UUCA JULY Monthly UUpdates
July 2021
- President's Report
- Rev Kate's Corner
- On the Nature of Interim Ministry
- Past and Present Leadership to the Board Congregation of the UUCA
- Listening Sessions
- June Board Summary
- Religious Education
- Ministerial Search Committee
- We Have a Blog!
- ARAT Team
- Hermitage of the Heart
- Community Garden
- UUWA
- Donation Station
- Summer Institute
President's Report
Fellow congregants,
My name is Cir L’Bert, Jr. my pronouns are he/him/his, and I’m proud to be serving as president of your board of trustees.
As we enter the complex season known as Ohio summer, with all its mixture of heat, thunderstorms, and cool nights, I am always struck by two things: the power of perspective and varying perceptions, and how we gather in community while holding those differences.
This summer, as vaccinations seem to increase and fall short at the same time, many of us wonder, when will we reopen, while others question, “are we really safe? Many wonder, “will things go back to normal?” while others wonder and hope, “will things finally change for the better?”.
In our church, we have the same kinds of questions: When will we go back to the sanctuary? What’s going on with this ministry and that ministry? Who will I see, hear, and hug again? Will it be like I remember? Will my whole self be accepted? Will I be accepted as a newcomer? How do we do church again, after so much has changed?
The Board of Trustees is committed to helping our congregation work through and answer these questions as we consider how to restart our programs and reopen the church.
We are upgrading our WiFi network and tech setup for better online and hybrid services. We’re preparing our building for reopening; power washing the sanctuary steps and the keystone, applying fresh paint, and continuing to develop our garden space.
We’ll upgrade our Black Lives Matter banner and Pride flag. And at our last meeting, the board discussed ways we can add to the McKeeman Room and amplify the legacy of our church.
Our life saving ministries are also in full swing, with the Community Meal and Whole Foods distribution continuing to thrive. We’re also beginning construction of a Donation Shed, grown out of our partnership with Margie’s Hope, a trans youth advocacy network.
And our Immigration Committee has successfully begun a bi-lingual help hotline, where Spanish speaking folks can access assistance.
Beyond our church building and ministries, we are also working on our wellbeing as an organization. The resignation of two long term staff members in our sexton and administrator have necessitated an employment search.
The BoT recognizes the long commitment by Carolyn and Brittney, and the deep affection the congregation held for them.
While no one is replaceable, and change can be jarring, we will work diligently to find candidates that provide our congregation the service it needs and who reflect our values and aspirations for growth.
We are also focused on the intangible structural well being of our community.
The BoT is aware and engaged with the discomfort and discontent within the congregation. We have been, and remain in close contact with the UUA through our regional staff leads, Rev. Sunshine Wolfe, and Beth Casebolt, as well as the Transitions Office, through Christine Purcell.
They have been very helpful and are willing to offer the congregation any support we need. Specifically:
- Direct assistance and guidance for the board and committee leaders
- Our interim retreat with the UUA, scheduled for August 1st, where the board, staff, and committee leaders will learn how we can successfully complete our transition period,
- UUA training and help for our excellent Right Relations team
- And a congregation-wide workshop called Beyond Categorical Thinking. This workshop is required for congregations in search and will help the congregation learn to think outside their own habits and preconceived notions as they are in transition.
As usual, there is a lot going on in our church. And as we work through it all, I think it’s important to remember some key points...
“Ministry is all we do together”. It takes all of us to maintain community, to maintain our covenants, and maintain our processes.
Patience is critical. We are all affected by the pandemic and in many different and complex ways. We must have patience with one another, with our leaders, and with ourselves.
The reality that there are varying perceptions, perspectives, and expectations we all have about how ministry should and or does work. There is a big difference between others making decisions differently than how we would make them, and others making improper decisions.
During my two years working with the UUA Commission on Institutional Change, from 2018-2020, I was able to study our over 600 member congregations.
Each one of those congregations is unique...some have ministers who send out a crisp Order of Service with a finished homily to every member of the worship committee weeks in advance of the service date, some reverends produce reflections from their hearts at the pulpit, in some congregations the minister is the primary administrator, and some reverends are chief ambassadors and activists in the wider community, while some churches have more than one reverend, and some congregations have no reverend at all.
None of those ways is the right way, none are more professional, or correct than others. They are the way that particular leader and or community operates.
Each one of those churches came to their process through trial and error, committee report and conversation, tradition and change. Our transitional ministries help congregations experience and examine what needs to be updated, what needs to be replaced, what needs to be held, what needs to be given.
In my experience, what remained consistent in most of those groups was an understanding that we are bound by principles and covenants, a desire for justice and love in the spaces we inhabit, and a commitment to working together to solve problems.
I believe wholeheartedly that The UU Church of Akron is a community capable of navigating through moments of joy, sorrow, disagreement, growth, and change with a commitment to our highest principles.
Finally, as we enter this board year, there is a quote I have kept as a roadmap that I will share with you (and expect to hear more from me about):
A community is made up of the following parts: spirit, children, elders, responsibility, gift-giving, accountability, ancestors, and ritual.” - Sobonfu Some (author, counselor, priest of the Burkinabe of Burkina Faso)
What is the spirit of our congregation? How are we raising our youth in the principles we hold? How are we exchanging wisdom and sharing power? How are we responsible for the work we do together? What do we give and receive from one another? How are we accountable to our principles & covenants? What learnings do we take from those who came before us? What rituals do we have to hold all of the above?
As I stated above, I and the Board of Trustees are committed to asking and answering those questions, together with the congregation, and in turn, together we will find answers.
Take good care of yourselves, and each other,
Cir L’Bert, Jr.
President, UU Church of Akron, Board of Trustees
Rev. Kate's Korner
Dear Ones,
It seems that we have come through the worst of the pandemic storm. As we mourn the loss of 604,000 fellow citizens in the US and millions more around the world, we also must take a moment to celebrate that we made it. Feel your feet on the ground and the beating of your heart- you made it. In a year and a half of fear and sadness it is good to recall all the losses we feared that did not come to pass. We hold grief in one hand and joy in the other. For those that were lost, we weep. For those that remain, we give thanks.
Psychologists tell us it will take a while-months or even years- for us to move out of the hyper-vigilance of pandemic mode. Our bodies are pumping too much cortisol, our brains are on high alert for predators, and we see danger where no danger lies. In this mindset we may assume the worst of others, even the people we love. If your spouse leaves a wet towel on the bed and you take it not as carelessness but as a personal attack- that’s post-pandemic brain. If the mail carrier doesn’t smile back at you and for a fleeting second you think they hate you- that’s post-pandemic brain. Let’s be extra generous with each other while we adjust to our new normal.
We can start moving out of pandemic mode by signaling to our bodies that we are safe. I am spending twenty minutes a day meditating, beginning my practice by breathing in for four seconds, holding my breath for seven seconds, and exhaling for eight seconds. I also am benefitting from yoga, connecting my breath to my movement, so my body can stay in the present and not move into over-vigilance. Perhaps this is a good time for you to check out Tai Chi or Qigong videos online or at a martial arts center. Find ways to communicate to your body that you are safe.
Beside our gratitude and grief lie so many questions. Most of these boil down to: when can we be back together? When can we embrace one another, when can we sing together? When will we gather as a whole congregation in our sanctuary? Please know that these questions are being thoroughly considered by our board. Our elected, volunteer leaders are considering the Unitarian Universalist Association suggested guidelines (https://www.uua.org/safe/pandemics/gathering-guidance) for reopening, as well the percentages of people fully vaccinated in Ohio (44.61%- we can do better, Bucks!) and in Summit County (48.58%). And since UUCA is a family-centered congregation we are eagerly awaiting news that children can receive the vaccine. We are a loving fellowship made up of individuals who are ready to get back to group gatherings, and individuals who have impaired immune systems and are not ready to be in shared worship. Some of our kids carry the double-burden of impaired immunity and not being old enough to receive the vaccine. The board is considering the well-being of the whole church family in making these difficult decisions.
We hope- hope! Not promise- to be able to worship together in September. This may require that we have two worship services. Our fellowship hall has an extremely effective air filtration system (thank you board! Thank you stewardship givers! Thank you Foundation managers!) but it is not as large as the sanctuary. We may begin hybrid (online and in-person) services this fall with an early service geared toward families with children. At the early service we will remain masked, RE classes for children will be available, and the service may have a more conversational and relaxed vibe. The second service will be more formal and more traditional, with no RE programing. Both services will have coffee hour.
We hope that as the pandemic recedes we will be able to go back to having one service in our sanctuary. When that happens will depend on factors beyond our control. Frustratingly, so much over the past year and a half has been beyond our control. Please be patient with our leaders as we all try to navigate the new normal.
As we move through the unknown I find solace in the words of the mystical theologian and poet Rilke:
Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart
and try to love the questions themselves
as if they were locked rooms
or books written in a very foreign language.
Don't search for the answers,
which could not be given to you now,
because you would not be able to live them.
The point is, to live everything.
Live the questions now.
Perhaps then, someday far in the future,
you will gradually, without even noticing it,
live your way into the answer.
May we be gentle with ourselves and each other as we live the questions and gradually live our way into the answers.
Rev Kate
PS- I am on vacation for the month of July. I’m planning to backpack in the mountains in Washington State. I look forward to being with you when I return on August 1st.
On the Nature of Interim Ministry
Scott Piepho, Transition Team Chair
I am living through my third interim ministry as a member of the UU Church of Akron. My wife and I joined the church for the last few months of Rev. Betty Pingle’s ministry before Rev. Nancy Arnold arrived. We were also here for Rev. Mary Moore’s ministry between Rev. Nancy. and Rev. Tim Temerson.
This has been an interim ministry like no other. We call the committee I chair the Transition Team to emphasize the degree of change inherent as we move from a settled ministry to an interim ministry then to a new and different settled ministry.
But in the past year and a half, we have experienced more transition than that. As Rev. Tim’s ministry wound down, we transitioned to a virtual church in the span on one week. We are now working on a transition to something else – ideally a hybrid model with some congregants participating in worship live and others joining online.
With all that going on, some of the usual work of transition has fallen by the wayside. For example, our farewell to Tim and his family was fleeting and fragmented. We did not have the opportunity to come together to mourn the end of his ministry as we wished him well on his next adventure.
Similarly, we have had limited opportunities to discuss as a congregation what we should expect from interim ministry.
Interim ministry, as conceived by the UUA and practiced by congregations across the denomination, is more than a stasis as we search for our next settled minister. An interim minister’s job includes assessing how a church functions and sparking challenging conversations about what we could do better. She looks at everything – even the overstuffed closets and yellowing file folders we’ve long since neglected. (I mean this metaphorically, but it’s worth noting that Rev. Mary went through some literal closets and files and found archival materials we didn’t know we had.)
Our church demands this of interim ministers because any congregation needs an occasional reset – an opportunity to take a hard look at itself and spot where the points of friction lie and which cylinders may be misfiring. It works best if the person doing this hard work is temporary. An interim minister’s sole focus is to improve the church to ready it for the next settled ministry, so she can ask harder and riskier questions without worrying about a longer term future with the church.
Which gets us to a second job of an interim minister: she readies us for change. Our next settled minister will not be Tim Temerson as he was not Nancy Arnold and she was not Mark Lange, and so forth. Getting used to a new minister will be hard. It would be that much harder if that minister had to simultaneously acclimate the congregation to their style of ministry and make substantive changes to how the church operates.
An interim minister absorbs the emotional fallout of the congregation’s grieving process and helps the church see and address its flaws to smooth the way for the next settled minister. As the UUA’s Transitional Ministry Handbook puts it. “When these frustrations are directed at the new settled minister, shorter ministries ensue. It is better to use an interim time to deal with these frustrations than to unintentionally create an interim minister out of the newly settled minister.”
Rev. Kate will continue doing the work we called her here to do. She’ll look in all the dark corners. She’ll ask questions. She’ll bring suggestions to the Board and the congregation. And she’ll implore us to look at ourselves.
Perhaps a year late, I offer the following challenge. Rev. Tim left us a strong and growing church. We should be strong enough for a couple of years of tough questions, surprising suggestions, and discomforting self-examination. Who’s in?
Past and Present Leadership to the Board and Congregation of the UUCA
With the resignations of two long-term employees, the stress of the pandemic, and the transition in pastoral leadership, the church is in turmoil. As long-time members and leaders of the church, we trust in and support the efforts of the Board, which has had access to all the facts, to work hard with great concern about fairness and justice for all. That is what the congregation elected the Board to do. We urge everyone to support the Board as it struggles with this difficult situation.
In these unusual times, we want the Board to succeed in representing the congregation effectively. To that end, we request a closer dialogue between the Board and the congregation than might usually occur. We commit to assist the Board in the spirit of love, compassion, and transparency.
We understand the Board is seeking help from the Unitarian Universalist Association in finding a counselor to help us through this. We strongly support this effort of the Board to heal our beloved community.
July 2, 2021
Mark Auburn, Sandy Auburn, Hallie Bowie, Dottie Clark, Becky Dempster, Sharon Gefken, Jim Helmuth, Bev Hurd, Karen Hoch, Bill Jordan, Deb Johnson, Ron Johnson, John Kutuchief, Alan Lane, Akrista L'Bert, Sharon McWhorter, Charlie Nelson, Liz Nelson, Polly Reiheld, Jack Ryder, Linda Ryder, Dawn Scott, Ron Scott, Derek Shuttleworth, Robb Sturr, Bill Thombs, Carol Thombs, Susan Wynn
Congregational Listening Sessions
One of the requests that emerged from those sessions was a clarification on how decisions are made and how best to communicate concerns within the congregation. The Board of Trustees has put together Paths of Communication and Decision making for your reference.
We will post when additional listening sessions are scheduled.
June Board Summary
This month, the board discussed once again how hybrid services and reopening is going to work, with a focus on technology. A group was appointed to talk through and make a decision on equipment for hybrid services. Rev Kate reminded us that she is off for the month of July. The 8th Principle Team asked the board to be more visible in the community supporting racial justice. But the big issue at hand was the search committees for the admin position, the R.E assistant position, and the sexton position. Feel free to join us any time if you want to learn more, or see the minutes on the website.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
Hello, UUCA Friends and Family!
It’s July already and with as much fun meeting outside was in June, we’re even more excited to connect with everyone in person this month! Please enjoy photos of this delightful time and keep an eye out for emails of upcoming events this month and in the weeks and months to come :)
So, what’s the UUCA RE got going on in July? Take a look!
July 9th: BYOB (bring your own blanket) event for families (even those without kids) is making a comeback! This time we plan to do a movie viewing (movie title TBA :) on the UUCA lawn @ 7pm. Yay for warm summer nights! Email Abby L’Bert @ dre.uuakron@gmail.com with questions ahead of this event :)
July 10th: COYA is going Kayaking again! This delightful summertime event is open to all youth in 7th through 12th grade (must RSVP no later than June 19th). Curious if there is last minute space available? Please contact Kelly Urbano (kell100@yahoo.com) and Abby L’Bert (dre.uuakron@gmail.com).
July 31st: Water water everywhere!! It’s water play day at the UUCA! All are invited to cool off in the sun with us @ 1pm. Participants are welcome to bring their own latex free water toys as well. Please email Abby L’Bert @ dre.uuakron@gmail.com with questions ahead of this event :)
7th - 12th graders are welcome to join COYA’s online Zoom meetings on 4th and 1st Sundays at noon! COYA involvement offers youth a great way to connect with others, get creative, develop leadership skills, AND get together for socially distanced fun. Those interested in learning more, please contact Kelly Urbano (kell100@yahoo.com) and Abby L’Bert (dre.uuakron@gmail.com).
*Special note: After years of service to our congregation as RE Assistant, Carolyn Stevens will be leaving this position this month. We’ll greatly miss her incredible love for children and the amazing energy she brought to our family events. Thanks so very much for sharing yourself with us, Carolyn. Much love and many great wishes for your future work.
Please make a note of my current, RE-online office hours as well, which will continue through the summer. Feel free to connect with me by email or text at (dre.uuakron@gmail.com) or (330)701-9839 Tuesdays through Fridays between 10a - 3p :)
Abby L’Bert
DRE @ the UUCA
(330)701-9839 (text)
Ministerial Search Committee
Ministerial Search Committee
Good news! Members of the Ministerial Search Committee attended a UUA training for churches in the search process. Folks from all over the country attended this all-afternoon event in early June. The good news is, I could tell from the questions folks were asking, that we are farther along in the process than some churches are. That made me feel good about the organizational work we have already done.
We’ve had one meeting since the UUA workshop and our topic was our covenant. We are a covenantal faith, so it makes sense that the UUA requires all Search Committees to agree to a covenant. It is a process that we will continue at our next meeting.
In the late summer or early fall we will bring a UUA workshop called Beyond Categorical Thinking to our congregation. It is a three-hour workshop lead by a UUA trainer. It takes congregational leaders, as well as the congregation, through the process of becoming “mindful of their personal implicit and overt biases, and [helps them] to take active steps to counter systemic and personal biases during (and beyond) the interim period…By completing the program, congregations send a message to all their members and potential ministers about their commitment to full equality and ongoing learning about anti-oppression.” (UUA Settlement Handbook, Transitions Office). This is anti-oppression work that is consistent with our 8th Principle commitment.
Also, later in the summer, be on the lookout for our survey. Your responses to those surveys will help us focus on the future!
Ministerial Search Committee members are:
Akrista L’Bert pinkiejane@gmail.com
Bill Thombs cb98thombs@gmail.com
Kyle Jozsa jozsakm@gmail.com
Sharon McWhorter sm48@uakron.edu
Susan Gallagher sfgallagh@yahoo.com
Samuel Prince, co-chair sprince@coloursofliving.com
Susan Wynn, co-chair susanwynn@sbcglobal.net
WE NOW HAVE A BLOG!
This month we have:
Queer Corner: Gender Identities
Stewardship of the Earth: Climate, Crops and Compost (Oh My!)
ARAT TEAM
UUCA’s Anti-Racism Audit Team needs your feedback:
What do you imagine an inclusive congregation would look like?
what would we be doing more of?
what would we be doing differently?
Email Cir, Sr at cirmusicman@gmail.com Subject line: ARAT Feedback
Hermitage of the Heart
Please note: Hermitage of the Heart will be on hiatus for the month of July, and will return in August on its usual first and third Thursday evenings. Please send any concerns or questions to Elizabeth Reilly at reilly@uakron.edu, and thank you for extending me the grace to take some time away. I hope you can continue your own contemplative practices of renewal, and very much look forward to spending June with you and returning refreshed in August
COMMUNITY GARDEN NEWS
We are in need of volunteers to help water our organic food garden during the months of July and August.
Volunteers sign up for a week of keeping the beds moist using our high-tech hoses. (We actually have two hoses so two people can water at the same time!) Typically it takes one individual an hour to water all the beds. Two people can knock it out in half that time.
If you've never helped out there before, that's OK; we have mentors who can show you the ropes. If you've helped in the garden previously, you know how important this ministry is to those in the area who are nutritionally challenged.
Please consider donating a bit of your time and energy. Contact Karen at kahoch4224@yahoo.com to find out which weeks are open or if you just need more info.
Thank you.
UUWA
Dear Members of UUCA,
UUWA is planning a festive (albeit sad) farewell for Carolyn Stevens, who after ten years of dedicated service will not be with us after Thursday, July 8. There will be flowers, balloons, and cake (courtesy of our male members) starting at 1:45, just before her work day ends.
Anyone from UUCA is welcome to come express your appreciation and best wishes to this much-valued Church Administrator/RE assistant and friend on the next phase of her life.
DONATION STATION
The Donation Station is being built soon! Look for a cute little shed being built on the grounds at the back of the parking lot. This building will be used to house and distribute the clothing and household donations that come through UUCA. We have wonderful partnerships with several organizations that all work together to put donations in the hands of people who need them.
We are in need of volunteers mid month to help organize and sort items. Also If you have a table you no longer need, we are sure it can be put to use for sorting items. Contact Elicia Prior at 330-371-1699.
Registration is now OPEN for CER Summer Institute ONLINE
Food for the Soul: July 11-16, 2021 https://uua.wufoo.com/forms/mkqvxig0fpdltc/
Learn more about the CERSI 2021 Menu here: https://www.cersiuu.org/...
Ask Carolyn for details!
About Us
Email: uuakronoffice@gmail.com
Website: www.uuakron.org
Location: 3300 Morewood Road, Fairlawn, OH, USA
Phone: 330-836-2206
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UUAkron