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Unitarian Universalist Association Annual Report June 2008
Unitarian Universalist Association Annual Report June 2008 William G. Sinkford-President Kathleen Montgomery-Executive Vice President 1 INTRODUCTION The Association’s mission for the staff is to: 1. Support the health and vitality of Unitarian Universalist congregations as they minister in their communities. 2. Open the doors of Unitarian Universalism to people who yearn for liberal religious community. 3. Be a respected voice for liberal religious values. This report outlines for you, by staff group, the work that has been done on your behalf this year by the staff of the Unitarian Universalist Association. It comes with great appreciation for their extraordinary work in a time of many new initiatives in response to the needs of our faith and our congregations. If you have questions in response to the information contained here, please feel free to contact Kay Montgomery ([email protected]). William G. Sinkford, President Kathleen Montgomery, Executive Vice President 2 CONTENTS STAFF GROUPS: Advocacy and Witness Page 4 Congregational Services Page 6 District Services Page 13 Identity Based Ministries Page 15 Lifespan Faith Development Page 16 Ministry and Professional Leadership Page 24 Communications Page 27 Beacon Press Page 31 Stewardship and Development Page 33 Financial Services Page 36 Operations / Facilities Equal Employment Opportunity Report Page 37 3 ADVOCACY AND WITNESS STAFF GROUP The mission of the Advocacy and Witness staff group is to carry Unitarian Universalist values into the wider world by inserting UU perspectives into public debates of the day. Advocacy and Witness staff members work closely in coalitions with other organizations which share our values, as well as local UU congregations, to be effective in this ministry internationally, nationally, and in state and local efforts. -
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION of CASTINE July 8, 2018
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION OF CASTINE July 8, 2018 “A Faith That Moves Us Now” "The purpose of the church is to heal the consequences of lovelessness and injustice in the hearts and souls of our members so they might heal the community and together heal the world." ~ Nancy Bowen READING “Saving Unitarian Universalism” ~ John T. Crestwell, Jr. [page 56, Voices from the Margins, An Anthology of Meditations, edited by Jacqui James and Mark D. Morrison-Reed. Boston: Skinner House Books, 2012] The thing that will save our faith, and that will allow us to become better lovers, fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, and friends, is building relationships – learning more about each other – seeing God in all people, places, and things. It’s rooted in experience. The more we learn and grow with liberal minds and hearts, the more we see the Spirit emanating. The more we learn about our common destiny, the more we see that we all come from the same source; that we are all capable of good; that “God don’t make no junk”; that the world we have is the world we’ve collectively created through our thoughts, words, and deeds. And when we see things differently, we can start doing things differently. READING “Love Abundant” ~ Alicia Forde [page 62, Voices from the Margins, An Anthology of Meditations, edited by Jacqui James and Mark D. Morrison-Reed. Boston: Skinner House Books, 2012] I lift my eyes up to the hills from where will my help come? My help comes from Love abundant. my help comes from the hills my help—my help, it comes from ancient Mothers whose hearts beat in mine. -
IN THIS ISSUE UUA Bookstore Has a New Name Thrive Youth
Monthly eNews from UUA Stewardship and Development e-newsletter February 2, 2016 IN THIS ISSUE UUA Bookstore Has a New Name Thrive Youth Applications Open Is Your Congregation on the #BlackLivesMatter Map? UU Reads: The Third Reconstruction Donor Feature: Steven Ballesteros Register Now — UU-UNO Spring Seminar A Turning Point for Unitarian Universalism UUA Bookstore Has a New Name The UUA Bookstore wants to share the good news of Unitarian Universalim with a wider audience and has changed its name to inSpirit: UU Book and Gift Shop. The word "inspirit" is rich in meaning. It can mean to fill with spirit, to encourage, to exhilarate, or to bestow with strength or purpose. The new name reflects the many ways inSpirit serves UUs, our congregations, and our communities. inSpirit offers a wide range of books and gifts that reflect the values of our UU movement, including titles from Skinner House Books and Beacon Press, selected titles from other publishers, and fair trade gift and clothing items. inSpirit will continue to bring in new merchandise and reading materials to attract a wide, progressive audience online and to the Boston storefront. Thrive Youth Applications Open Thrive Youth Applications are now open. Thanks to your generosity, Unitarian Universalist Youth of Color will come together for a five-day gathering to deepen their faith, lift their spirits, and build critical skills for leadership in the face of our broken, yet beautiful world. Thrive participants will be guided by experienced facilitators as they worship together, play, explore their racial and ethnic identities, develop leadership skills, and create supportive community. -
What Is Marriage For? a LEADER’S GUIDE
What Is Marriage For? A LEADER’S GUIDE Adapted from At Issue: Marriage, Exploring the Debate over Marriage Rights for Same-Sex Couples Leader’s Guide, by Scott Hirschfeld ISBN 0-8070-9143-X CONTENTS Introduction 2 Getting Started 3 SESSION I 5 Part 1: Defining Marriage and Its Purpose Part 2: Evolving Understandings of Marriage SESSION II 7 Part 1: Modern Understandings of Marriage Part 2: Attitudes toward Same-Sex Marriage Part 3: Revisiting Our Definitions Further Reading/Acknowledgments APPENDIX 10 Handout 1 Evolving Understandings of Marriage Handout 2 Evolving Understandings of Marriage (Chart) Handout 3 Modern Understandings of Marriage Handout 4 Participant Evaluation Form Leader Evaluation Form What Is Marriage For?: The Strange Social History of our Most Intimate Institution by E.J. Graff Beacon Press, 1999/$15.00/paperback/0-8070-4115-7 UUA Bookstore: 1-800-215-9076 or www.uua.org This guide was adapted from At Issue: Marriage, Exploring the Debate over Marriage Rights for Same-Sex Couples, published by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The complete 6-lesson guide is available from the GLSEN Bookstore at www.atlasbooks.com/ glsen or 1-800-247-6553. Introduction In What is Marriage For?: The Strange Social History of our Most Intimate Institution, E.J. Graff describes marriage as “a kind of Jerusalem, an archaeological site on which the present is constantly building over the past, letting history’s many layers twist and tilt into today’s walls and floors.” Indeed, the institution of marriage has changed dramatically over the centuries to reflect evolving understandings of family, money, sex, love and power. -
Beacon Press and the Pentagon Papers
BEACON PRESS AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS Beacon Press 25 Beacon Street Boston, Massachusetts 02108-2892 www.beacon.org Beacon Press books are published under the auspices of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. Grateful acknowledgment is made to Allison Trzop, the author of this history, and to the Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock for their generous support of this project. © 2007 by Allison Trzop Originally submitted as a master’s degree project for Emerson College in May 2006 All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America 10 09 08 07 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper that meets the uncoated paper ANSI/NISO specifications for permanence as revised in 1992. Composition by Wilsted & Taylor Publishing Services It’s tragic when a nation, dedicated and committed to the principle of freedom, reaches such a point that the greatest fear we have is from the government itself. edwin lane 1971 june 13 The New York Times publishes its first article on the Pentagon Papers under the headline “Vietnam Archive.” june 29–30 Senator Mike Gravel reads from the papers to his Senate subcommittee and enters the rest into its records. The papers are made public. august 17 Beacon Press publicly announces its intention to publish the papers. october 10 The government version of the Pentagon Papers is published. october 22 The Beacon Press edition of the Pentagon Papers is published simultaneously in cloth and paper in four volumes. october 27 FBI agents appear at the New England Merchants National Bank asking to see UUA records. -
A Brief History of Beacon Press
Dear Reader, In 2004, Beacon Press will complete 150 years of continuous book pub- lishing. This rare achievement in American publishing is a milestone a mere handful of active houses can claim. To mark this important anniversary, Beacon retained author Susan Wilson to research the history of the press in archives and through extensive interviews. What you see printed here is only a précis of her work, though we hope it will give you a sense of the importance of the press over the past three centuries. Ms. Wilson’s interviews with key fig- ures in the press over the past sixty years are preserved on high-quality digital minidisks; many have been transcribed as well. Her notes from the extensive Beacon archives held at Harvard Andover Library, which includes a fuller annotated bibliography of books published by the press, are also preserved for scholars and interested readers. Both will be available through the Beacon website (www.beacon.org) in the com- ing months. Over the years, many notable Americans, from George Emerson to Albert Einstein to Juliet Schor, have recognized the importance and vitality of this press. I hope and believe that the next 150 years will be even more rewarding ones for the press. Helene Atwan Director 1902 1904 1929 1933 1947 1950 1959 1966 1967 1970 1986 1992 A BRIEF HISTORY OF BEACON PRESS Beacon Press gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Unitarian Universalist Funding Program, which has made this project possible. part 1 the early years: 1854–1900 The history of Beacon Press actually begins in 1825, the year the American Unitarian Association (AUA) was formed. -
The Communitarian Quarterly Newsletter
NURTURE SPIRITUALITY FOSTER COMPASSION ENGAGE IN SERVICE 468 Rosedale Avenue White Plains, NY 10605 914-946-1660 www.cuCwp.org Established 1909 Accessible to Handicapped THE COMMUNITARIAN QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER Meredith’s Musings Our theme in December was “Letting Go.” But there are some things that we resist letting go of. Which led to January’s theme, “Resistance.” But if there are some things we resist, there are other things that we actively pursue. Which led to February’s theme, “Desire.” Is there a way to be free of all this resisting and desiring that seems to rule our lives? That leads to March’s theme, “Liberation.” From there we move into April’s theme, “Creation,” and then to May’s theme, “Blessing.” Are these continuations of the evident progression from “Letting Go” through “Liberation”? Surely so, in some ways. Liberation (March) must begin with the question, from what do we seek to be liberated? What are the chains holding you? In parts of the world, full-scale slavery is still going on. Probably, none of the members of our congregation have ever been enslaved in that full-scale way. Even so, I would guess that there was a time in your past in which you were bound to something from which you now are liberated. What further liberation is called for? Resentments, desires, fears, small or large, bind us. We stand midway between full-scale slavery and full-scale liberation. The unfinished work of freedom lies before us. Creation (April) is the act or process of creating, of bringing something into existence. -
WINDOWS Services Newsletter of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany Aug
Edited for the Web: Personal infor- —1— mation and contacts removed, as well Sundays at Albany UU as children’s last names. Web viewers needing more information are invited to Please join us on any Sunday for: contact the church office at administra- Mindfulness Meditation, Religious Education for children and youth, the [email protected]. Service, Coffee Hour, or any combination thereof. Other programs on Sundays include Forum (social justice and environmental topics), Family Chapel, social events, and adult education. All are welcome! WINDOWS Services Newsletter of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany Aug. 7 "Poetry as Spiritual Practice" Philomena Moriarty For centuries we have used poetry to connect with our spiritual selves. Mid-Summer 2016 Words matter. Words tug at our souls. Words from the Psalms to the po- ems of Mary Oliver resonate with something deep inside us. This service In this issue: will be a celebration of poetry to help us rediscover the poetry within. 1 Services Music: Randy Rosette 2 Calendar 3 News Aug. 14 " Protest and Peace: A UU Minister Responds" Rev. 5 Growing Together Tom Chulak 6 Our Community In July, I decided to travel to Cleveland to attend the Republican National 10 Social Justice Convention. I went feeling a sense of urgency to protest the Republican 12 Contact Us nominee, but even more importantly to be a non-violent presence after the killings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota and the killing of police in Dallas and Baton Rouge.. I thought, as a Unitarian Universalist Minister, how should I respond? What should I do? This service is a re- flection on my response. -
Unitarian Universalist Theology Renaissance Module ONLINE
Unitarian Universalist Theology Renaissance Module ONLINE VERSION PARTICIPANT GUIDE By Lynn Ungar and Sara Lewis © 2018 by the Faith Development Office of the UUA, Boston, MA Table of Contents About the Authors; Acknowledgement 3 Overview of Sessions 4 Introduction to the Module 6 Pre-Module Assignments 16 Session 1: What Is Theology? 17 Session 2: Early Unitarianism and Universalism 34 Session 3: Expanding Beyond Christian Roots 40 Session 4: More 20th Century Influences 48 Session 5: 21st Century UU Theology 55 Session 6: Closing Session 59 UU Theology Renaissance Module, ONLINE Participant Guide 2 About the Authors Rev. Dr. Lynn Ungar holds an M.Div. from Starr King School for the Ministry and a D. Min. in religious education from McCormick Theological seminary. She has served as a parish minister in Moscow, Idaho and in Chicago, and as a director of religious education in Fremont and Hayward, California. She currently serves as minister for lifespan learning for the Church of the Larger Fellowship, our online UU congregation (www.questformeaning.org and www.clfuu.org ). Lynn is co-author of the Tapestry of Faith curricula Faithful Journeys and Love Connects Us and author of Sing to the Power. Lynn’s poetry can be found in a variety of publications, including her latest book Bread and Other Miracles. She is the composer of the round, “Come, Come, Whoever You Are,” Hymn 188 in Singing the Living Tradition. Sara Lewis, unchurched in her early years, found Unitarian Universalism in her teen years and has served as Director of Religious Education at the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Olympia, Washington since 2008. -
The Self in Contemporary Liberal Religion: a Constructive Critique Paul B
The Self in Contemporary Liberal Religion: A Constructive Critique Paul B. Rasor One of the most enduring legacies of the Enlightenment is its highly individualistic view of the human self. This view of the self became a central characteristic of the liberal-modern worldview, and it quickly found its way into the religious liberalism that emerged in the wake of the Enlightenment. Yet today, this individualistic understanding of the self is increasingly untenable. Philosophers, social scientists, psychologists, linguists, and theologians now generally agree that our liberal understanding of ourselves as autonomous individuals is an illusion. We don't first exist as individuals who then form social groups. Instead, the group always comes first, and the individual is formed by and always exists in relation to a larger social context. We are social beings through and through. Yet despite widespread contemporary agreement that the human self is fundamentally intersubjective or social in nature, a strong and potentially destructive emphasis on individualism continues to dominate the self- understanding of many religious liberals, including those within the Unitarian Universalist tradition. I believe we religious liberals need to get over ourselves. We need a more suitable understanding of the self as social, and in this article, I want to suggest an approach toward constructing such a conception. I begin by tracing the philosophy of subjectivity that emerged in the Enlightenment and that became the basis for the liberal-modern understanding of the self. I also sketch the more recent developments that began to undermine this view (part I). I then describe the individualistic self-understanding I believe to be prominent and problematic among religious liberals today (part II). -
Unitarian Universalism a Research Guide
the alert collector Neal Wyatt, Editor Building collections in religious studies is an important and often perplexing duty for many librarians. How much cover- Unitarian age is enough and to what depth? What titles offer appropri- ate information for the believer, researcher, and critic alike? And how are librarians that are not well versed in a particu- Universalism lar faith best able to approach a collection-building project? Tierney V. Dwyer earned a master’s degree in library science from Indiana University’s School of Library and Information A Research Guide Science in Bloomington. She wrote this guide when she was attending Unitarian Universalism services. Her guide to Uni- tarian Universalism resources offers assistance to academic librarians seeking to build a deep and reflective collection and to public librarians looking for one or two titles to represent this fascinating religion, a faith that Ralph Waldo Emerson and Louisa May Alcott practiced and that continues to guide and inspire a wide range of worshipers.—Editor nitarian Universalism is a liberal religious faith grounded in the principles of its founding religions: Unitarianism and Universalism. Unitari- anism began in the sixteenth century in Poland Tierney V. Dwyer, Uand Transylvania, where a number of Christians rejected the Guest Columnist idea of the Holy Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as God). These Unitarians declared that they believed in the oneness, Correspondence concerning this or unity, of God. In seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Eu- column should be addressed to rope and America, other Christian reformers discovered what Neal Wyatt (nealwyatt@comcast they deemed to be little biblical support for the Christian con- .net). -
WINDOWS Services Newsletter of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany Sept
Edited for the Web: Personal infor- mation and contacts removed, as well —1— Sundays at Albany UU as children’s last names. Web viewers needing more information are invited to Please join us on any Sunday for: contact the church office at administra- Mindfulness Meditation, Religious Education for children and youth, the [email protected]. Service, Coffee Hour, or any combination thereof. Other programs on Sundays include Forum (social justice and environmental topics), Family Chapel, social events, and adult education. All are welcome! WINDOWS Services Newsletter of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany Sept. 4 "Moral Movements," Rev. Emily McNeill Labor Day is more than just the end of summer. It's an important occa- September 2016 sion to honor the labor movement's contributions to society and to re- commit to work for economic justice. This is work that must engage our In this issue: deepest moral commitments. 1 Services Music: Ann Brandon 2 Calendar 3 Sam’s Outlook Sept. 11 “Homecoming Sunday: Returning to the Well,” Rev. 4 News Sam Trumbore 8 Growing Together Even though some of you have been coming all summer, traditionally we celebrate the beginning of our fall season with a special service. As part 12 Our Community of the celebration we bring water from our travels or nearby to represent 15 Social Justice sources of renewal from our summer activities. We’ll have a celebratory 18 Flyers lunch after the service. Bring your water, real or virtual, and stay to re- 20 Contact Us connect. Music: Choir Sept. 18 “The Occupy Movement: 5 Years Later,” Rev.