Author: Jaco ten Hove

July 3: The Unitarian Universalist Retired Ministers and Partners Association will gather in a conference October 21 through 23, 2024. Our theme this fall is “Generative Eldering and Democracy’s Future,” and will be presented by Dr. Sharon Welch in a conversational format. Dr. Welch is the author of After the Protests are Heard: Enacting Civic Engagement and Social Transformation.

In researching this topic, Sharon will focus on a few questions: 

∙ What can we as elders do in terms of time and focus to support generative democracy throughout the world?

∙ What are the current risks to democracy? Sharon will devote some time addressing the current research on the rise of authoritarianism and the risks to democracy worldwide.

∙ What leads to an expansive, generative and multiracial democracy? There is a significant difference between competitive and generative forms of democracy. Sharon will explore the differences, and the short-term and long term work that is being done to implement and sustain a democracy. 

∙ What is being done now by Unitarian Universalists to create a generative democracy, and what are the particular roles that can be played by elders in this vital work? UU the Vote and UUSJ in collaboration with other organizations, such as the Poor Peoples’ campaign play prominent roles now in support of democracy.

In addition to the presentation by Dr. Welch, the conference will honor our colleagues no longer with us in a service of remembrance, we will experience an odyssey with a minister and one with a partner, small groups will form to discuss the theme, we can engage in virtual socializing, and two worship services are scheduled. We will have several opportunities to go deeper into our theme during Connecting Rooms every day.

This conference will be mediated through Zoom, or in-person with at least four pods. Online registration will begin on August 1; the fee is $45.00, and financial aid is available to defray the cost. To apply for financial aid, send a message to Paul Johnson at treasurer@uurmapa.org

We will have more information about pods later this summer. For now, we believe one will form in Wilmington, Delaware, another in Seabeck, Washington, near Seattle, one in Kingston, Massachusetts, and one in Columbus, Ohio.

We will update the FaceBook page and this UURMaPA web page with information as we develop the conference, so check those occasionally this summer, especially after August 1 to register.

Job Description
(Approved by the Board May 16, 2024)

Rationale:   The Passages Coordinator helps welcome new UURMaPA members into the organization and oversees member notification of member deaths in collaboration with the Obituary Editors and other UURMaPA volunteers.

Expectations:  Specific duties include:

• The Passages Coordinator writes welcome notes for new members and partners when “Intent To Retire” forms are received from the UUA.

• When the Passages Coordinator receives notice of the death of a minister or partner, the Coordinator checks the membership status of the deceased and sends a brief notice to the membership, specifying the date of death, the names of survivors, and, if the information is available, where to send condolences and contributions in memory, and where and when a memorial service will take place or has taken place. The Coordinator will also inform the membership that UURMaPA will contribute $50 to the UUMA Endowment Fund in the deceased’s memory, and in the case of a partner’s death, will contribute $50 to the partner’s church or a charity of the partner’s choice.

• The Passages Coordinator tracks member deaths on a chart, maintains a file of all member obituaries by name and death date, and provides Obituary Editors and Conference ln Memoriam Service leaders with information as needed. 

• The Board decided to fully honor only the deaths of our own members (ministers or partners), except for the following actions: the Passages Coordinator should report via a brief announcement on the death of a minister who was 65 or older, whether or not a member; and the Board should invite the surviving spouse to join UURMaPA. (The President may do this at the GA Service of the Living Tradition.) 

Note: When a Board Member becomes aware of the death of one of our members other than through UURMaPA or denominational notices, they should pass the information along to the Passages Coordinator so that the death of a member is not overlooked. Elderberries should include periodic notices to remind members to notify the Passages Coordinator or a Board person of the death of any member, minister or partner.

Drafted and submitted by Joy Atkinson, May 13, 2024

Job Description
(Approved by the Board May 16, 2024)

Rationale:  The Area Connector(s) promote cohesive relationships among UURMaPAns who live in defined geographical area and give periodic personal and episodic pastoral attention to every minister and partner resident in that Area.

Expectations:  The Area Connector(s)’ duties include:

1. When copied with a Connection Coordinator’s Welcome email, introduce the newly retiring UURMaPAn to Area UURMaPA activities

2. When notified of a UURMaPAn’s entry into the Area, introduce them to Area UURMaPA activities

3. Annually, make contact (by email/phone/snail-mail) with each ongoing Area UURMaPAn, 
   •••• to ascertain the accuracy of the UURMaPA directories’ information and notify the Membership Coordinator (membership@uurmapa.org ) of updates
   ••••to support the UURMaPAn’s interest in UURMaPA activities (The current list of UURMaPAns living in each Area is available on the website (www.uurmapa.org) under Publications/Directories/Area Connections Directory.  The password is WISDOM) 

4. Upon notice of any Area UURMaPAn’s death (eg. by UURMaPA-Announce) make personal contact with their survivor(s) 

5. Upon notice of an Area Partner-UURMaPan’s death, assure notice to the Assistant Connections Coordinator (connections@uurmapa.org). 

6. An Area Connectors “above-and-beyond-the-call” efforts may or may not include holiday/birthday greetings, periodic in-person or Zoom gatherings, and/or uniquely personal initiatives.

Drafted by Fritz Hudson, May 9, 2024

Job Description
(Approved by the Board May 16, 2024)

Rationale:  As a member of UURMaPA’s Board of Directors, the Connections Coordinator creates structures and facilitates affiliations through which UURMaPAns create, deepen and sustain personal relationships with one another.

Expectations:  The Connections Coordinator’s duties include:

1. Upon receipt of a UUA “Intent to Retire” notice, send the new UURMaPAn(s) a welcoming email to provide an overview of opportunities to connect with other UURMaPAns and to connect the new UURMaPAn(s) with their Area Connector (if identified).

2. Upon receipt of the Membership Coordinator’s notice of a UURMaPAn’s change of Local Area, notify both the prior and the current Area Connectors of the change.

3. Upon notification of UURMaPAns’ interest in entering or forming a General-Interest-Zoom Group introduce interested UURMaPAns to ongoing Groups, or facilitate interested UURMaPAns to form & launch new Groups.

4. Annually, in May-September:

• Determine the willingness of current Area Connectors to continue service for upcoming year
• (For Areas with no continuing Connector), send an All-Area-UURMaPAn email soliciting interest in serving as Connector
• Contact Open Specific-Interest-Zoom-Group Facilitators to ascertain the Group’s plans for continuation and facilitation in the coming program year 
• Send an UURMaPA-Announce notice soliciting interest in forming/facilitating new Special Interest Groups for the coming year

5. Semi-Annually in October and April:

• Contact General-Interest-Zoom-Group Facilitators to determine:
  —-The number of Group Members desiring to continue in the Group for the following six months
  —-The identity of the Facilitator of each Continuing Group
  —-The openness of each Continuing Group to welcoming new Group Members
• In each All-UURMaPA Conference,
  —-Publicize opportunities to form or join General-Interest-Zoom-Groups
  —-Publicizing all Open Specific-Interest-Zoom-Groups 
  —-Solicit proposals to form new Specific-Interest-Zoom-Groups
• Following each All-UURMaPA Conference, send an All-UURMaPA-Announce notice
  —-soliciting interest in entering or forming a General-Interest-Zoom-Group
  —-soliciting interest in forming any proposed Specific-Interest-Zoom-Groups
  —-publicizing all on-going Open Specific-Interest-Zoom-Groups 

6. Annually in April, convene a Zoom-Conclave of General-Interest-Zoom-Group Facilitators to discuss best-practices and future plans/desires.

Drafted by Fritz Hudson, May 9, 2024

Job Description
(Approved by the Board on 5/16/24)

Rationale: The Treasurer maintains all financial records for UURMaPA, handles all income and expenses, and reports to the Board monthly on the financial status of the organization. The Treasurer sends memorial gifts for deceased members. For each fiscal year (January-December), the Treasurer prepares an annual Income/Expenses Report and a proposed Budget, in consultation with the Board. They work with the President on any fundraising appeal for contributions from our members. The Treasurer works with the VP to ensure that a periodic financial review is conducted. The Treasurer will periodically submit articles to Elderberries regarding UURMaPA’s financial status.

Expectations:  Specific tasks of the Treasurer include the following:

Financial Records:  The Treasurer requests authorization from the Board to open accounts in a bank or other financial institutions as needed and is empowered to oversee execution of needed agreements to complete the process.

Income:

• Contributions – UURMaPA’s chief source of revenue is voluntary contributions from members. The Treasurer works with the President to send appeal letters to encourage contributions and sends acknowledgement notes for those funds received.

• Memorial Donations and Bequests – UURMaPA regularly receives donations in memory of deceased members and has at times been notified that the organization is the beneficiary of bequests taken out by members through gifts to the UUA. Memorial gifts are currently placed in the UURMaPA Endowment Fund or other fund as determined by the Board. Large bequests may be allocated to projects as determined by the Board. The Treasurer may be given responsibility for acknowledging any of these gifts on behalf of the Board.

• Endowment Fund – As of 2013, the UURMaPA Endowment Fund was invested in the UUA Common Endowment Fund. The Treasurer was empowered to execute that initial transaction and to make future deposits upon receipt of endowment contributions.

• Grants – UURMaPA may apply for and receive grant funds to support special projects. The Treasurer keeps separate accounting for these grant funds and prepares timely reports as needed.

Expenses:

• Reimbursements – UURMaPA will reimburse expenses incurred on behalf of the organization by Board members and others. The Treasurer should be consulted by anyone planning to incur non-routine expenses. The Treasurer requires receipts and documentation submitted by those requesting reimbursements.

• Memorial gifts – Currently, $50 gifts are sent by the Treasurer upon the death of a member. If a ministerial death, the gift goes to the UUMA Endowment Fund; for a partner death, the $50 goes to a charity of the family’s choice. If there is no designation, the $50 will go to the UUMA Endowment Fund.

Reports: Contributions to UURMaPA are tax deductible. The Treasurer annually files with the IRS the required non-profit corporation forms (including a tax return if UURMaPA annual income should exceed $50,000.) The Treasurer also files an annual report with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in November.  They may file online at https://corp.sec.state.ma.us/corp/loginsystem/login_form.asp?FilingMethod, CID# is: bx3k28 and the PIN is:8958. 

Compiled April 2023;  minor revisions made May 2024 – Richard Speck, Treasurer

Do you want to strengthen your connections with other UURMaPAns? Here are three opportunities:

Join a PEER SUPPORT ZOOM GROUP:

70 UURMaPAns are now involved in 11 regular Zoom Groups.
Though self-governing as to format and schedule, most groups:

> Have 5-8 members
> Choose a Convenor/Facilitator member
> Meet monthly for a 90-minute session to:

* open and close with a reading
* give each member 5 minutes to share “How is it with thy Spirit?”
* spend the remaining time discussing a topic chosen at the prior session (and choosing the next session’s topic.)
> At 6-month intervals, free all to “depart with thanks” or re-commit for 6 months more.

To explore joining or forming a Peer Support group, email fhudson@uuma.org. 

Try out a SPECIAL INTEREST ZOOM GROUP:

We currently have 2 open Special Interest Groups. Learn more by contacting the Convenors directly.

> Care-givers: Makannah Morris (revs2uu@aol.com); Sylvia Howe (sylhowe42@gmail.com) > Grief Support: Duane Fickeisen (dfickeisen@uuma.org)

Partner with (or become) a LOCAL AREA CONNECTOR:

Our membership is clustered into 33 Geographical Areas. In 8 areas, Area Connectors now offer:

> orientation to newly retired & new-to-area UURMaPAns
> annual check-in contact with continuing Area UURMaPAns > support to survivors at an Area UURMaPAn’s death

Check out your Area’s listing: https://uurmapa.org/resources/#Area-Connectors > If your Area has a Connector, contact them to join in their ministry.
> If your Area has no Connector, email fhudson@uuma.org to become one.

Let’s Connect!
Fritz Hudson, Connections Coordinator

MAY, 2024

Dear Friends,

Good news! At our request, Empower added a housing allowance check box to their RMD (required minimum distribution) form.

As you hopefully already know, retired clergy taking distributions may choose to complete a Housing Allowance Distribution Form, rather than the other Empower withdrawal forms, to have taxes suppressed (not withheld) and to receive a form 1099-R that states “taxable amount not determined.”

What is new this month is this: If you wish to request a housing allowance RMD payment and have Empower calculate the RMD amount, you can now complete the RMD form and select the YES box for housing allowance. Call Empower to complete this over the phone or have them send you the RMD form (833-882- 2023).

You can follow this link to see instructions: Completing the RMD Form for Housing Allowance. Please contact us with questions.

In partnership,
The UUA Retirement Plan Team:

Rev. Richard Nugent, Church Staff Finances Director
Gloria Guldager, Retirement Plan Director
Jackie Toone, Retirement Plan Employer Liaison
Anna Gehres, Retirement Plan Specialist

retirementplan@uua.org, (617) 948-6421

This is the season of endings and beginnings. Commencement exercises in various institutions mark the end of years of study and the beginning of a new stage in life. Some of our UU congregations are calling or hiring new leadership staff, and ministries are beginning and ending. Here in UURMaPA we are welcoming newly retired ministers and partners or spouses into this community and into a new stage in their lives.

A quick way of describing UURMaPA is to highlight its role as a hub of connection. It is a rather loosely based community that is made up of people automatically enrolled in it by virtue of their statement of retirement from active ministry. What you do with your membership in UURMaPA is totally up to you. But I, for one, hope you will find some way to be active in it—by being part of a Zoom-based group, or attending conferences, or taking part in planing those conferences, or just every so often being in touch with fellow UURMaPAns.

As I’ve thought more about the themes presented in our conference this past April, I’m reflecting on the idea of being an elder. As I noted in my words for the conference ingathering, I wonder how we embrace being an elder in a culture that, as best I can tell, has not prepared us for this.

I know that I see myself as something more than the “senior citizen” caricature or stereotype prevalent in our culture. In that ingathering text I found insight in words from David Whyte’s book Consolations: the Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words (Many Rivers Press; Revised edition, 2021). There’s a reflection on “maturity,” which I know is technically not the same as “elderhood,” but it resonated with me.

“Maturity,” he writes, “calls us to risk ourselves as much as immaturity [does], but this risk is for a bigger picture, a larger horizon, for a powerfully generous outward incarnation of our inward qualities—and not for gains that make us smaller, even in the winning.” So as we navigate what it means to “be retired,” we might also consider how we are consciously engaging being an elder. And this might mean embracing risk.

Maybe we thought we were done with all that. Risk and adventures may be left behind as we settle into times of rest and reflection. Maybe such wildness is meant for those of younger years. But I think here the “risk” is not so much a moment of danger or one of unsure returns. Rather, we may be asking ourselves to risk being who we’ve been becoming over all these long years. Embracing elderhood is inviting us to be open, enlarging ourselves to that possibility.

Wherever we are on that journey toward embracing and becoming elders in whatever setting we find ourselves, UURMaPA can be an important part of the story for many of us. This is a community unique in the way it exists between and among other communities—between our families, our home communities, our religious affiliations (if we are still active in some kind of religious organization or congregation) and other places where we find connection.

So as we move into the summer season, shifting from one mode of being to another, may we find renewal, and perhaps energy to risk being who we are becoming. And it is my hope that whatever path you’re on, you’ll make UURMaPA a part of your journey!

Yours, in the faith, Susan
Susan Veronica Rak (retired but not retiring!)