FY12 Congregation Contribution Report

Part of the revenue for District operations comes from contributions from congregations - $19 per member. As of May 15 the district has received $57,717 from Congregation Contributions. Based on past years' receipts $70,000 was budgeted. A final payment reminder notice will be sent to congregations in by the end of May. Payments should be sent to the BCD office to be received before June 30, the end of the fiscal year.

2012-2013 District Calendar

The district staff is in the process of developing the calendar of district sponsored events, workshops and conferences. The calendar will be published in the June BCD in Brief. Congregations, committees and district organizations are also welcome to list significant events on the calendar should send the event name, date and time to the District Executive, zelaz@aol.com, by June 1, 2012.

BCD in the Boston Pride Parade
 
 All Souls Unitarian Universal Church in Braintree invites all Ballou Channing District congregations to march with them in the Boston Pride Parade on June 9, 2012. The contingent will march under the District banner along with a Standing on the Side of Love banner. A chartered bus to the assembly site will depart from All Souls at 9:15 and return from Boston at 3:00. Cost -- $5 per person round-trip, payable by checks or cash on the 9^th at the bus. For bus reservations call All Souls at 781 843-1388. Leave a message for All Souls Pride Event Coordinators, Joe Maloney and Mal Marvill. Alternatively, meet up with the group at the parade staging area in the vicinity of Copley Square.

Get those yellow shirts ready, invite the youth groups, governing board members, social justice committee, the Women's Alliance and all congregation members to be a visible powerful presence in support of equal rights for all.

Unity Church to Receive Restoration Award

The Massachusetts Secretary of State recently notified the Unity Church, North Easton, that they are recipients of the 2012 Massachusetts Historical Commission Preservation Award. The Secretary's letter stated in part... "the careful restoration of this significant building goes well beyond what is normally expected. It is for this achievement that the project was selected to be honored".

Job Opportunity

• Director of Religious Education

All Souls Church of Braintree

A progressive, friendly church seeks a responsible, warm adult or young adult (18+) to provide leadership for the Religious Education program on Sunday mornings.  The person hired will work with the Religious Education Committee and Minister to provide a safe, positive learning environment. This is a part-time position for approximately 5 hours a week including Sunday from 10:00-12:00 a.m, between September and June. Compensation: $3,000 To apply mail resumes or contact Rev. Steve Wilson stevewilson22@yahoo.com (617) 852-2292

News from the Lager UU World

• General Assembly Program On-line

Go to http://www.uua.org/documents/gaoffice/preliminaryprogram.pdf to see the 2012 General Assembly program

• UUA Bookstore Can Help with a Church Book Fair

The UUA Bookstore staff is available to support and guide congregations wanting to conduct a Book Fair  as a congregation fund raiser.  How it works:

-   Select a date for the Book Fair and contact the Bookstore at 1-800-215-9076

-   The Bookstore we send a Book Fair Leaders' Kit with an instructional booklet, promotional materials, a tool kit of templates and instructional videos

-   The staff will suggests an assortment of books for the Fair based on the most popular books being purchased from the Bookstore 

• CLF Provides Sunday Service On-line

When people cannot get to church, church can now come to them. The Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF) offers weekly online worship.  These on-line services are especially good for people who work on Sunday mornings, military personnel stationed overseas, young adults who do not want to go to regular church services, people who are sick or housebound, people who live too far away from a bricks and mortar congregation or anyone else.  Join the spiritual expedition!  Sundays at 7:00 p.m. and Mondays at 1:30 p.m. (Eastern Time). Go to www.QuestForMeaning.org thenClick on Reflecting, then click again on Worship

• Multi-media Program on Transcendentalists

Hope Central Church, 87 Seaverns Ave. Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA will offer on June 1st, 2012, 7:00 - 8;00 p.m. "A Transcendental Sampler: A multimedia exploration of 19th century texts." 

Using textual excerpts, music, probing questions, video clips and silence, participants will explore the words of Thoreau, Emerson and Fuller to help them find meaning and value in words that are sometimes difficult to understand and contextualize. This program was created by Diane

Grant, a member of the First Congregational Parish (UU) in Kingston, MA and Ellen Snoeyenbos, a member of the congregation in Jamaica Plain.

• Invitation to Participate in Common Endowment Fund Quarterly Conference Call

All Unitarian Universalist (UU) Common Endowment Fund investors and interested potential investors can join the quarterly conference call on Tuesday, May 22. The call will take place from 2:00 to 3:00 PMEastern DaylightSavings Time. The toll-free call-in number is 800-617-4268; Passcode: 73886534# (note pound sign after number). Speakers will include: Carol McMullen,Chair, Investment Committee, Tim Brennan, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer, Scott Perry, NEPC, and independent investment consulting service that advises and evaluates the CEF.   The agendawill cover: performance update, NEPC long-term asset performance outlook, report on May Investment.

• Angus H. MacLean Award for Excellence in Religious Education Receiving Nominations

Nominations will be received until June 1 for the Award that honors a person who has made outstanding contributions to religious education. For criteria and submission procedures go to

http://www.uua.org/re/teachers/maclean/index.shtml 

Skinner House announces the release of Reaching for the Sun by Angela Herrera. Purchase on-line at 

http://www.uuabookstore.org/productdetails.cfm?PC=1645&utm_source=Announcing

+2012+Med+Man&utm_campaign=reaching+for+the+sun&utm_medium=email

Calendar

May 21           BCD Board of Directors Meeting                                        6:00 - 9:00 p

                        First Congregational Parish in Kingston, MA

Jun 3               Murray Unitarian Universalist Church -                           3:00 p

Rev. Fitz-Henry retirement celebration

Murray Unitarian Universalist Church, Attleboro, MA

Jun 10             Westminster Unitarian Church Building Dedication        TBA

                        Westminster Unitarian Church, East Greenwich, RI

Jun 14             BCD Office Closes for Summer

Jun 19-20       UUMA Ministry Days

                        Phoenix, AZ

Jun 20-24       General Assembly

                        Phoenix, AZ

Aug 14            BCD Office Reopens