Newsletter March05
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UUMA News The Newsletter of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers’ Association March 2004 — March 2005 From the President e have so much to provide for each other. Inside this Issue: W UUMA members of every sort – community, parish, Events of Interest 2 MRE, retired, candidate, settled, interim, part-time, and in all Professional Days 2004 2 manner of combinations – have much to give and receive in support, advice, encouragement, common effort, and camaraderie. From the Editor 3 Administrator Column 3 So our chapter gatherings (and clusters too) are generally more than just dutiful, but helpful, restorative, and often fun. And We Remember . 4 At least, that’s how it has seemed to me, visiting six chapters in the last few years to co-lead preaching workshops, and five more last church year as a Professional Days 2005 10 representative of the UUMA Exec. Collegial Reflections 11 Speaking to one chapter last winter, thanking them for the chance to be with them, I blurted C.E.N.T.E.R. Fold 12 out that “I like UU ministers. I do. I like the people who are drawn to our profession. And I News from the Dept. of 14 like the conversation that goes on when UU ministers get together.” Ministry & Professional I hope you feel that way, too. I hope your memories of past UUMA gatherings are positive Leadership and that you await future meetings with at least some fond anticipation. Members of the Responsible Staffing 15 UUMA Exec look forward to visiting as many chapters as possible, hoping to hear any issues on your mind. Community Ministry News 16 In addition, each year at GA the Exec meets with colleagues who represent a variety of Continuing Education at 19 concerns and interests. Last year our schedule included Bill Sinkford, Ralph Mero, Starr King School ministerial candidates, and representatives from the Transition Committee for Wholeness and Justice; the UUMA Committee on Ministry for Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression, and District Staff Openings 19 Multiculturalism; the UUMA Nominating Committee; the UUMA Community Ministry Focus Group; the UUA Commission on Compensation, Benefits and Pension; the MFC; Personals 20 and Part-Time Ministers. UUMA Publications 22 We bid good-bye with thanks and admiration to members who left the Exec: President New Members 23 Kendyl Gibbons, Vice-President Bobbie Nelson, Patricia Jimenez (who has had the portfolio for anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multiculturalism), and continental Good Offices person Ruppert Lovely. And we welcomed our new members, Vice-President Mary Katherine Morn, continental Good Offices person Susan Manker- Seale, and Clyde Grubbs (anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multiculturalism). I appreciate the trust and responsibility that you have placed in us on the Exec in the years ahead. If there are times when you think we could serve or represent you better, I hope you’ll let one of us know. As president, I am both grateful to Kendyl for her help and accomplishments, and full of hope that the UUMA will continue to make it possible for us in the UU ministry to provide for each other. All best wishes, Ken Sawyer UUMA President [email protected] - 1 - Winter 2005 UUMA News Events of Interest to Colleagues · Chaplaincy Event—Intensive Listening Plans are being made for a workshop on our concept of the Circle of Listeners involving the practice of intensive listening without the rules and constraints of conventional small groups. This will be held in Hamilton, Ontario on Saturday afternoon, May 21, 2005. There will also be an opportunity to participate in the Canadian Unitarian Council event on chaplaincy on the preceding day as well as other sessions during their Annual CUC Conference on the Victoria Day weekend. Contact: Paul Yonge, Unitarian Laity League, Syracuse, New York Email: [email protected] Internet: www.unitarians.info · UU Christian Fellowship Revival 2005 Revs. Peter Gomes and Thomas Anastasi will keynote the 2005 UUCF Revival, Nov. 3-6, 2005 at First Jefferson UU Church, Fort Worth, TX. The overall theme of Biblical spirituality will mark UUCF’s 60th year with lectures, workshops, worships, small groups, and free resources. This is the fifth UUCF Revival. Keynote Presenter Rev. Peter Gomes from Harvard University, is a renowned preacher, lecturer and author who has, since 1970 served in The Memorial Church, Harvard University; and since 1974 as Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in The Memorial Church. He is a member of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and of the Faculty of Divin- ity of Harvard University. Gomes was included in the summer 1999 premiere issue of Talk magazine as part of its feature article, The Best Talkers in America: Fifty Big Mouths We Hope Will Never Shut Up. American Baptist minister and the charismatic preacher and dynamic musician Rev. Thomas Anastasi has served the Shoreline UU Church in Seattle since August, 1990. He grew up in a Pentecostal Christian environment, and as a young adult studied for the ministry in the Church of God. In the 1970s Thomas became a professional musician, playing and singing with rock bands which traveled around the country. Later, he worked as a piano bar musician, and much of his present theo- logical and spiritual substance was informed by this experience, what he calls “Cheap Theology.” Revival coordinators are the Rev. Priscilla Richter, interim minister at Community UU Church of Plano, Texas, and Rev. Felicia Urbanski, minister of the UU Church of Stillwater, Oklahoma, along with Rev. Craig Roshaven of the host church in Fort Worth. For more information contact Rev. Ron Robinson, Executive Director, UU Christian Fellowship: [email protected], Internet: http://www.uua.org/uucf/ Were you among the 705? If so, you attended Professional Days in Long Beach, CA. Participants enjoyed their time with colleagues, rich programming and splendid worship. Great and hearty thanks to those who helped to make our conference possible! CENTER volunteers work throughout the year planning the programming for Professional Days. Among their many duties are select- ing continuing education themes, speakers and preparing the “Currents” and “Streams” publications. Thanks to each of them: Michelle Bentley, Cynthia Breen, Ian Evison, Roberta Finkelstein, Judy Tomlinson, Sam Trumbore, Lynn Ungar and Wayne Walder (liaison from UUMA Exec). We’re grateful to our workshop leaders, collegial conversation facilitators, worship leaders, and choir members. As your arrangements portfolio holder I have depended heavily upon two volunteers during my tenure. Jim Grant has helped greatly with coordinating the Wednesday evening entertainment and Craig Roshaven has shared his expertise in the enormous area of Audio Visual concerns. We could not have had such successful events with out them. In addition, many other volunteers helped in Long Beach behind the scenes; it’s those people I want to acknowledge by name. Audio Visual volunteers staffing the sound board and cameras were Thomas Capo, Robert Renjilian, Brent Roam, Craig Roshaven (coordinator), Sam Trumbore and Marion Visel. New last year were our “Easy Access Volunteers” who helped pave the way for those with special needs. Thank you to Pam Allen- Thompson, Roger Brewin, Merideth Garmon, Sarah Gibb, Betty Grant, Jim Grant, Laurel Hallman, Barbro Hansson, Art McDonald, Joel Miller, Karin Tanenholtz, and Chris Wetzel. We couldn’t have created our sacred space without the help of musicians, choir di- rector and our sign language interpreter. THANK YOU Don Beaudrault, Toni R. Tollerud and Jory Agate. And who were those who greeted you at registration and did “other jobs as necessary”? Thank you to Sheldon Bennett, Cynthia Brix, Jan Eller-Isaacs, Robert Flanders, Betty Grant, Jim Grant (coordinator), Heather Janules, Sue Kingman, Makanah Morriss, Lisa Presley, Nancy Shaffer, Betsy Spaulding, and Addea Watson. We set up an “on the road” UUMA office in Long Beach. In addition to having publications available for sale, our Administrator, Janette Lallier, took pictures for UUMA photo ID cards and answered membership questions. We’re now turning our attention to Professional Days in Fort Worth, TX. Save the dates! June 21-23, 2005. Hope to see you there. Wendy Fish , Arrangements - 2 - UUMA News Winter 2005 From the Editor . Dear colleagues: In the online version of this Newsletter I wrote: Take a deep breath. This is an experiment. The very first online edition of the UUMA Newsletter. Sure, some back issues are posted on this website, but this is the first to be "delivered" to you this way, on a secure site that requires a password. Anything posted on our general website is open to the public, and we have been putting in more and more colleagues' contact information -- some of which may need to be removed before this current edition becomes a publicly available back issue. There may of course be technical glitches ... please let us know (nicely is always preferable) and we will work them out. There may be hesitation -- folks' degree of comfort with e-communication varies. If you find that getting UUMA news this way simply isn't to your comfort, you can still receive a printed copy. Some of you are reading this because you paid attention to the letter I sent a few weeks back announcing that the newsletter was coming online, and saved the piece of paper with the username and password. Some of you are reading it because you looked at the email I sent announcing that the newsletter was "up" and providing an index. Some of you have wandered in after somebody else told you -- "oh yeah, the newsletter, it's on line now." However you arrived, welcome. This was a long time coming, and the delay is my responsibility. Some of you are delighted to see this -- you've been telling me not only that web publishing is the wave of the future, but that folks prefer this means of getting news over paper copies.