Howard University School of Social Work and the Blackburn Center

601 Howard Place NW, Washington DC 20059

Registration is free.  Seating is limited.

Lunch will be provided.

This one-day workshop provides education for social workers, case managers, health care professionals and chaplains who work with the aging and vulnerable adult populations. It will develop a professional awareness and practice of ethics, HIV among older adults, and discrimination of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ) older adults by home care and long term care facilities.

Presented by the

DC Office on Aging and Howard University Multidisciplinary Gerontology Center

in partnership with the

Practice and Ethics Advisory Committee, Washington Area Geriatric

Education Center Consortium.

The workshop will be approved for 6 CE Contact Hours for social workers. There is a $15.00 fee for a CEU Ethics Certificate – make checks out to NASW, Metro Chapter.

Register today:  Email: marian.williams(at)howard.edu   Phone:  Contact Marian Williams at 202-806-4080

June will be our second annual GLBTQ minister issue. If you are a GLBTQ minister, please write an article about your work. If you are a GLBTQ person and appreciate the fact that there are GLBTQ ministers, please send me an article. I would love to have some articles from straight ally ministers who appreciate their GLBTQ brothers and sisters.

The August issue of Interweave Connect will focus on the UU General Assembly and the functions that Interweave Continental will have at the 2013 UU General Assembly. We also like to have articles about UUs that are active in Gay Pride Celebrations. As you are preparing for your Gay Pride celebration, please send me articles and pictures!

The September issue of Interweave Connect does not have a theme at this time. Do you have any  suggestions? Is there a topic that you think we should be looking into? This newsletter is for and about you. This May issue has an article written by our editor Tova Vitiello about Bayard Rustin. I was alive in the 60′s but I did not know about Bayard Rustin until a few months ago. We always encourage people to write articles about People of color for our multiracial page.

In October we focus on Transgender issues in preparation for Transgender Remembrance Day in November.

Have a great summer. Hopefully I will see you at GA. Let me know what you think of the May issue of Interweave Connect, and please pass the newsletter on to anyone who is interested in GLBTQ issues.

Thank you,

Nisco Junkins
Interweave Connect 

niscohappy(at)comcast.net

At the May annual meeting Nancy Sorden, who will be ending a term as secretary, Mike McCord, who will be ending two terms as treasurer and Hal Fuller, who will be ending two terms as co-chair were all thanked for their service.  Each is pictured here with UUSJ Executive Director, Terry Ellen and UUSJ Co-Chair Lavona Grow.

Sadly, we must sound an even louder alarm than usual for help.   When we sent out last week’s Shining Light Newsletter we thought we had a pretty good idea of what the City would award us for our 2013 summer camp, which would be about half the funds we will need. This week we learned that we have been put on a waiting list and might not receive any funding at all.   The reason given is that Mayor Gray and the City Council have allocated so little money for summer programming that the agency could not fund many worthwhile programs.

As a result we have suspended accepting any more camp registrations.   If the situation doesn’t improve, Beacon House will have to run a greatly paired down version of our camp.  Your contributions have thus become even more critical.  It costs Beacon House about $800 per child for a 6 week summer camp experience.  Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated by the families and children who count on Beacon House to provide an affordable, safe and enriching summer camp experience.

You may contribute online at www.beaconhousedc.org., or by mailing a check to Beacon House, P.O. Box 29629, Washington, D.C. 20017.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at gkittner(at)beaconhousedc.org or 202-529-0785.  I will keep you apprised if the situation improves.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Gerry Kittner
Interim Executive Director

Statements of conscience are a Unitarian Universalist tradition in which congregations take positions on issues of social justice. The resolutions allow the minister to speak out on these issues and the church to form coalitions with other churches and nonprofit organizations promoting the issues. Church members can now represent MVUC and advocate these issues to legislators in Richmond and Washington D.C. using the church banner and speaking for the church.

Following passage of the resolutions, MVUC Minister, the Rev. Kate Walker, said, “Our support for national reform of immigration policy challenges us to open our hearts and doors to the stranger. Our work for restriction of firearm ownership is based on not only our experience of gun violence in a Unitarian Universalist church in 2008, but the current culture of unchecked, unaccountable and irrational firearm sales in our country resulting in a culture of fear and anguish over the bodies of our children.”

The two statements of conscience were proposed by the MVUC Social Justice Council, chaired by Georgeta Pourchot. Before the vote, she told the congregation, “The Social Justice Council feels it is important for the church to make a statement of where MVUC as a congregation stands on these issues, for the benefit of visitors and newcomers who may not know MVUC very well, for the benefit of church children who may be exposed to a variety of views on these topics and not know exactly where the church stands, and because these statements of conscience express a commitment to action.”

Pourchot said the wording of the immigration statement of conscience was identical to one proposed by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) that developed a course called “Immigration as a Moral Issue,” which has been taught three times at MVUC over the past year. The statement calls for measures that treat all immigrants, regardless of legal status, justly and humanely, and for an immigration policy that includes a path to citizenship; work visas that require the same worker protections available to citizens; access to the same medical care and education available to citizens; evaluation of human and environmental costs of proposed barriers to immigration; due process for detained immigrants including representation, rights of appeal, and the right to initiate lawsuits; no deportation of parents of dependent children or partners of documented residents; asylum for refugees; and collaboration with source countries to address underlying causes contributing to immigration. The motion passed with no objections or discussion.

The statement of conscience on gun legislation was developed by the Social Justice Council and slightly amended at the meeting. It advocates measures that deter the sale of firearms intended for use against U.S. residents, supports background checks for all gun sales, promotes safe havens for people to report threatening behavior, and calls for funding for the Centers for Disease Control to resume the study the causes of gun violence.

Bill Alsmeyer-Johnson, who shepherded the gun legislation resolution, said, “Members of MVUC can now form coalitions with outside groups, such as the Million Mom March or Organizing for Action. With this statement of conscience, members can present the beliefs of MVUC on the issues around gun violence and its prevention. We intend to form a social justice task force as a vehicle to act on this issue.”

The meeting was attended by more than 100 members, some of whom held proxy votes for others in the 344-member congregation.

Rev. Walker noted that, “Unitarian Universalists have a long history of working for social justice based on our belief that all people have inherent worth and dignity, and deserve to live in a safe environment and society. As a liberal religious institution, we strive to work for and live an ethic of care and compassion for all people regardless of ethnicity, race or class.”

MVUC, 1909 Windmill Lane, in the Mason Hill area of Alexandria Va., was founded 58 years ago by residents of the nearby Hollin Hills and Tauxemont neighborhoods. It has been active in social justice issues throughout its history, serving as a training center for freedom riders during the Civil Rights movement and working with other area churches on local issues, including poverty and homelessness.

*       *       *

Summary of MVUC Statement of Conscience on Immigration Policy Reform

- A path to citizenship or legal permanent residency for those already in a country legally or illegally, as well as for those wanting to enter a country;
- Work visas that allow employment and that rrequire the same worker protections applicable to citizens including fair wages, safe and healthful environments, and receipt of benefits;
- Allow multiple entries;
- Permit entry into the path for citizenship; and provide parity between the number of visas and the work available in the receiving nation.
- Access to the same medical care and education available to citizens;
- Evaluation of human and environmental costs of proposed barriers to immigration or other changes in immigration policy;
- Due process under the law including representation, rights of appeal, and the right to initiate suits;
- Non-deportation of parents with dependent children or partners of documented residents;
- Provision of asylum for refugees and others in fear of violence or retribution; and
- Collaboration with source countries to address underlying causes contributing to immigration.”

MVUC Statement of Conscience on Gun Legislation

Be it resolved that: Mount Vernon Unitarian Church advocates for measures that: (1) deter and prevent the indiscriminate purchase of firearms for the use of violence against people who live in the United States; (2) provide reliable and empowered safe-havens for people to report behavior that is threatening before a crisis occurs; (3) provide funding at the federal level to enable the Centers for Disease Control to resume studying the causes of gun violence; and (4) support the implementation of universal background checks for the purchase of firearms.

River Road UU Congregation

6301 River Road

Bethesda, MD 20817

Foodopoly flyer

The Environmental Task Force of RRUUC invites DC area UU congregation members to a Chalice Tuesday event on May 14. There will be a modestly price dinner at 6PM followed by a presentation by Wenonah Hauter (CEO of Food and Water Watch) at 7PM speaking about her book, Foodopoly.  There will be books for sale after her presentation.

Foodopoly presents the shocking account of how agricultural policy has been hijacked by lobbyists, driving out independent farmers and food processors in favor of large Ag corporations. The impacts of these developments ripple far and wide, from economic stagnation in rural communities at home, to famines in poor countries overseas. In the end, Hauter illustrates how solving this crisis will require a complete structural shift, a grassroots movement to reshape our food system from seed to table-a change that is about politics, not personal choice.  Please RSVP for the dinner at http://www.rruuc.org/education/adult-enrichment/registration.html

Criteria
1. Advanced degree in an environmental science-related discipline, with experience in toxicology.  2. Experienced and successful at nonprofit fund raising, grant writing, and membership development.

3. Energetic community-oriented professional.
4. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
5. Understanding of, and belief in, advancing Rachel Carson’s concept of stewardship of the environment.
6. Experience in the management of personnel.

Duties and responsibilities of Executive Director
1. Serve as chief operations officer: managing the day-to-day operations of RCC, raising funds, as well as implementing programs and services to further RCC mission (see below) in accordance with the Board’s policies and strategic direction.
2. Provide leadership in developing programs (including organizational and financial plans) with the Board and staff, and in accordance with the Board of Directors’ policies.
3. Develop financial and non-financial resources to enable the organization to fulfill its mission.
4. Be responsible for the recruitment, employment, evaluation and release of all personnel, both paid staff and volunteers.
5. Manage the fiscal affairs and ensure solvency of the organization, in collaboration with the Treasurer, and in accordance with accepted accounting and fiscal management procedures for an organization under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954.
6. Keep the Board informed of the organization’s financial position, progress of major programs and services, challenges, issues and opportunities that may impact the solvency, credibility and ability of the organization to full fill its mission.
7. Establish sound working relationships and cooperative agreements with community groups and other associations that pursue similar or comparable goals.
8. Collaborate with the Board to create and implement the annual work plan.
9. Maintain a working knowledge of the main issues and trends in the community and nonprofit sector.

Rachel Carson Council’s Mission Statement

Rachel Carson Council seeks to inform and advise people and institutions about the effects of pesticides that threaten the health, welfare, and survival of living organisms and biological systems.  The Council promotes alternative, environmentally benign pest management strategies to encourage healthier life styles.  The Council fosters a sense of wonder and respect towards nature.

http://www.rachelcarsoncouncil.org/index.php?page=about-rcc