Metro NY Minute – January 2012

News from the District  

Worth Repeating!   The 2012 Congregational Certification of Membership is underway. The deadline for certifying is February 1, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time. Certifying membership 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.   A new District Environmental Justice Council is being organized by the Rev. Peggy Clark, District Racial and Social Justice Consultant, and Dr. Frances Sink, District Right Relations Consultant. The primary purpose is to educate UU leaders in environmental justice issues. The first meeting will be January 21 at the First Unitarian Society of Westchester (Hastings-on-Hudson NY). Each District congregation is encouraged to send at least one person. Read more .   District young adults are invited to participate in the 7th Annual Young Adult Winter Retreat, February 17-20, 2012, at Frost Valley YMCA Camp in Claryville NY. The cost of the retreat, including lodging and meals, starts at $225 for the first 15 registrants and then increases to $285.   The Fall 2011 Chalice Lighters Call is now underway to support the UU Congregation of Somerset Hills (Somerville NJ). Funds collected will be used to bring their building purchased in 2010 into compliance with the American Disabilities Act. The Universalist Convocation 2012 will be held May 18-20 at the Murray Grove Retreat and Renewal Center, Lanoka Harbor NJ, May 18-20  The keynote speaker will be the Rev. Dick Gilbert.   More Good Stuff to Check Out!   Worship Service Providers available to District congregations   RE-Sources for religious education leaders   CERG Resources by Topic for congregation leaders   Job opportunities around the District   InterConnections for lay leaders   Social Action Center of the UUA   Congregational Bulletin, UUA monthly email   uuworld.org, the UUA online magazine   UU Service Committee news   Small Talk newsletter for UU congregations

The Rev. Stefan Jonasson, UUA Director of Growth Strategies and Large Congregation Development, will be the keynote speaker at the 2012 District Annual Meeting, May 4-5, at the Stamford Marriott Hotel in Stamford CT. A special guest will the Rev. Susan Frederick Gray, minister at the UU Congregation of Phoenix who was arrested and found guilty, along with UUA President Peter Morales, of failing to comply with a police order in July 2010 while protesting Arizona’s anti-illegal immigration law. Presentation of the 2012 District Awards and the 2012 District Scholarships and will be a highlight of the Annual Meeting. You are invited to submit a nomination for one or more of five awards and to encourage youth to apply for a scholarship. The nomination and application deadline is March 1. You are also invited to submit a proposal to facilitate a workshop. To submit a proposal, click here. The deadline is January 15.

 

The District is co-sponsoring Ground for Hope – Westchester, an interfaith environmental education and training event on Mary 11 from 2:00-6:00pm at Iona College in New Rochelle NY. Organized by GreenFaith, an interfaith coalition for the environment founded in 1992, Ground for Hope – Westchester will offer a range of resources for eco-spiritual and environmental justice leadership. Participants will learn how UU communities can take environmental leadership to a new level.

 

Webinars On Demand from the Central East Regional Group are available on your own time and schedule. Consider these possibilities: Congregational Polity for the Indifferent Lay Leader; Drawing the Line: Disruptive Behavior Policies and Procedures; Basic Safety Policies & Tips; Creating Meetings That Matter; Rethinking the Committee: "Doing Church" in the 21st Century; Committees on Ministry: An Overview; Introducing a Multi-Site Church Model; and Powerful Pathways to Membership. Webinars at fixed times are also available, including webinars on Youth Ministry and Passing the Torch, a new four-session webinar focusing on creating a congregation’s leadership development team.

 

 

 

News from the UUA 

 

 

General Assembly 2012 – Justice GA – in Phoenix AZ June 20-24 will feature Ware Lecturer Maria Hinojosa, the Service of the Living Tradition led by Rev. Karen I. Tse, and multiple ways of engaging in justice work. GA programming will focus on justice issues, including topics such as the spiritual foundations of justice work, the theology of social justice, as well as a more tactical focus on organizing. Cooking Together: Recipes for Immigration Justice Work, the GA 2012 resources project, offers a blog community for religious professionals and lay leaders passionate about engagement with immigration justice work. Immigration as a Moral Issue is the 2010-14 Congregational Study/Action Issue.

 

The UUA Board of Trustees voted in December 2011 to adopt a policy that could allow it to nominate only one person for the position of UUA Moderator, qualifying a decision it made in October 2011 to nominate at least two candidates. The term of current Moderator Gini Courter will end in June 2013, when the General Assembly will elect a new moderator. The 2013 election will be the first after significant election reforms were approved by the 2010 General Assembly. The bylaw changes approved in 2010 state that “the Board of Trustees shall submit one or more nominations for the office of Moderator.” Read more.

 

In preparation for Justice GA, the UUA Faith Without Borders program and the UU Service Committee have jointly organized three opportunities for service/learning trips to the US/Mexico border with partner organization BorderLinks. Each trip will begin at the BorderLinks Headquarters in Tucson AZ and includes experiences in Nogales, SO (Mexico). All UUs over 16 years of age are invited. The cost is $550, all-inclusive except for transportation to and from Tucson. Some scholarship assistance may be available for youth over 16 years of age, young adults, and seminarians. Read more.

 

The UUA Resource Development Office has made available Workshops for Youth on Identity-Based Topics. Each one-hour workshop provides an animated video (about 10 minutes), handouts, and guidance for follow-up discussion. The Rev. Dr. Monica L. Cummings, UUA Program Associate for Ministry to Youth and Young Adults of Color, created the videos and discussion guides, and may be available to participate in a workshop via Skype or in person.

 

The Music Leadership Credentialing Program helps congregational music leaders develop a fundamental understanding of three main areas: UU Heritage and Values, Music Skills and Resources, and Leadership and Interpersonal Skills. The 2012 application deadline is March 31.

 

The UU United Nations Office (UU-UNO) sponsored a youth conference hosted by the First Unitarian Society of Brooklyn (NY) December 9-11 titled Justice Con. The UU-UNO hopes to bring Justice Con to other districts in the near future. Read the blog by Kamila Jacob, UU-UNO Youth Envoy Coordinator, about this successful social justice weekend.

 

UUA President the Rev. Peter Morales issued a statement in response to the US Department of Justice's December 15, 2011, report regarding civil rights violations by Sheriff Joe Arpaio  of Maricopa County, Arizona. "I am heartened today that the Department of Justice has finally taken a stand against the flagrant civil rights violations of Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. This report shines a light on morally repugnant acts that have gone unchecked for far too long. Unitarian Universalists in Arizona and across the continent have long stood on the side of love, calling for justice and compassion in Maricopa County. Today, we applaud the Department of Justice for taking a significant step in acknowledging Arpaio's criminal behavior.” Read more.

 

 

 

News from Congregations

 

 

Milestones and Transitions   Lara Campbell will end her service as Director of Religious Education at the Community Unitarian Church of White Plains (NY) on January 14. Lara served the church for 8 1/2 years. She is currently a candidate for the UU ministry and will be competing her Masters of Divinity in May from New York Theological Seminary. Lara will continue to serve the District as an Adjunct Consultant and is available for pulpit supply. Annie Gonzales will serve as the church’s part-time Religious Education Coordinator through June.   The Rev. ReBecca Ames Sala will end her service as Director of Religious Education at the UU Congregation of Central Nassau (Garden City NY) on January 8. She will continue as Coordinator for Pastoral Care at Hall Brooke Behavioral Health Services.   Barbara Kubey has ended her service as Director of Religious Education at the Unitarian Society, A UU Congregation (East Brunswick NJ).   The Rev. Craig Hirshberg will be honored by the UU Congregation of Somerset Hills (Somerville NJ) at a Minister Emerita Celebration on March 18 at 3:00 pm.   The Rev. Peggy Clarke will be installed at the Unitarian Society of Westchester (Hastings-on-Hudson NY) on March 25, 2012, at 4:00 pm. [Note change of time.]

The UU Congregation of Briarcliff, Croton, and Ossining (Croton-on-Hudson NY) has been formally recognized as an Accredited Green Sanctuary by the UUA. In a letter to the congregation, Robin Nelson, UUA Environmental Stewardship Manager, wrote, “Your application offers strong evidence of the positive environmental consciousness that has developed in your congregation, resulting in new behaviors and new lifestyle choices by members individually and by the congregation as a whole.”

 

The Morristown (NJ) Unitarian Fellowship is starting up a new round of Covenant Circles. While the Rev. Alison Miller is away on leave, the fellowship is getting to know intern ministers Barnaby Feder and Maggie Cribs as they enjoy their time in the pulpit. The religious education classes have begun to learn about world religions, and there are many amazing crafts the children have created to celebrate their new learning.

 

The Rev. Vanessa Rush Southern celebrated her 10th anniversary as minister of the Unitarian Church in Summit. “Vanessa’s intelligence, enthusiasm, warmth, and presence have transformed the members of this congregation,” said Tom Howard, president of the Board of Trustees. “Each of these 10 years has offered a deeper understanding of religion, commitment, and service.” Read more.

 

The Rev. Jude Geiger, Minister of Religious Education at the First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn (NY), wrote a piece reflecting on Christmas and consumerism for the Huffington Post. “Let's move away from giving random widgets and generic gift cards, and move toward gifts that build the foundations of a Heaven in this life.” Read more.

 

The UU Congregation of the South Fork held a winter solstice celebration on December 17 open to the public, including a portable labyrinth, a potluck dinner by candlelight, and the Escola de Samba Boom Brazilian drummers. This year was the 22nd year the congregation sponsored the celebration. “It’s all about creating community,” said the Rev Alison Cornish, minister at the congregation. “We gather together so that we know we’re going to be okay.” Read more.

 

The UU Society in Stamford (CT) hosted more than 900 people on December 4 at its annual Cocoa Caper, serving hot cocoa to the Stamford community during the city's holiday celebration and providing a gift boutique and bake sale. For the first time, the event was a joint effort of the newly formed Stamford Small Congregation Collaborative. Read more .

 

The UU Congregation at Rock Tavern (NY) now sponsors a War Healing Circle on the second and fourth Sunday of each month for veterans, civilians, and active duty military and their families. “Many, many of our Veterans have real difficulty in returning to 'normal’ life,” said the Rev. Chris Antal, who facilitates the gatherings. Rev. Antal is minister at the congregation and a chaplain in the Army National Guard. “They find that coming home is just an introduction to a new kind of battlefield: nightmares, depression, divorce, alcohol, drugs, and even suicide.” Read more.

 

The Community Church of New York UU (Manhattan) Action For Justice Committee strongly supports HR 3590, the Indonesian Family Refugee Protection Act, and urges all UUs to ask their congressional representatives to co-sponsor the bill. The Standing on the Side of Love campaign can help. In the late 1990s, large numbers of Indonesian Christians came to the United States on tourist visas to escape religious persecution by some extremists in their majority-Muslim home country. Now, dozens of these refugees have received deportation orders. Though all have legally filed for asylum, their cases were closed because they missed the one-year filing deadline due to a lack of understanding of the complex process. The Indonesian Family Refugee Protection Act would allow the Indonesian Christians to reopen their asylum claims and grant them the opportunity to remain legally in the United States as refugees.

 

 

 

Other Noteworthy Items

 

 

UU Allies for Racial Equity will hold its annual conference February 17-19 at the First Jefferson UU Church in Fort Worth TX. Colonization, Privilege and Resistance:  Preparing for Justice GA 2012 is the title of this year's conference which features keynote speakers Robert Jensen, journalism professor at the University of Texas and author of The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege, and Megan Dowdell (pictured), adjunct professor at the Starr King School for the Ministry and UU ministerial candidate. For a flyer, click here . Read more.

 

 

 

Upcoming Meetings and Workshops

 

 

Visit the District Calendar and the District Events page for these and other events. You may also want to visit the CERG events page.

 

Long Island Leadership Institute Session 1: January 7, UU Fellowship at Stony Brook, Stony Brook NY. For more information, contact Chris Morris.

 

Youth Leadership Development Con: January 20-22, First Unitarian Society in Westchester, Hastings-on-Hudson NY. For a flyer, click here . To register, click here. For more information, contact Sara Angell-Isom.

 

Women and Religion Luncheon and Lecture: January 28, Community Church of New York UU, Manhattan, sponsored by the District Women and Religion Committee. For registration and a flyer, click here . For more information, contact Reena Kondo.

 

Long Island Leadership Institute Session 2, February 4, UU Congregation at Shelter Rock, Manhasset NY. For more information, contact Chris Morris.

 

Young Adult Annual Winter Retreat: February 17-20, Frost Valley YMCA, Claryville NY. For a flyer, click here . For complete information, click here.

 

Youth Social Con: March 2-4, Unitarian Church in Summit, Summit NJ. For more information contact Emma Kates-Shaw.

 

Long Island Leadership Institute Session 3: March 3, South Nassau UU Congregation, Freeport NY. For more information, contact Chris Morris.

 

Long Island Leadership Institute Session 4: April 14, UU Fellowship of Huntington, Huntington NY. For more information, contact Chris Morris.

 

Youth Social Con: April 20-22, UU Congregation at Shelter Rock, Manhasset NY. For more information contact Emma Kates-Shaw.