a view from my windowuupcc.org/sites/uupcc.org/files/dec_17_final_newsltr.pdf · 2020. 1. 1. ·...

Partner Church News December 2017 www.uupcc.org

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

December 2017

A View from My Window Rev. Roger Bertschausen, UUPCC Executive Director

IT’S YOUR TURN TO HELP! A significant part of the UUPCC’s budget gets raised every November and December when we send out our Annual Appeal request. Our members’ generosity helps the UUPCC fulfill its mission of supporting mutual partnerships around the world. If you have already given to the UUPCC’s Annual Appeal campaign, thank you! I am grateful for your support of the UUPCC and its mission. If you haven’t given already, I hope you will! You can easily donate online or mail a check to: UUPCC, 483 E. Lockwood Ave., Suite #109 St. Louis, MO 63119 2018 is a big year for the UUPCC: it’s our twenty-fifth anniversary, and it’s the 450th anniversary of the Edict of Torda, a milestone religious freedom proclamation that marks the beginning of the Hungarian Unitarian Church. Your contribution will help make 2018 a very special year.

It’s easy to procrastinate, especially at this busy time, and if you are planning to give, I encourage you to stop reading this newsletter and go DONATE NOW!

A Peek at our 2018 Pilgrimages Check out these trips and choose your next UU adventure!

UUMA Pilgrimage and Retreat (July 2018 - Transylvania)

This first ever Joint UU Ministers Association and Hungarian Unitarian Church

Ministers Association retreat will include the dedication of the Center for Religious

Freedom and a Torda450 conference in Kolozsvár, a three-day retreat led by both

ministers associations, along with visits to sacred sites. This is open only to members of the UU

Ministers Association in preliminary fellowship and the Hungarian Unitarian Church Ministers

Association. UUMA Information & Registration here

The view out the UUPCC office window on the campus of Eden

Theological Seminary in St. Louis

Edict of Torda plaque

http://www.uupcc.org/donatehttp://www.uupcc.org/donatehttp://www.uupcc.org/trip/july2018retreat


ROOTS Pilgrimage (July 2018 - Transylvania)

This 201-level pilgrimage brings together North American and Transylvanian

lay members and ministers to deep exploration of our distinctive cultures as

well as spiritual and theological beliefs. This inaugural ROOTS Pilgrimage has

been in the works for five years and is a collaboration between the Hungarian

Unitarian Church and the UUPCC. ROOTS Information & registration here.

A Mindful Walk: A Pilgrimage on Foot (July 2018 - Transylvania)

This is a completely different kind of pilgrimage: it centers on eight

days of mindful walking through the beautiful Transylvanian Unitarian

heartland. Evening stays in villages will be highlighted by learning

about the area’s Unitarian history, community life, and cultural

traditions as well as personal spiritual practices. This pilgrimage is a

collaboration between the UUPCC and Starr King School for the

Ministry. Prof. Megan Dowdell from Starr King will join UUPCC Board

member Rev. Andrew Weber and our Travel Coordinators in leading

the pilgrimage. Mindful Walk Information & Registration here

Thanksgiving Transylvania Economy Pilgrimage (September 2018 - Transylvania) This annual pilgrimage includes the sacred Unitarian sites in Transylvania plus 4 nights in partner villages/cities to celebrate the special Unitarian Thanksgiving service. Some nights’ stays in dorms and guest-houses, meals made by villagers, and offseason airfare makes this a lower cost option to see Transylvania and visit partners. Thanksgiving Transylvania Information & Registration here

Calling for AWARDS NOMINEES Each year at General Assembly, our Annual Meeting is highlighted by presenting the Louis B. Cornish ‘Living the Mission’ award and our ‘Stewards of Partnership’ awards. We are seeking nominations for these awards, to be presented at GA 2018 in Kansas City. Keeping partnerships thriving is a rewarding yet challenging role. We want to recognize the people that work hard to make it all happen, but we need your help! (cont.)

Kolozsvár Unitarian Church

Dârjiu - Székelyderzs Unitarian Fortified Church

Sighisoara - Medieval Castle

http://uupcc.org/trip/july-2018-roots-transylvaniahttp://uupcc.org/trip/july-2018-mindful-walk-Transylvaniahttp://uupcc.org/trip/sept-2018-thanksgiving


The Cornish Award honors Louis C. Cornish, who as President of the American Unitarian Association, championed human rights efforts for Unitarians and Universalists in Romania and the Philippines in the 1920s and 30s. The award annually honors a person who has worked tirelessly to foster the mission of developing and sustaining mutually beneficial congregational partnerships between Unitarians and Unitarian Universalists around the world. Cornish Award Information and nomination form In addition, we honor several individuals who have provided exceptional attention, time, and loving care for congregational partnerships. Though often their work is not publicly recognized, they keep partnerships thriving. Please take a moment to recognize these ‘Stewards of Partnership’ Stewards of Partnership Information and Nomination form:

THANKS FOR A SUCCESSFUL FAITHIFY CAMPAIGN TO HELP OUR YOUNG ADULTS! The UUPCC gives a huge thank you to the nearly sixty donors as well as the UUA International Office who all pledged to help overseas young adults go to the 2018 Conference and Council Meeting of the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists (ICUU).

Because of your wonderful generosity, six overseas young adult Unitarians/Universalists from the Czech Republic, Northeast India, Kenya, Rwanda, Transylvania will be able to attend the ICUU gathering in Kathmandu. Additionally, a gift from the UUA Young Adult Office and the UUPCC’s Cathy Cordes Travel Fund is supporting five North American young adults who are going to the ICUU conference. No doubt that the experience of connecting with other Unitarians/Universalists and exploring the conference’s theme of “The Heart of Unitarianism/Universalism” will be a powerfully transformative experience for the young adults. And the presence of a large group of young adults will be transformative for the overall gathering—as it was in 2016. Thank you to everyone who pledged!

2017 Cornish Award Winner Cathy Cordes

http://www.uupcc.org/awards/cornishhttp://www.uupcc.org/awards/cornishhttp://www.uupcc.org/awards/steward


UPDATE ON HUNGARIAN UNITARIAN CHURCH MARRIAGE AND FAMILY STATEMENT Rev. Roger Bertschausen, UUPCC Executive Director As many of you know, the Hungarian Unitarian Church (HUC) Synod issued a formal statement on October 28 that defined marriage as a relationship restricted to a man and a woman. UUPCC Board Chair Rev. Morgan McLean and I joined leaders of the UUA and ICUU in issuing a statement of concern to the global Unitarian/Universalist community. You can find our statement here: While our statement of concern acknowledged that there will always be areas of significant disagreement among U/U groups and organizations around the world and we clearly and rightfully don’t have the authority to tell the HUC what to do, I felt it was important to communicate that the HUC statement will be a challenge to many partnerships. In our statement, we encouraged North American U/U congregations to respond with witness, honesty, and commitment—and also with humility. We suggested three reflection points that we hope will be helpful to North Americans engaging with this issue. I encourage North American partners to reflect on these points. I do not see this as a moment to move away from our HUC partners, but rather a moment to move closer. I believe that authentic relationship can withstand disagreements. We haven’t yet received any official or formal response from the HUC. It sounds like that may be forthcoming in the next few weeks. I appreciate that the HUC is taking time to work through its response. I will keep you posted. In the meantime, please feel welcome to contact me at [email protected] if you have questions or concerns.

THE UUPCC BOARD MEETS IN ST. LOUIS Rev. Morgan McLean, Chair of the UUPCC Board

The UUPCC held its annual Board meeting in St. Louis in October. This face-to-face experience provides the Board a wonderful opportunity to get better acquainted, build its working relationships, take a big-picture look at the UUPCC and Partnership, and delve

more deeply into specific areas of focus. Together for three days at the Eden Theological Seminary (where the UUPCC office is located) board member enjoyed many hours of insightful discussion, discernment and worship. Highlights included a guided visit of the Missouri History Museum’s excellent exhibit on the African American freedom struggle in St. Louis and a wonderful dinner at Executive Director Roger Bertschausen’s house.

http://www.uupcc.org/sites/uupcc.org/files/statement_to_global_uu_community-10-27_on_website.pdfmailto:[email protected]


The board discussions and activities were greatly enhanced by the presence of Rev. Koppáni Zoltán, minister of the Unitarian Church in Déva, Transylvania. The Board appreciated getting Rev. Koppándi’s perspective on partnership issues and hearing about the Déva church’s plans for a Unitarian guesthouse that is projected become a part of the UUPCC Transylvanian pilgrimage tours, filling a long-standing need for lodging in the city of Déva. (see article elsewhere for more about Rev. Koppándi’s visit)

One focus at this year’s meeting was how the UUA’s exploration of a culture of white supremacy connects with partnership. Awareness of assumptions and values unconsciously embedded in a colonialist and/or white supremacist culture continues to be a very important part of our work as North American partners. The Board will continue this conversation in its monthly video-conference meetings.

REV. KOPPÁNDI ZOLTÁN FROM DÉVA UNITARIAN CHURCH VISITS THE U.S. Rev. Koppándi Zoltán, minister of the Unitarian Church in Déva, Transylvania, visited the United States in October.

Affectionately known as ‘Rev. Zolí’, his first stop was to see Déva’s partner church, the Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Appleton, WI. A high point of his third visit to Fox Valley was the dedication of a kopjafa with Fox Valley UU Fellowship’s new Senior Minster, Rev. Christina Leone-Tracy. The beautiful kopjafa was a gift of the Déva church.

Rev. Koppándi next traveled to St. Louis where he attended the annual in-person meeting of the UUPCC Board (see article elsewhere about the Board meeting). He also joined in a dinner gathering with members of the First Unitarian Church-St. Louis partnership committee at a St. Louis Eastern European restaurant.

https://uupcc.org/media/newsletter/article/gift-kopjafa


On Sunday, Rev. Koppándi preached at Eliot Unitarian Chapel in Kirkwood, where he’s been a featured guest preacher in the past. Afterwards he enjoyed a luncheon visit with Eliot Partnership committee members and friends.

Next, Rev. Koppándi traveled with UUPCC Executive Director Rev. Roger Bertschausen to Racine, WI, where they attended a retreat of the Central Midwest District UU Ministers Association chapter. Rev. Koppándi and Rev. Bertschausen led worship at the retreat, with Zoltán doing the sermon.

A UNITARIAN PILGRIMAGE By Dr. Sheri Phillabaum, Director of Lifespan Religious Education at First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Antonio

pil·grim·age [ pil-gr uh-mij] NOUN 1. a journey, especially a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion: a pilgrimage to Lourdes. 2. any long journey, especially one undertaken as a quest or for a votive purpose, as to pay homage: a pilgrimage to the grave of Shakespeare.

Last month, your DLRE experienced a Unitarian journey of a lifetime! I joined a group of American Unitarian Universalists on a trip billed as a “Transylvania Thanksgiving Economy Pilgrimage.” Over the course of two weeks, my fellow pilgrims and I visited Unitarian churches and historical sites, attended Unitarian worship services, and got to know some wonderful Transylvanian Unitarians. It’s impossible to tell the whole story in one short newsletter article, but here are some highlights:

Revs. Roger Bertschausen and Koppándi Zoltán lead a service at the Central Midwest District chapter of the

UU Ministers Association

Roger and Zoltán at Eliot Unitarian Chapel


We started our journey in Kolozsvár, site of the headquarters of the Transylvanian Unitarian Church which houses the office of the Bishop and where the governing body of the church meets and deliberates. Sort of the equivalent of our Unitarian Universalist headquarters in Boston. We learned about the organization of the Transylvania church. We also learned that in Transylvania, churches partially support themselves by owning and running businesses! We visited a Unitarian-owned shopping center, ate at a Unitarian-owned restaurant, and toured the Unitarian high school – an elite, college preparatory boarding school. In the days that followed we visited many

beautiful and historical Unitarian churches, including two that are UNESCO world heritage sites. We saw the tomb of King John Sigismund, the site of the Edict of Torda, and the citadel in Deva in which Frances David was martyred. Perhaps the most meaningful part of the trip was the “Village Days.” There are many small villages in Transylvania that are majority Unitarian! The village I stayed in was Magyarasaros, which I was told is 70-80% Unitarian. I stayed in the home of an elder of the church and his wife and mother. For three days, I and three fellow pilgrims who were staying in the same village were shown around the town, meeting neighbors and touring the school and church. During our time in Transylvania, we attended two church services. The services were entirely in Hungarian, but we were treated as honored guests. Our first worship experience was in Kolozsvár, on the first Sunday of our trip. The second was in our villages. Here is where the “Thanksgiving” part of the trip came in. The Transylvanian Unitarian Thanksgiving is one of four yearly communion services. European Unitarians, as you might guess, do not believe in Transubstantiation (the literal transformation of the bread and wine in to the body and blood of Christ.) Instead, the communion is a symbolic ritual celebrating the unity of the community. We were happy to join in the services on this special day.

The tomb of King John Sigismund

The citadel of Déva

Sheri with her hosts, Levi and Juli


This journey was a pilgrimage in the truest sense of the word. It deepened my Unitarian Universalist identity and my sense of connection to my religious roots and to a global community of Unitarians. And guess what! Next June a group of travelers from our First UU church here in San Antonio will be taking a similar trip to Transylvania. Like my trip, this next June’s pilgrimage is arranged by the Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council (UUPCC). Get more information about this trip and other pilgrimage opportunities, visit the UUPCC web site.

Do You Have a Partnership Story to Share?

We’d love to hear from you. Please send us your stories and pictures and we’ll try to feature them on our website

or in our newsletters.

Share your story! Email to: office@ uupcc.org

John Sigismund Zápolya was King of Hungary as John II from 1540 to 1551, and from 1556

to 1570, and the first Prince of Transylvania from 1570 to his death. He initiated a series of

theological debates among the representatives of the concurring theological schools of

the Reformation in the 1560s. He converted from Catholicism to Lutheranism in 1562 and

from Lutheranism to Calvinism in 1564. Around five years later, accepting the Anti-

Trinitarian views of his physician, Giorgio Biandrata and court preacher Ferenc Dávid

(Francis David,) he became the only Unitarian monarch in history. In 1568, the Diet

passed the Edict of Torda, which emphasized that "faith is a gift of God" and prohibited

the persecution of people for religious reasons. The edict expanded the limits of freedom

of religion beyond the standards of late 16th-century Europe.

(2016, December 11). John Sigismund Zápolya. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sigismund_Zápolya

Unitarian communion (no transubstantiation)

http://www.uupcc.org/pilgrimages/pilgrimage-opportunitiesmailto:office@%20uupcc.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_Hungaryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_Transylvaniahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutheranismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nontrinitarianismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nontrinitarianismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgio_Biandratahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferenc_D%C3%A1vidhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarianismhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Tordahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religionhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_religion


UU CHURCH OF SARASOTA WELCOMES VISITORS FROM KOROND, TRANSYLVANIA By Mary Fran Raynault, member of UU Church of Sarasota’s Partnership Committee

The UU Church of Sarasota (UUCS) welcomed four visitors from Transylvania in mid-November. The Reverends Erika Demeter and Levante Lázár from our partner church in Korond, the president of the Korond church, and the president of the small church in the village of Fenyökút arrived on November 11th. The members of the Sarasota church enjoyed meeting our guests as they attended the monthly Board meeting, participated in a discussion lunch with our minister Roger Fritts and other UU ministers from Bradenton, Venice, Port Charlotte, and Fort Myers, Florida, toured our RE program setting, attended pot luck dinners, went on tours of area sights

Members of the Unitarian Church of Korond Transylvania visiting partners in Sarasota, FL FROM LEFT: Korond co-minister Rev. Lázár Levente, Tofalvi Lajos, lay president of a neighboring

church in Fenyökút, Korond co-minister Lázár Erika, and Korond lay president Biro Lajos)


with our members as guides, attended our Thanksgiving Dinner held at the church for 150 members, and preached in our pulpit on Sunday, November 26, after which they held a question and answer session with interested members. The Transylvanian visitors were fascinated with the back-ground noises of various Florida insects and were thrilled to see so many alligators! The president of the Fenyökút congregation was also most interested in the dairy farm tour where he witnessed modern milking machines and mechanized production.

The real purpose of their visit was to introduce them to as many of our members as possible either at the church or in small groups in members’ homes. Many of us have already made a pilgrimage to Transylvania so we loved welcoming these four visitors to Florida. Hopefully, we succeeded in educating more folks in our congregation about our Unitarian roots and encouraged people to travel to Transylvania and Korond. We look forward to more of these types of exchanges in the future. [Editor’s note: The visit from Transylvania was funded in part by a grant from the UUPCC’s Cathy Cordes Travel Fund. The Sarasota partnership is only a few years old and there have already been trips each way. Sarasota had one of our

first ever New Start Weekends for new partnerships.]

Our visitors from Korond and Fenyökút with UUCS minister Rev. Roger Fritz (center back) and UUCS

Board of Trustees President Ward Pallotta


Board of Directors Staff

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

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

Rev. Roger Bertschausen Executive Director

St. Louis, MO [email protected]

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

Michelle Leebens-Mack, Term to 2020

Athens, GA [email protected]

Trina Priese Administrator

[email protected]

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

Melody Moberg, Term to 2020 Seattle, WA [email protected]

John Dale & Csilla Kolcsár Travel Coordinators [email protected]

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

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

Libby Hanna Bookkeeper [email protected]

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

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

Clare Shaw Cross Webmistress [email protected]

Volunteer Staff

Carol Cook, Term to 2020 San Mateo, CA [email protected]

Pat Rodgers PCC-Chat & Communications

[email protected]

UU PARTNER CHURCH COUNCIL 2017 - 2018
mailto:[email protected]:///C:/Users/Trina/Documents/Newsletter%20&%20Mailings/June&May%20'17%20Newsltrs/[email protected]:[email protected]:///C:/Users/Trina/Documents/Newsletter%20&%20Mailings/June&May%20'17%20Newsltrs/[email protected]:///C:/Users/Trina/Documents/Newsletter%20&%20Mailings/June&May%20'17%20Newsltrs/[email protected]:///C:/Users/Trina/Documents/Newsletter%20&%20Mailings/June&May%20'17%20Newsltrs/[email protected]:[email protected]:///C:/Users/Trina/Documents/Newsletter%20&%20Mailings/June&May%20'17%20Newsltrs/[email protected]:///C:/Users/Trina/Documents/Newsletter%20&%20Mailings/June&May%20'17%20Newsltrs/[email protected]:[email protected]:///C:/Users/Trina/Documents/Newsletter%20&%20Mailings/June&May%20'17%20Newsltrs/[email protected]:///C:/Users/Trina/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/8QQDF7JT/[email protected]:[email protected]:///C:/Users/Trina/Documents/Newsletter%20&%20Mailings/June&May%20'17%20Newsltrs/[email protected]:///C:/Users/Trina/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/8QQDF7JT/[email protected]:///C:/Users/Trina/Documents/Newsletter%20&%20Mailings/June&May%20'17%20Newsltrs/[email protected]