UNITARIAN UNIVERSALISt

MINISTERS ASSOCIATION
Priestley-Kingsbury Chapter
December 2016

Dear Prospective Candidate:

As president of our local UUMA chapter, I'm pleased to offer greetings
on behalf of your colleagues in eastern Pennsylvania, southern New
Jersey, and Delaware! The Joseph Priestly District (now absorbed into
the Central East Region) was a bit unusual in that we have always had
two UUMA chapters, one in the northern half and one in the south.
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York is in the Priestley-Kingsbury
(PK) Chapter, named for Myra Kingsbury, first female Universalist
minister to be settled in our area, and for Joseph Priestley, first male
Unitarian minister in the area. (The Chesapeake UUMA Chapter
[CUUMA] serves our colleagues in the Greater Washington DC area.)
UUMA-PK's membership includes nearly 60 ministers, both active and
retired, in congregations and in community settings, along with
ministerial interns and students. The chapter meets monthly from
September through June for worship, continuing education, spiritual
practice and mutual support (and, of course, lunch, for which there is
no charge). Our average attendance is 25 to 35. We hold a three-day
spring retreat, together with our colleagues from CUUMA, and many of
our members also attend the Harpers Ferry Ministerial Study Group, an
independent study group that meets in November of each year in West
Virginia. The group is open to members of the UUMA-PK and CUUMA
chapters and usually has openings for new participants.
Members of UUMA-PK share a genuine commitment to collegiality. I've
been a member of the chapter since 1993 and have treasured the
chance to develop deep and sustaining relationships within this
welcoming and supportive group. I hope you will get involved in the
Chapter if you are called to serve in York. We need each other!
UUCY has been a beacon of liberal religion in south-central PA for over
60 years. (Having grown up in the congregation I know first-hand how
important that presence has been and continues to be.) If you have
any questions related to the Chapter or about ministry in our area,
please get in touch. I look forward to welcoming you to the District and
to the PK Chapter!
In faith,
Libby Smith
Libby Smith, Chapter President
revlibbysmith@gmail.com

(267) 421-8704