Author: Duane Fickeisen
Feb 16-18, 2020
The Rev. Stephen “Steve” E. Phinney
The Rev. Stephen “Steve” E. Phinney died on May 2, 2020, at the age of 80.
Steve is survived by his wife, Cynthia Mortland Phinney; his three
children: Sara Phinney Kelley and her husband Dave, Jennifer Phinney Bell
and her husband Pat, and Robert Stephen Phinney and his wife Alyce; his
five grandchildren: Rachel Bell Hopkins and her husband Cameron Hopkins,
Erin Bell, Kathleen (Katie) Kelley, Tobey Phinney and Lucas Phinney; as
well as his brother Robert A. Phinney and wife Caroline. He was preceded in
death by his parents and his first wife, Lucy Walsh Phinney.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Food Bank of the Rockies.
UURMaPA will contribute $50 to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.
There is no memorial service planned right now; at a later date, his ashes
will be interred at the Phinney family cemetery plot in Barnstable, Cape
Cod, MA and scattered on Mount Desert Island, ME.
Notes of condolences may be sent to Cynthia Phinney, 14836 E. Alabama
Place, Aurora, CO 80012 or message may be left here.
A more complete obituary will follow.
The Rev. George “Pete” C.B. Tolleson
The Rev. George “Pete” C.B. Tolleson died on May 1, 2020, at the age of 88.
He is survived by his husband Ronnie “Ron” T. Marable, daughter Robin Tolleson, sister Martha Hansen, niece Raelin Hansen, nephew Lou Hansen, as well as his granddaughters: Jeannette Tolleson and Donia Zweig.
A memorial service has not been planned at this time.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of one’s own choosing.
UURMaPA will contribute $50 to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.
Notes of condolences may be sent to Ron T. Marable at 114 Elizabeth St., Henderson, NC 27536; to sister Martha Hansen at: 12185 Clipper Dr. Health Center, Rm 12, Lake Ridge, VA 22192; or to his niece Raelin Hansen at: 1 Battle Sq, Apt 803, Asheville, NC 28801.
A more complete obituary will follow.
The Rev. James Bradbury “Brad” Mitchell
Brad Mitchell
The Rev. James Bradbury “Brad” Mitchell, Minister Emeritus of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, died April 25, 2020, after a long illness. He leaves behind family and many friends and parishioners who grieve the passing of this kindhearted and committed man. Brad was 80 years old.
Brad was born October 8, 1939, to Ruth (Seabury) Mitchell and James B. Mitchell of Barnstable, Massachusetts, where he spent his childhood roaming the coast and finding special natural settings that inspired his spiritual explorations. A lifelong Unitarian Universalist, he grew up in the Unitarian Church of Barnstable, where he discovered and began to cultivate a lifelong love of the church. Brad graduated from University of Massachusetts, Lowell, with a degree in music education. He taught music for two years at the Lexington Massachusetts Public Schools before he felt called to the ministry. That call drew him to Crane Theological School from which he graduated with a Masters in Divinity in 1969. While at Crane, he met his lifelong partner and wife, Christine Johnson Mitchell, whom he married at the Unity Unitarian Universalist Church of North Easton, Massachusetts, on September 9, 1966.
Brad was ordained to the ministry at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Barnstable, Massachusetts, in 1969. In the same year, he was called to the Unitarian Universalist Society of Laconia, New Hampshire, a small congregation where he sometimes played the hymns on the piano and organ, sang in the choir, and preached the sermon, all in the same service. He also directed a number of musicals at the community theater in Laconia. He served the Laconia congregation until 1979, when he was called to the East Shore Unitarian Universalist Church of Bellevue, Ohio. He served the East Shore community for seven years.
In 1986, Brad was called to the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick, Maine, where he served for 19 years. He was known for the depth of his compassion, his commitment to justice, and his care for the earth.
Many remember how, when he listened to you, you had the feeling you were the only person in the world who mattered at that moment. He was known all around town, both within the congregation and without, as someone who would reach out to help in any way possible. While serving the Brunswick church, he was active in the Brunswick Area Interfaith Council, which started the Tedford Shelter for people experiencing homelessness. In Tedford’s early years, Brad often volunteered as part of the overnight staff.
Brad retired from the Brunswick church in 2005, but, discovering he was not quite “preached out” yet, he served the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor for 18 months as an interim minister. He later served the Brunswick church in many capacities, including archivist, author and publisher of an in-depth church history called People of the Liberal Fire, small group ministry facilitator, guest preacher, member of the Green Sanctuary Committee, member of the Bicentennial Task Force, and more.
Brad is remembered particularly for his love of the earth. His beautifully written sermons were infused with observations about and metaphors concerning the natural world. In addition, he was active in earth care advocacy. A lifelong organic gardener, Brad grew most of the vegetables his family ate all summer and fall.
Brad’s love of music was lifelong. Upon retirement, he sang in the Brunswick church choir, played piano for occasional services, and added his voice both to the Merry Meeting Singers and the Nor-easters Barbershop Chorus. In addition, he possessed a dramatic flair that the church frequently called upon when they needed to bring children’s stories to life.
In his free time, he worked as a family genealogist, compiling a history of both his own family and that of his wife’s family, as well. Through years of research, he traced both family lines all the way back to Charlemagne’s era. He also enjoyed cooking and baking. His specialty was pies. His children still remember all of the fresh berry and rhubarb pies he baked during their childhood.
Brad was equally at home preaching, singing, gardening, and holding signs in protest rallies. In recent years, he participated in many rallies on the Brunswick Mall, supporting marriage equality, earth care, women’s rights, Standing Rock, and more. Above all, he was the embodiment of kindness and compassion. Those who knew him remember him as encouraging and supporting, trustworthy and loving. He put people at ease right away and he drew out the good in everyone.
Brad was predeceased by his wife, Christine Johnson Mitchell. He is survived by his son Ian Mitchell of Brunswick, Maine; his daughter daughter Rebecca Mitchell, her partner Luke Gottlieb, and their children Judah Gottlieb, Asher Gottlieb, and Sebastian Mitchell of Richmond, California; and his brother and sister-inlaw, Douglas Mitchell and Christine Welsh of Brookline, Massachusetts.
Brad’s death, coming as it has in a time of pandemic, represents a challenge for memorializing him fittingly at the moment. The Unitarian Universalist Church of Brunswick will hold a celebration of his life On June 6, 2020 at 11:00 a.m.
Memorial contributions can be made to the church: UUCB, PO Box 129, Brunswick, ME 04011.
UURMaPA will contribute $50 to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.
Obituary prepared by the Rev. Sylvia Stocker. An official UURMaPA obituary will follow.
The Rev. Dr. Thomas J.S. Mikelson
The Rev. Dr. Thomas J.S. Mikelson died on April 17, 2020, at the age of 84.
Thomas is survived by his wife Patricia Sheppard; son Dana Mikelson and his
partner, Michael Chase; son Joel Mikelson and his spouse, Frances
DeChoudens; daughter Kelly Mikelson and her spouse, Abraham Wickelgren;
daughter Arwen Duffy and her spouse, Sean Duffy; as well as his four
grandchildren: Maya Mikelson, Justin Wickelgren, Jack Duffy and James
Duffy. He was preceded in death by his mother Helen (Henry) Mikelson, and
his father Clarence Harvey Mikelson.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund, First Parish in Cambridge, 3 Church St, Cambridge, MA 02138.
UURMaPA will contribute $50 to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.
A memorial service will be scheduled as circumstances allow at the First Parish in Cambridge. Burial will be private.
A more complete obituary will follow.
Winter 2020 Conference in Scottsdale, AZ
February 18-22, 2020
Over 60 UURMaPAns, most of them over 60 themselves, gathered for a pleasantly warm midweek together in Scottsdale, Arizona, in late February — entirely and innocently unaware that this Winter conference would likely be one of the last large events they would attend in person for some time.
Program and camaraderie were outstanding, and the facility was excellent (as was the weather). The ambitious theme — A 50-Year Retrospect of Our Soul—offered diverse and stimulating ways to portray the half-century evolution of these angles: Vietnam War, UU Women in Ministry, Race, and Technology, very brief summaries of which follow. (See fuller coverage in our Spring, 2020 Elderberries.)
Vietnam War
Barbara Child, author of Memories of a Vietnam Veteran (see Elderberries, Winter 2019), introduced her panelists, who covered a spectrum of 1970 experiences of the war.
For Stephan Papa, the draft provided formative lessons and motivations toward ministry. Dave Hunter told a stirring story about his steady draft resistance, describing his attitude as “a general lack of cooperation” with the Selective Service.
Robert Latham offered distressing memories of the Tet Offensive as a chaplain and witness to the willful ignorance, deceit and arrogance of officials, likening it to a version of manifest destiny.
Jan Christian spoke evocatively of her brother’s death in Vietnam, her evolution of awareness, and a gradual resolution of her pain. Her book, Leave No Brother Behind, is a memoir of the experience. She noted that the war is still a raw wound in America and UUs often have low skills around conflict related to that era.
See a video of all four presentations HERE.
Race
Gordon Gibson presented a timeline, beginning with his ministry in Mississippi and presence in 1965 Selma up to his leadership of recent tours of southern civil rights sites. He had to sadly acknowledge that his primary co-presenter, Mel Hoover, was unable to attend because of a last minute back injury, so he arranged to have longtime civil rights activist Jim Hobart join the panel, along with Darrick Jackson, who stepped away from the nearby UUMA meetings to be with us. Darrick read a message from Bill Sinkford, including this: “My ministry has not been all about race, and race has never been absent from my ministry.”
Jim honored his father Al’s ministry in the south, noting the formative contrast between de jure segregation and more progressive attitudes in their Unitarian setting. He referred to the late 1960s controversy around the General Assembly vote for $1 million to support the Black Caucus and how the 1992 GA (Calgary) returned racial issues to the table, toward a growing awareness of white supremacy culture.
See all of the Vietnam War presentations.
UU Women in Ministry
Diane Miller, who began her ministry in 1976, explained that UURMaPA holds huge resources of memory and experiences; she offered some key statistics about women in ministry and introduced four very important testimonies and accountings of dramatic but challenging evolution toward our current culture. See Diane’s presentation.
Joy Atkinson, ordained in 1974 (“arriving like a first robin in spring”) spoke of her early experiences as often the first woman minister in many of her settings. See Joy’s presentation.
Leslie Westbrook, ordained in 1973, was unable to attend in person, but provided her own excellent and important video history of women in ministry during the years 1977-82. See Leslie’s presentation.
Christine Robinson, ordained in 1980, articulated the dramatic roller coaster of her parish leadership experience, always striving toward the growth of healthy systems. See Christine’s presentation.
Deborah Pope-Lance, ordained in 1978, described how dangerous it was in the 1980s to speak out about clergy sexual abuse that was very prevalent, pervasive and permitted. There were huge positive changes in the 90s, although patriarchal structures persisted and women were often acculturated into them.
Overall themes portrayed by this panel included hurts, resistance, microaggressions, struggles, courage, peer bonding, pioneering spirit, confusion, bullying, and vicious power dynamics.
Technology: From Snail Mail to ZOOM
Duane Fickeisen presented an entertaining and appropriately visual chronicle of the 1970 context, featuring events personal, national and global. He took us down a vivid memory lane of devices and made helpful connections about the impacts of technology on our lives today. Duane invited us into intriguing inquiries:
Where were you 50 years ago?
What was entertainment for you?
How did you communicate?
How do you use technology now? How does it impact you? How might you improve your relationship with it?
How did you get around? How did you get news?
Other Highlights
Other highlights of the conference include a number of fine worship services, a stirring Odyssey from Judy Welles, the Unsung UURMaPAn Award presentation to Lois Wesener, and yet another Wide Variety Show in the evening, which featured, strangely enough, a wide variety of a dozen acts, from profound poetry readings and meaningful magic to a twisted rendition of Cinderella, improvised death scenes, plus songs galore, including a lightly rehearsed rendition of the classic Arizona tale of ole Yavapai Pete by Brother Buzz and the Holy Coyotes.
We also brainstormed ways UURMaPA might reduce our carbon footprint and we had informative sessions with Richard Nugent, director of the UUA’s Office of Church Staff Finances and a few UUMA Board members (who were meeting at the same site). We will look forward to returning to the Franciscan Renewal Center again, some day.
The Rev. Kenneth “Ken” R. Mochel
The Rev. Kenneth “Ken” R. Mochel died on March 31, 2020, at the age of 86.
Ken is survived by his wife Audrey Mochel; and his two sons David Mochel and Jim Mochel.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Auburn UU Society, 607 N Seward Ave, Auburn, NY 13021-2107.
UURMaPA will contribute $50 to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.
A memorial service is being planned.
Notes of condolences may be sent to Audrey Mochel at 13 Wood Street, Auburn, NY, 13021.
A more complete obituary will follow.
Unsung UURMaPAn for 2020 — Lois Wesener
Lois Wesner and Barbara Child
Barbara Child announced at our Winter Conference that Lois Wesener is our Unsung UURMaPAn for 202o. In her citation, Barbara said:
“Lois has served as registrar for 5 UURMaPA conferences over 2 1⁄2 years – even conferences where she was not attending. Here is what people who know her work up close say about her:
“Lois has contributed professionally and with wisdom. On the conference planning team, she never missed a meeting. She takes the initiative and doesn’t let details – or people – slip through the cracks. Lois’s patience with questions is unlimited, and so is her willingness to track down endless sources of confusion and ambiguities. Her anticipation of possible questions and problems is remarkable. She even understands the limitations of other human beings. She is patient with people who are confused – or who don’t read their mail. She continually comes up with new ideas to improve processes and make things go more smoothly. She applies herself relentlessly and takes pride in her work. She goes the extra mile. And it is Lois who get the credit for lobbying for more free time at conferences, so that now we have more free time at conferences.
“Lois loves Unitarian Universalism. And, says her partner, Rev. Drew Kennedy, she has noticed that ministers are often better at delegating and facilitating and trouble-shooting the tasks at hand than actually doing them. It is abundantly clear that Lois is a doer, one who values being useful, especially to UU causes.
“Marni Harmony, who worked with Lois on a conference planning team, says, “Lois is the absolute best. Working with her is a joy.” Ginger Luke, current Board member holding the conference portfolio, says, “Lois is a dream to work with.” And all of us attending this conference, or having attended another conference where Lois served as registrar, have more reasons than we can count to say to Lois “thank you.” And so we honor Lois Wesener for her service and vital contributions to UURMaPA. As a token of our esteem, we present Lois with this citation and a check for $500.
“Congratulations, Lois!”