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TJ CONNECTION

Thomas Jefferson District
Unitarian Universalist Association

GA 2000 in Nashville was an experience - educational, fun and exhausting. It was amazing to see how quickly this gathering of UU’s from across the continent became a community unto itself.

The Banner parade was a must-see event, showcasing the creativity of UU’s in creating banners for their congregations

There was an abundant amount of information. There was a daily GA newspaper and information from a variety of UU affiliated groups in the "mall" area.

The Awards Breakfast provided an opportunity to celebrate and thank the

wonderful people who have given so generously of their time. While only a few were recognized by name, our gratitude goes out to all who give of themselves to further the work of our faith.
 
 

If you happened to have missed GA this year, all is not lost – you can go next year to GA 2001 in Cleveland, Ohio. See you there!!
 
 

Check your mailboxes, church bulletin boards, announcements, and the TJD website

(www.tjd.uua.org) for more information, including a list of workshops being offered, registration forms, and lodging information

Don’t miss this chance to join other members of the TJ District for a weekend of fun, fellowship and learning!

2...District President’s Column

2...Qiyamah’s Calendar

3...Qiyamah’s Corner

4...Minister’s Page

4...Trustee’s Report

5...News Around the District

6...Lifespan Remarks from Laurel

7…Historic UU Footprints in the South, Part 1

7…DARTT News

8…District Calendar
 
 
 
 
 
 

Page 2

We are in the midst of changes, transitions and transformations. As a district we are faced with an opportunity to build a faith community for the next century. Our Funds for the Future fund raising campaign continues to grow. We have raised over $87,000 in pledges to help fund our Religious Education Program Consultant work and our Anti-Racism Transformation Team. We have a district board that is in transition with four new members who are skilled and excited about serving the district and our congregations. We had over 250 participants from the TJ District to attend GA in Nashville and our GA sponsored programs were filled to capacity. None of this is "by accident" but it is "by system''. Noted author, Marilyn Ferguson, relates in her writings that "transformation by accident and transformation by system differed in the respect that one is like lightening and the other is like a lamp." She goes on to say that both transformation by accident and transformation by system give off light and illumination but one can be dangerous, and unreliable, while the other is relatively safe , directed and available. Our district transformation process is not "by accident". Our transformation process is the result of good strategic planning and our continuous work on defining who we are as a district. A part of this process involved working on a mission statement that we shared in the last edition of the TJ Connection. Through good strategic planning, strong and creative leadership and our collaborative work around mission, we are effectively dealing with changes and transitions that are a part of our district's growth.

This coming year will be one of reassessing who we are as a district. We are moving into a "new culture" in our district's transition from a pastoral district model to a program district model. As we continue along this path we want to stay focused and directed by our mission. A part of our first district Board meeting and retreat this year will be spent looking at how this transition will impact on the delivery of services to congregations, training, budgeting process, and committee structure in the district. We will be using our mission statement as a guide as we begin to ask questions about our identity as a district, and examine what resources we will need to fulfill our promise to each other. Our August retreat will also mark the start up weekend for our District Program Consultant, Laurel Amabile. We expect to enter into a covenant for our relationship with Laurel, the Mountain, and the UUA. This is a joint effort that will be beneficial to all involved and it is good having Laurel on board. This meeting will also mark the first year evaluation for Qiyamah Rahman, our District Executive. This has been a very exciting year and we are all proud of how we have the ability to deal with and welcome change as an opportunity. We will be relying on congregational input as we continue to embark on transformation. We want to be directed toward our congregations and available to congregations and leadership within the district. Please let us know as your district board how we can continue to meet these challenges together. I'm looking forward to and hope that you will attend our district leadership conference this October in Charlotte. I also look forward to the opportunity to continue our transformation work together as a beloved community of faith.

August

– Aug. 3 Leadership School, the Mountain

3-6 TJD Board Retreat, the Mountain

7-13 Vacation

14 Transition Interview, Morehead City

15 Transition Interview, New Bern

19-20 Board Development and Sermon, Hickory NC

23 Transition Interview, Greensboro NC

26 Board Development, Greensboro NC

27 Sermon and Installation, Augusta GA

September

4 Labor Day Holiday

8-10 Board Development and Sermon, Greenville NC

16-17 Board Development and Sermon, Morehead City NC

23 Extension Committee Meeting, Charleston SC

29-Oct. 1 Fall DARTT Meeting, Charlotte NC

October

6-8 RSCC, Richmond VA

13-15 Fall Leadership Conference, Charlotte NC

17 Qiyamah’s Birthday

21-22 Board Development and Sermon, Lynchburg VA

November

3-4 Start-up Weekend, Fredericksburg

13-16 SEUUMA at the Mountain

17-19 New Congregation Developer’s Training, Boston MA

20 – Dec. 5 TJD trip to the Holy Land

December

12-16 Big Complex Meeting, Boston MA
 
 

Where can you mix and mingle with Unitarian Universalist’s from all over the country, share and exchange ideas and resources, see familiar faces and meet new ones, and experience the giddiness, excitement and exhaustion of being with over 4,100 UU’s? The answer is General Assembly (GA). I had a wonderful GA experience in Nashville, TN.

TJD had a record 240 pre-registered participants. We celebrated a great District In-gathering that featured greetings from our TJD President, Leon Spencer, and introductions of staff. The highlight I must say was the entertaining, witty and talented Rev. Meg Barnhouse. We laughed and had some much-needed laughter together. Our challenge for next year is to top this years District In Gathering when we gather in Cleveland, Ohio at GA June 21-25, 2001. The District In gathering also featured an information table and a pictoral display of staff. People stopped by and said nice things to us that we loved hearing. I missed having our ministers with us. Some stuck their heads in but it is hard to compete with the UU Minister’s Association Lecture series and Rev. Mark Morrison-Reed.

I must say that The Service of the Living Tradition continues to be my favorite GA event. This service honors the profession of the "fellowshipped religious leadership of the Association by remembering those ministers who have died in the past year, recognizing those who have completed active service, and welcoming those who have been granted fellowship." It is inspiring and moving and manages to transcend all the hurry scurryness of GA. It pulls all the different parts of me together and reminds me of the sacredness of our work. But if anything might covet my heart for first place at GA it is the Children’s Honor Choir. While there might be some controversy about the "honor" process and distinguishing some children over others, there is no dispute that they were outstanding. Quite frankly, the children stole my heart with their talented voices. As they were singing they would sneak furtive glances at the big screen that reproduces images for the audience. Their attempts to see themselves on the big screen were also as captivating as their beautiful voices. Some of them could not conceal their delight upon seeing their bigger than life images. Because of the intense preparation ,time and expense it is rumored that they will only perform every other year. Other highlights included the following:

The Mountain Quartet – our own familiar faces from the Mountain graced us with their beautiful acappello music and made us proud to associate them with the TJD.

Ministers in Final Fellowship –I was mighty proud watching our ministers in their special ceremony of recognition. I know we are in good hands in TJD.

Volunteers – by now you all know that our own Leon Spencer, current TJD Board President was honored with a volunteer award bestowed by our very own John Buhrens.

UUMA – I attended the Unitarian Universalist Minister’s Association (UUMA) Pre-GA where many of TJD’s ministers assembled to participate in renewal and educational workshops.

Friday plenary – As field staff I attend all plenary sessions. But I was particularly excited that I was asked by our VP Kay Montgomery to as field staff. I got to represent TJD before thousands, well maybe hundreds since so many UU’s were ebbing and flowing through out the plenary. I hope you caught my presentation.

New affiliates ? We had several newly affiliated congregations in TJD that were honored with plaques. The UU Fellowship of the Rappahonock asked me to pick theirs up, which I happily accepted from our Moderator, Denny Davidoff

District sponsored workshop – I moderated the Dialogue on Committee on Ministry (COM) workshop. We had 75 participates to attend and listen to our distinguished panel comprised of Dan King, David Bank, Anne Heller and John Weston, all ministers. The audience asked some pointed and insightful questions. The COM Reader was distributed to the first 30 attendees and will be up on the website at www.uua.tjd with many new additions August 1.

I am already planning the follow-up to the COM workshop for next GA. Anne Heller, DE in Pacific North West has agreed to conduct a COM training.

I attended as many workshops as I could squeeze into my schedule, saw old friends from Mid South District (where I previously lived), scheduled meetings with UUA staff, field staff, TJD members and others and met new friends.

I can’t wait for next year. The GA Planning Committee always manages to exceed my high expectations.
 
 

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness month. We will be soliciting sermons from lay persons and clergy to feature on our website.

November 25 is International Day to End Violence Against Women.

Submit sermons to:

Qiyamah A. Rahman

9704 Mallard Creek Road

Charlotte, NC 28262-9738

Fax (704) 549-0751

Email: qrahman@uua.org

Please join in the efforts to end violence against women and children.

The following ministers were recognized during the Service of the Living Tradition at GA 2000 in Nashville:

Receiving Preliminary Fellowship:

Parish:

Timothy Kutzmark, Glen Allen

Elizabeth Brown, Newport News

Barry Thomas Whittemore, Holston Valley

Rosemary Bray McNatt (although not physically in TJD, she is the daughter-in-law of Gladys and Isaac McNatt at UU Church of Greens- boro)

Community:

Alaine Cameron Miles

Receiving Final Fellowship:

Parish:

Patrick Price, Columbia

Ed Piper, Harrisonburg

Community Ministry:

Steve Reinhartsen

Religious Education:

Robin Renteria

Completing Full-time Ministries

Rudi Gelsey

Donald W. Male

Deceased:

Daniel W. Weck

Joan Kahn-Schneider brings nearly 20 years experience as a UU minister to TVUUC. She has a particular interest in helping congregations during the difficult transition period between settled ministers and this will be her third interim ministry.

She won the 1984-1985 Skinner Sermon Award for her sermon "homophobia" and has published several other works.

Joan will join TVUUC at the end of August and in addition to her role as minister, will also act in the role of consultant, aiding in the transition between settled minister.

The UUA Board of Trustees held its regular Spring, 2000 meeting at the 2000 General Assembly. The nature of the summer Board meeting differs from other meetings in that actions taken during the year are presented at the plenary sessions of GA, see the UUA web page, www.uua.org, for details. Items of interest from the reports were received by the Board were:

61 - 160 325

161- 300 199

301 - 400 42

401 - 600 52

601 - 800 16

800 - 1500 9

The average adult membership of a UU congregation has increased during John Buehrens’ tenure from145 to 149.

Twenty five percent of all UUA congregations are now Welcoming Congregations. A number of pamphlets available at the UUA bookstore have been reduced in cost and now cost $5 per pack of 25. Some significant changes will be made in grants and loan funds available to congregations effective September 1. For details see www.uua.org/cde/fundraising or contact Pam Bachman, Pbachman@uua53.uua.org. The UUA’s investment record for endowment funds in a socially responsible manner continues to be very positive. Congregations with endowments of less than several million dollars might wish to consider having the UUA administer these funds. Contact Jerry Gabert at jgabert@uua.org for information.

Youth continue to work with the Board to seat a youth on the Board of Trustees. A proposal will be forthcoming at the next GA.

Thomas Jefferson District Office/UUA

9704 Mallard Creek Road

Charlotte, NC 28262-9738

Phone: 704/549-0750

Fax: 704/549-0751

Email: uuatjd@bellsouth.net

WWW: www.uua.tjd.org

Hours: 9am – 5pm, Monday through Friday

Qiyamah A. Rahman – District Executive

Jill Cocheo – District Administrator and Editor

Laurel Amabile – District Program Consultant

This year Mid South District sponsored a post General Assembly event called "Historic UU Footprints in the South Tour." The Tour commemorated the Civil Rights Movement and Unitarian Universalist’s participation.

The Civil Rights Movement was one of the most powerful movements in the 1960’s in this country. It represented a defining moment in the annals of African American history. The purpose of the Civil Rights Movement was to seek change in the policies of our country and push for the attainment of freedom, justice and equality for African Americans. While its leadership was primarily African Americans, its inspiring and compelling message spoke to people of all races here and around the world. It’s riveting beliefs led people to leave the comforts of family, jobs and careers for the opportunity to act on their deepest held convictions.

The four day bus tour began in Nashville, TN. and included stops at historic civil rights sites in Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama and Oxford, Mississippi. As an African American female growing up during the 1960’s I came of age during the civil rights movement. I have a fair to middling knowledge of the time both theoretically and practically. Even so, the Tour was one of the most educational and moving experiences I have ever had the opportunity to participate in. It has now become one of my "defining UU moments." It has inspired me to discover our own historic sites in the TJD that could potentially provide us with a similarly rich experience and bind us to this district, past and present.

What made this such an engaging experience you might ask? I think it was the weaving together of the right elements that resulted in a moving and transcendent experience. Somehow Eunice Benton, the District Executive for the Mid South District, and her able volunteers were able for the briefest of moments each day, to transport us back in time to a period of great emotional turmoil, a time that represented "the best of times and the worst of times."

The careful planning included the focus on UU participation in the Civil Rights Movement and the link to our Unitarian Universalist values. The success of the tour also included the marketing that drew the right mix of people since we were going to spend three days and nights together in crowded conditions. It was the opportunity to see historic Civil Rights sites up close and personal, to hear the inspiring stories of people and to reflect on such courage in the face of danger. It was the breaking of bread with local UU members and sharing what we learned and hearing how they had been involved as congregations in the Civil Rights Movement. It was the care and feeding of the participants that made us safe enough to explore the suffering and pain and to shed tears together. All these factors produced a memorable and powerful moment that I will cherish a lifetime.

Stay tuned for a series of future reflections that will highlight the Historic UU Footprints in the South Tour.

At least twelve District Anti-Racism Transformation Team (DARTT) members attended GA, some for the first time. Among these were Myrtle Hepler, Bonnie Crouse, Jan Elders, Bob Gross, Leon Spencer, Kathie Shiba, Linda Brooks, Chester McCall, Gladys McNatt, Judy Turnipseed, Ed Wilde and Andrea Kelso. We all attended a Saturday morning breakfast put on by the UUA’s Faith in Action Department. The breakfast introduced all the UUA AntiRacism Transformation Teams to each other. It was exciting to see so many involved in this work throughout the country. The Thomas Jefferson Team was the largest and we all enjoyed talking with others and learning from them.

From July 6 – 9, 2000 a number of TJD DARTT team members attended an Advanced AntiRacism Organizer’s Training in Chicago, IL. Participating were Myrtle Hepler, Jan Elders, Bob Gross, Leon Spencer, Christoff Shubert, Kathie Shiba, Bonnie Crouse and Qiyamah Rahman. This training expanded our knowledge of organizing strategy and exposed us to an interfaith group who is also doing the same work. We all came away inspired and ready to serve the TJ District as we continue on our Journey Toward Wholeness.

The theme for this year’s Universalist Convocation, slated for November 3-5, is "Quaker Universalism: Exploring Quaker and Universalist Connections." The site for this year’s event will be the Red Hill Unversalist Church located near Clinton, NC. The host motel will be the Tar Hill Motel in Clinton.

The Keynote Speaker will be Rev. Chris Buice of UUC Spartanburg, Spartanburg, SC. His presentation is titled "The Quaker and Universalist Connections." Workshops will also be offered, as well as worship services, including an actual Quaker silent worship experience. Participants will make a field trip to the Shelter Neck Retreat.

Registration is $54 and covers 6 meals and all weekend programs. For more information, registration forms and directions, write or email Rev. Vernon Chandler at: Red Hill Universalist Church

7031 Taylor’s Bridge Highway

Clinton, NC 28328-6461

Email: fvchandler3@yahoo.com

Nearly twenty religious professionals and lay leaders gathered at the Mountain for Religious Education Week in mid-July. Our morning sessions were devoted to the exploration of the concept and practice of ministry in our UU congregations. The co-leaders for this program were Rev. Pat Hortdoerfer, Children's Programs & Family Ministry Director at the UUA and Philip Lund, a former DRE and current student for parish ministry at Meadville/Lombard.

The framework for the daily themes related to those used by Maria Harris in her book Fashion Me A People: Koinonia, community & communion; Kerygma, faith story & ways of worship; Didache, teaching & learning; Diakonia, service & outreach; Leiturgia, pastoral care & rituals. For each aspect, we engaged in a meaningful process of small and whole group discussion using questions such as: How do we define family? What are our UU family values? What are some ways that you support families to grow and deepen their UU faith at home?

The content and methods used for RE Week would be a wonderful model for an adult class, intergenerational program series, or could be adapted for use in staff or lay leadership development in our congregations. For more info on this or UU other resources on family Ministry, or to share your ideas

for resources and related programs, contact Laurel Amabile, Program Consultant, at the district office, or via e-mail Lamabile@uua.org.

Aug. 3-6 TJD Board Retreat The Mountain

Aug. 5-8 Concentric Maryland

Aug. 8-13 Camp OPUS Washington, DC

Aug. 18-19 OWL Leader training Richmond, VA

Aug. 25-27 OWL Leader training Charleston, SC

Aug. 30 RE Committee meeting Charlotte, NC (UUCC)

Sept. 4 Labor Day – District Office Closed

Sept. 23 Fall TJ District Extension Comm. Mtg Charleston, SC

Oct. 13-14 Fall Leadership Conference Charlotte, NC

Oct. 27-29 Tennessee State Conference Gray, TN

Nov. 3-4 Universalist Convocation Clinton, NC

Nov. 3-5 Renaissance Module site tbd

Nov. 20–Dec 5 Israel and Egypt Holy Land Trip

• UU Fellowship of Fredericksburg voted to purchase 5 acres in the Great Oaks Division in the city of Fredericksburg. A feasibility study indicated a facility could be built on 2 1/2 acres of the 5 purchased.
• Holston Valley UUC has approved the purchase, transport and site preparation for a used portable building to use as RE space.
• UU Church of Spartanburg recently purchased land for expansion.

Building Projects often get organized because of some great or small deficiency. Do any of these factors sound familiar? Lack of space, leaky roofs, no air conditioning, inadequate kitchen facility, poor accessibility for disabled persons and lack of windows resulting in poor lighting?

• Chapel Hill – May and June have been busy months with their building project. They have held numerous town meetings and are planning another 20, a feasibility study and a campaign kickoff meeting.
• UU Fellowship of Wilmington is combining their three lots into one large piece of property and has embarked upon a $350,000 capital campaign for construction of a larger building.

• First Unitarian Church of Lynchburg held their ground breaking ceremony on April 23 for an addition to their church.
• UU Transylvania County is exploring the possibility of property acquisition

• Greater Nashville UU Congregation hosted their building dedication June 4 with Rev. Mary Katherine Morn officiating.

• Rev. Cynthia Prescott was installed June 18 as minister at UU Fellowship of Clemson
• Rev. Marti Keller was installed May 21 at UU Congregation of Atlanta as Minister of Georgia Mountains UU Church in Mid South.

• David Takahashi-Morris has completed his ministerial internship at the Community Church of Chapel Hill UU
• Dr. Barry Whittemore has advanced to full-time minister for the Holston Valley UU Church in Gray, TN

• The new bookkeeper at the UU Church of Asheville, Shell Tain, is exploring ways to improve how the congregation processes and handles money. That includes plate collections, pledges, bill paying, expense reimbursements and church staff salaries. If you have suggestions, email agatetain@aol.com Shell, the TJD office would live to share your findings with our readers.

• A national non-profit, Manchester Inc., conducted a "Survey of Leadership" that showed the following top ten training needs nationwide:

2. Interpersonal Skills

3. Communication Skills

4. Managing Time

5. Teamwork

6. Management Skills

7. Problem Solving

8. Customer Service

9. Retaining Employees

10. Creativity and Innovation

It is interesting to note that many of the board development

sessions the District Executive has conducted in her first year

have coincided with these topics.

• Vernon Chandler, minister at Red Hill Universalist Church in Clinton, NC recently returned from a visit to the newly organized UU Church of Alusht, Ukraine June 8-15.

• Stefan Jonasson, a consultant with the UUA who specializes in assisting large congregations, is working with the UU Congregation of Charlotte in a major assessment of the church’s current staffing structure. Some of his recommendations include

2. Restructuring the responsibilities of the office staff

3. Revisiting and revising job descriptions of other staff

members.

If you would like to share your congregational news please send it in care of the to the District Office in care of

Qiyamah Rahman, District Executive.

9704 Mallard Creek Road Charlotte NC 28262-9738

Fax: 704-549-07512 Email: qrahman@uua.org

Your news might be helpful and inspiring to others. Let’s share our insights, wisdom and good news!

Greetings from your new Religious Education Program Consultant!

My name is Laurel Amabile and I live with my husband, Fred Amabile, and our two daughters, Christine (age 17) and Nicole (age 13) in the outskirts of Asheville, North Carolina. Natives of the state of Maine, our family moved south in 1994 when I began my work as the Director of Religious Education at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Asheville. After six very exciting and fulfilling years in service to that congregation, I’m ready to move into the challenging role of Program Consultant, dividing my time between the Thomas Jefferson District and the Mountain’s Learning Center for Leadership.

To this new role, I bring my experience as a fourth generation Unitarian Universalist, eleven years as a director of religious education, and ten years of specialized life span RE training, leadership and program development. In addition I bring my understanding of life in small, mid– and large sized congregations.

As Program Consultant, I am available to serve your congregation with its unique combination of needs for RE Programming, development and staffing. I can work with the leaders in your congregation to provide training, advice or resources for curriculum planning, administration, committee and volunteer development, and youth and intergenerational programs. I am also trained to facilitate the RE Covenanting process for congregations seeking to strengthen their RE Program within the context of their overall ministries and to clarify the relationships and expectations among staff and lay leaders. On the district level I will work with our active RE committee and support the efforts to develop Young Adult and Campus Ministries.

I will be contacting each congregation over the coming weeks and months to see if there are any ways in which I can be of service and to gather up-to-date information on the religious education program. I am available to schedule visits to congregations and area groups, and can be contacted by email: laurelamabile@aol.com or by telephone: 828-645-0882 (home office) or 704-549-0750 (district office)

I look forward to our future contact!

Sincerely,

Laurel Amabile

Program Consultant
 
 

The TJ District Religious Education Committee has scholarships available for both volunteers and professionals working in religious education. These grants are made available to

active members who need financial assistance in attending TJ District sponsored Lifespan Religious Education events. If your church needs financial help with training OWL teachers, attending RE week at the Mountain, training YRUU instructors or attending local Renaissance Modules, please let us help. Guidelines for the scholarships and scholarship request forms can be obtained from Janet Watts at jwatts8@juno.com or write to Janet at: TJ District Scholarships

Unitarian Church in Charleston

4 Archdale Street

Charleston, SC 29401
 
 

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