Author: Jaco ten Hove

2024 Creative Sageing Award

Carole Martignacco

Unitarian Universalist Retired Ministers and Partners Association presents its 2024 Creative Sageing Award to Carole Martignacco

Former teacher and religious educator Carole Martignacco retired from parish ministry in 2019, after over two decades serving congregations in Minnesota, Quebec, and Vermont. During her Canadian ministry, she served as President and Vice President of UUMOC and on the CUC Board; she also designed and conducted training workshops for lay chaplains all across Canada. During her ministry she published The Everything Seed (Tricycle Press 2006), a contemporary origin myth, as well as a meditation manual Open to the Spirit (AuthorHouse 2018) based on her weekly interfaith newspaper column. Since retiring she heeds her own counsel to reclaim an earlier version of herself as poet and artist, continuing to expand her creative life as a writer in myriad ways: 

  • Exploring reprint possibilities for The Everything Seed in English, Spanish and French, in softcover and as an e-book;
  • Publishing her first full-length poetry collection entitled A Bowl of Orange Suns (Shoreline Press, QC 2021);
  • Founding the Fundy Bay Writers in New Brunswick, offering regular poetry readings and twice-monthly online writing workshops;
  • Teaching writing and other workshops, both in person and online;
  • Creating and editing Eco Lyrics of Love and Lament, an anthology published in cooperation with the local Sunbury Shores arts center;
  • Serving on the executive board of Haiku Canada;
  • Publishing Teasing the Times (Yarrow Press, QC May 2023), a collection of 100 haiku. She writes a daily haiku as spiritual practice;
  • Creating and editing Porch to Porch, a maritime haiku anthology;
  • Continuing to write a weekly column with interfaith colleagues for the Record newspaper in Sherbrooke, QC (since 2014); 
  • Leading interfaith retreats and designing e-book meditation manuals in the spirit of her first one, Open to the Spirit:  The Soul’s Alphabet;
  • Leading worship from time to time, often on Zoom — “a modern miracle”;
  • Offering Labyrinth retreats and earth-based events at a local church;
  • Launching a new project focused on grief following the death of her husband David Turner in May 2024, employing the 5-line Japanese tanka poetic form.

Deeply committed to improving her craft, Carole maintains a list of projects above her computer, including a memoir in poetry of her years as a single parent, work on five e-books based on her “Open to the Spirit” newspaper column, distilling decades of sermons to a series of one-pagers, and continuing to build a wider community of artistic collaborators. She loves to encourage others’ creativity.

Carole is passionate about claiming this stage of life as richly fulfilling.  

“One way I’ve found to keep energy from lagging in these truly ‘golden’ playful years is to go with the flow. I have more creative projects than I can ever hope to complete.” Creativity brings a perpetual renewal of wonder, joy and awe, which serves as her own fountain of youth. She stands by Bob Dylan’s adage, “The purpose of art is to stop time.”

Carole’s wide-ranging creative endeavors writing, publishing and teaching, as well as her passion for drawing people into creative community, inspire us all to follow her lead in keeping creative energy flowing. We are pleased to honor her with UURMaPA’s 2024 Creative Sageing Award.  

Presented by her UURMaPA colleagues
at the Fall Conference, October 23, 2024

UURMAPA PERSONAL FINANCES ZOOM 

RESCHEDULED TO NOVEMBER 21

On Thursday November 21 at 1 PM Eastern (12 Central, 11 Mountain and 10 Pacific Standard Time), UURMaPA is offering our members an hour together with UUA staff who support our financial needs related to retirements funds and investments, insurance programs, and compensation. 

We will be joined for a live Zoom by Richard Nugent, Anna Gehres, and Jan Gartner on video. They will offer brief presentations. The bulk of the hour, however, will be responding to your questions and concerns. Pre-registration is required to receive the Zoom link. There is no charge involved.  USE THIS LINK TO PRE-REGISTER.

You might want to attend this session if you have a general curiosity about various aspects of clergy financial support and planning: for example, how and why insurance premiums go up, how your retirement funds are invested and by whom, the continuing transition from TIAA to Empower, Medicare supplements, or Benefits Transitions from and out of employment. You might have a specific question arising from your own situation or a story to tell that you think might be helpful for others to hear.

The session will be recorded and made available on UURMaPA’s website. Direct any further inquiries about this session to Wayne Arnason at warnason@gmail.com.

The Rev. Ronald W. Knapp

Ron Knapp

The Rev. Ronald “Ron” Wayne Knapp died on October 21, 2024, at the age of 90 (1934-2024).

Ron is survived by his wife of 71 years Anne Knapp; his brother Dale Knapp; children John Knapp (Jacki), Kyle Knapp (Gail), Ronda Strimple (Hank), Forrest Knapp, Corellen Allendorfer (Phil)’ brother-in-law Alvin Doerfler (Duffy); sister-in-law Lillian Knapp; nine grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren.

A memorial service was held on November 9, 2024, at the First Unitarian Church of Omaha, 3114 Harney St, Omaha NE 68131.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Unitarian Church of Omaha NE. UURMaPA will contribute to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.

A more complete obituary will be forthcoming after biographical research has been completed. It will be published in an upcoming issue of Elderberries and posted on the UURMaPA website.If any readers would wish to contribute information or reminiscences, we would welcome them. Please send them to UURMaPA’s clergy obituary editor, Rev. Jay Atkinson – jayatk40@gmail.com. 

The Rev. Margaret A. Keip

The Rev. Margaret A. Keip died on October 16, 2024, at the age of 86 (1938-2024).

Margaret is survived by her husband Fred F. Keip, and her children David Keip, Jeffrey Keip, and Kristen Cunningham. 

A memorial service will be held at the Unitarian Universalists of Grant Pass OR in 2025. (Date to be decided.)

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Unitarian Universalists of Grant Pass, PO Box 1602, Grants Pass OR 97528. UURMaPA will contribute to the UUMA Endowment Fund in honor of our colleague’s ministry.” 

Notes of condolence may be sent to Fred Keip, 1700 Kellenbeck Ave., Apt 107, Grants Pass OR 97527. 

A more complete obituary will be forthcoming after biographical research has been completed. It will be published in an upcoming issue of Elderberries and posted on the UURMaPA website.If any readers would wish to contribute information or reminiscences, we would welcome them. Please send them to UURMaPA’s clergy obituary editor, Rev. Jay Atkinson – jayatk40@gmail.com. 

Monday Worships at Fall 2024 Conference

An important part of our conferences is worship services. This fall, Ned Wight and Anne Marsh will offer an opening worship service tying together lamentation, gratitude, and commitment. Ned and Anne said, “Our Ingathering worship begins with lamentation, for we gather in troubled times and may feel grief, fear, anger, even despair, for ourselves and for our world. But we also know that we are surrounded by love and beauty, hope and joy. We move from lamentation to gratitude, for in so many ways, we are blessed. One of those blessings is being with each other at this conference, and we close with commitment to a world of greater justice and compassion, and also commitment to being present to each other, listening and learning over our time together.” Please join us during the first session on Monday October 21 for this inspiring service.

Another service we offer is one of Remembrance, a reflective time of worship in which we are bathed in the memories of our colleagues who have recently died. It can be terrifying—this unknown part of life called death, but if we cultivate our memories, if we preserve them and return to them often, we will not lose them nor our colleagues.This fall, Charles Stephens will lead us in a service designed to preserve our memories. He said, “It is a privilege for me to lead the service of remembrance for our colleagues who have died since our spring conference. I know you share the deep sense of gratitude that I have for the gifts they gave us and their support of our Unitarian Universalist movement. I am always moved by the meaningful obituary accounts of friends and colleagues who I knew and appreciated. I hope you will join me on Monday October 21 in the evening session and help me remember and be grateful for them.”

These are our colleagues and friends we will honor during the service:
The Rev. Walter S. Jonas
The Rev. Barbara Jean Kulcher 
The Rev. Elizabeth “Betsy” Boyd Stevens 
Mr. Christopher B. Nelson 

The Rev. David O. Rankin 
The Rev. Dr. James “Peter” Hughes
The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Torquil MacLean 
Mr. David Turner 
The Rev. Frances Ann Dew 
The Rev. Kent McKusick 
The Rev. Robert T. Latham 
The Rev. Stanley Robert Stefancic 
The Rev. Sylvia Ann Falconer 
The Rev. Marjorie Rebmann 
The Rev. Dr. Frank W. Carpenter 
Ms. Christine Lilly Backus 
The Rev. Walter S. LeFlore 
The Rev. Robert C. Sallies 
Ms. Ann Clark Howe 
The Rev. Carl Arthur Hover 
The Rev. Patricia V. M. Tummino