Table of Contents
District President’s Column/Fall Leadership Conference
Annual Meeting Focuses on Membership, Annual Meeting Awards and Elections
Does Your Congregation Want to Be More Family Friendly?
New Fair Compensation Guidelines Will be Available at GA; CLF Pen Pals
Accepting Allies News/Study Action Issues at GA/New Asian Pacific Islander Caucus
Chalice Lighter Grant Made/Western Carolinas Cluster Forms
Congregations Focus Deeply on War / TJD Welcomes New Congregation / District Office Has New Sign
Congregations Focus Deeply on War
The Unitarian Church of Norfolk, Virginia, home to one of the world’s largest naval bases, includes twenty-five military families. “When the war started, I talked about how just having soldiers and pacifists in the same pew is radical social witness and not to be underestimated,” says the Rev. Danny Reed. “We’re going to be in the shadow of this war for a long while. I hope we continue to leave space and room for a variety of opinions and thought.”
In the week before the war began, Ben Hall, a community minister with Religious Society of Bell Street Chapel Unitarian Universalist, Providence, RI, walked 113 miles across Rhode Island carrying a peace sign. He says the best part of the trip was the many conversations he had with people on both sides of the peace issue. “My dream now is to organize a forum with people who really disagree with the peace movement - a chance for people to not preach at each other, but to listen.”
From UUWorld, May/June 2003, p. 43
TJD Welcomes New Congregation
The Thomas Jefferson District welcomes the Thermal Belt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship located in Tryon, NC into affiliated status with the Unitarian Universalist Association.
The Fellowship was founded in 1989 and currently meets at the Tryon Youth Center on the second and fourth Sundays of each month.
District Office Has New Sign
Ever wonder where your District Office is housed? Well, housed is an appropriate word. The TJ District offices, as well as the office for Piedmont UU Church, reside in this house, known as the Meeting House, located in front of the Piedmont UU Church. Built in the 1950’s, it underwent extensive renovation after a lightning strike caused a fire which resulted in heavy damage.
And now the offices are even easier to find. Thanks to Piedmont UU Church’s Building and Grounds Co-Chair, we now have a sign out front. Mr. Bob Vermillion built and donated this sign to the church, to make the church and district offices easier to find. Bob and his wife Sandy have been diligent in attending to the needs of the existing structures, and have recently begun a project which will add a brick path from the
Sanctuary to the Meeting House.
Our thanks to Bob for this wonderful sign!
