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Metro NY
Minute -- February 2008 |
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News
From the District
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 Registration
begins online February 15 for the
2008 District Annual Meeting,
May 2-3, 2008, at the Marriott Hotel in Stamford CT. The
Rev. Dr. Tracey Robinson-Harris, UUA Director for
Congregational Services, will deliver the keynote address.
On Friday night,
Geoff
Kaufman, well-known singer and guitarist, will entertain
and inspire. Come experience outstanding workshops, the
Metro NY District Choir, the UU Network Mall, worship,
fellowship, and fun!
The
District Nominating Committee presents its slate of
2008 nominees
for members of the District Board and members of the
District Nominating Committee. Voting will take place at the
2008 District Annual Meeting.
Welcome to Doug Ford, the District's new Compensation
Consultant! Lynn Dash, District Compensation Consultant
for the last few years, is “retiring” from this volunteer
position. Leaders concerned about whether their
congregations are paying their staff within the UUA's Fair
Compensation Guidelines can contact Doug at
dougbar@aol.com or at
973-543-6415 for a pain-free, self-assessment process.
The Spring 2008
Chalice Lighters Call will be for the
First Unitarian Society of Rockland County (Pomona
NY), helping the Society employ a part-time Director of
Religious Education, a critical component of efforts to
increase membership. Read
more
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Plan now
to attend UULTI 2008 - The UU Leadership Team Institute.
Last year's acclaimed program returns for 2008. UULTI is a
week-long training opportunity sponsored by the Metro NY,
Joseph Priestly, Ohio-Meadville, and St. Lawrence districts,
July 28-August 3, Juniata College, Huntingdon PA. Designed
for congregations of all sizes, UULTI is currently the only
training opportunity that invites smaller congregations to
team together and larger congregations to bring teams that
include lay and professional leadership. The goal? To
embrace growth and “Turn Outward in Faith”. Save the dates
and include UULTI training in upcoming budgets.
Read first-person accounts of 2007
UULTI
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Worth Repeating
Presentation of
the 2008
District Awards and
2008 District Scholarships will be a
highlight of the 2008 District Annual Meeting. You
are invited to submit a nomination for one or
more of four awards, and to encourage youth to
apply for a scholarship. The nomination and
application deadline is March 1, 2008.
Beyond Fundraising,
a day-long workshop sponsored by the District, will
be held February 16 at Community Church of New York
UU (Manhattan). The Rev. Wayne Clark, the
UUA's Director of Congregational Stewardship
Services and author of Beyond Fundraising: A
Complete Guide to Congregational Stewardship,
will be the workshop presenter.
Click
here for a flyer
.
Click here to register.
The UU Young Adults
Winter Retreat, sponsored by the Young Adult
Steering Committee, will be held Presidents' Day
weekend, February 15-18, at
Frost Valley in Claryville NY, a YMCA camp.
Young adults can take part in skiing, arts and
crafts, worship, campfires, making friends, and
more. The cost is $250, and scholarships are
available for students. Registration deadline is
January 10. For more information,
click here or contact
Samantha Payne
Garland. For a flyer,
click here
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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
for
small congregations
InterConnections for lay leaders
Action Campaigns of the UUA
UUA Monthly Mailing to all congregations
UUWorld.org, UUA's online magazine |
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The Rev. Bill Sinkford, UUA President, will be the
keynote speaker at the 2008 Anti-Racism and Diversity
Conclave, May 31, at Community Church of New York UU
(Manhattan), sponsored by the District Anti-Racism and
Diversity Committee. Save the date! For more information,
contact Carl Heath
or the Rev. Hope Johnson.
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Youth, young adults, and adult advisors are invited
to participate in Building the Bridge, March 28-29,
at the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock (Manhasset NY).
Building the Bridge is a gathering to plan the Bridging
Ceremony for the 2008 District Annual Meeting, which marks
the transition from youth to young adulthood and welcomes
bridging youth into the young adult community.
Click here
for a flyer. Youth and young adults,
click here to register. Adult advisors,
click here to register. |
Did you know? A variety of
employment opportunities
at District congregations are posted online. Current
listings include:
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Director of
Development, Unitarian Church of all Souls (Manhattan)
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Youth Programs
Coordinator, UU Congregation of Princeton (NJ)
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Youth Advisor,
Community Church at White Plains (NY)
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Director of Ministry
with Youth, Morristown Unitarian Fellowship
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Consulting Minister, UU
Society of South Suffolk (Bay Shore NY)
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Also included are links
to opportunities listed by the Liberal Religious
Educators Association, the UUA, and 16 other districts.
If you would like to post a job announcement, visit
http://uumetrony.org/district/jobform.htm.
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Rosemarie Newberry, chair of the District Committee on
Accessibilities, has accepted a position as chaplain for
the State of New Jersey. She will be working at the New
Lisbon Developmental Center, providing spiritual and
emotional support to people with developmental disabilities.
"This is one of my “dream jobs,” Rosemarie says. Her
contract lasts until the end of June, and she is hoping the
state will renew. |
News From the UUA
 Congregations in the Metro NY District raised $75,775 during the Association Sunday campaign, making the District the second highest contributing district. A portion of those funds will be returned to the District to support congregational growth related projects. It's not too early to sign up to participate in Association Sunday 2008 -- October 12, 2008 -- by emailing associationsunday@uua.org.
As the crisis in Kenya continued, a three-person UU emergency assessment delegation reached Nairobi and began collecting information and personal accounts of the ongoing violence. The members of the delegation are Dr. Charlie Clements, President/CEO of the UU Service Committee (UUSC), Atema Eclai, Program Director for the UUSC and a native of Kenya, and the Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, minister of Fourth Universalist Society (Manhattan), Metro NY District UUA Trustee, and a founder of the UU Trauma Response Ministry. Rev. McNatt has begun posting on http://trusteetalk.net/. Clements has begun posting on the UUSC's Hotwire blog. Read more at uuworld.org. Rev. Bill Sinkford, UUA President, has written a pastoral letter on the crisis. To contribute to the UUSC-UUA Kenya crisis fund, click here.
Looking for ways to send delegates and others to General Assembly? The General Assembly Planning Committee offers scholarships. The application process begins March 1; applications must be submitted by March 31. The Planning Committee will match a contribution from the applicant’s congregation, up to $250, and will pay the applicant’s GA registration fee. Priority is given to applicants who are delegates from their congregations, and the applicant should have demonstrable financial need. The Youth Office offers scholarships for youth 14-20 years old ($50 - $300). Applications will be available from the Youth Office at (617) 948-4350 or yruu@uua.org. All congregational board presidents will be reimbursed for 25% of their Early Bird registration. For ideas on raising money for a GA Delegates Fund, click here
. General Assembly registration and housing opens March 1.
Two candidates have formally announced their intentions to run for the presidency of the UUA when the Rev. Bill Sinkford's term ends in June 2009: the Rev. Laurel Hallman, Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Church in Dallas, and the Rev. Peter Morales, Senior Minister at the Jefferson Unitarian Church in Golden CO.
UUA President Bill Sinkford will be among those participating in the Interfaith Peace Witness in Washington D.C. on March 7, hosted by the Olivebranch Interfaith Peace Partnership. Dozens of churches will participate in services of peace at 12:00 noon, including Washington's All Souls Unitarian. Following the services, participants will meet on Capitol Hill for a public witness and demonstration against the war. An optional direct action of civil disobedience will be offered to participants if they so desire.
The Winter 2008 edition of the Annual Program Fund Quarterly
is now available. This issue features tips and resources for congregational stewardship teams and stewardship education for younger UU, parents, and religious educators.
News From Congregations
The UU Fellowship of
Northern Westchester (Mount Kisco NY) split their entire
collection for the month of January with the Association
Sunday portion of the UUA's Now is the Time Campaign,
rather than to hold a single Association Sunday in October.
The Rev. Michael Tino reports that the Fellowship has
welcomed steady streams of new visitors since September 2007
who cite the UUA's advertisements in Time magazine as
their reason for coming.
Read more.
The Chamber Choir of the Unitarian Church in Westport
(CT), under the direction of the Rev. EdWard Thompson,
Minister of Music, gave a special performance at the UU
Fellowship of Briarcliff, Croton, and Ossining
(Croton-on-Hudson NY) on February 3. In addition, the Rev.
Thompson and members of the choir spoke about Westport's
full, rich, and diverse music ministry, inspiring the
Fellowship to consider ways to expand the Fellowship's music
program.
The Rev. Ron Sala, minister at the
UU Society
in Stamford (CT), began the second half of his
sabbatical on February 1. The congregation has arranged for
several guests speakers, including Martha-Lee Bohn, youth
director at Westminster Presbyterian Church which hosts
volunteer teams in Gulfport MS, and Peter Haddad, who holds
a degree in Organizational Manager and has been in ministry
for more than 20 years. Call 203-348-0708 for more
information. |
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Milestones and Transitions
The Rev.
Alison Cornish will be installed as Minister at the UU Congregation of the South Fork (Bridgehampton NY)
on April 6 at 4:00 p.m. A former member of the
Congregation, the Rev. Cornish also was ordained by
the Congregation and is their first settled
minister.
Amy Strano will
be ordained by the Unitarian Church of All Souls
(Manhattan) and by the Fourth Universalist
Society (Manhattan) at the Unitarian Church of
All Souls on April 13 at 5:00 p.m. (Note the change
in time from previous announcements.)
Ian Maher will
be ordained by the UU Congregation of Queens
(Flushing NY) on April 27 at 5:00 p.m.
The Rev. Bob Janis Dillon will be installed
as Minister at the First UU Fellowship of
Hunterdon County (Baptistown NJ) on May 18 at
3:00 p.m.
Wendy Pantoja
will be ordained by the First Unitarian Society
of Plainfield (NJ) on June 1 at 4:00 p.m.
Elizabeth Anne
Putnam will be ordained by the Fourth
Universalist Society (Manhattan) on June 8 at
4:00 p.m.
Rosemarie Newberry
will be ordained by the UU Congregation of
Monmouth County (Lincroft NJ) on October 26 at
5:00 p.m.
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Upcoming Workshops and Meetings
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and Events
page for these and other events: |
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Long Island Leadership
Institute: February 9, location to be announced. For
more information, contact
Reba Siniscalchi.
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UU Ministers Association District Chapter Winter Retreat: February 15-16, Stony Point Conference Center, Stony Point NY. For more information, contact the Rev. Anthony (Tony) Johnson.
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Beyond Fundraising:
February 16, Community Church of New York UU (Manhattan).
Sponsored by the Metro NY District. For a flyer,
click here . To
register,
click here. For more information,
contact Andrea Lerner.
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Presidents Roundtable:
February 23, Community Church of New York UU (Manhattan).
Sponsored by the Metro NY District. For a flyer,
click
here
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To register,
click here. For more information,
contact Andrea Lerner.
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Long Island Leadership
Institute: March 8, location to be announced. For more
information, contact
Reba Siniscalchi.
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Building the Bridge
(Bridging Ceremony Planning): March 28-29, UU Congregation
at Shelter Rock, Manhasset NY. For a flyer,
click here
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To register as a youth or young adult,
click here. To register as an adult advisor,
click here. For more information, contact
Beth Dana.
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Caring Congregation
Training: March 28-30:
Mount Manresa, Staten Island NY. Sponsored by
the Metro NY District. For a flyer,
click here
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For more information, contact
Andrea Lerner.
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Long Island Leadership
Institute: April 12, location to be announced. For more
information, contact
Reba Siniscalchi.
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Junior Youth Con: April
12-13, UU Congregation of Monmouth County (Lincroft NJ). For a
flyer, click here
. To
register,
click here. For more information, contact
Peter Green.
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UU Ministers Association
District Chapter Annual Meeting: May 1-2, Marriott
Hotel, Stamford CT. For more information, contact the Rev. Anthony (Tony) Johnson.
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Anti-Racism and Diversity
Conclave: May 31, Community Church of New York UU,
Manhattan. Sponsored by the Metro NY District. The Rev. Bill
Sinkford, UUA President, will be the keynote speaker. For more
information, contact Carl Heath
or the Rev. Hope Johnson.
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