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Metro NY Minute -- January 2007

  
 
News from the UU District of Metro NY
 
The District 2007 Annual Meeting will be held April 27-28, 2007, at the Marriott Hotel in Stamford CT. This year's theme is Rich, Warm, and Full: Nurturing Our Congregational Life. The Rev. Meg Barnhouse will be the special guest on Friday evening; the Rev. Calvin Dame will deliver the keynote address on Saturday. Online registration begins February 15. A highlight of the meeting will be the presentation of the 2007 Annual Awards Acrobat Reader Required, and you are invited to submit a nomination for one or more of four awards. The nomination deadline is March 1, 2007.
Small Group Ministry: Covenant for the Future Acrobat Reader Required, a workshop sponsored by the District for congregational teams who want to initiate or energize their Small Group Ministry program, will be held February 24, 2007, at the Unitarian Church in Westport (CT). The workshop repeats the program held previously in October. The Rev. Calvin Dame and the Rev. Chris Reed will lead the workshop.
  
More Good Stuff to Check Out!

Worship Service Providers available to District congregations

RE-Sources for religious education leaders

Job opportunities around the District

SmallTalk Acrobat Reader Required for small congregations

Action Alerts from the UUA Washington Office for Advocacy

InterConnections for lay leaders

UUA Monthly Mailing to all congregations

UUWorld.org, UUA's online magazine
 
Demolition of the UU Congregation at Rock Tavern (NY) is now complete following the loss of the Congregation's facilities to fire in September. The Congregation has received more than $27,000 in aid from District congregations and others. Read more Acrobat Reader Required from the Rev. Jim Bridges.
What could the Folk Process and Congregational Polity have to do with each other? One answer is found in the efforts at rebuilding the UU Congregation at Rock Tavern (NY) through music. Read more Acrobat Reader Required from the Rev. Hope Johnson, minister at the UU Congregation of Central Nassau. The Congregation is sponsoring a benefit concert to help Rock Tavern on January 21 at 4:00 p.m. 
Nearly $15,000 has been received as of December 19 for the Fall 2006 Chalice Lighters Call Acrobat Reader Required to benefit the Gulf Coast UU Fellowship (Gulfport MS) and the UUA-UU Service Committee Gulf Coast Relief Fund in efforts to recover from the ravages of hurricane Katrina. Rather than representatives from the called congregation visiting District congregations, congregation Chalice Lighters Coordinators are asked to speak briefly, based on mailed and online materials, at a Sunday service. Read an update Acrobat Reader Required from Bill and Rickey Slezak, District Chalice Lighters Coordinators.
The Rev. Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley passed away on December 10, 2006, from cancer. Rev. Bowens-Wheatley served the Community Church of New York UU (Manhattan) from 1994-1999. She also served on the staff of the UU Service Committee, the Veatch Program, and the UUA Department of Faith in Action. She was a founding member of the African American UU Ministry.
 Dr. Rashid Khalidi, author of two highly acclaimed Beacon Press books on the Middle East, has been selected to deliver the Ware Lecture at the 2007 General Assembly of the UUA in Portland OR June 20-24. Says UUA President Bill Sinkford, "Rashid Khalidi offers us a focused and much-needed perspective on the worsening situation in the Middle East." Read more Acrobat Reader Required
"What is the Mission of 'Missions'?" asks Don Hotchkiss, Senior Consultant at the Alban Institute, in a thought-provoking piece published in the Alban Weekly. Says Hotchkiss, "In planning outreach ministries, it is important to remember that the lives we can transform the most may be our own." Though Hotchkiss focuses on Christian congregations, his piece applies equally well to UU congregations.
 The UU Women's Association (UUWA) Annual Meeting and Luncheon will be held on January 20, 2007, at the Community Church of New York UU in Manhattan, featuring Laurie James speaking on "Women's Themes in Plays Today" and scenes read by UUWA members. For more information, call 212-724-0438. Click here for a flyer Acrobat Reader Required.
Tao of Aging Mini-Conference Acrobat Reader Required with Rev. Patricia Hoertdoerfer will be an opportunity for you to cultivate the qualities that the world's wisdom traditions have always associated with spiritual maturity:  loving kindness, wisdom, generosity, humor, and inner peace. To be held at Murray Grove Retreat and Conference Center, Lanoka Harbor NJ, March 9-11, the mini-conference is limited to 20 individuals/couples ages 50 and older.
In November 2005, the UU Congregation of the Catskills (Kingston NY) formed an "Amateur Scientist" group. Members of the group, although in most cases not professionals educated in the area, lead the monthly meetings. Topics have included The Big Bang, Plate Tectonics, Perception, Special and General Relativity, Evolution, Consciousness, Artificial Intelligence, and Tropical Ecology. For further information contact Stan Goldstein.
 On January 20 at 7:00 p.m., the Rev. Thandeka will speak at the Unitarian Church in Summit (NJ) on "A Theology for Living Boldly." Thandeka is senior research professor of theology at Meadville Lombard Theological School and author of Learning to Be White: Money, Race and God in America. For more information, contact Emilie Boggis.
 Dan Gottfried, Director of Camp Unirondack, a UU Summer Camp in Lowville NY, will visit the Unitarian Church in Summit (NJ) on January 27. All are welcome to attend this informative program, which includes a vegetarian and vegan dinner. Read more Acrobat Reader Required.
 The First UU Church of Essex County (Orange NJ) owns a mural painted in 1947 as a memorial to Norbert Capek but lacks suitable display space. The Church seeks to donate the 6x10 foot mural to another congregation. Visit essexuu.org/nmtmural.html to see an image of the mural. For more information, contact Paul Axel-Lute
Effective January 1, 2007, the IRS-approved mileage rate for business-related driving rises to 48.5 cents per mile . The rate that can be deducted or reimbursed for volunteer service to a charitable organization remains at 14 cents per mile.
The 100th Anniversary Celebration for Bethlehem Church (a predecessor of All Souls Bethlehem Church (Brooklyn NY)) originally scheduled for January 14 has been postponed to a date to be announced later in Spring 2007. Details will appear here in the Metro NY Minute as they become available and on the Church's website, www.asbc.org.
 
Milestones and Transitionss
 
The Rev. Hope Johnson was installed by the UU Congregation of Central Nassau (Garden City NY) on December 10 at 4:30 p.m.
 
Nathan Walker will be ordained by the Fourth Universalist Society (Manhattan) on January 14, at 5:00 p.m.
 
Leela Sinha will be ordained by the Unitarian Church in Westport (CT) on January 28 at 11:00 a.m.
 
Jill Bowden will be ordained by the Fourth Universalist Society (Manhattan) on March 18, at 5:00 p.m.
 
Upcoming Workshops and Meetings
 
Visit the District's Calendar and Events page for these and other events:
 
bullet Young Religious UU (YRUU) CONtradiction Acrobat Reader Required:  January 19-21, sponsored by and held at the Community Unitarian Church at White Plains (NY). For information, contact Genna Ayres. To register, click here.
bullet UU Women's Association (UUWA) Annual Meeting and Luncheon Acrobat Reader Required, January 20, at Community Church of New York UU, Manhattan. For more information, call 212-724-0438.
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UU Ministers Association (UUMA) District Chapter Winter Retreat: January 27-30, at Murray Grove Retreat and Conference Center, Lanoka Harbor NJ. For information, contact Rev. Carol Huston.
bullet Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA) District Chapter Meeting: February 1, at Community Church of New York UU, Manhattan. For information, contact Melanie Mashburn. 
bullet Consultation on Ministry To and With Youth: February 3, at the Community Church of New UU (Manhattan). For more information, contact Kyle Reaves. 
bullet Young Religious UU (YRUU) Con: February 23-25, sponsored by and held at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood (NJ). For information, contact Genna Ayres.
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Small Group Ministry: Covenant for the Future Acrobat Reader Required: February 24, sponsored by the District, at the Unitarian Church in Westport (CT). For more information, contact Calvin Dame.  
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Anti-Racism and Diversity Conclave: March 3, sponsored by the District, at the Community Church of New York UU, Manhattan. Snow date: March 24, 2007. For information, contact Carl Heath or Rev. Hope Johnson.
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Young Religious UU (YRUU) Bridging Planning Con: March 30-31, location to be announced. For more information, contact Genna Ayres.
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Junior Youth Con: April 21-22, sponsored by and held at the Community Unitarian Church at White Plains (NY). For more information, contact Peter Green.
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District 2007 Annual Meeting: April 27-28, at the Stamford Marriott Hotel, Stamford CT. Online registration begins February 15.
 

Guided by our living faith, the Unitarian Universalist District of Metropolitan New York exists to be a source of connection and transformation for our congregations and our larger world.