The 2014 UURMaPA Creative Sageing Award was presented at the annual luncheon at General Assembly in Providence, RI to the Rev. Dr. Nana Kratochvil for her service to the Unitarian Universalist Association, to interfaith religious cooperation, to the Democratic party, and to her own family.
Nana retired from the Unitarian Universalist Church of Muskegon, Michigan in 2006, having served there since 1995. During retirement, she served as the minister to the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Central Michigan in Mt. Pleasant, MI. She recently completed seven years as the Ministerial Settlement Representative for the Heartland District, and is currently the Chair of the UUA’s Commission on Appraisal, where she has served for five years.
Nana helped form an Interfaith Study and Support Group in Muskegon, Michigan and continues to be an active and committed member. She also has been an active leader of the Progressive Democratic Women’s Caucus of Western Michigan for the past seven years.
Currently, her 28-year old granddaughter and 5-year old great-granddaughter share her small home in a lively and energetic household. When she can get away, Nana enjoys a quiet sail on Lake Michigan — and when she can’t, you can count on her for a wonderful conversation!
UURMaPA members often remain active in retirement, sometimes serving in interim ministries or doing pulpit supply or sabbatical fillin ministries, sometimes in leadership roles in Unitarian Universalism, often as mentors and coaches to ministerial colleagues, as speakers and presenters, and outside UU circles in arts and crafts, sports, and a myriad other things. If you are engaged in an activity you’d like others to know about, drop a note (and a digital image) to webmaster@uurmapa.org.
Kenneth Torquil MacLean gave the 50-year speech at Ministry Days 2010 in Minneapolis, MN. Download the text of his talk: 50-Year Talk by Ken MacLean
Emily Morse Palmer
Emily Morse Palmer shared her Odyssey about entering ministry in midlife at the UURMaPA Pan-South Conference in Ft. Myers, FL. Dick Fewkes shared his Odyssey at the 2016 Attleboro conference, and Thomas Anastasi gave his at the 2016 Santa Barbara conference.
Preaching and Presenting:
Dick Fewks
Dick Fewkes has brought Theodore Parker to life preaching in churches in Massachusetts and at the UURMaPA Northeast Conference in Attleboro.
Practicing a Craft:
Carl Bretz
Carl Bretz weaves at the Appalachian Arts Crafts Center in Norris, Tennessee. He has found weaving a great stress reliever and it has become a part of his religious practice. He has been inspired by his experience teaching weaving to recovering hospital patients (as part of their occupational therapy).
Set for Guys and Dolls
Andy Backus designed the set for the musical, “Guys & Dolls” at Bellingham Theatre Guild. He is shown here adjusting a cityscape painted on muslin. You may recognize the Chrysler Building in New York City.
Competing in Athletics:
Barbara Murry
Barbara Murry won a gold medal at the US Figure Skating Adult Championships for her freestyle program in the group for ladies 61 and above. The group has printed a tee-shirt with a skater pictured doing an arabesque and a legend that reads: “Can Your Grandmother Do This?”
Raising Grapes and Making Wine:
Kim Beach and Granddaughter Libby in the Vineyard
Kim Beach with his granddaughter, Libby, in his vineyard, Campicello, in Madison County, VA, where he enjoys perfecting his cabernet.
UURMaPA, established in 1985, has served our liberal religious movement and the needs of retired UU ministers and their partners for more than a quarter of a century – and, with your support, will continue to serve for many years to come.
With this hope in mind, we have created an endowment fund. It is managed as part of the UUA’s Common Endowment Fund. The Fund balance is to be held in perpetuity. Only the interest from the fund will be used to support the work of UURMaPA.
To contribute send a check made out to “UURMaPA” with “Endowment Fund” on the memo line to the Treasurer (the current Treasurer and their address can be found on the Governance page). Contact the Treasurer for more information about the fund and how to contribute at treasurer@uurmapa.org.
There are other ways, too, of contributing to UURMaPA in a lasting way. You might consider naming UURMaPA in your will, for example.
Resolution to Create the UURMaPA Endowment Fund
Adopted October 7, 2008
WHEREAS the primary fiduciary responsibility of the leadership of a non-profit charitable organization is to further the mission of the organization and maintain its programs, and
WHEREAS the annual income for a non-profit charitable organization that is derived in any particular fiscal year will be influenced by current economic conditions and the generosity of current donors, and
WHEREAS the long-term financial stability of a non-profit charitable organization may benefit from income from funds donated in prior periods by previous supporters,
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the Executive Board of the Unitarian Universalist Retired Ministers and Partners Association at its regular meeting in October 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts hereby resolves to establish an ENDOWMENT FUND to hold assets in perpetuity that are donated for this purpose. The ENDOWMENT FUND will be governed according to the following policies:
1. The ENDOWMENT FUND will be managed by an Endowment Committee consisting of three persons appointed by the UURMaPA Executive Board, one member of which shall be a member of the Executive Board. These persons may or may not be members of UURMaPA, but will be selected for their suitability for this responsibility. The Committee is authorized to solicit contributions to UURMaPA to be designated for the ENDOWMENT FUND, with such contributions covered by the Association’s 501(c) (3) tax status as applied to charitable donations.
2. The Endowment Committee is hereby authorized to undertake all the usual actions related to holding, making or disposing of investments in financial markets, such as through mutual funds and any mix of cash, equities or bonds. The Endowment Committee may not incur obligations on behalf of UURMaPA beyond the assets of the ENDOWMENT FUND, and the ENDOWMENT FUND assets will not be co-mingled with other UURMaPA accounts.
3. The Endowment Committee members will serve consecutive three-year terms. One Committee member will be appointed to serve until October 2009, one to serve until October 2010, and one to serve until October 2011. Committee members or vacancies may be filled or appointed for subsequent terms as determined by the Executive Board.
4. The Endowment Committee will report in writing to the UURMaPA Executive Board annually at the Directors regular Autumn meeting in October or as otherwise scheduled, describing the assets under management, the types of investments being utilized, and the return or income of the investment held.
5. The Endowment Committee should not hesitate to seek investment advice from qualified professionals, but it is not required that the assets of the ENDOWMENT FUND be invested by commercial brokers or advisors that charge fees for their services.
6. Withdrawals from the ENDOWMENT FUND may be made to support the annual budget of UURMaPA only if urgently needed and if approved by the Executive Board at two consecutive meetings. During the first three years, such withdrawals shall not exceed the absolute growth in value during the previous twelve months from July 1 to June 30, the net income.
7. At the end of a three-year period ending on June 30 following initiation of the ENDOWMENT FUND, any withdrawals shall be calculated on a “total return” basis utilizing a percentage of the rolling average of the total corpus over the previous three years.
8. The UURMaPA Executive Board shall have the authority to revise these policies in the event of a financial emergency or other urgent circumstance so long as they act in the best interests of the organization, however any such revisions shall require approval by the Board of Directors at two consecutive meetings.
9. Non-cash donations to the ENDOWMENT FUND such as individual equities will be sold as soon as practicable after they are received, with the proceeds added to the Endowment corpus and invested according to the financial policies then in force.
10. In order to stimulate contributions to the UURMaPA ENDOWMENT FUND, the Executive Board shall publicize the existence and purposes of the ENDOWMENT FUND to its members. Individual UURMaPA members may request and receive from the Endowment Committee a current report on the status of the Fund at any time.
11. In the event of the termination of the Unitarian Universalist Retired Ministers and Partners Association, the successor organization to receive any remaining assets will be the Unitarian Universalist Association.
The Rev. Dr. C. Leon Hopper, whose deep institutional dedication to liberal religion and social justice undergirded a 39 year career that embraced parish ministry, local community service, leadership in national UU youth organization, ministerial education, and international interfaith work, died on June 19, 2016, aged 89, after many years of living with Parkinson’s disease.
As he moved out from local parish and community service to continental and international UU arenas over the years, the Rev. Mr. Hopper earned wide and beloved praise as a “minister to ministers.” He was long a dedicated supporter of the International Association for Religious Freedom. He served terms as a UUA trustee and as president of the continental UUMA, and was instrumental in conceiving and setting up the UUMA’s CENTER program (Continuing Education Network for Training, Enrichment, and Renewal).
Unable to attend the pivotal Selma march, Mr. Hopper later spent two weeks in Selma living with a young black Presbyterian minister, working on voting rights and registration, participating in rallies, and allying himself with other movement ministers and leaders.
In local community service during his parish settlements, Leon helped establish the human service agency, Jeffco Support Inc. (now the Action Center) in Jefferson County CO. Later, in the Seattle area, he served as board member and president for the East King Council of Health and Human Services, president of Eastside Human Services Council, board member of Eastside Domestic Violence Program, and board member of the Center for Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence (now King County Sexual Assault Resource Center).
For his extensive and tireless devotion to these and other causes, the Rev. Mr. Hopper received two honorary doctorates: a 1981 D.D. from Meadville Lombard and a 1993 S.T.D. from Starr King School.
Charles Leon Hopper, Jr., was born on February 21, 1927 to Charles Leon and Ethol [sic] Peterson Hopper. During his teen years as a Boy Scout, Leon developed a love of the outdoors, and his introverted character was nurtured by the solitude and immersion in nature that he found working as a fire lookout in the Cascade Range. After graduation from Seattle’s Roosevelt High School and 18 months of service in the Navy, he returned to the Pacific Northwest for undergraduate study.
While there, he attended Seattle’s University Unitarian Church and participated in the Channing Club youth group, where he met his future wife, Dorothy, and first heard a call to the ministry. In 1951, he received his B.A. from the University of Washington, he and Dorothy were married, and they headed off for Leon’s ministerial study at Harvard Divinity School, where he completed his S.T.B. in 1954.
Mr. Hopper’s parish service began in 1953, while still a seminarian, at the First Congregational Parish, Unitarian, of Petersham MA, where he was ordained the next year. He moved to Boston in 1957 to become Executive Director for the newly formed Liberal Religious Youth (LRY).
Drawn back to the parish, he accepted a call to the Jefferson Unitarian Church of Golden CO, serving there for the 13 years (1963–76). Some years later the congregation named their sanctuary in honor of his service there. Returning to Boston in 1976, the Rev. Mr. Hopper took an appointment as the UUA’s first Ministerial Education Director, a role he held for five years. In 1981, he accepted a call to East Shore Unitarian Church of Bellevue WA, and spent 11 years there before retiring from parish ministry in 1992 as their Minister Emeritus.
Leon was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2002, and the next year he and Dorothy moved into Horizon House Retirement Community in Seattle, where tiered care would be available when needed. Never one to take illness as an excuse for idleness, Leon served at Horizon House on the Residents’ Council, chaired its Committee on Committees, and co-chaired the Hospitality and Opera Committees with Dorothy.
With mobility becoming more severely limited, Leon stayed connected with colleagues, friends, family, and the wider world through letters, emails, and visitors. He cherished friends who came regularly to read to him and help with email correspondence.
Leon was held in high esteem worldwide for his sincere collegiality, gentle honesty, and infectious optimism, which sustained many colleagues through difficult times both in their ministries and personal lives. He was truly surprised to learn of the far-reaching effect he had on people’s lives. In hearing letters of his profoundly positive impact, he would shake his head in humbled amazement, saying, “I never imagined.”
Leon is survived by his wife of 65 years, Dorothy; daughters, Sheridan Botts and Rachel Tucker; son, Chuck Hopper; and five grandchildren. His life was honored and memorialized on July 26, 2016, at the East Shore Unitarian Church in Bellevue WA, in a service co-led by his colleagues, the Rev. Barbara ten Hove and the Rev. Elaine Peresluha.
Notes of condolences may be sent to Dorothy Hopper, 900 University Street, Horizon House, 4C, Seattle WA 98101, or to clhopperjr@aol.com.
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.
