[cuc-uumoc] July Message from Mary Bennett CANADIAN UNITARIAN COUNCIL

[Mary Bennett]

July 4, 2006
 
Hello - Professional Ministers and CUC board and staff. 
 
I've noted a slow-down in email messages and am enjoying a shift in pace in
my work patterns. 
R&R (for "read and respond" according to the Youth Advisory Group!) is
moving into the Rest & Renewal mode as I find time for gardening and
professional development!
 
Here are some news and information that I've felt might be of particular
interest to our professional ministers.  (You are free to forward to
whomever.) 
 
CONGRATULATIONS!
to those of you receiving preliminary or final fellowship at UUA General
Assembly.
from: 
http://www.cuc.ca/ministry/index.htm#Ministers
The Service of the Living Tradition, held annually at the UUA General
Assembly, honours Ministers and Professional Religious Educators who have
reached significant milestones in the past year.  This year of the over 150
recognized, there were 11 ministers who are Canadian or who have served in
Canada recognized. 
Ministers receiving Preliminary Fellowship: George Buchanan, Debra Faulk,
Heather Fraser Fawcett, Dianne Rollert, Leela Sinha and Julie Stoneberg.  
Ministers Receiving Final Fellowship: Penny Allderdice (Community Ministry),
Frances Dearman, Kathy Sage & Dana Worsnop (Parish Ministry) 
Ministers Completing Full-Time Service: Anne Treadwell 
 
MINISTERIAL TRANSITIONS
To say that the number of ministerial transitions is at an all-time high is
an understatement. It sometimes feels that I update my list of who's where
on a weekly basis.  My latest updte of ministerial transitions can be found
at: http://www.cuc.ca/ministry/transitions.htm  If you have updates or
corrections, please let me know. 
 
LAY CHAPLAINCY
There are folks on the list new to Canada, so I'll start with: Lay Chaplains
are lay people selected by their congregations; approved and trained by the
CUC to perform rites of passage--mainly for the public. Resolutions in 2001
changed the landscape significantly. Key change is mandatory maximum
six-year term. Those appointed prior to May, 2001, were "grandfathered", but
now as May, 2007, approaches there is considerable transition happening here
too.
If you wish to keep up-to-date on training and policies/procedures, you can
subscribe to yet-another-email-list: 
cuc-lay-chaplaincy-news at yahoogroups.com
 
As always, you just have to insert -subscribe before the @ sign to get "in".
 
I've set up a "parallel" committee for the East as one committee just can't
do all that is entailed under the "new" resolutions. 
If you are a parish minister, you'll hear from the member of the committee
in your area, and if you want to talk to them, just let me know and I can
forward an email for you.
Who's who on the committees (and lots of other info) is at:
 
http://www.cuc.ca/lay_chaplaincy/index.htm
SERMONS FOR SHARING?
http://www.cuc.ca/ministry/sermon_series/sermon_series.htm
If you'd be willing to share one of your sermons with those surfing the web,
please send to Bert Christensen, our webweaver at webweaver at cuc.ca  This was
the initiative of Rev. Charles Eddis. Some of our lay-led congregations have
used quotations from the sermons or in their entirety to present on Sunday
morning or to include in a newsletter. 
 
The Social Responsibility "Council of Chairs" 
have created a Calendar of Special Dates.
http://www.cuc.ca/whats_new/dates.htm
Among the upcoming dates that CUC is encouraging congregations to recognize
are:
September 22 - Alternatives to Drug Prohibition Monitoring Group
Anniversary of opening of safe injection site in Vancouver, BC in 2003 

October 16 - World Food Day
Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN
http://www.fao.org/wfd/index_en.asp 
Empty Bowls dinners www.emptybowls.com <http://www.emptybowls.com/>  
Oxfam Canada resources http://www.oxfam.ca/campaigns/worldFoodDay.htm
Supported by the World Food Day sub-group of the CUC's Economic Justice
Monitoring Group
 
YOUTH MINISTRY
A weekend program for the Labour Day weekend is being planned for Winnipeg:
Terre Commune: Winds of Change. 
from: more at http://www.cuc.ca/youth/index.htm

The Youth Advisory Group (YAG) is facilitating a process for re-evaluating
the structures and systems that impact ministry to and with UU youth in
Canada, with the goal of increasing youth empowerment. Surveys were
distributed to and collected from youth in the fall, and a discussion board
has now been set up to allow all youth the opportunity to contribute their
ideas, thoughts and concerns about the way youth ministry is Canada is now
done, and how it can be improved in the future. All youth, as well as youth
advisors, ministers, DREs, parents and other youth allies are invited to
join in the discussion. 

A conference called Terre Commune - Winds of Change will be held Sept 1st to
4th 2006 in Winnipeg, where selected youth and adult representatives from
all regions will use the results of the discussion board to prepare
proposals which will then be brought to the CUC board for approval in
February 2007. Interested youth and adults are invited to apply to represent
their region at this conference, application forms will be made available
shortly on the discussion board, and from your regional YAC, and will be due
July 14th.

            We hope to cover all representatives' travel to this conference,
but to do so additional donations are required. If you would like to support
this important conference financially, please contact Chris Michell at
<mailto:christine.michell at uleth.ca> christine.michell at uleth.ca or by phone
(403)382-0723 

The discussion board is located at  <http://canyruureview.proboards99.com/>
http://canyruureview.proboards99.com

CONFERENCES & GATHERINGS
MORE AT: http://www.cuc.ca/CUC_calendar.html
CUUL (Canadian UU Leadership) School is full at 35 participants (and 4 on a
waitlist) and will be in Ottawa. We expect to offer this 3.5 day residential
program in southern Ontario in 2007 and in the West in 2008. 
 
REGIONAL FALL GATHERINGS including 5-6 hour "streams" as mandated by the CUC
Implementation Task Force in their report Of Regions and RNGs are now
scheduled. Locations and dates can be found at the calendar page above.
 
CUC ANNUAL CONFERENCE & MEETING
Planning for '07 in Vancouver is picking up speed and booking of
accommodation at UBC should be available by July 15. There's a variety of
accommodation from dorm rooms at $22/night to "apartments" for 4 or 6 to
"hotel-style" rooms. We have booked some of each so book early for your
first choice. In '06 - about 30% of participants were involved in the kids
and youth programs. UBC offers a great site for multigenerational
programming (we're thinking of a "church picnic"). With many youth
"bridging" this past year, I am planning for a large young adult contingent
- possibly attending a parallel program or partially integrated as we do
with CanUUdle (the youth program).
 
PRE-CONFERENCE EVENTS
There will be more pre-conference events than ever before, including a
one-day singing workshop with Brian Tate; a CUUL program on Human Resources
and a launching of the Welcoming & Celebrating Diversity Program. We are
privileged to have Rev. Keith Kron, head of the UUA Office of B/G/L/T to
lead this program. 
 
Where's Mary?
I'm in Vancouver for the summer. Doing my annual "Vancouver Island" tour
tacked on before and after 2 weeks of camping on Hornby Island. 
Right now I'm taking a weeklong course at Vancouver School of Theology and a
second one the week of July 17 as professional development.  It's very
engaging--even provocative. My "homework" includes catching up on my TV and
movie watching! Here are the descriptions,in case you're curous:
 
Readings in Culture:  Popular Culture
REV. DR.'S SHARON V. BETCHER  and HARRY O. MAIER/ TARA BENTALL KING,
Teaching Assistant

8:30-11:30am

Popular culture may be one of the broadest and  most easily accessible
venues for sharing and contesting cultural beliefs, symbols and social
values. After developing a theological horizon and a hermeneutic for
engaging today's visual  culture, you will consider topics such as Jesus in
the movies, supernaturalism in television shows,  and liberation theologies
within contemporary  music.

Sharon Betcher is Assistant Professor of  Constructive Theology at Vancouver
School of Theology and ordained pastor of the Evangelical  Lutheran Church
in Canada

Harry Maier is Professor of New Testament  Studies at Vancouver School of
Theology, Pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and author of
Apocalypse Recalled: The Book of  Revelation after Christendom.

Tara Bentall King is a student at Vancouver School of Theology whose  thesis
engaged popular culture through the lens of Gen X.

Finding the Soul of the Story

DOUGLAS TODD

1:30-4:30pm

You will examine the good, bad and ugly ways  that organized religion and
the spiritual impulse are being handled in newspapers and TV, as well  as in
songs and movies. You will look at today's top religious newsmakers, explore
hot-button  issues in media ethics such as bias, sensationalism and
pluralism, and you will learn how to think  like high-calibre journalists.

Douglas Todd is the spirituality and ethics writer for The Vancouver Sun and
Canwest newspaper chain. He is recipient of more than 50 journalism honours
including twice winning the Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year Award
for top religion and ethics reporter at any secular news outlet in North
America.

What's Mary reading?

Well, besides the $250 worth of textbooks related to the courses above, I've
just discovered Reframing Organizations through a UU and Human Resources
practitioner/instructor. It offers four "frames" through which to consider
organizations: Structural (factory); Human resources (family); political
(jungle) and symbolic (temple).

 

HAVE A GOOD SUMMER! QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? JUST ASK. 

Your reply goes just to me (and other moderators, including Linda Thomson)
not to the whole group.

Take care,
Mary
 
Mary Bennett, Executive Director
CANADIAN UNITARIAN COUNCIL
 <http://www.cuc.ca/> www.cuc.ca   1-888-568-5723   1-604-617-0142
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