a view from my window...a publication of the unitarian universalist partner church council...

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A publication of the Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council Connecting Unitarian and Universalist Congregations Around the Globe August 2019 Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org A View From My Window By Roger Bertschausen, UUPCC Executive Director Julie Gerrard and a Lasting Legacy The Partnership movement has flourished because of the vision and dedicated work of hundreds and even thousands of Unitarian/Universalists across the world. These folks are living bridges who give life to partnerships. One such living bridge was Julie Gerrard, a longtime member of East Shore Unitarian Church in Bellevue, WA. I was surprised a few months ago when Julie’s son, Ian, called with the news that his mother had remembered the UUPCC in her estate planning. Ian shared that Julie had died recently and that we could expect a distribution from one of her IRAs within a short time. I knew that Julie was part of the partnership group at East Shorea flagship partnership congregation. And I knew she was in the first- year class of Stewards of Partnership award recipients, a group of extraordinary Partnership giants that reads like the inaugural class in baseball’s Hall of Fame (headlined by Babe Ruth). I had no idea until Ian called that Julie had included the UUPCC in her estate planning. She did this for a simple reason: East Shore’s partnership with Torockószentgyörgy, Transylvania, meant a great deal to her, and she appreciated the UUPCC’s role in supporting mutual partnerships such as East Shore’s. As the Steward of Partnership award recognized, Julie had done a great deal over several decades to nurture and support East Shore’s partnerships. Most importantly, she had cultivated deep relationships with the people of Torockószentgyörgy during numerous trips. Rev. Koppándi Botond, a former minister of Torockószentgyörgy, wrote, “She was a charming lady who seduced us with her gentleness, simplicity, vast knowledge and affinity to fine arts…She came with (an) open heart and soul, being ready to spend some days with us, being a careful observer of our life, and being a living bridge between our cultures.” Though Julie is gone after a struggle with ALS, her enormous contributions to the East Shore/Torockószentgyörgy partnership live on. She will forever be a living bridge in the Julie Gerrard, East Shore Unitarian Church

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Page 1: A View From My Window...A publication of the Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council Connecting Unitarian and Universalist Congregations Around the Globe August 2019 Partner

A publication of the Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council Connecting Unitarian and Universalist Congregations Around the Globe August 2019

Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

A View From My Window By Roger Bertschausen, UUPCC Executive Director

Julie Gerrard and a Lasting Legacy

The Partnership movement has flourished because of the vision and dedicated work of hundreds and even thousands of Unitarian/Universalists across the world. These folks are living bridges who give life to partnerships. One such living bridge was Julie Gerrard, a longtime member of East Shore Unitarian Church in Bellevue, WA. I was surprised a few months ago when Julie’s son, Ian, called with the news that his mother had remembered the UUPCC in her estate planning. Ian shared that Julie had died recently and that we could expect a distribution from one of her IRAs within a short time. I knew that Julie was part of the partnership group at East Shore—a flagship partnership congregation. And I knew she was in the first-year class of Stewards of Partnership award recipients, a group of extraordinary Partnership giants that reads like the inaugural class in baseball’s Hall of Fame (headlined by Babe Ruth). I had no idea until Ian called that Julie had included the UUPCC in her estate planning. She did this for a simple reason: East Shore’s partnership with Torockószentgyörgy, Transylvania, meant a great deal to her, and she appreciated the UUPCC’s role in supporting mutual partnerships such as East Shore’s. As the Steward of Partnership award recognized, Julie had done a great deal over several decades to nurture and support East Shore’s partnerships. Most importantly, she had cultivated deep relationships with the people of Torockószentgyörgy during numerous trips. Rev. Koppándi Botond, a former minister of Torockószentgyörgy, wrote, “She was a charming lady who seduced us with her gentleness, simplicity, vast knowledge and affinity to fine arts…She came with (an) open heart and soul, being ready to spend some days with us, being a careful observer of our life, and being a living bridge between our cultures.” Though Julie is gone after a struggle with ALS, her enormous contributions to the East Shore/Torockószentgyörgy partnership live on. She will forever be a living bridge in the

Julie Gerrard, East Shore Unitarian Church

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

memories of Unitarians in each congregation and in their beloved partnership to which she gave so much. Through this generous gift, she also leaves a lasting legacy in the UUPCC. I hope the UUPCC will use this gift to establish an ongoing reserve fund that will help keep the UUPCC solvent during lean years (eg, like 2009 when few people traveled) and also provide a short-term boost to exciting new projects. Julie’s living legacy will compound itself as her gift inspires others to include the UUPCC in their estate planning. My wife and I are redoing our estate plans and are going to add the UUPCC as a beneficiary. I invite you to join us in doing this. And remember that one vehicle for including the UUPCC in your charitable giving and estate planning is the UUA’s Umbrella Giving program (https://www.uua.org/giving/umbrella). Ian shared several of Julie’s partnership-inspired poems. I’ll close with this poem that so lovingly captures the beautiful feel of her partner church village:

Torockószentgyörgy Is it the quiet you love most or what breaks it? That long rocky upthrust, one whole side of the valley, walling off onrushing noise, or a dog barking on the far side of the field, invisible beyond the rose bushes. “The flowers tell me what they need,” the grower says, giving a lover’s farewell touch to a yellow petal of the rose he has just cut for you. The church tower marks morning’s important hours. Dusk comes clanking down the rutted street, voiced by homemade bells on cows and goats. They flow back from the mountain pasture, filling the road, each turning in at its own gate, a goat jumping the roadside ditch for a last green mouthful. Once, you found yourself in the middle of their ambling progress. You matched your stride to the cows’ lumbering, tracked the lower and lift of the long horns, safe in their indifference.

Rest in peace, Julie. And thank you.

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

The UUPCC at the 2019 General Assembly By Rev. Roger Bertschausen, UUPCC Executive Director

Once again, the UUPCC had a strong presence at the UUA General Assembly. Here are some highlights:

• A fun celebration of dedication to partnership and a productive

business meeting at the UUPCC’s Luncheon and Annual

Meeting. We had a few more people than the last several

years in spite of a lower than usual GA overall attendance and

very few international guests. The event was highlighted by the

presentation of the Louis B. Cornish “Living the Mission” Award

to Elizabeth (Beth) Henderson and Steward of Partnership

Awards to several of the 13 recipients this year. You can find

Beth’s stirring words elsewhere in this newsletter. They were a

masterful expression of Partnership (with a capital “P”) and the

difficult but rewarding work of mutual partnership.

• Two workshops—one on our upcoming International Youth Pilgrimage/Camp (see elsewhere in

newsletter for the article on this) and the other on an exploration of how to partner across our

global faith. This latter workshop, a collaboration with the International Council of Unitarians and

Universalists and the UUA International Office, focused on the work of decolonizing our western

imperial experiences and understandings.

• The International Reception cohosted by the UUA International Office, ICUU, and UUPCC. We

had a good turnout and excellent brief presentations about the work of the UUA International

Office, ICUU, and the UUPCC. We were especially delighted to have UUA President Susan

Frederick-Gray represent the UUA.

• A first-ever Q&A session for partners and

people interested in learning about partnerships.

We had 6 or 8 people present and covered a lot

of ground.

• Several leaders of the UUPCC proudly

carried the beautiful UUPCC and the UU Church

of the Philippines banners in the Banner

Parade.

• A lot of traffic at our booth, which was

wonderfully located near the entrance of the

exhibit hall across from the main UUA exhibit.

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

• My thanks to UUPCC Office Manager Trina Priese and all of the volunteers who brilliantly staffed

our booth.

The UUPCC expends no small amount of funds and staff and volunteer time at GA. We budget $7,500 a year for GA; this year, we came in $600 below budget partly due to a simpler lunch at our Annual Meeting. It’s important to our mission to have the UUPCC presence at GA. I’m grateful to the generosity of our members and donors for making our presence at GA possible. And finally, a little bit of editorializing—and here I’m speaking on my own: I continue to hope that the UUA will someday move to an every-other-year GA like most other US denominations so that small organizations such as ours, not to mention the UUA itself, can devote more of our budget to the good work we do in the world outside of GA.

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. Email stories to: office@ uupcc.org

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

Beth Norton Accepts the 2019 Cornish Award at GA The following are remarks shared by Elizabeth Norton (First Parish Concord) at the UUPCC Annual Meeting after she received the Louis B. Cornish “Living the Mission” award. Thank you for this great honor. As you all know, this work of partnership is work that we do in concert, as a team, inspiring, encouraging, and listening to one another. I am profoundly grateful to the members of the Partner Church Committee at First Parish in Concord for their dedication to our partnership, and to the many singers and pilgrims I have traveled with over the years, and of course, to our dear friends in Transylvania. I feel that this award encompasses all of us.

Exactly 17 years ago, I sat in the darkened plenary hall at the convention center in Quebec City and heard John Gibbons speak a lovely blessing, first in Hungarian and then in English:

Hól hit, ott szeretet; Where there is faith, there is love; Hol szeretet, ott béke; Where there is love, there is peace; Hol béke, ott áldás; Where there is peace, there is blessing; Hol áldás, ott Isten; Where there is blessing, there is God; Hol Isten, ott szükség nincsen; Where there is God, there is no need.

I immediately thought, “This might make a wonderful partner song.” After asking John for permission, I set each text to a melody that could stand on its own, while harmonizing with the other. I hoped to symbolize the relationship between two strong, independent faith communities that had partnered, bridging barriers of language, culture, and history, creating together what none of us could create alone. Our Concord choir sang the Székely Áldás for the first time when they visited Transylvania later that summer. It has been sung by partner congregations ever since.

On that first visit in 2002, I knew so little about the Áldás or about Transylvania. When I saw that blessing carved into plates in the pottery markets of Korond, it gave me pause. I had assumed a lot in setting those words to music and then bringing them to Transylvania! I still blush for my well-intentioned but privileged assumption. The Székely Áldás and its journey from an inspiration at General Assembly to a song that is sung by UUs and others on both sides of the world is, in many ways, a metaphor for the journey of partnership. We set out with enthusiasm, open hearts, and the best of intentions, and also with our own set of assumptions and cultural perspectives, some of them unexamined. We are welcomed with love and acceptance, and

GA 2019 Partnership Award Luncheon: (left) Executive Director Roger Bertschausen, (center) recipient Elizabeth Norton of First Parish Concord, (right) UUPCC Board Secretary Rev. Eric Meter.

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

we encounter assumptions and perspectives that challenge and expand our own. As our relationship deepens, we find we can be more vulnerable with one another. There may even be some dissonance in our relationship.

Over the decades of partnership between Concord and Székelykeresztúr, there has been a marked shift from a perception in Concord of it being a relationship of service in one direction, to an appreciation of the true reciprocity of partnership. We have faithfully accompanied one another through challenging transitions and celebrated one another’s accomplishments. We have laughed together at our mistakes and stayed present with one another through misunderstandings. We have learned that church is church, whether in North America or Transylvania. Like those Áldás melodies, each community can stand on its own. But when we combine our voices, we create a harmony that transcends the beauty of our individual songs. I am deeply honored to receive this Cornish Living the Mission Award from the UUPCC. International partnership has transformed me and my ministry. Partnership with all of you has deepened my faith, developed my multicultural competence, and impacted my work for racial justice closer to home. I know that there are other melodies to weave into this partnership composition, melodies from the Philippines, India, and Africa that I have only heard from a distance. I recognize this award as a call to deeper engagement with the work of partnership. I look forward to the journey ahead and to the melodies we will all learn and sing together.

July 2020 International Youth Pilgrimage Applications

Now Available!

The UUPCC’s Youth/Young Adult Team is delighted to announce that the application has opened for our Youth Pilgrimage in July 2020. You can find more information including an application, brochure, and a promotional video here: https://uupcc.org/july-2020-international-youth-pilgrimage-and-camp.

The International Youth Pilgrimage and Camp is a collaboration with the youth organization of the Hungarian Unitarian Church. The pilgrimage will start in an eastern US hub for North American youth participants on July 24, 2020 and

shift to Transylvania on July 26th. Participants will fly home on August 2nd. A generous grant from the UU Funding Panel plus what we hope will be a successful Faithify campaign this Fall will hopefully bring the price down to a more affordable $425 to $625 per youth participant, plus $150 nonrefundable registration fee. We hope congregations will also fundraise to support their youth. Applications and a recommendation from applicants’ religious educator or youth group advisor are due on September 22. 2019. Fifteen youth will be selected for the youth pilgrimage.

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

We encourage Partnership folks to spread the word to their congregations’ youth groups and post the informational brochure at their church, and to share this wonderful testimonial video from the 2016 youth camp participants with anyone who might be interested: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zi88vUpc0axew8w00XnkgGc7Vze7X-qK/view.

Please contact Rev. Roger Bertschausen ([email protected]) if you have any questions.

Our Travel Program Director Position Has Been Filled By Rev. Roger Bertschausen, Executive Director

We are pleased to announce that Rev. Andrew Weber has accepted the UUPCC’s offer to become our new Travel Program Director! Rev. Weber grew up in a family devoted to Main Line Unitarian Church’s partnership with the Unitarian church in Várfalva, Transylvania. He has been on eight group trips to Transylvania, providing leadership and/or translation services on five of them. He has volunteered on six Habit for Humanity trips in Hungary, leading three of them. As a young adult, he co-led two North American volunteer groups in rebuilding trips after the 2006 floods in Transylvania. Last summer, he co-led the UUPCC/Starr King School for the Ministry collaborative Mindful Walk pilgrimage. He is proficient in conversational Hungarian.

As I saw on the 2018 Mindful Walk trip, Andrew is highly skilled at incorporating spirituality and U/U identity in travel experiences—the key thing that makes our trips different from other overseas group experiences and congruent with our mission. Dedicated to doing more listening than talking with compassion and curiosity, he is highly adept at cross-cultural communication even in complicated situations. He is passionate about mutual Partnership because it has

Andrew as translator (left) and ready to lead the day’s trek (right) on the Mindful Walk pilgrimage.

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

changed his life. He is an excellent communicator and is highly organized. He has a very large network of contacts and friends among Transylvanian Unitarians. Andrew served as the minister of the UU Fellowship of Newark, Delaware, from 2013 to 2017. He also served on the UUPCC Board from 2016 until he took a leave of absence after deciding to apply for this position. He had previously been nominated to serve a second term, but his name was removed from the slate presented at the June GA annual meeting after his acceptance of this position. Andrew will begin in September so there is a small overlap with John Dale and Csilla Kolcsar who will retire this fall. The staffing design for our Travel Program will change. We will be moving to a Hub and Spoke design with the hub being the North American-based Travel Program Director and the spokes being in-country trip leaders overseen by the Travel Program Director and, in Transylvania and Hungary, the Hungarian Unitarian Church (HUC). We will have a much closer collaboration with the HUC in arranging logistics and hiring, training, and supervising a team of in-country trip leaders. I’m thankful for Andrew and the other excellent people who applied for this position. I'm also deeply grateful for the dedicated work of John Dale and Csilla Kolcsar. Andrew will take over a very strong travel program. Stay tuned for plans to thank John and Csilla for their long years of service.

Partnership Work Relies on Your Membership Support! PLEASE: help us be good stewards of our nonprofit funds by responding to the email notices for ‘Membership Renewal’ and ‘Expired Membership.’ The time and money saved goes towards our mission of fostering partnerships around the world. Look for the (only) reminder email to arrive 28 days before the expiration date as it contains a link for you to renew online. If you forget, a short ‘We Miss You’ reminder will arrive 7 days after your expiration date.

Both individuals and church organizations can make the renewal process a no-brainer by checking the ‘Renew Automatically’ box when doing a renewal online. If you’re already on automatic renewal – THANK YOU! You’ll receive an annual confirmation email on your renewal anniversary date. Another option is when you see the auto-renewal reminder, contact your bank and set up a renewal check to be mailed out 21 days before the end of your membership term. This saves the 2.7% credit card fee so more of your money goes to partnership work. For help in getting your current membership to auto-renewal at the end of your term, just call Trina at 314.918.2618 or email her at [email protected]. It’s easy and fast and DONE! * Please contact us if you would prefer to receive a snail-mailed renewal reminder.

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

Upcoming Fall 2019 Partner Video Meeting Calls Mark your calendars now!

October brings the next round of our quarterly partnership ZOOM conference calls. Don’t miss these wonderful opportunities to share what’s going on with your partnership and learn about others’ successes and challenges.

*There are 2 Transylvania Partner meetings scheduled in October. You're

welcome to join either or both meetings.

ALL MEETING CALL TIMES ARE THE SAME: 8:00PM Eastern / 7:00PM Central / 6:00PM Mountain / 5:00PM Pacific

Time (US and Canadian congregations)

*meeting length 75 minutes

__________________

NORTHEAST INDIA PARTNERSHIP CONGREGATIONS

Tuesday October 1st

(Call includes updates about the Unitarian Union of Northeast India and the UUPCC.)

Join the NE India Zoom Meeting at:

https://zoom.us/j/606007608

or One tap mobile

+16468769923, 606007608# US (New York) +16699006833, 606007608# US (San Jose)

or Dial in by location

+1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

Either call-in option uses meeting ID: 606 007 608 (find your local number here: https://zoom.us/u/ad27oFezsA)

TRANSYLVANIA PARTNERSHIP CONGREGATIONS (first opportunity) Tuesday October 8th

(Call includes updates about the Hungarian Unitarian Church and the UUPCC.) (cont. next page)

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

(Transylvania1, cont.)

Join the Transylvania Zoom Meeting at:

https://zoom.us/j/933014391

or One tap mobile

+16468769923, 933014391# US (New York) +16699006833, 933014391# US (San Jose)

or Dial in by location

+1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

Either call-in option use meeting ID: 933 014 391 (find your local number at: https://zoom.us/u/ad27oFezsA)

NOTE: Information for the second Fall meeting on Oct 24 follows Philippines information. You're welcome to join either or both meetings.

PHILIPPINES PARTNERSHIP CONGREGATIONS

Tuesday October 15th (Call includes updates about the UU Church of the Philippines and the UUPCC.)

Join the Oct 15 Zoom Meeting online at:

https://zoom.us/j/995716635

or One tap mobile

+16468769923, 995716635# US (New York) +16699006833, 995716635# US (San Jose)

or Dial in by location

+1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

Either call-in option uses meeting ID: 995 716 635 (find your local number at: https://zoom.us/u/ad27oFezsA)

TRANSYLVANIA PARTNERSHIP CONGREGATIONS (second opportunity) Tuesday October 24th

(Call includes updates about the Hungarian Unitarian Church and the UUPCC.)

Join the Oct 24 Transylvania Zoom Meeting at:

https://zoom.us/j/122190134 (cont. next page)

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

(Transylvania2, cont.) or

One tap mobile +16468769923, 122190134# US (New York) +16699006833, 122190134# US (San Jose)

or

Dial by your location +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)

Meeting ID: 122 190 134 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/ad27oFezsA

Either call-in option use meeting ID: 122 190 134 (find your local number at: https://zoom.us/u/ad27oFezsA)

Questions? Contact Rev. Roger Bertschausen ([email protected]) or Trina Priese ([email protected])

Mark your calendars for the second and third round of networking Zoom meetings in 2020. Here’s a preview of the schedule.

(all meetings start at the same time as above)

• NE India networking meetings: January 9 and April 7, 2020

• Philippines networking meetings: January 23 and April 21, 2020

• Transylvanian networking meetings: January 16 and 28/April 14 and 30, 2020

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

UUs of Transylvania County, NC, Visit Transylvania By Carol Moore, UU of Transylvania County In May, ten enthusiastic members of the Unitarian Universalists of Transylvania County (UUTC), NC, traveled to the beautiful Transylvania region of Romania to connect with other Unitarians and the roots of our faith. We gathered in Cluj-Napoca and attended a church service at First Unitarian Church, which exhibits the rock upon which Francis David was said to have stood to preach his new found Unitarian message to the residents of the city. In Torda, we visited St. Michael’s Catholic Church where the Edict of Religious Toleration was proclaimed. We toured the restored royal city of Alba Iulia, including a 1,000-year-old church that houses the remains of John Sigismond and his mother Isabella. In Deva, we rode a steep funicular to the mountain-top fort where Francis David died. I had learned and read about these events, but I never felt so close to, and so moved by, this history as I did standing in the rain outside that fort. In addition to Unitarian history, we learned about the complicated and troubled political history of the region, which is ethnically Hungarian. Transylvania was awarded to Romania after World War II. The region continues to feel the effects of two World Wars, followed by 50 years of repressive Communist rule. Susanne Rolland said that she was most impressed by those making determined efforts to build a peaceful, cooperative, thriving society for Hungarians, Romanians, and Gypsies, ethnic groups suspicious of each other.

On our second Sunday in Romania, we attended the Unitarian Church in the small village of Szentháromság. Its minister, Tivadar Hegedüs, welcomed us and conducted the service. Joanna Bliss and I offered greetings and presented a photo of the UUTC church. Daniel and Teri Sandoval sang “Tis a Gift to be Simple” for the congregation. For everyone, a highlight of our 11-day trip was the opportunity to stay with and share the daily life of village families for 2 days and 3 nights. Two travelers stayed in each host family’s home. Hospitality was offered by the minister, by 2 Unitarian families, and by 2 Catholic families. Joanna Bliss and I stayed with the Torok family. Gaspar Torok is deputy mayor of a consortium of 7 small villages in the area. His wife Annamaria works in a bakery. Their daughter Margit works in a restaurant in a nearby city, and their son, Sandor, helps to provide security and solve problems in the village. The family also tends its 2 cows, 2 horses, 5 pigs, 3 dogs, and numerous chickens. They grow and

preserve food and Gaspar makes cheese.

(Left to right) Carol Moore, Ian Fox, Dave Roberts, Susanne Rolland, Joanna Bliss, Bonnie Arbuckle, Teri Sandoval, Daniel Sandoval, Virginia MacDonald, and

Lorrie Shelley in front of a 13th century castle in Hunedoara, Romania.

Host family: Gaspar, Annamaria, Sandor, and Margit Torok holding copies of The Transylvania Times.

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

The host families were intrigued that their visitors came from Transylvania County and were interested in learning about our community. UUTC members brought some white squirrel-themed gifts and other handmade items for their hosts. Bonnie Arbuckle, a weaver, noted, “When I visited the old house (a museum) in our home stay village, I was astonished to see a handwoven bed cover made in an overshot pattern. I thought that weaving style had been introduced to the Appalachian Mountains by Scotch Irish settlers. How did it get to Transylvania, Romania? It is an interesting question to ponder.” Joanna Bliss said, “The whole trip was meaningful in ways that no other travel has been, but the greatest impact for me was the time spent in the village. I was overwhelmed by the hospitality, generosity, and caring of our host family, and equally impacted by Tivadar's ministry to the whole village, not just his congregation. His passion for keeping the village strong takes courage and hope, and a lot of energy.”

(Note: This is a shorter, modified version of Carol Moore’s article published

by The Transylvania Times.)

Don’t miss John & Csilla’s Last Trip: India 2020

Join John Dale and Csilla Kolcsar as they guide their last UUPCC trip to NE India in 2020. Enjoy the hospitality of the Khasi people, visit the Children’s Village in Kharang, and experience a 2-night stay in the Cheeripungee Gorge. There’s so much more, including 2 optional trip extensions. Registration closes November 5th. To learn more, go to https://uupcc.org/pilgrimages/pilgrimage-opportunities.

Below are flyer images for three upcoming partnership pilgrimages and a Philippines scholarship program.

Please print to post at your church and consider including in your church newsletters.

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

The Hungarian Unitarian Church and the UUPCC present:

2020 ROOTS PILGRIMAGE

July 13 - 20, 2020

More information & registration link here: https://uupcc.org/pilgrimages/pilgrimage

-opportunities

PILGRIMAGE COST $999 + $150 non-

refundable registration fee.

(Double occupancy required except for the 2 nights in Kolozsvár

for $80 single

supplement) Airfare not included.

Registration Deadline

March 17, 2020

A joint project of the Hungarian Unitarian Church and the UU Partner Church Council, the ROOTS pilgrimage provides a unique opportunity for both laity and clergy from Unitarian churches in Transylvania and North American UUs to explore our shared religious heritage along with our distinctive spiritual, cultural and theological beliefs, values and traditions. Through presentations, panel discussions, small group conversations and shared spiritual practices, participants explore large spiritual themes. Travelers will engage with activities and discussions focusing on beliefs about birth/origin, development through relationships, finding fulfillment, and death/grief. Pilgrimage begins and ends in Cluj/Kolozsvár with visits to Verespatak/Rosia Montana gold mining area as well as Torda and other villages.

STATEMENT OF BELIEF:

The Hungarian Unitarian Church and the UUPCC believe that

sharing our cultural, spiritual and theological understandings with

one another enhances our lives and deepens the spiritual journeys of

self and other. These values have guided the development of the

Roots Pilgrimage.

Uni tar ian Universalist Partner Church Council

483 E. Lockwood Ave Suite 109

St . Louis , MO 63119 Phone: 314-918-2618

E-ma il: o f f ice@ uupcc.org

Mézskö Unitarian Church

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

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Partner Church News August 19 www.uupcc.org

Board of Directors Staff

Rev. Morgan McLean Chair Term to 2022

Davis, CA [email protected]

Rev. Andrew Weber - Staff Travel Director

Newark, DE

[email protected]

Rev. Roger Bertschausen Executive Director

St. Louis, MO [email protected]

Anne Greenwood Vice Chair Term to 2022 San Pablo, CA [email protected]

Michelle Leebens-Mack Term to 2020 Athens, GA

[email protected]

Trina Priese Office Administrator

[email protected]

Rev. Eric Meter Secretary Term to 2021 Concord, MA [email protected]

Melody Moberg Term to 2020

Seattle, WA [email protected]

John Dale & Csilla Kolcsár Intl. Travel Coordinators [email protected]

Rick Irwin, Treasurer Term to 2022 Atlanta, GA [email protected]

Rev. Ilene Kaur Tompkins-Gillispie Term to 2021 Jamaica Plain, MA [email protected]

Libby Hanna Accountant uupcc.bookkeeper@ gmail.com

Rev. Alicia Forde (UUA Appointee) UUA International Office Boston, MA [email protected]

Gwyn Reid Term to 2021 Boise, ID [email protected]

Volunteer Staff Ann Gary, Travel Committee Head [email protected] Sharon McCarron, Newsletter assistant

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

Rev. Howard Dana Term to 2021 Concord, MA [email protected]

Pat Rodgers

PCC-Chat & Communications [email protected]

UU PARTNER CHURCH COUNCIL 2019 - 2020