About this Page
Here are brief descriptions of some of the ways UURMaPA seeks to help you stay connected with other UURMaPAns and information about membership. You may also want to check our Publications page to download useful documents, including our Directories, Retirement Guide and Elderberries newsletters.
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Purposes of UURMaPA
Our purpose is stated in the bylaws: “In faithfulness to the Unitarian Universalist tradition and to the guidelines and code of conduct of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association and the Unitarian Universalist Society for Community Ministries, the members of the Unitarian Universalist Retired Ministers and Partners Association embody in our lives and our conduct with each other the values that we proclaim on behalf of our faith. Our purpose is to be an inclusive multicultural community that serves the interests and enhances the well-being of retired Unitarian Universalist ministers and their life partners through informational communication, periodic membership gatherings, and other supportive programs and activities. As a Unitarian Universalist organization of professionals and partners, we recognize that fulfilling our purpose calls us to cultivate anti-oppressive attitudes and practices consistent with our shared values, thereby promoting our collective well-being.”
UURMaPA works with the leadership of the UUA and the UUMA to represent the interests of our membership, and to offer creative input to the process of making decisions that affect our movement and its future. UURMaPA is recognized by the US Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization so all donations are tax-deductible. We have no paid staff and all our work is entirely accomplished by volunteers like you! Thank you.
Governance Overview
UURMaPA is managed by an elected nine-person Board, which meets monthly, usually by video conference, and ideally at least once a year in person. See our Governance page for more information. The President is always eager to hear directly from members about concerns.
History
UURMaPA was organized in 1985 with support from the UUA Department of Ministry, and under the name UU Retired Ministers Association (UURMA). This followed a series of gatherings of retired ministers and partners hosted by Harold and Shirley Hadley, beginning about 1982, to talk about the needs of and resources for retired UU clergy and their partners. Among those in the early gatherings were Harold and Arnold Westwood, Walter Kring, and Keith Munson and their spouses.
A grant from the Veach Committee of $5000 and additional support from the UUA and the NY State Universalist Convention helped the initial organizing efforts and funded a conference held in 1985 in Petersham, NH, during which bylaws were drafted and officers elected. The first issue of Elderberries actually preceded the formal organization by a few months. UURMA was a chapter of the UU Ministers Association. In 1997 UURMA was re-organized and incorporated as a separate entity. The name was changed to UU Retired Ministers and Partners (UURMaPA) to reflect the full membership of partners and surviving widows and widowers. UURMaPA gained IRS 501(c)3 status in 2004.*
More can be gleaned by reviewing the archive of Elderberries found on the Publications page.
* From information compiled by Nancy Doughty, Sept. 2007, which includes information from an interview with some of the founders and early leaders. Additional information is from Elderberries.
Local Area Connectors
UURMaPA has about 40 volunteers who serve as Area Connectors across the continent and overseas. Click here to find out who they are. They stay in touch with members in each geographic area to keep up on changes in their lives. Some hold local luncheons and other activities. They also help members in financial distress to get assistance.
To find out which Connections Area you belong to, consult the Connections Area Directory or just email or call the Area Connector closest to you. You can download the current Connections Area Directory from our Publications page.
Consider joining the UURMaPA Connections Team and becoming an Area Connector yourself. Contact the Connections Coordinator at connections@uurmapa.org or see the Governance page for the current incumbent’s contact information. Consult the Area Connections Coordinator Notes for more information.
Membership Directory
Our Membership Directory lists UURMaPA members (retired ministers and partners) and gives contact information as well as indicating their Connections Area. The Membership Directory is updated monthly. The most recent one can be downloaded as a PDF file from the Publications page.
The Directory also includes information about UURMaPA’s leadership. A companion document, the Area Connections Directory shows the membership by regional areas. It can be downloaded separately from the Publications page.
Our Newsletter (Elderberries)
Our quarterly newsletter, Elderberries, is published and available usually in early February, May, August and November. All UURMaPA member households can receive a mailed, black-and-white version; it is not necessary to subscribe. A notice goes out on the UURMaPA-announce email list when the full-color version is posted on our web site. You may opt out of receiving it by mail if you prefer to read it online; send a message to notify our membership coordinator of this preference. While the specific content will vary from one issue to the next and one editor to the next, Elderberries generally contains news of members, articles of interest written by UURMaPA members, information pertinent to retirees, and brief obituaries. (Longer versions of these obituaries are archived on our web site on the Obituariespage).
You can download the most recent issue of Elderberries as well as archived issues from our Publications page.
Support Groups
UURMaPA has several facilitated support groups that meet electronically, usually comprised of up to eight members who have covenanted to meet together regularly. Some have a focused purpose, others are for general sharing and connection. These are somewhat like Small Group Ministry or Chalice Circles. A session typically opens with a brief check-in, a reading related to the announced topic for the session, an opportunity for each member to speak from their heart to the topic, a closing reading, and a brief checkout including choosing a topic for the next session.
Support Groups meet using Zoom technology that provides both audio and video so participants can see and interact with each other. Zoom is relatively easy to use and the facilitators provide assistance to get started and use the system.
Most groups meet regularly and commit to a year of meeting, but details may be negotiated among the group. Some decide to end after a year; others have been continuing for many years.
UURMaPA members who would like to enrich their connection with retired colleagues through regular online interactions might consider joining a Peer Support Group. If you are interested in joining a group or serving as a facilitator, please contact the Connections Coordinator.
We are also open to suggestions about virtual support groups with a specific focus. Two such groups already exist: a Caregivers Support Group (see immediately below) for members who have particular roles as caregivers within their households, and a Grief Support Group for those recently bereaved.
These groups were initially launched by our colleague Jim Eller when he served as Vice President from 2013-15. He was inspired by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi’s book From Aging to Sageing, which acknowledged the challenge of shifting our focus from “doing” to “being.”
Touching base with peers periodically seemed like a helpful way to facilitate this shift. If there are other specific groups that you would like to suggest, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Caregiver Support Group
An on-line support group for UURMaPA members who are partners in care meets monthly. If you are caring for another person, you are welcome to join us for an hour of check-in, shared resources, and caring for one another. We covenant for confidentiality. The group meets using Zoom technology, which can be used from a computer, tablet, or smartphone with a camera or you can phone in. The facilitators will help you get set up to use Zoom if you are new to the technology. For more information and to join the group, contact caregivers@uurmapa.org.
E-Mail Announcements
Our e-mail list (UURMaPA-announce) is used to send you occasional and timely information from UURMaPA, including news, notices of member deaths, and opportunities to connect. The list is open only to members and is used only for UURMaPA business, and is not shared with anyone beyond UURMaPA. This is a one-way list to post announcements to all UURMaPA members. It is not for discussion. If you do not already receive these messages and would like to, send a request with your e-mail address to membership@uurmapa.org. After your membership is verified, your address will be added to the list.
UURMaPA on Facebook
We have a Facebook page (UURMaPA) where announcements are posted. This is an open (public) page. You can check it out here and “Like” the page to see postings in your Facebook feed.
Our discussion group for both ministers and partners can be found here: UURMaPA (Unitarian Universalist Retired Ministers and Partners Association) Simply ask to join the group and an administrator will quickly approve your request if your Facebook profile shows a UU connection. If it doesn’t, you will need to answer some questions to establish your UU affiliation before you are approved. It is a private group so only members can see the posts, although the membership is public.
There is also a “secret” Facebook group for UU Ministers in Fellowship who are thinking about retirement, in the process of retiring, or who have retired, and are interested in conversation about the experience, planning, execution, and how life is from the “other side” of active ministry. Called “UU Ministers Retiring,” the list is open by invitation only, and is not maintained by UURMaPA. A Facebook “Secret” group means that no one who is not part of the group can find it, view postings, or see who else is in the group. To learn more and request membership, send an e-mail message to Diane Miller, who created and administers the group or reach out to her on Facebook.
UURMaPA Conferences
We have traditionally (before the pandemic) held two multi-day annual conferences at retreat centers. Designed to keep costs relatively low, they included lodging, meals, programming and plenty of time to hang out and chat with other members. Usually these had 40 to 60 participants. One was held in the Fall in the Northeast; the other during the winter, in a warmer clime.
Our most previous in-person event was in February, 2020, just before the pandemic struck. Since then, we have been pioneering how to come together virtually twice a year (or more). This has been both encouraging to many UURMaPAns who would be unable to travel but can now join in online, and a bit frustrating to those who miss the in-person connections possible onsite.
Beginning with Fall 2022, we have experimented with a “pod” option to the virtual conference, whereby at a few select sites, UURMaPAns can gather to share the viewing of the virtual content, have meals together and enjoy other aspects of the time with each other.
To learn more about planned and past conferences and to register, go to our Activities page.
Local Gatherings
Local gatherings are organized by local members, typically within one of the Connections Areas. We may gather for lunch, a holiday party, or an excursion. Whatever you can imagine that might be of interest to members nearby is welcome, but you’ll need to provide the organization power to make it happen. We’ll coach you if you like and help you let others know about it through the Area Connections Coordinator and social media. If you want to explore making one of these happen, check out our Conference Planning Guide, which can be downloaded from our Activities page and reach out to the Conferences Liaison on the the Board.
Annual Summer Welcoming Event
UURMaPA used to host an annual luncheon during UUA General Assembly each June to honor and welcome newly retired ministers and their partners. During the pandemic, we substituted a virtual gathering in July. Post pandemic, we tried to begin them again, but noted the high cost and relatively low turnout of new members at in-person GA lunches and we decided instead to annually send new members a gift and invite them to participate in a virtual welcome gathering in July.
At this event the UURMaPA board provides a brief orientation to UURMaPA services, announces winners of our annual awards—Creative Sageing and Unsung UURMaPAn—and invites staff members of the UUA and UUMA to speak about issues relevant to retired persons. We also invite all current members to attend this virtual meeting as well to welcome our new colleagues. Watch the UURMaPA-announce e-mail list for information about registering for the virtual new member welcome gathering in July.
Financial Assistance
If you need financial assistance (or know of another member who does), there are several funds available through the UUA to support needs of retired ministers, partners, and surviving partners. Please do not hesitate to contact the UUA Office of Church Staff Finances or your Area Connections Coordinator to talk about the need and explore possible sources of aid.
Unitarian Universalist Society for Ministerial Relief
The UU Society for Ministerial Relief, now nearly 170 years old, is the single largest source of needs-based financial aid for our retired ministers and survivors. Each year they provide over $400,000 in annual and special grants to beneficiaries in North America, as well as in Transylvania and the Philippines. If you find yourself or someone you know in financial distress, do reach out. You can learn more and access our confidential financial information form at our website, where you can also find current contact information for inquiries.
UURMaPA Membership
A lifetime membership in UURMaPA is automatically extended to all ministers in fellowship with the UUA when they formally announce their retirement. At the same time a lifetime membership is extended to their life partners. It is not necessary to apply.
Our membership as of September 1, 2019 includes 669 retired ministers, 364 life partners, 176 surviving life partners of deceased ministers, 257 single ministers, and 46 clergy couples. Together they represent 850 households. This is an increase of 114 households since late 2015.
When is a UU minister considered retired?
Ministers in fellowship with the UUA are considered retired when they announce their retirement formally to the Ministries and Faith Development Staff Group of the UUA. Their years of service are subsequently recognized at a Service of the Living Tradition, which is held in conjunction with the UUA General Assembly. UURMaPA hosts a luncheon at each GA for new retirees so that UURMaPA members at GA can honor and welcome them into our association.
Many ministers opt for retirement when their settled ministry with a congregation, or their professional relationship with another employer-organization, ends. Many retired ministers continue to work as interim or contract ministers with UU congregations for several years during retirement. Some retired ministers seek ways to earn money in secular fields. So while many ministers remain employed in some way, they still can be “retired” for purposes of ministerial standing. Partners may or may not be concurrently retired.
Some ministers are designated as Minister Emeritus/a by a congregation they previously served. Only a minority of retirees have this status, and these individuals have voting rights at the UUA General Assembly.
Further information on official retirement may be found on the UUA website.