At the record-setting 2003 General Assembly (GA) of the UUA in Boston last June, we were represented by 18 people. Our delegates were Dan Anderson, Cynthia Brix, Alan Davis, Katrina Doumbia, Rob Fetter, Reverend Jacqueline Ziegler, and Stan Stefansic, minister emeritus. Alternate delegates were Lois Anderson, Strider Benston, Tessa Davis, Carol Saunders, and Shari Storm. Barb Richards & Fred Cole were volunteers. Other attendees were Reed Bailey, Allison Churnside, Barbara Molfese, and Anna Fowles Winkler.
It was a very special occasion for Reverend Ziegler, who received her Final Fellowship as a UUA Minister - the equivalent of tenure.
Many members also attended the Mountain Desert District Annual Conference in Fort Collins in October. People who gather with other UUs at these events always bring back renewed energy, new perspectives and fresh ideas on many important fronts (Mind the Gap (supporting Youth and Young Adults), Civil Liberties, etc.) UUCB GA participants put on a Sunday service in November. A new Study Action Issue was selected at GA: Criminal Justice and Prison Reform, which we are all encouraged to study and act on in preparation for a Statement of Conscience in 2005.
Members of UUCB participated in many other wider UU activities. Fred Cole is one of the Trustees of the MDD. Several UUCB members are active in the new Metro Denver UU Social Justice group, which is the part of the MDD Justice Ministries Service Area that serves the Denver Cluster.
Based on input gathered in March, we sent in input on the "Civil Liberties" Study-Action Issue. We also, as always, held a meeting in April and sent in our votes for the next UUA Study Action Issue. We supported all four nominees: Civil Marriage Equality First, Oppression of Women World Wide, Stopping Mass Extinction, and Threat of Global Warming.
Unfortunately, unlike the great majority of congregations, which pay 100% of their Fair Share in dues, UUCB continues to fall short. UUCB paid less than half of our dues for the period 1999-2003. This followed a good run of nearly 100% for the five years before that. For the 2003-2003 year we paid 100% of our MDD dues, and _____% of our UUA dues. For the 2003-2004 year, we paid 87.5% of our dues in the first quarter, and in the face of UUCB budget pressure, the board is still making decisions about how much to pay on the other quarters, and how much to budget for next year.
We rely on the wider UU world for the flexible mortgage on our building, Religious Education materials, education and settlement of ministers, organization of youth cons, invigorating annual meetings and other conferences, "Faith in Action" programs, social justice organization from the Washington Office and advocacy on important issues, UUA publications, web pages and support for mailing lists, helping new congregations start up, conflict resolution consulting, help with raising money, and much more.
So I hope the upward trend continues, and we once again become members in good standing of the UUA and the MDD.
For more information on UU affairs, see the excellent web pages at uua.org and uua.org/mdd/
Neal McBurnett, Chair, UU Affairs.