Travel = Thriving Partnerships - UU Partner Church Council

A publication of the Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council Connecting Unitarian and Universalist congregations around the globe March 2017

Travel = Thriving Partnerships Rev. Roger Bertschausen, UUPCC Executive Director

The UUPCC figured out a long time ago that travel between partner congregations is the most effective way to build strong, thriving partnerships. This is why we built our pilgrimage service and encouraged travel in both directions. It's why a few years ago we made funding travel grants a UUPCC priority. Travel builds connections and mutual relationships—and that's the heart of our mission. We took another big step forward with our travel grant program last year with the establishment of the Cathy Cordes Travel Fund. Cathy's stamp on the UUPCC is deep and wide and abiding. Nowhere is this more evident than in the UUPCC's emphasis on travel. Creating this fund was the perfect way to honor Cathy's work and legacy. The Cathy Cordes Travel Fund was created as a particular travel grant fund. Our Board recently voted to use the same great name for all of our travel grants—including the grants we regularly give out in a twice a year cycle. Even with the generosity of our members and a commitment of regular operating budget dollars to the Cordes Travel Fund, the UUPCC can't on its own make travel accessible to all partners regardless of financial ability. We need the help of partner churches to make this happen. I encourage all North American partner churches to make travel grants a major focus of your fundraising. Help your overseas partners come and visit you. When they do, everybody in the congregation will be moved by Partnership. Help folks in your congregation who don't have sufficient funds travel to your partner church—especially youth and young adults who will help Partnership thrive in the coming decades. Raising funds for travel grants in your congregations is a fabulous way to invest in your partnership. We always welcome contributions to the Cordes Travel Fund. Go to our website and make a contribution http://www.uupcc.org/donate or send a check designated for this fund. In doing so you will be helping partnerships thrive.

Partner Church News

March 2017

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And remember to apply for a travel grant from the UUPCC: http://www.uupcc.org/pilgrimages/travel-grants. You'll find an article about this elsewhere in this enewsletter. The math here is simple: Travel = Thriving Partnerships.

Welcome to the UUPCC’s Inaugural Newsletter As mentioned in our Fall 2016 newsletter, that issue was sadly the last in Nancy Daugherty’s extraordinary 16+ year tenure as Editor of the Partner Church News. Starting now, the UUPCC office will produce a monthly e-newsletter. We will strive to include as many inspiring stories about partnerships and news articles about the activities of the UUPCC as we possibly can. To state the obvious: the new e-newsletter will not have the visual appeal of Nancy’s newsletters. And our main form of delivery will be electronic, not snail mail. We hope that these changes will be offset at least to some extent by more timely news (due to the increased frequency of publishing) and the UUPCC being able to redirect several thousand dollars each year to support the work of Partnership about which we all care so deeply. If you would prefer to receive a printed copy of our monthly newsletter, please let us know by calling the UUPCC office at (314) 918-2618 or by emailing Amanda DiMiele at [email protected]. We will gladly snail mail you a printed version of the newsletter. We would love to include items about your wonderful Partnership programs in our e-newsletter and on Facebook! Please send us stories, photos, testimonials—whatever you have! The best way to get such items to us is by emailing Amanda DiMiele at [email protected]. Submissions for the newsletter are due by the 20th of the month preceding the issue to which you are submitting.

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March 2017

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The UU International Joint Working Group

UUA Presidential Candidates’ Statement about Our Global Unitarian/Universalist Faith We, the undersigned candidates for President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, affirm: 1. The rich diversity of our shared global Unitarian/Universalist faith in its many forms around the world; 2. Underlying the diversity of our faith is a oneness that ties us together with bonds of history and affection; 3. Unitarian/Universalism is a faith that the world desperately needs; therefore, we are committed to helping it grow; 4. As the largest Unitarian/Universalist community in the world, the Unitarian Universalist Association has a special responsibility to nurture our faith globally--and the UUA needs to remain ever mindful of the history and continuing legacy of imperialism and colonialism that inevitably impacts American relationships with others around the world; 5. The UUA’s continued engagement with the global Unitarian/Universalist community; and 6. The UUA’s commitment to support and collaborate with the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists and the Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council.

Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray

Rev. Alison Miller

Rev. Jeanne Pupke

This statement was an outgrowth of a conversation the Joint Working Group of Rev. Sara Ascher (International Council of Unitarians and Universalists), Rev. Eric Cherry (UUA International Office), and Rev. Roger Bertschausen (UU Partner Church Council) had with the UUA presidential candidates and senior UUA staff.

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March 2017

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Announcing Two Public Pilgrimages in 2017 We are very pleased to announce two pilgrimages in 2017 open to all individuals: 

Cross Cultural Transylvania Pilgrimage (on a budget) in August 2017: Experience Transylvania alongside Khasi Unitarians from NE India! The Unitarian Union of NE India has asked the UUPCC to organize a pilgrimage for its members this August, and they want to share their journey with you. Two weeks visiting the historic Unitarian places, medieval cities, castles, and enjoying the pastoral beauty of central Transylvania - all for less than $100/day.



Transylvania Thanksgiving Pilgrimage in September 2017: Two life-changing weeks in Transylvania for under $1,150! This is the same quality Unitarian pilgrimage that the UUPCC has been facilitating for two decades - but at 60% of the price. Pilgrims will visit the most significant Unitarian holy sites and spend the special Transylvanian Thanksgiving weekend with partner congregations, making new friends and revitalizing partnerships. If you do not have a partner in Transylvania, the UUPCC will arrange for you to stay in one of the many beautiful Unitarian villages with other pilgrims. There is also an optional pre-trip Budapest extension, and a post trip extension to Maramures & the Painted Monasteries of Bucovia.

To find our more and to register, visit http://www.uupcc.org/pilgrimages/pilgrimageopportunities

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March 2017

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Nominations for “Steward of Partnership” due March 3 Don’t forget to submit your nominations for The Steward of Partnership Award! This award is given annually to several people who have provided exceptional care for their own congregation's partnerships. The UUPCC knows that long-term partnerships don't automatically sustain themselves. It takes attention, time and loving care to maintain long distance connections and nurture friendship. Often this work is not publicly recognized even though it is this crucial grassroots work that keeps partnerships thriving. This award was established to recognize these unsung heroes of partnership. Please find the nomination form at http://www.uupcc.org/awards/steward. Individual congregations may nominate more than one person for the award. Nominations must be received by March 3, 2017. Questions? Email Amanda DiMiele at [email protected] or call (314) 918-2618.

Cathy Cordes Travel Grant Applications Due March 15 The spring deadline for applying for a travel grant from the UUPCC’s Cathy Cordes Travel Fund is March 15. For more information about the process and for a copy of the application, click here: http://www.uupcc.org/pilgrimages/travel-grants. All applications need to be approved by the minister or partner church committee chair of the North American partner church. Contact Amanda DiMiele at [email protected] if you have questions.

Third International Women’s Convocation Rev. Roger Bertschausen, UUPCC Executive Director

Several hundred women joined together last month in California for the Third International Women’s Convocation. Many stalwarts of international partnerships were in attendance. The Convocation offered stirring worship, provocative workshops and rich opportunity for community and connecting. Many North American partner congregations helped women partners come to the gathering and to their congregations. The UUPCC provided support for two women from the Khasi Hills who are not in congregations with a North American partner. UUPCC Executive Director Roger Bertschausen joined Rosela Piera from the UU Church of the Philippines and Alisson Hess from the UUA International Office in presenting “OWL Comes to the Philippines,” a workshop

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March 2017

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exploring the collaboration that brought a linguistically and culturally translated version of Our Whole Lives sexuality curriculum to Philippines youth and young adults.

“A Good Old Dance Party in a Field” Sarah Fleming, Eliot Unitarian Chapel, St. Louis, MO

We had all only just met the evening before. We were still learning each other’s names, figuring out how to communicate, and smiling a bit uncomfortably at each other. Our agenda for the day simply said: Tour of our villages with carts, picnic in the fields. Little did we know just what a tour it would be, and even more so, just what a picnic it would be.

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March 2017

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The day was chilly, the benches of the carts were hard, the roads were bumpy, and the horses shed a bit, but I could not help the huge grin on my face. We rode past small homes whose owners came out to wave to us; we rode past countless fields whose yields had already been harvested for the season; we stopped briefly to view a very small and very old church built to serve the 12 Unitarians of that village. Then we arrived at an old Catholic church. One of our guides inside included an older pudgy dog who would end up joining us for more of our day’s journey. Inside, we were told of the church’s history and shown private rooms in the back. We were even allowed to go beneath the church to view the crypts, so long as you weren’t deterred by the tiny bats hanging from the ceiling. Next we rode on to visit a cemetery that housed Transylvania’s oldest tree, with the little pudgy dog following alongside. Then it was time to head to the picnic in the field. After we passed what seemed like hundreds of other fields, and a very large herd of sheep, we finally arrived at the picnic location. A couple vehicles had gone ahead and set up tables, laid out a beautiful spread of food, and started a fire. We all took turns cooking bacon on sticks over the fire, spreading tapenade on bread, and helping ourselves to wine and palinka (a very hearty Hungarian brandy). One of the vehicles had its radio playing. I couldn’t tell you whether it had been on since our arrival, or if at some point throughout our roasting and toasting, someone had turned it on…but suddenly we were aware of the music. At first just a couple of the Hungarians started dancing together. Then they encouraged an American or two to join in. One by one, more people were recruited, and, within minutes, 20 of us had formed a large circle in the field and were dancing around, clapping to the music, and laughing. Suddenly it felt more like a wedding reception than a picnic. It felt more like family dancing together, than a gathering of two groups of people who live 5,000 miles apart. The day may have started out a little awkward and bumpy, but all it took was a good old dance party in a field to bring us all together, and create memories and bonds we won’t soon forget.

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March 2017

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Partner Relationships—Why We Need Each Other Kali Fyre, UU Candidate for Ministry

Our understanding of each other shapes how we see each other and the world around us. What we know can help us move from being separated individuals to people connected in intimate relationships. As we deepen these connections, an inner shift begins, a transformation that opens a personal interest in and concern for our neighbor, a connection beyond just a simple awareness. The American Unitarian Universalist movement has roots reaching further back than the United States. By developing global relationships with international Unitarians, Unitarian Universalist congregations can gain a greater awareness of the vibrancy and complexity of this faith tradition, as it has developed out of a protestant Christian context and has evolved into the diverse and welcoming faith which draws us together today. Likewise, international Unitarian congregations can gain a deeper connection to the richness of their faith in observing North American expressions of Unitarian values. One of my favorite metaphors from theologian Raimon Panikkar is that we all see the world through windows. He says, “the cleaner the window is, the less I see the window and the glass, and the more Partner Church News

March 2017

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enthused and in love I am with what I see. So I don't see my window. I see through the window. And I need my neighbor to tell me ‘excuse me...but you are looking through a window!’ ...and I also need to remind him...you also are looking through a window. And so we compare notes about what we see. We need each other.” The point of this metaphor is not that we abandon our “window” and deny what we see, but that we are aware of the limitations of what we can see, there is much more beyond our unique view. Through our global relationships, we can learn from one another’s different perspectives and ways of understanding the world around us. We can learn more about the beauty and diversity of other cultures and practices, which can give us a deeper connection to our own faith, and a greater appreciation for how our own views have come to be.

Khasi Hills Higher Secondary School Opens Imagine you are 16 years old. You want to finish high school, but to do that you need to find a place to live, on your own, in a city an hour or two away from home. Until recently, for students at Annie Margaret Barr Secondary School in North East India, this was the only option. Now, that has changed. With help from their partners at First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, the Higher Secondary School has now officially opened. For the first time, students in the Khasi Hills can complete high school locally. The school celebrated its inauguration and ribbon cutting in June 2016, and the first 11th grade class began its studies that month. This is exciting work that deserves celebration. More, however, remains to be done. While two classrooms, a library, and supplies are built and in operation, additional resources are needed to complete the original plans for a two-story building. The new school is also short-staffed, with many of its teachers working multiple jobs. Currently, the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh is raising funds to address both these needs: to finish the building project, and to employ a teacher for approximately three years, at which point government funding will kick in. The partnership between First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh and the Khasi Hills stretches back to the year 1999. Since then, individuals on both sides of the partnership have traveled multiple times to build and strengthen the relationship. Their partnership has yielded rich cultural exchange and mutual support, as well as completion of several concrete projects like this Higher Secondary School, the Annie Margaret Barr Children’s Village, and more.

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March 2017

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The Richness of Khasi Unitarians in NE India Barb Clagett, East Shore Unitarian Church, Bellevue, WA

Imagine smiling Khasi school children singing hymns in their Unitarian church, later eagerly showing us their games and dances while parents and teachers looked on with pride. Our Khasi Unitarian partners in NE India are incredible human beings who gave us joy as they poured out their generous hospitality and genuine love for fellow Unitarians. We stayed with them for two glorious weeks last October (2016). It seemed almost miraculous that all eight of us “pilgrims” from East Shore arrived within hours of each other at the nearest reliable airport in Guwahati, Assam. We loaded our luggage in two “Sumo” vans and were driven up the long, twisty road to Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya and the headquarters of the Unitarian Union of NE India. Unitarian friends in Shillong—all of them church leaders—met us for dinner at our hotel, and we immediately dove into deep conversation. Of the eight pilgrims, five had come before. The three newcomers fit right in. After a few days exploring, we headed out to our partner village of Kharang, about a two-hour drive. Students at the Friendship School, dressed in red plaid uniforms, sang a song in English for us and later put on amazing dramatic performances. They built the school with funds for materials donated by our Bellevue, WA church. We annually raise enough money to pay for teacher salaries at the Friendship School as well. Although we stayed in private homes in two towns—Kharang and Smit—we ate delicious meals together provided by hosts and a crew of young adults. In one home where there were “squat” toilets, our host built a kind of “throne” over the ceramic floor toilet, even adding a blue toilet seat on top. What a gift for all of us! The days were packed with lots of spontaneous teaching, music-making, game-playing, and late-night conversations. We visited four different schools in the area, as well as an orphanage with 21 students founded by

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March 2017

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American Unitarians. After a couple of rehearsal sessions in jazz and folk singing, we led the students in a rousing joint concert! At our two partner churches, on consecutive Sundays, we put on the whole service, complete with translated programs, hymn-singing, a reading, a prayer, a sermon, special offertory music, and a jazz postlude. The simple sanctuaries were packed on both occasions. One Saturday we saw incredible support of Unitarianism when attending back-to-back services in a town in the West Khasi Hills, several hours west of Shillong, where only a couple of Unitarian families had lived. Working with these families, the Unitarian leadership in the church put on two long but very engaging services in a building close to the main road of the town. About 600 people attended, many of whom we knew from our partner congregations. Maybe a quarter of them were being introduced to Unitarianism for the first time. The basic message, delivered by several powerful Unitarian ministers and leaders, was that no one needed to live in despair and hopelessness now, waiting for a better life after death. Life could be lived fully here and now! We knew we were in the presence of people actually LIVING OUT Unitarian principles of love and community. Having little materially did not get in the way of the Khasis living with joy and generosity. What a privilege to be with them.

Faithify Project: Sustainable Garden Improvement Project at the Annie M. Barr Children’s Village A current Faithify campaign seeks to fund a sustainable garden at the Annie M. Barr Children’s Village in northeast India’s Khasi Hills. The Children’s Village is a Unitarian orphanage. Find details about this exciting project at https://www.faithify.org/projects/sustainable-orphanage-gardenimprovement-project/.

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March 2017

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Faithify Campaign for Burundi Unitarian Refugee Relief Fund The International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU) is working with Burundi Unitarians to raise funds for a Burundi Unitarian Refugee Relief Fund. The original emergency funds raised to support the Unitarian refugees have now been fully disbursed, and there is urgent need to replenish them. Burundi Unitarians have suffered a great deal since the current political crisis began in 2015. The church was attacked and ransacked. The minister, Rev. Ndagijimana Fulgence, was kidnapped and jailed, and released only as the result of tremendous pressure from Unitarians and UUs around the world. He left the country as soon as he could, seeking refuge in Canada. Other church members have had to leave the country for their safety as well. They are now scattered through Canada, the U.S., Belgium, and East Africa. The Burundi Unitarian Refugee Relief Fund will promote the safety of church members in Burundi, including those who are forced to flee, as well as those members currently in exile who are having difficulty meeting their basic needs for food, housing, and health care. To donate, visit https://www.faithify.org/projects/burundi-unitarian-refugee-relief-fund/

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March 2017

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U U PARTNER CHURCH COUNCIL

Board of Directors

Staff

Rev. Morgan McLean, Chair, Term to 2019 Davis, CA [email protected]

Ann Gary, Term to 2018 Utpon, MA [email protected]

Rev. Roger Bertschausen Executive Director St. Louis, MO [email protected]

Richard Van Duizend, Vice Chair, Term to 2017 Falls Church, VA [email protected]

Anne Greenwood, Term to 2019 San Pablo, CA [email protected]

Amanda DiMiele Administrator [email protected]

Rev. Eric Meter, Secretary, Term to 2018 Columbus, OH [email protected]

Melody Moberg, Term to 2017 Seattle, WA [email protected]

John Dale and Csilla Kolcsár Travel Coordinators [email protected]

Rick Irwin, Treasurer, Term to 2019 Atlanta, GA [email protected]

Rev. Diane Rollert, Term to 2018 Montréal, QC Canada [email protected]

Libby Hanna Bookkeeper [email protected]

Rev. Eric Cherry, UUA Appointed, Term to 2017 UUA International Office Boston, MA [email protected]

Rev. Catie Scudera, Term to 2018 Needham, MA [email protected]

Clare Shaw Cross Webmistress [email protected]

Carol Cook, Term to 2017 San Mateo, CA [email protected]

Rev. Andrew Weber, Term to 2019 Newark, DE [email protected]

Volunteer Staff

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Pat Rodgers PCC-Chat & Communications [email protected]

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