Newsbriefs - St. Lawrence District of the UUA

Plans call for a Unitarian Universalist House to open on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institution for the 2009 summer season.

Members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Chautauqua, which meets during the summer months, have a contract to buy the house and two-thirds of the funds required for the purchase. They are continuing to raise funds, according to Fellowship president Robert Hopper, and hope to be able to close on the house by October 2008 without borrowing.

In addition to offering affordable rooms and a place for programming during the summer, Hopper says, the house will be available to groups for off-season retreats. The house, located at 6 Bliss Avenue, currently accommodates 12 persons. Planned renovations to the house will bring its capacity to 20, including a handicapped-accessible room.

A special meeting to incorporate the Fellowship has been scheduled for 12:15 pm Sunday, July 20, at the Bliss Ave. house. A quorum is necessary for that decision, and the Fellowship asks that members who may be able to attend be in touch with Karen Gottovi at karen@gottovi.net (Photo by Sarah Novak)

First UU of Albany has set up a new planning committee to facilitate discussions during the next year among FUUSANs about who they are as a congregation, what they are called to do at this time, and who are their neighbors.

A FuturesTeam has been created in Barneveld to lead the congregation in molding a vision of the future, to help it set priorities, and to suggest a pathway to that future.

The Canton congregation is examining class issues in an effort, according to Co-Minister Anne Marsh, “to think together about how we can open our doors even wider, and how we can help everyone who walks through those doors feel accepted and included.”

The Earth Day celebration organized by the Fredonia congregation, EarthFest 2008, attracted more than 300 guests to the environment-themed small group discussions, information displays, coffee sales, silent auction, children’s activities and evening concert.

The Oneonta Community Health Center, organized to provide free health care to those without health insurance, will open July 1. The Oneonta congregation initiated the project more than two years ago to meet a significant community need.

The UU Congregation of Saratoga Springs has appointed four mediators as staff for the congregation’s Dispute Settlement Procedure, which offers the confidential assistance of a neutral third party in clarifying and resolving disputes within the congregation.

Knitters at Schenectady are forming a group to work with Afghans for Afghans, a project that sends hand-knit and crocheted wool blankets, sweaters, vests, hats, mittens and socks to the people of Afghanistan.

Rev. David Blanchard has challenged members of the Utica congregation to donate 500 rolls of toilet paper during May. Rev. Blanchard says the mountain of toilet paper will “…help remind ourselves, through a very visual device, what a difference a relatively small group of people can make.” The rolls will be distributed to local agencies that serve the poor.

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee honors 13 District Congregations
April 2008

One of the highlights of the SLD Annual Meeting on April 25, 2008, was the announcement by Jack Maniloff of congregations that are being honored for their support of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee during 2007. Here is the text of his presentation:

"The UUSC's work for social justice and human rights in the United States and around the world is only possible with the generosity of individuals and congregations. The UUSC has recognized a number of congregations in the St. Lawrence District as 2007 Honor Congregations with three types of awards.

The Beacon of Justice Banner Society Award honors congregations in which 75-99 percent of their membership are UUSC members. We celebrate 1 congregation with this award: the UU Church of Athens and Sheshequin.

The Creating Justice Banner Society Award honors congregations in which 25-49 percent of their membership are UUSC members. We celebrate 9 congregations with this award:
     First UU Society of Albany,
     UU Fellowship of Big Flats,
     First Universalist Church of Central Square,
     UU Church of East Aurora,
     UU Society of Northern Chautauqua in Fredonia,
     UU Congregation of Glens Falls,
     UU Church of Hamburg,
     May Memorial UU Society in Syracuse, and
     UU Church of Amherst in Williamsville.

The James Luther Adams Award honors James Luther Adams, whose career spanned most of the 20th century: minister of two Unitarian churches in Massachusetts, then professor at Meadville/Lombard and later Harvard Divinity School. As a teacher, he inspired generations of students as he spoke of the prophetic core of Unitarian Universalism and the moral imperative to justice.

The James Luther Adams Award honors congregations for their generous line-item contribution of a gift from their annual budget of at least $1 per church member. We celebrate 3 congregations with this award:
     UU Society of Oneonta,
     First Unitarian Church of Rochester, and
     All Souls UU Church in Watertown.

The UUSC thanks these UU congregations and members for their exceptional levels of support for the UUSC. Their generosity enables the UUSC to continue its work advancing human rights and social justice, from Darfur to New Orleans."

(Note: Jack Maniloff is a member of the First Unitarian Church of Rochester and is UUSC Regional Coordinator for the St. Lawrence District. He is available to all congregations in the District, to help them learn more about the UUSC's role in our history and in living our UU faith. He can be contacted at jkmf@mail.rochester.edu or by calling (585) 924-1768.)

The fourth annual Spiritual Arts Fair is planned for the Unitarian Universalist Society of Oneonta in April. The fair will feature workshops on topics such as guided meditation, Reiki, and flower essences, along with vendors of related products and lunch made by church members.

Members and friends of the First Unitarian Society of Schenectady have been invited to add stories and notes about milestones, events, joys and sorrows to the timeline posted in the Great Hall during January and February. Rev. Pat Hoertdoerfer, religious education consultant, will reflect on the congregation’s living history project in a service at the end of February.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Saratoga Springs is holding a series of four seminars in January and February on sources of conflict, conflict avoidance, and conflict resolution techniques. The series was prompted by the Board’s adoption of a conflict resolution procedure and a Covenant of Community.

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Northern Chautauqua sponsors a
Cooperative Dining Group whose members share a meal each week of an eight-week cycle. Members reduce their energy use while they enjoy the company of others in the congregation.

Members of the Hornell-Alfred Unitarian Universalist Society hold silent peace vigils before and after their Sunday meetings in Hornell.

The Chautauqua Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is raising funds for a UU House on the grounds of the Chautauqua Institute, where the fellowship offers a full program each summer. The house would offer rooms to Chautauqua visitors and house other activities during the summer season.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Canandaigua and the First Unitarian Society of Schenectady have been accepted as candidates for Green Sanctuary accreditation by the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo’s Green Sanctuary program sponsored a small appliance exchange during January, with congregation members bringing in used but usable items for the first three Sundays and choosing needed appliances at the end of the month.

At the Unitarian Universalist Church of Amherst, Eagle Scout candidates installed several birdhouses in the memorial pet garden and built a fence around the area.

The First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany is holding a series of conversations – at church and over dessert in members’ homes - where members can reflect on our UU Principles and Purposes. Results of the conversations will be forwarded to the UUA Commission on Appraisal, which is conducting a review of the Principles.

New member churches were admitted to the New York State Convention of Universalists for the first time in more than forty years at the Convention’s annual meeting October 13, 2007, in Oneonta.

The First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Canandaigua became the 24th and 25th NYSCU members following a recent change in NYSCU bylaws which allows the admission of societies which affirm the Convention’s mission statement and commit to incorporate the Universalist name in all communications.

Delegates and others at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Oneonta heard keynote speaker John Buehrens, former president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, speak on “A House for Hope: Liberating the Spirit of Liberal Religion.”

Next year's annual meeting, set for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Poughkeepsie, NY, on October 10 and 11, 2008, will feature Dr. Charlie Clements, president of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, as keynote speaker.

The new Emerson Community Hall is dedicated by the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Albany on Saturday, September 15, 2007.

Dave Munro, president of the Albany congregation, speaks at the dedication of Emerson Hall. Also pictured, L to R: Rev. Sam Trumbore, Rev. Dr. Tom Chulak, UUA Moderator Gini Coulter, and Albany vice president Linda Way. (Photo by Ferd Haverly)

Participants in the dedication service spoke of Albany’s commitment, as an urban church, to social justice leadership, to welcoming the stranger, and to seeking and speaking the truth. “We have a strong vision that will fill this new space,” said Rev. Sam Trumbore, minister. “We have a strong vision of the Spirit of Life as interpreted through human minds as our primary source of guidance, a strong vision based on human values as our primary source of action, a strong vision based on respect for and valuing of the interdependent relationship of all life.”

Emerson Hall is composed of a 2500-sq.ft. community room used for worship services and large events, two new religious education classrooms, and a library. The Hall’s maple flooring and the theatre seats in the balcony of the community room were recycled from two closed Albany public schools, and congregation members helped salvage, clean, and transport the materials.

The building expands not just the Society’s space, but its presence in the community. According to Amy Lent, administrator, the new space is popular with community groups for special events and regular use. “It’s already obvious that we’re serving a real community need,” she said.

Members and friends of the First Universalist Church of Rochester, NY, join hands in benediction at the church building centennial celebration. Rev. William Sinkford, president of the Unitarian Universalist Association, spoke at the service, urging the congregation to find ways to spread liberal religious values. In her attached article (pdf format), Karen Dau, church historian, offers a brief summary of the church’s last hundred years and suggests its future direction. (Photo by Michael Scott)

This column is compiled from congregation newsletters and the reports of District Board cluster liaisons. Send your announcements and photos to Ellen Asprooth, SLD Reporter, or call her at (585) 482-3064.