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Metro NY Minute --
December 2009 |
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| | | | News From the District |  |
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 Building Healthy Congregations -- a six-session
workshop for teams of congregation lay and professional
leaders beginning January 16, 1020 -- will focus on leaders
caring for, responding to, and overseeing the congregation's
life together. Participants will learn to see the
congregation as a whole, as a system of interrelated
parts. Registration is now open and closes January
2. For complete information,
click here  .
To register,
click here.
The Spring 2009 Chalice
Lighters call for the UU Legislative Ministry of New
Jersey (UULMNJ) is extending through the fall.
For a project description,
click here .
The UULMNJ was formed to advocate for social justice in
the public arena based on UU principles.
The Sixth Annual Winter Retreat of the District
Young Adult Community will be held
February 12-15, 2010, at the Frost Valley YMCA in
Claryville NY. Young adults can meet new friends,
participate in arts and crafts, hiking, or snow
tubing, or take time for personal reflection. For
more information, contact
Ryan
Novosielski.
The District Women and Religion Committee
will hold its annual lecture and luncheon on January
16, 2010. This year's event launches a series of
Margaret Fuller 2010 Bicentennial programs with
Fuller scholar Laurie James. Laurie
is co-chair of the Women and Religion Committee and
the initiator and project director of the
Margaret
Fuller Bicentennial Committee.
Read more .
For a flyer and registration,
click here . | | |
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The District Young Adult Community invites participation
in a spiritually-themed book club. For December 15, the club is
reading The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in
Ancient Wisdom. For more information or to participate,
click here.
| News From the
UUA |
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 The
2010 Congregational Certification of Membership
has now begun. Each year, congregations certify their
membership number and submit other statistical information
to the UUA. Doing so allows a congregation to send delegates
to General Assembly and to the District Annual Meeting.
Membership numbers are used to calculate the coming fiscal
year's Fair Share and Full Share amounts. Through the
certification process,
congregations can vote on whether the Draft Statement of
Conscience on Peacemaking will appear on the final agenda
for General Assembly 2010 and can vote for up to five
proposed Congregational Study/Action Issues for 2010-14.
The deadline for certifying is February 1, 8:00 pm
Eastern Time.
The Commission
on Appraisal (COA) would like your suggestions about what the COA
should study next. 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." To offer suggestions (by January 7, 2010) or to see what the
COA has studied in previous years, visit
www.uua.org/coa.
The UUA Directory is now available online and will no
longer be printed and mailed.
Data Services
now provides congregations the opportunity to electronically
update membership lists with the UUA. In the past,
congregations have had to mail their membership data to the UUA on
paper forms. Now congregations can use
my.uua.org online to
keep membership data accurate. The UUA mails a copy of the
UUWorld magazine to every recorded member.
Read more.
Valentine's Day is being re-imagined
by the Standing on the Side of Love
campaign. February 14 will be
National Standing on the Side of Love Day,
and congregations are invited to participate
in a day of worship, faith outreach, and
partnership with community organizations.
The Fund for UU Social
Responsibility has set aside
$25,000 to be used as matching
grants of $500-$1,500 to UU
congregations participating in the Standing
on the Side of Love campaign,
taking action on a broad range of arenas
where people are excluded, oppressed, or
attacked based on real or perceived
identifies. To apply, complete an
application
and email it to
love@uua.org.
News From Congregations
 Jerry
Davidoff, nationally prominent UU and long-time member of the
Unitarian Church in Westport (CT), died November 7 at age
83. His wife, Denny Davidoff, was moderator of the
UUA from 1993 to 2001. In 2008, the District board established the
Jerry Davidoff Award for Lifetime Achievement in honor of his many
contributions to the denomination.
Read more. | | | Milestones and Transitions
The Rev.
Tracy Sprowls-Jenks will be installed by the First
Unitarian Society of Plainfield on April 18 at 5:00 pm. |
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The
Morristown (NJ) Unitarian Fellowship staff and
congregants will rally in Trenton NJ on December 7 in support of
same-sex marriage. In an effort organized by Garden State
Equality, the Rev. Alison Miller, Director of
Religious Education Karen Brown, and others
from the Fellowship will attend a hearing of the Judiciary
Committee of the New Jersey state Senate as the Committee
considers a bill on marriage equality in New Jersey. Read
more.
 The
Rev. Tracy Sprowls-Jenks, minister at the First
Unitarian Society of Plainfield (NJ), is featured in an
online article at myCentralJersey.com. " ' They have all this
energy,' Rev. Sprowls-Jenks said of the society's 180 members, a
figure she hopes she can increase to 300 within five years. '
They want to grow; they want to be relevant.' ”
Read more.
The UU Society in
Stamford (CT) held a Society-wide Mission Statement Workshop,
hosted by the Society's Committee on Ministry. Participants were asked
to think critically about how the Society will look in the next five to
seven years. Several draft statements were developed to be presented to
the board this month.
 The
Unitarian Church in Westport (CT) is featured in a Dwell
magazine article about UU architecture. The facilities' designer, Victor
Lundy, said his design represents "the open question" at the heart of
Unitarian Universalism. Read
more.
The First Unitarian
Congregational Society in Brooklyn (NY) held its 33rd annual
Unifair on December 5. This giant holiday rummage sale includes a bake
table, crafts, and a restaurant and raises more than $10,000 each year
for the congregation.
Jan Dash,
member of the UU Congregation of Monmouth County
(Lincroft NJ), will represent the UU United Nations Office (UU-UNO) at
the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen December
7-19. An environmental physicist, Jan serves on the UU-UNO board and on
the board of the United Nations NGO Committee on Sustainable Development
as the UU-UNO representative.
Julie Alexander,
member of the First Universalist Church of Southold
(NY), was appointed to the board of the
New York State
Convention of Universalists (NYSCU) at its annual meeting on October
16-17. Prior to the creation of the UUA, the NYSCU served as the
principal denominational body for Universalist churches in New York
state. The Rev. Addae Kraba, minister of the First
Universalist Church of Southold (NY), will serve as Minister of the Week
for the 2010 UU
Mid-Atlantic Community (UUMAC). UUMAC is a week-long summer
multi-generational camp held each year at DeSales University in Center
Valley PA. |
Other Noteworthy Items
 The
New York state Senate rejected a bill on December 2 that would
have made New York the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage.
In a 38-24 vote, opponents defeated the bill that the state Assembly had
already passed. The Rev. Michael Tino, minister of the
UU Fellowship of Northern Westchester expressed his
deeply personal disappointment. "So many of us watched, hoped, and
prayed that New York’s Senate would bend the moral arc of the universe a
little more toward justice this week. Instead, New York became the
latest state where fear has beaten love, where intolerance has triumphed
over equality, where ignorance reigns over courage. New York became the
latest place where the civil rights of same-sex couples were voted on --
and the latest place where they were defeated." Read
more.
 The
New Jersey state legislature is considering a bill to legalize same-sex
marriage. In a letter to the editor of the Hunterdon County
Democrat, the Rev. Bob Janis-Dillon, minister of
the First UU Fellowship of Hunterdon County (Baptistown
NJ), wrote that "It's time for all believe that all men and women are
created equal -- be they gay, straight, lesbian or bisexual -- to stand
up and voice our support for freedom to marry."
Read more.
The Association of UU
Administrators invites professional congregational
administrators to join the AUUA for just $40, regardless of the size of
their congregation. The change in dues structure is in response to many
congregations who are struggling with financial issues. Member benefits
include peer support, information and education through the AUUA
listserve, and Professional Day at General Assembly.
 The
Rev. Dr. William Sinkford was elected November 6 to serve on
the board of trustees of Meadville Lombard Theological School. Rev.
Sinkford served as president of the UUA from 2001-2009. Rev. Sinfkord's
"eight years of service as UUA president will significantly enrich our
deliberations. He is committed to the institutions that stand as the
foundations of our faith," said Lawrence Ladd, board chair.
Read more.
Are you filming
your Sunday services? Growth Consultant Peter Bowden of the
Ballou Channing District has created a survey to gather information for
sharing.
Read more or participate
in the survey.
The Church of the
Larger Fellowship has ideal holiday gift ideas for UUs.
Choose from jewelry, note cards, and more.
Murray Grove
Retreat and Conference Center in Lanoka Harbor NJ
continues hosting its monthly services and potluck dinners
to welcome and support GLBTQQI (gay, lesbian, bisexual,
transgender, queer, and questioning) people and their families. Upcoming
services are on January 24, February 14, and March 28. Service at 5:00
pm, potluck at 6:00 pm. RSVP 609-693-5558 or
murraygrove@murraygrove.org. |
Upcoming Workshops and Meetings
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| Visit the District's Calendar and Events page for these and other events: |
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Youth
Chaplain Training: January 8-10, 2010, Unitarian Society, A
UU Congregation (East Brunswick NJ). For more information, contact
Katie Parker. |
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Building
Healthy Congregations Session 1: January 16, 2010, Fourth
Universalist Society (Manhattan. For a flyer,
click
here
.
To register,
click here. For more information, contact
Doug Zelinski. |
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Luncheon
and Lecture to Celebrate the Margaret Fuller Bicentennial:
January 16, 2010, Community Church of New York UU (Manhattan),
sponsored by the District Women and Religions Committee. For a
flyer and registration,
click here .
For more information, contact
Laurie James. |
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Colleague Conversations:
January 19, 2010, location to be announced, for parish ministers and
religious educators or other program staff. For more information,
contact Andrea Lerner. |
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Long Island Leadership
Institute Session 4: January 23, 2010, UU Fellowship of
Huntington (NY). For more information, contact
Doug Zelinski. |
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Youth Social
Con: January 29-31, 2010, Unitarian Church in Summit (NY).
For more information, contact
Katie Parker. |
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LREDA Chapter
Retreat: January 31-Feb 3, 2010, Murray Grove Retreat and
Conference Center, Lanoka Harbor NJ. For a flyer and registration
information, click
here .
For more information, contact Chris
Buja. |
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Building Healthy Congregations Session 2: February
6, 2010, location to be announced. For a flyer,
click here
 .
To register,
click here. For more information, contact
Doug Zelinski.
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LREDA Professional Day: February
25, 2010, Community Church of New York UU (Manhattan). For more information,
contact Kim Mason. |
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Long Island Leadership
Institute Session 5: February 27, 2010, UU Congregation of Central
Nassau (Garden City NY). For more information, contact
Doug Zelinski. |
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Building Healthy
Congregations Session 3: March 6, 2010, location to be announced. For a
flyer, click here
.
To register,
click here. For more information, contact
Doug Zelinski. |
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Youth Leadership Development Con: March 19-21, 2010, UU Fellowship of
Northern Westchester (Mount Kisco NY). For more information, contact
Katie Parker. |
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