Last updated: 05/08/2008

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Metro NY Minute -- April 2007

  
 
News from the UU District of Metro NY
 
18 outstanding workshops are planned for the District 2007 Annual Meeting on April 27-28, 2007, at the Marriott Hotel in Stamford CT! Here are a few of the intriguing topics. To see them all, click here.
bullet Lay-led Services: A Rich UU Tradition
bullet The Joys and Concerns of Joys and Concerns
bullet The Spirituality of Food
bullet Welcoming: Turning Visitors into Members
bullet Creating an Intentional Intergenerational Service
bullet One Aggressive Green Sanctuary
bullet Creating a Safe Congregation

The Rev. Meg Barnhouse will be the special guest on Friday evening; the Rev. Calvin Dame will deliver the keynote address on Saturday. Additional highlights include: separate children's programming, the Metro NY District Choir (open to all!), worship, fellowship, and food! Online registration ends April 20. Everyone is welcome at the Annual Meeting, so please help spread the word!

The Spring 2007 Chalice Lighters Call is underway for the First Unitarian Society of Plainfield Acrobat Reader Required (NJ) to help the Society implement a marketing campaign, a key component of their membership development plan. More than $31,000 has been received as of April 1 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. Congregations interested in receiving Chalice Lighters funds for 2007-08 should contact Bill Slezak - , District Chalice Lighters Coordinator. The application deadline is April 15.
.The UU Congregation of Central Nassau (Garden City NY) will receive the UUA's O. Eugene Pickett Award at General Assembly in Portland OR. Says Tracey Robinson-Harris, UUA Director for Congregational Services, "Theirs is an inspiring story that shows it is possible to take on intentional change in many areas without losing focus or energy. It is the 'whole package' that needs to be celebrated as well as the successes of the various aspects of what they have and are accomplishing." Congratulations!
The UU Congregation at Rock Tavern (NY) voted unanimously to begin rebuilding on the Congregation's existing property, following the fire that devastated its facilities on September 12, 2006. Click here for an article in the online Times-Herald [the article refers to the "New Windsor Unitarian church," an outdated name.]
Check out the brand new UUA website at uua.org! The redesigned site features special entry points for Visitors, Members, and Leaders. The old site will be available for a brief time at archive.uua.org while content continues to be added to the new site. More than 15,000 pages take a while to move! For answers to some Frequently Asked Questions about the new site, click here Acrobat Reader Required.		  
Register Now For . . .

General Assembly (GA) 2007 in Portland OR June 20-24! Early bird registration runs through April 30. Congregational presidents are especially invited and will be reimbursed for a portion of their registration fees. Read more Acrobat Reader Required.

UU University on June 19-20, just before General Assembly 2007 in Portland OR. Early bird registration runs through April 30. All current and future lay leaders are welcome and encouraged to attend UU University, dedicated to increasing leaders' abilities to serve congregations.

UU Leadership Team Institute, a collaborative initiative of the Murray Grove Association and the Joseph Priestly, Metro NY, Ohio-Meadville, and St. Lawrence districts. A six-day residential program July 28-August 3, the Institute is designed for congregational leaders wishing to strengthen their team and leadership skills in order to make a real impact in their congregations and communities. Click here  Acrobat Reader Required for a flyer.

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
Join with other congregations and participate in Association Sundays, an opportunity created by the UUA to celebrate our connections and to contribute to the larger faith movement that sustains us. The first Association Sunday is October 14. Funds raised on that day will go toward a national outreach campaign. Four subsequent Association Sundays, one a year, will raise funds for growth in diversity, witness, spirit, and leadership. Clergy and governing boards are asked to register their congregations for this campaign and to send a photo of their congregation that can be used in promoting this celebration at General Assembly 2007.
The Anti-Racism and Diversity Committee invites all interested in anti-racism to a presentation and forum by Prof. Nancy DiTomaso, Rutgers University, on her research on white privilege and how an emphasis on getting whites to confront their racism may be misplaced. The event will be held the Community Church of New York UU (Manhattan) on April 16 at 7:00 p.m. Read more Acrobat Reader Required.
The Long Island Area Council Annual Dinner will be held on April 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock (Manhasset NY). The program will include scenes from Shakespeare and UU music. For more information, contact Susan Caravello.
 UU Mid-Atlantic Conference (UUMAC) is a summer camp for UUs, a multi-generational, intentional community meeting annually each summer at DeSales University for a week of fun, recreation, spiritual rejuvenation, and growth. You are welcome to join the UUMAC family! This year's camp is July 22-28, 2007. Click here for a brochure Acrobat Reader Required.
Convo 2007 is scheduled for May 5-6 Acrobat Reader Required at All Souls UU Church in Bellville OH. Convo, short for Universalist Convocation, is an annual, national gathering of people who have roots in Universalism or who identify as Universalists. The keynote speaker for the event is the Rev. Ron Rembert, chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Wilmington College.
 The First Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hunterdon County (Baptistown NJ) is thrilled to announce the purchase of 10 bucolic acres adjacent to its historic stone church. This is a major step in realizing the 136-member Fellowship's vision of a "new building in the field" for expanding programs (especially religious education) and allowing the possibility for an expanded sanctuary in the future. An earlier Chalice Lighter campaign, as well as the generous giving of members and friends, helped to make the Fellowship's dream come true.
 The First Unitarian Church of Essex County (Orange NJ) works in a variety of ways on immigration issues, including a guest teacher for religious education classes and supporting local immigrants as they gather to wait for work, often under harassment from the United Patriots, a branch of the Minutemen. Read more Acrobat Reader Required.
With placards, banners, and a rainbow peace flag held high, congregants from the UU Congregation of Central Nassau (Garden City NY) were joined by their faith neighbors in a two-mile Community Walk for Darfur Awareness in Garden City on March 25. More than 100 people participated. Read more Acrobat Reader Required.
 Rev. Tom Martinez, minister at All Souls Bethlehem Church (Brooklyn NY), sees a meaningful interface between worship, justice, and the arts, and engages in what he calls Photography Ministry in the form of slide shows synchronized to music during worship. Read more Acrobat Reader Required.
 Choirs from the UU Congregation of Central Nassau (Garden City NY) and the First Unitarian Congregational Society of Brooklyn (NY) will sing the national anthem before the start of the New York Liberty Game at Madison Square Garden on June 3 at 4:00 p.m. The two congregations are sponsoring the outing as a fundraiser for their joint partner congregation in New Orleans, as well as a way to support women athletes. Tickets are $15.00. For more information, contact Jocelyn Smith at 718-614-1409 or e-mail - .
 Rev. Tony Johnson, affiliated minister at Community Church of New York UU (Manhattan), will present a program on Universalist theology and lead discussions of prose texts, poetry, and music that contribute to a living Universalist theology for the post modern period. The program will take place on April 5, 12, 19, and 26. Click here for more information.
Nick Page will lead the Mystic Chorale in the "Long Walk to Freedom" concert on June 16 at 7:00 p.m. at the Community Church of New York UU (Manhattan).
 
Milestones and Transitionss
 
Susan Nykolak, Masters Level Credentialed Religious Educator and Director of Religious Education at the South Nassau UU Congregation (Freeport NY) for the past 14 years, will be retiring this June. She will continue on as a District consultant for mentoring and other special education activities. She will be devoting more time to her family and to her other career as a Licensed Therapist and Adjunct College Professor.
 
Rev. Jill Bowden was 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 Junior Youth Con Acrobat Reader Required: April 21-22, sponsored by and held at the Community Unitarian Church at White Plains (NY). For more information, contact Peter Green.
bullet UU Ministers Association (UUMA) District Chapter Meeting: April 26-27, at the Stamford Marriott Hotel, Stamford CT. For more information, contact the Rev. Carol Huston.
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District 2007 Annual Meeting: April 27-28, at the Stamford Marriott Hotel, Stamford CT. Online registration ends April 20.
bullet Young Religious UU (YRUU) Con: June 1-3, sponsored by and held at the Unitarian Church of Montclair (NJ). For more information, contact Genna Ayres.
bullet UU University: June 19-20, sponsored by the UUA, in Portland OR just prior to General Assembly.
bullet General Assembly 2007: June 20-24, Portland OR.
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Religious Education Week on Star Island: July 14-21, Star Island NH.
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UU Mid-Atlantic Community (UUMAC): July 22-28, DeSales University, Center Valley PA. Click here Acrobat Reader Required for a registration brochure.
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UU Leadership Team Institute: July 28-August 3, Juniata College, Huntingdon PA. Click here for a poster Acrobat Reader Required.
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Junior/Senior Our Whole Lives (OWL) Training: August 10-12, Murray Grove Retreat and Conference Center, Lanoka Harbor NJ. For more information, contact Andrea Lerner.
 

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.