Category: Uncategorized

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Seabeck Conference Center
Wilmington, Delaware
Kingston, Massachusetts
Waverly, Ohio
Winnsboro, South Carolina

*********Seabeck Conference Center, Washington State

Jaco ten Hove is hosting the 4th annual pod at the Seabeck Conference Center on the Hood Canal, west of Seattle. He says, “Seabeck has incredible views of the Olympic Mountains, an excellent campus with modern comforts, and nine delicious meals (that we don’t have to cook or clean up after). For three nights over four days, 30 retired colleagues and partners get to share meaningful face-to-face discussions and local programming, take walks and laugh together, and participate in the virtual conference on a large screen.”

For more information, call or text Jaco at 206/200-5403 or send a message to jbthishere@gmail.com 

*********Wilmington, Delaware

Richard Speck is justifiably proud of Wilmington. He writes, “The world famous Longwood Gardens bring people from all over the world. We also have Winterthur, a large museum dedicated to the American arts of furniture and collections of fascinating objects. The Brandywine River Museum of Art, the Delaware Art Museum, the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science are all nearby and easily accessible. There is much colonial-era history to explore, including Valley Forge and the Brandywine Battlefield.

“The First Unitarian Church of Wilmington will host for both large presentations and small breakout groups. You might consider bringing a laptop or tablet for use during the breakout sessions. The church has a strong wi-fi signal throughout the building. 

“The church is about 20 miles south of the Philadelphia airport. Hotels are located 1-2 miles from the church. Some shared meals will be at the church with opportunities to go to area restaurants. Where possible, we will offer transportation from either location and from the church to the hotels.”

For more information, write Richard Speck, rgspeck@comcast.net or call him at 302/239-6286.

*********Kingston, Massachusetts (now closed)

If you live in eastern Massachusetts or Rhode Island, you might make a short drive to Kingston MA, where another pod is organized by Judy Campbell. Why go to Kingston? Judy says, “First is to see and hug one another in person after several years of online conferences. Secondly, there are major attractions within an easy drive of the church. Coastal Massachusetts, Kingston and Plymouth, have any number of historic, and cultural attractions, not to mention some wicked good restaurants. The views of the harbor and ocean are stunning.

“The Pilgrim Hall Museum offers outstanding early colonial history and a Wampanoag history and culture collection. The Plymouth Guild for the Arts is a museum of local artists and features an elegant gift shop. Plimoth Patuxet is the oldest town in New England and their living history museum is fascinating: https://plimoth.org

“The pod will meet just a few miles north of Plymouth center at the First Parish Church in Kingston. More information is available by visiting www.kingstonuu.org. The website has everything you need to know about the location and has a map, directions to the church, and pictures of the buildings.”

Contact the organizer, Judy Campbell, at 781/422-6519 or 508/939-1391, or send a message to revdocmom@comcast.net. NOTE: Pod now closed.

*********Waverly, Ohio

Once again, we are gathering at Bristol Village for our on-site fall UURMaPA Conference. We invite you to join us for a laid-back time with beautiful scenery, conversations with friends, and quiet time alone. You must register for the UURMaPA conference on their website.

Seven cottages are available for our use. Lodging cost at $100 is per cottage, not per person. Please let me know which cottage you want and if you will be sharing a cottage with someone.

203 Robin. 2 BR, 1 Queen, 2 twins, 2 full baths. Walk in shower and a bathtub.
320 Robin. 2 BR, 2 Queens, 2 baths with walk in showers.
307 Robin. 2 BR, 2 Queens, 1 full bath.
307 Wendy. 2 BR, 2 Queens, 1 full bath + ½ bath
402 Robin. Handicap Accessible, 2 BR, 1 Queen, 2 twins, fold out couch, 1 handicap bathroom, 1 full bathroom.
202 Robin. 2 BR, 1 Queen, 2 twins, 1 bath, pet friendly.
214 Lee. 2BR, 2 Queens, 1½ baths, very low toilets, therefore not handicapped.

There is a cafe where you can have breakfast and lunch (at no cost because Joan and Ruth are using their resident’s accounts), a swimming pool, walking paths and lots of private space. Since there are kitchens, you may bring your own food.

The cottage where we will meet has two comfortable meeting rooms, a full kitchen, dining area, a pool table, and a large television screen for easy conference viewing.

To register or for more information please contact: Sylvia Howe sylhowe42@gmail.com 

978-317-0013

*********Winnsboro, South Carolina

LoraKim Joyner and Meredith Garmon are hosting a pod in Winnsboro SC at their home, and their One Earth Retreat Center.

Meredith says, “When I retired from 21 years of UU ministry this summer, the two of us moved to our new home on 34 wooded acres and set about furnishing it to be a retreat center, which we call One Earth Retreat Center (OERC). LoraKim, also a UU minister, continues her Community Ministry as co-director of One Earth Conservation.

“We have beds for 11 guests, which will go to the first 11 people who register for them. If you have (and love) an RV, parking it on our property would be an option (though we don’t have water/electricity hook-ups), and for hardy souls who enjoy tent camping, we have a very big back yard where a tent can be pitched. 

“If you’d like to come to our pod, but stay in a hotel, peruse the internet for hotels in Ridgeway SC (about 12 minutes from OERC), or Winnsboro SC (about 15-20 minutes from OERC). Wherever you spend the nights, all meals are included in the cost of registration.

“One Earth Retreat Center is 12 minutes from Lake Wateree State Park. https://southcarolinaparks.com/lake-wateree. We are also about an hour from downtown Charlotte NC, and 37 minutes from the center of Columbia SC.”

To get a sense of the facility, the floorplans and some photos are here: http://hotetsuzen.blogspot.com/p/the-one-earth-retreat-center 

Our One Earth Retreat Center website is under construction – you can take a look at what we have up so far: oneearthretreatcenter.org  

Also LoraKim has put up some posts on the OERC facebook page: facebook.com/oneearthretreatcenter 

To register for our pod (which is separate from registering for the conference itself), email us at garmonjoyner@uuma.org, with your name, contact info, and your choice of accommodation, as below:.

∙ I’d like one of OERC’s beds, please. (Includes 2, 3, or 4 nights depending on whether you may choose to arrive on Sunday, Oct. 19 evening, depart on Thursday, Oct. 23 morning, or both, and 3 meals a day).  $400.

∙ I’d like to stay on the property in an RV or tent (includes all meals). $350.

∙ I’ll make other lodging arrangements, and join the pod for the conference (includes lunch and dinner). $250.

In lieu of a new member welcome lunch at GA every June, UURMaPA now has a Virtual New Member Welcome Event on Zoom every year. This year’s 90-minute event is scheduled for Monday, September 22 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (12:00 p.m. Central; 11:00 a.m. Mountain; 10:00 a.m. Pacific)

If this is something of interest to you, we ask that you please follow this link to attend this event. Then use:
Meeting ID: 253 582 3727; Passcode: welcome

TO Existing UURMaPA members:
You are invited to join us and help welcome our newest members!

TO Newly retired ministers and partners:
As you begin this new phase of life, those of us who have preceded you into the “realm of retirement” are eager to welcome you. This will be a helpful introduction to an organization that we hope will continue to add value to your lives in the days ahead. 

At this event, you can look forward to:
•  Welcome words from UURMaPA leaders and members
•  Introduction of new members to what UURMaPA offers
• Information from the UUA’s Office of Church-Staff Finances
• Time for small-group checking in with colleagues

Also, we invite you to consider joining a Connections Group, coordinated by UURMaPA Board member Janet Tillman. These virtual groups meet regularly to check in and discuss whatever topics might be of mutual interest. Two groups have a specific focus: a Caregivers Support Group for members who have particular roles as caregivers within their households, and a Grief Support Group for those recently bereaved. We also welcome the formation of other special focus groups.

If you’re interested in joining a UURMaPA Connections Group, either of general interest or with a special focus, please e-mail Janet Tillman at connections@uurmapa.org.  Based on those who express interest, she’ll help designate two co-conveners for each group and send them the names of new members interested in joining. We are excited to have you join us,

We look forward to seeing you on September 22.
Warmly,
Charles J. Stephens, Vice President, UURMaPA

I write these words as spring wends its way towards summer here on the east coast. This is my last note to you as President of UURMaPA and after General Assembly, I will hand over the responsibilities of UURMaPA leadership to Richard Speck, incoming President.

It has been a rewarding and joyful experience over these past six years. I came onto the Board in the summer of 2019, and my first UURMaPA conference as a Board member was that Fall, focused on the the Rainbow History Project pioneered by Rev. Dorothy Emerson. After her death, it was carried on by the UURMaPA Board.

What a monumental and important work that was, celebrating the story of LGBTQIA+ in the UUA with stories from the lived experience of those involved, many of whom are or were part of this cohort of retired folx. That legacy lives on: be on the lookout for a book from Skinner House documenting much of the stories and history from that project (hopefully before the year is out).

Like most of you, I never imagined the arrival of the pandemic in a few short months after that! The changes we’ve seen since that time are remarkable—and through it all the growth of an inclusive, vibrant UURMaPA.

I recall our perhaps clumsy but hopeful initial Zoom gatherings, trying to figure out how to replace the in-person experience of General Assembly events with a virtual meeting. And I remember thinking that surely, by the fall conference of 2020 we’d be back in person!

Well, you all know how that went. Yet in these four+ years we’ve honed the online conference experience to a point where there’s a rhythm to the event and an expectation of quality programming that increases its value.

But most importantly, this virtual world enabled us to provide opportunities for more and more retired UU ministers and partners or spouses to make real connections. Moving beyond the limits of geography and the expense of travel, Zoom allows us to not feel so alone in the world. We can find the support of kindred spirits despite time zones and area codes. And the number of our Zoom “small groups” meeting on a regular basis shows how this commitment to connections has grown and deepened.

I also think that this refocusing of how we connect prodded us to think of how we interact, and what guides those interactions. Our conversations about covenant and accountability rooted us in community and made real the assumptions we might have had about what that community could be. To state expectations about how we will be in community didn’t set up a bunch of onerous rules and regulations, but rather created a spirit of inclusion and respect—one that was probably there already but now made explicit.

I am proud of all that we did together over these past six years, with different participants in leadership, but all with the same intent and commitment: “to be an inclusive multicultural community that serves the interests and enhances the well-being of retired Unitarian Universalist ministers and their life partners…” (from the UURMaPA purpose statement).

I believe that UURMaPA is one of the best ways we have to connect and support one another in these difficult times, and I am so glad YOU are a part of it!

Wishing you all the best, —Susan
Reverend Dr. Susan Veronica Rak, retired

Charles grew up Lutheran in a Northern WI town not unlike the Garrison Keillor’s “Lake Wobegone.” He was ordained as a Lutheran Minister in 1973. After serving several Lutheran Churches he realized Lutheranism had one Reformation and that was all they wanted, so he transferred into the Unitarian Universalist Ministry 1981. He was motivated by the theological perspective of the UUA. He served UU congregations in Eastport, Ellsworth and Castine ME, Concord NH and Washington Crossing NJ. from 1981–2012. Since retiring he served as an interim and has preached at a number of UU congregations. In recognition of his service both the Ellsworth and the Washington Crossing UU congregations designated him as Minister Emeritus.

A major focus in ministry for Charles came in 2000 when he participated in training as a Spiritual Director at the Shalem Institute (Washington DC). When he concluded this training he was invited to be an adjunct faculty member for Spiritual Direction there for the next eight years, while continuing to serve full time as a parish minister in NJ. Charles continues to provide individual Spiritual Direction (in person or Zoom) for colleagues and laypeople upon request.

During sabbaticals, Charles studied Eastern European Unitarianism in Oxford, England, studied with Matthew Fox at the University of Culture and Creation Spirituality, and traveled to Israel and Palestine with a peace-oriented Compassionate Listening group of Rabbis, Imams, and Christian Ministers from the Delaware River area of PA & NJ.

He and Alison, his wife, retired to Blue Hill ME where they enjoy living close to nature. They are involved in a variety of activities, ranging from being Airbnb hosts, local politics (Charles is Hancock County Chair), social action and of course being available to be involved in the lives of their three adult children and one grandchild.

The Reverend Doctor Richard Speck is the retired District Executive (DE) for the Joseph Priestley District (JPD) of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. He was named Minister Emeritus in 2019. Previously, he served nine years as minister to the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach FL, before coming to the JPD in 2000 as Acting DE. In his last two years in Florida he also served as the music director for the church. He graduated from Meadville/Lombard Theological School with a Doctorate in Ministry in 1990. He was hired as the regular DE in 2001. He served 14 years as DE before retiring from full-time ministry in 2014. 

Richard has been active with UURMAPA since his retirement in 2014. He has attended almost all in-person and virtual conferences since then. He joined the Conference Planning Team and has been the registrar for conferences for several years. He has also helped lead the Conference choirs in several conferences. He has helped UURPAMA adopt its current membership software and improve our communications with each other.

Richard continues to be active in social justice programs like the Black Lives Matters. He conducts weddings, memorial services, and funerals and continues preaching in area congregations. He has served as Treasurer of the UU Ministers Association twice, finishing his second three-year term in 2020. He also served as treasurer of the UU Retired Ministers and Partners Association for four years and as Treasurer for the Priestley Kingsbury UUMA chapter from 2017–23.  

Richard became a Unitarian Universalist as a layperson in Springfield IL, in 1974.  He was an active lay member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham AL, before going into the ministry. In that congregation he held a variety of leadership positions (vice president, secretary, canvasser, choir member, lay delegate) and was active in the social life of the church.

Richard’s career before the ministry was as a respiratory therapist for eighteen years. The last ten years before seminary were spent in Birmingham as the director of a respiratory care department in a large hospital where he supervised over 30 people in multiple divisions of the department. He earned a MA in health care administration in 1976 as part of this career. He left health care to pursue new avenues of serving humanity through the ministry.  

He is married to Janet Tillman and resides in Wilmington DE. He enjoys making music, flying his own airplane, and creating stained glass art.