A publication of the Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council Connecting Unitarian and Universalist congregations around the globe Volume 22 Number 3 Winter 2015–2016 boArD chAir’s column: Something Old, Something New by DICk VAn DUIzEnD ere I am again. One of the Partnerships in new places like HUUPCC’s board members England, kenya, and Wales as well as stepped down in order to apply for the new partnerships in Transylvania, Executive Director’s position. The India, the Philippines and the Czech board decided that it would be best to Republic. new ways of connecting have a replacement who could engage through social media, zoom confer - immediately without a long learning ence calls involving not just folks curve. So—I was asked whether I in north America, but people in Tran - would be willing to rejoin the board. sylvania and India that enable us not Aladár Körösföi-Kriesch’s famous painting of I’m retired. I’m an officer on two Francis Dávid and the 1568 Proclamation of (Continued on page 3) Religious Freedom at Torda. other active non-profit boards. More work was not something on my per - sonal agenda. BUT , how could I say Inside News... A proclAmAtion no to helping further the work of celebrating the Day of partnership? Video Conference Calls 2 After only 15 months away, I religious Freedom: English Teaching in Transylvania 3 found that there is a lot new, specifi - Foundation Day Celebration, Mawsynjri 4 January the 13th cally, the fantastic new initiatives on: OWL for the Philippines/Balázs Scholar 5 • Youth Engagement. Look on page Sustaining Stewards/Nomination Form 6 n January 13, 2016 the Hungarian 11 for the announcement of next sum - OUnitarian Church celebrated the mer’s youth camp in Transylvania and Unitarians in Wales / New Partnership 7 448th anniversary of the Declaration tell young adults in your congregation 2015 Annual Appeal Donors List 8–9 of Religious Freedom and Tolerance, about the young adult programs that Declaration of Religious Freedom/ 10 an edict which might be considered as the UUPCC is co-sponsoring at the UUPCC Youth/Young Adult Initiatives 11 the first legal guarantee of religious ICUU’s meeting in the netherlands Saving the Old New York Hotel 12 freedom in Christian Europe. In 2015, next July! Immersion / International Youth Camp 13 the General Assembly of the Hungar - • Start Up/Refresh Weekends to ian Unitarian Church voted in unanim - support new and existing partnerships. Reports, News & Travel Stories 14–18 ity to recommend to Unitarians and Three are scheduled over the next four Pilgrimage Postings 19 Unitarian Universalists around the months and we are looking to do more UUPCC Travel Services 20–21 world to join in the proclamation and next year. Gift Form / “How to Send Money” 22 celebration of January the 13th as the • Partnerships Among Equals – Membership Form / UUPCC Contact Lists 23 Day of Religious Freedom. building our relationships on the prin - Vision & Mission 24 (See story on page 10) ciple of “parity, not charity.” The Mission of the Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council is to foster and support partner church relationships between North American congregations and congregations in all other countries where partnering is sought and welcomed. This includes countries where partners are already active. Global Teacher Role Model Award 2015 Mr. Mylliemngap was the first graduate of the school. He began e offer brought about the recognition of Puri - teaching there in the early 1990s and W our ang village and Meghalaya as a became Headmaster in 1998. congratulations to whole. The Puriang Unitarian School Since October, Ditol Mylliemngap Ditol Mylliemn - has over 400 students of all faiths, and has also received a Global Hall of gap, Headmaster was recently ranked as 7th best school Fame Teacher’s Award, and the Global of the Puriang in the state of Meghalaya. Achiever’s Award. •• Unitarian Higher Secondary School, for Keep up to date on the latest partner church news without leaving home! receiving UnESCO’s Global Teacher Role VIDEO CONFERENCE CALLS Model Award 2015 in October. He STAY TUNED: Announcements of dates & time will be made will be inducted into the Global Teacher Hall of Fame in bangkok, • On FaceBook (Search “UUPCC” ); Thailand in December. This award has • On PCC-Chat (Send a request to join to [email protected] ) Teaching English at the Kolozsvár Seminary with Rev. Lee Barker (president of Meadville Lombard) and the Kolozsvár English teacher for the second year Next British/American Partnerships PCNews Deadline: with Wales networker Rev. Carie Johnsen and others April 1, 2016 Report on International Women’s Convocation Report on their Bolivia Trip in November 2015 Balázs Scholar Interview with Rev. László Major ISSN 1936-0517 March: UUA International Office Update Partner ChurCh news is the newsletter of with Rev. Eric Cherry and UUA Country Ambassadors the UU Partner Church Council, an independent affiliate organization of the Unitarian Universalist May: Annual Call with the UUPCC Leadership Association, started in 1993 . This newsletter supports the mission and goals with Dick VanDuizend and outgoing Executive Director Cathy Cordes of the Partner Church Council. Editor : Nancy Daugherty Recordings of most previous conference calls are available. We routinely record our Publication Advisors: Cathy Cordes, Emery Virtual Conferences and post them on the website about one week after the call. You can Lazar, Pat Rodgers, and Roger Corn. go to the UUPCC conference call page (“CONNECTIONS” tab, then “Virtual Conference Articles for the next newsletter may be mailed to the editor at PO Box 88, Bedford, MA 01730; Calls”)— www.uupcc.org/media/virtual-conferences —and listen to them on your computer. or emailed to [email protected] . To see who is on a call, you must participate; the recordings are only audio! The UU Partner Church Council is a 501(c)(3) charitable tax-exempt organization. ( TO REgISTER FOR A CALL—NOW ON zOOM— send an email to [email protected] or call the office 9–5 Eastern Time weekdays For information about church partnerships, membership, programs, or other information, at 781-275-1710. contact the UUPCC Office at Include * your name * city/state * the topic/date of the call you will 781-275-1710, or attend. You will be sent an email with the call-in information 2–3 [email protected] , or days before the call (please let the office know if you don’t have PO Box 88, Bedford, MA 01730. access to email) . ( Feel free to submit questions to the speakers ahead of time by Visit the web site at: www.uupcc.org email: [email protected] . 2 Winter 2015–2016 •• www.uupcc.org Partner Church News Something Old, Something New going on and new energy supporting tures who share UU values. (Continued from page 1) them. • The dedication to ensuring that part - just to talk with one another, but to Reassuringly, there is also much nership is a long-term commitment, see each other’s smiles as well. that is familiar: not just a passing fad. Greater levels of collaboration • The joy and growth that comes • The recognition that a small group with other UU organizations with an from engaging with partners. of people can make a difference. international focus like the ICUU and • The knowledge that despite all the I am reminded of the title of one the International Women’s Convoca - polarity we see all around us, there are of our older hymns— “O Life that tion. There’s a whole bunch of things thousands of people from different cul - Maketh All Things new.” •• Unitarian Universalist Church in the English Teaching in Transylvania: United States that has a partner church Forging International Friendship and Cooperation whose minister is one of these fine seminary students.” by CLAUDIA ESPInEL , M EADVILLE theological vocabularies in English Today, Meadville Lombard Eng - LOMbARD THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL that will allow them to engage in high- lish Teaching Program gives Transyl - level conversations on spirituality and vanian seminarians the skills to better or more than 25 years, Meadville religion. express their ideas in English, but, FLombard Theological School has Linda barnes was the first semi - most importantly, it has grown as a sponsored the English Teaching pro - narian to visit Transylvania as part of channel to strengthen the relationship gram in Transylvania as a way to this program. During her time in the between people and congregations strengthen the partnership and increase Protestant Institute, Linda facilitated from Transylvania and the United the ease of cooperation between the English conversations about the differ - States. With a combination of techni - Unitarian community in Transylvania ences in worship, training, and theol - cal English training and rich intercul - and north American Unitarian Univer - ogy between Transylvania and the tural exchange, the English Program is salist congregations. Its success is due United States. Together, they also helping to forge international friend - to a close partnership between explored the meaning of social justice ship and cooperation. •• Meadville Lombard, the Unitarian fac - and its expression in different cultures. ulty at the Protestant Institute in According to Linda, the most reward - Ms. Espinel is Director of International For - kolozsvár, and the Hungarian Unitar - ing part of this experience was the mation and Program Services at the Meadville ian Church. relationships she formed with the stu - Lombard Theological School. The English Teaching program has dents. She wishes to “one day serve a opened the opportunity to Transylvan - ian seminarians to better connect with peers from abroad, access global net - works and resources, and skillfully share their tradition in international settings. Throughout the years, the program has adapted to fit the needs of Transyl - vanian seminarians who have faced the challenge of effectively communi - cating with the English-speaking reli - gious world and a rapidly growing trend in English education in Romania.