First Universalist Church

Annual Report 2005–2006

Report from the Denominational Affairs Committee

This committee, which seldom meets but carries on its regular activities on schedule, has continued to do so this past year.

We encourage our members to attend the General Assembly, our national meeting, each year, with varying results. Last June (2005) none of us attended the meeting in Fort Worth, except for Roger Comstock, who attended the last day of the Assembly, before attending the meeting of the Board of Trustees, UUA. We are proud to have Roger as the representative of the Northeast  District on that Board. It takes a good deal of his time and travel.

In the fall we celebrated the United Nations and did our usual fundraising for the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office. People donated dollars in exchange for UN flags, and we raised the required $100 for membership. Carter Manny was especially generous in this effort. Through this project we support the work of our denomination at the Church Center near the UN, and in return we receive a newsletter about their work and that of the UN.

Before the holidays, we handed out Guest-at-Your-Table boxes, and we sold packets of holiday cards - both to benefit the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. In the end, we were able to send to UUSC $313 for the holiday cards, and $325.24 for the boxes. Thus we donated $638.24 to the Service Committee this past year.

In the spring, 2006, the Northeast District held its annual meeting Friday night and Saturday, April 29 and 30, at the Bangor church. The keynote speaker was Gini Courter, new Moderator of the UUA. She spoke about growth in congregations;  this was the theme of the meeting. It was well-attended; attending from  Yarmouth were Roger Comstock and Isabel Denham. New officers and board members of the NED were elected;  awards were given. Negotiations are still under way to merge our district with Vermont/New Hampshire next year. Meanwhile, the Districts share staff.

Respectfully submitted,
Isabel Denham, Librarian
May 2006