rock (Manhasset NY) as Youth and Young Adult
Coordinator.
India McKnight will serve the UU
Congregation of Queens (Flushing NY) as Director of
Religious Education, filling the role of departing
Susan Antelis-Nykolak.
Nancy Lynch will serve the UU
Fellowship at Stony Brook (NY) as Director of
Religious Education, filling the role of
Linda Volkersz who retired after 35 years
of service. Nancy previously was the chair of the
Religious Education Committee at the Fellowship.
Megan Lloyd Joiner joins the staff
of the Unitarian Church of Staten Island (NY) as
Religious Education Coordinator, replacing departing
Patricia Murphy.
Megan is a recent graduate of
Union Theological Seminary.
Robin Pugh joins the staff of the
UU Church at Washington Crossing (Titusville NJ) as
Director of Lifespan Religious Education.
Robin is the former Director
of Religious Education of Buxmont UU Fellowship in
Warrington PA.
Denice Tomlinson begins serving the
First Unitarian Society of Rockland County (Pomona
NY) as Director of Religious Education on August 1.
Chalice Lighters funds helped make this position
possible for the Society.
Janice Marie
Johnson has accepted the position of
Director of Racial and Ethnic Concerns in the UUA's
Identity-Based Ministries starting July 1. Janice
will start part-time in the position to complete
work at the Community Church of New York
(Manhattan) where she is the Director of Lifespan
Religious Education, and will assume full-time
duties by January 1, 2010. |
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Creating a Jubilee World: An Anti-Racism Workshop: September
25-26, UU Congregation of Central Nassau, Garden City NJ. For a flyer,
click here .
To register,
click
here. For more information, contact the
Rev. Hope Johnson. | | Saturday Afternoon at the Sacred Cow Barbeque: September 26, Unitarian Church of Staten Island (NY). With Gini Courter, UUA Moderator. For a flyer, click here . To register, click here. For more information, contact Rev. Susan Karlson. | | Long Island Leadership Institute: September 26 (Session 1), UU Fellowship at Stony Brook (NY). For more information, contact Doug Zelinski. |
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Murray Grove Homecoming: A
Mid-Atlantic Celebration: September 26,
Murray Grove Retreat and
Conference Center, Lanoka Harbor NJ. |
| Junior Youth Retreat: September 26-27, Camp Ma-Kee-Ya, Harriman State Park, NY. For a flyer, click here . For a letter to DREs or RE chairs, click here . To register, click here. For more information, contact Peter Green. |
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New York State
Convention of Universalists Annual Meeting: October 16-17,
First Universalist Church of Rochester (NY). For a flyer,
click here . | |
Revival:
October 16-18, UU Congregation of Queens, Flushing NY. For more
information, contact the Rev. Ian
Maher. |
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Elementary OWL
Training: November 6-8, UU Congregation at Shelter Rock,
Manhasset NY. For more information, contact
Andrea Lerner. |
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Long Island
Leadership Institute: November 7 (Session 2), UU Congregation
at Shelter Rock, Manhasset NY. For more information, contact
Doug Zelinski. |
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Presidents
Roundtable: November 7, UU Congregation at Shelter
Rock, Manhasset NY. For more information, contact
Andrea Lerner. |
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Long Island
Leadership Institute: November 14 (Session 3), South Nassau
UU Congregation, Freeport NY. For more information, contact
Doug Zelinski. |
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