Jim Eller
Retirement offers the gift of more time to pursue longtime interests and new paths for our liberal religious spirits. UURMaPA gathers us at regional conferences and area lunches, where we enjoy catching up and exploring new perspectives. UURMaPA has created a Caring Network of more than forty volunteers, who stay in touch with members to celebrate life’s joys and sorrows.
We number more than 900 members in more than 600 households. Our roots go back to 1985, when the Revs. Harold Hadley, Horace Westwood, Arnold Westwood and Walter Donald Kring first sought to bring retired UU ministers and their partners together.
Our quarterly newsletter Elderberries helps us stay in touch with one another. Each year we publish a member directory, as well. And we have created a handbook that offers ideas for those thinking about retirement, and for those already enjoying it, too.
UURMaPA has evolved to become an advocacy group for retirees. We have strong links to the UUA and the UUMA. We are contributing to the strength of our religious movement in a variety of prophetic and creative ways.
When ministers officially retire they and their partners automatically become members of UURMaPA. There are no dues. But we rely, nevertheless, on the financial generosity of our members. If you would like to contribute, simply mail a check made out to UURMaPA to the treasurer, Joel Weaver, 535 Gradyville Rd Unit V-212 Newtown Square, PA 19073 (treasurer@uurmapa.org). Typically members give $50 or more a year but we know circumstances vary!
If you would like to contribute in a more lasting way, please consider donating to our endowment fund – click here to find out more.
Welcome to our website, where you can find a host of resources and information.
Best wishes,
The Rev. Jim Eller, President
Back row: John Weston (resigned 10/8/15), Judy Gibson, John Manwell (term began 10/8/15), Liz McMaster.
Front row: Joel Weaver, Doug Gallager, Judy Welles, Marni Harmony, Judy Gillis (resigned 3/1/16), Jim Eller.
Dick Gilbert: I used to preach on the “end game” at least once each year. I dealt with the emotional and spiritual dimensions, of course, but also with practical details. I encouraged people to complete an information form with contact information for next of kin, spelling out their wishes for a memorial service (==> Click Here for a copy). Another helpful instrument is the Five Wishes Form, a variation of the Living Will, which is available from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation at Aging with Dignity, P. O. Box 1661, Tallahassee, FL 32302-1661, www.agingwithdignity.org, or 1-888-594-7437.
