WHO SHOULD ATTEND Representatives of affiliated or emerging congregations that are located east of I-95 in North Carolina, members of the Thomas Jefferson District Board, members of the Kinston Fund Committee, former members of the Kinston Unitarian Universalist Church, board members of the Universalist Convention of North Carolina, and ministers or lay leaders interested in the growth of Unitarian Universalism in eastern North Carolina.
BACKGROUND AND DETAILS In 1996, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kinston (N.C.) closed its doors. The residual funds from this congregation were placed under the fiduciary oversight of the Thomas Jefferson District of the Unitarian Universalist Association who in cooperation with the Kinston Unitarian Universalist Church closing committee, appointed a Kinston Fund Committee to oversee the funds. This custodial role was to last for a period of 15 years. During the intervening time, the Kinston Fund Committee has done a phenomenal job as stewards of this fund. As a result of their stewardship, the original fund of approximately $150,000 has grown to its current value of approximately $319,000. We extend our deep gratitude to Gustav Ulrich, Rev. Charles Howe (deceased) and Betty Corbin who have served in this role as stewards over the past almost 15 years.
According to the original agreement, “after 15 years, if no new congregation forms in Kinston or Lenoir County, then these monies will be used to encourage extension of the Unitarian Universalist faith in that portion of North Carolina which lies to the East of I-95.” The designated fifteen year period expires 11/11/2011 and it is fully anticipated that no new congregation will be formed in Kinston or Lenoir County before that time. Therefore, it is time for us to begin discussion about how these funds might be used to encourage extension of the Unitarian Universalist faith.
To that end, the Thomas Jefferson District Board is hosting a visioning session to generate your creative ideas for how we could put this incredible gift to effective use furthering our faith. Although no one has definite answers about the best way to grow Unitarian Universalism, we do have a body of practices that have been shown to work and others that have been shown to be less effective. Our task is to develop a plan that has the best chance of making Unitarian Universalism available to any person in eastern North Carolina who needs our saving message.
DATE February 19, 2011 - 10 am til 4 pm The TJD Board will host a town hall meeting at 9 am to talk about other issues related to the District with a focus on the recent discussions and decisions concerning regionalization.
REGISTRATION The meeting is subsidized by the TJD District but we will, of course, welcome donations to support the costs of the day. In order to plan appropriately, we ask that you please pre-register here.
QUESTIONS If you have any questions about this gathering, please contact TJD Board President, Jim Key; District Executive, Annette Marquis; or District Administrator, Glenn Johnson.
Thomas Jefferson District ♦ 9704 Mallard Creek Road ♦ Charlotte, NC 28262 ♦ 800-549-0751 ♦ tjd@uua.org
