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Table of Contents
Connecting
Your Congregation
District
President’s Column
Qiyamah’s
Corner
Ministerial
Matters
Lifespan
REmarks
Field Staff
Calendar / Save this Date!
Your Wild(e)
Trustees Report
Chalice
Lighter Update/1st Annual NC Choral Festival
A Victory for
Poultry Workers in NC!
Mind the Gap
Walking
Lightly on the Earth
Rev. Bill
Sinkford to Keynote TJD Anti-Racism Conference / TJD Young Adult & Campus
Ministry Midwinter Retreat
GLBT Issues /
TJ District Fair Share
Beacon Press
/ Reflection on FLC / Request for Proposals /A Day of Possibilities
Open
Positions / Visit Northern VA!
Resources for
Congregational Leaders
Lay
Leadership Development / The Flaming Chalice
District
Calendar |
GLBT Issues
The Charlotte Observer recently agreed to run same gender
announcements. A group of local Baptist ministers met with the publisher
to present their objections to the policy because it violates “Christian
values.” What a wonderful opportunity for our ministers and lay people to
also meet or write to tell how this policy meets UU values.
In Wilmington, the Valley Baptist church fired it’s piano player, a
non-church member, because she accepted a job on her off hours to play in
a club that included gay people among it’s customers. Has anyone in the
area responded to this?
The Charlotte library came under fire from Christian conservatives led by
County Commissioner Bill James because a gay author was asked to do a
reading from his latest novel at an evening event normally held for
adults. He has done this in 25 other cities, but this was the only
complaint. The objection was to some of the language used by the author.
Local citizens might recall that this same commissioner voted to cut Arts
funding in 1997 in reaction to the presentation of the award winning play
Angels in America.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is under attack because their
national policy includes sexual orientation in it’s anti-discrimination
rules. Our members should write the national office telling how our values
support their policy.
A Grundy county business man had to cancel his plans for a gay retreat
because of 10 death threats and extensive vandalism at the site. He is a
long-time resident who thought that there would be more acceptance there.
At a Durham city council meeting discussing health benefits for domestic
partners, some of the black members in the audience became enraged. They
shouted “Our ancestors weren’t gay” when the speaker said that all
discrimination is bad - whether it’s dragging a man behind a truck (James
Byrd killing) or tying a young man to a fence and leaving him to
die (Matt Shepard).
Thanks, Frank & Gary
TJD GLBT/Welcoming Congregation Chairs
Thomas Jefferson District Fair Share
The District's Fair Share giving process for the Fiscal
Year 2002-2003, which began July 1, 2002, provides funding by
congregations for numerous supportive services to the churches in our
district. These include the quarterly TJ Connection newsletter, district
programming, congregational and leadership assistance from the District
Office, and consultations with the District Executive and Healthy
Congregations Consulting Team.
We appreciate the tremendous support from member congregations this past
fiscal year. Our district's Fair Share reached nearly 81% of our budgeted
amount. We are grateful to serve our congregations through the services
and programs provided by your generous support, and we are very excited
about the many offerings planned this year!
Thomas Jefferson District Fair Share for 2002-2003 (As of
Nov. 11, 2002)
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UUs of Transylvania County, Brevard, NC
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UU Church of Greenville, NC
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UU Church of Catawba Valley, Hickory, NC
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Unitarian Coastal Fellowship, Morehead City, NC
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UU Fellowship of New Bern, NC
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UUs of Beaufort, SC
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Unitarian Fellowship of Hilton Head Island
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UU Church of Tullahoma, TN
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UU Community Church of Glen Allen, VA
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