Beyond Categorical Thinking Application.
(This workshop was run in fall 2014 and attended by 39 congregants. The description of the ministerial search committee reflects the make up of the 2013-14 Committee.)
Basic Information
Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo
Buffalo
New York
Congregational Information
*Interim minister (if applicable):
Rev. Dr. Margret A. O’Neall
Other ministers serving congregation at present (if applicable, also list length of settlement to date):
n/a
*Previous minister(s)/length of settlement (list dates ):
Joel Miller, 2000-2011
Daniel Budd, 1984-1999
Glyn Pruce, 1978-1983
Paul Carnes, 1958-1977
*Hoping to have new minister begin (month/year):
August, 2014
*Size of congregation:
370
*Number of services:
One per week
Time(s):
11AM Sept-June, 10AM during summer
*Average worship service attendance (if more than one service, feel free to list estimates for each service):
Sept-June, 194; summer, 130
Size of search committee:
7 people
(Search committee make-up: Does the search committee include any people who identify as people of color; Latino/Latina/Hispanic; gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender; people with a disability? Which one (s)?
2 people on the search committee identify as LGBTQ. One person identifies as an American of African descent. One person experiences hearing loss issues.
How many people in your congregation identify as people of color and/or Latino/Latina/Hispanic? (These figures may be given in a lump sum or broken down by different identities. Please note if the figures are for adults or for adults, youth, and children)
43 adults, youth and children.
How many people in the congregation identify as bisexual, gay, lesbian, and/or transgender? (These figures may be given in a lump sum or broken down by identity. Of particular use here if the figures are given in a lump sum is a notation of how many of these folks identify as transgender—transgender, transsexual, intersexual, cross-dressers, third gender.)
46; we are not aware of any transgender members at present, although we have had at least one active transgender member in the past.
How many people in the congregation live with disabilities?
22 people experience disabilities of which we are aware.
Are the above numbers from the congregational survey or an estimate?
Estimate
.
History of congregation
Have any of your previous or current ministers (settled, interim, intern) identified as people of color; Latina/Latino/Hispanic; bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender; and/or having some disability? Please list.
Rev. Jessica Rodela intern, 2006-07 person of color
Rev. Kari Skadberg intern, 1995-96 & subsequent DRE lesbian
Rev. John DeTaeye intern/acting minister, 1990-91 gay
Are you officially recognized as a Welcoming Congregation?
Yes!
Is there an active Interweave or b/g/l/t group in the congregation?
Not at present, although there has been an active chapter of Interweave here in the past.
What work around anti-racism has the congregation done?
Journey Toward Wholeness, in 2000 or 2001.
Is there a group for people of color/Latina/Latino/Hispanic concerns?
No.
What work around disability issues has the congregation addressed?
In 2000, the congregation created a capital campaign to improve the accessibility of our building by funding the design and construction of a new entry and foyer. Construction was completed in 2001.
What disability issues are currently being addressed?
We have just applied to be a part of the new Disability/Ability Action Program pilot for certification of congregations. If accepted, we will be conducting an assessment of accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities at our church. We will then create an action plan of worship, workshops and projects, have that plan approved by the Disability / Ability Certification Committee, and then implement the plan. When the plan has been fully implemented, the congregation can vote to be recognized as a congregation with a Disability / Ability Action Program certification. We are also in the midst of approving funding for repair and upgrade of our elevator to make it more functional. Finally, on an ongoing basis, the church hosts a number of AA and NA meetings for those in recovery from addictions.
What disability issues has the congregation said it needs to address but has not?
There has been some discussion about having sign language interpretation during Sunday services. Although individuals have sometimes provided this service on a occasional/volunteer basis, we have not made it a permanent part of our worship service. There has been some discussion about the sinks in the restrooms being unworkable for people who use wheelchairs.
Is there a group(s) for disability issues/concerns?
Currently the Accessibility Committee handles these concerns. In addition, a ministry team for access and inclusion in the worship service is under development.
Is there other anti-oppression/multicultural work that the congregation is doing that is not covered in the above questions?
n 2010, the DRE facilitated the formation of a new Multi-Identity Committee, focused mainly on the needs of children and families of color, children and families who identify as multi-racial, and children and families formed through transracial adoption. Partnering with a local social services agency, the Multi-Identity Committee has sponsored/hosted a number of stand-alone educational and community events, as well as an ongoing playgroup for families with young children.
The Wider Community
Where do the majority of your members live? (For example, they may all come from the suburbs to downtown or be primarily located between the town your congregation is in and a neighboring town or you may serve people in a 50-mile radius around your congregation.)
About 73% of our members live within the urban and city-residential areas within about a 3-mile radius of the church. Approximately 15% live in suburbs that ring the Buffalo metro area (within 5-15 miles from the church). Another 12% come from outlying and rural communities within a 30-mile radius.
What are the racial/ethnic communities that are in the area served/close to your congregation?
The Elmwood Village, where our church is located, is flanked on the east by neighborhoods that, while historically German and Polish, today are mostly inhabited by African-American individuals and families. To the west, there is an extremely diverse and vibrant neighborhood, with areas that are home to Buffalo’s large refugee population, with groups from South Asia, West Africa, and parts of Latin America, as well as lower-income families, artists, students, and urban entrepreneurs. With the influx of immigrants and refugees, there is also an increasingly visible presence of people from the Muslim world; the mosque in North Buffalo and a number of new restaurants and groceries, among other businesses, attest to their growing participation in the economic, cultural, and religious life of our city.
How does the congregation interact with these communities/groups?
The congregation as a whole has not engaged with these groups in any meaningful way. However, we have recently begun a “share the plate” program in which half of our unrestricted Sunday offerings are donated to a different community group each month. Many of the recipients have been organizations that work to aid refugees in Buffalo. In addition we have active volunteer projects at two refugee service organizations, and the UUCB youth group has focused their service efforts on outfitting an apartment for a newly arrived refugee family. We are also reviving our ties with an interfaith group, Concerned Ecumenical Ministries, which provides a number of important community services to the West Side of Buffalo.
How do issues of race and ethnicity surface in the wider community?
In the 1960’s and 1970’s, many of the European immigrant communities of Buffalo (primarily Polish, Italian, and Irish) made a flight to the suburbs as school boards considered mandatory integration and busing in their neighborhoods. Their departure left the East Side of the city vulnerable, and its neighborhoods and schools have never completely recovered. The city that remains is highly segregated on a de facto basis, with college-educated whites mainly dwelling in the enclaves of North Buffalo and Elmwood Village. Thus issues of race and ethnicity, when they arise, tend to center around control of scarce resources, especially money for education, housing, roads, urban renewal, and other city services. Unfortunately, these patterns tend to perpetuate themselves, and become even more pervasive. For example, we have seen a number of young city-dwelling congregants “flee” to the suburbs, and their better-funded school systems, once they start their families. While expressions of overt racism are less common in the downtown and urban areas of the city, they still occur. In the suburbs to the north, and in the “Irish” ward of South Buffalo on into the Southtowns, which tend to be enclaves of white privilege and/or ethnic & cultural isolation, prejudice and ill-treatment of persons of color is reported to be even more widespread. On a community-wide scale, the nature of our institutions seems to perpetuate a structural oppression and inequality that is no less intractable and no less damaging.
What activities and services in your community are there for bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people/concerns?
There is a fairly robust network of services here for people who identify as LGBTQ, including health clinics, such as Evergreen Health Services, advocacy organizations such as the Pride Center of Western New York, and cultural organizations from the Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus to summer reading clubs. The city is an urban community that is in general, welcoming to people who identify as LGBTQ. A huge Pride Parade is held each spring and is supported by local businesses and a large segment of the populace. The closing of many gay and lesbian bars has resulted in a lack of hangouts for LGBTQ people who want to socialize. Ambush Buffalo is a newer movement in which lesbians “ambush” a straight bar (with the agreement of the owner) and enjoy a night out in a new milieu while doing education and outreach in the community.
Do you have people who are out in the congregation but not able to be out in the wider community?
Not that we are aware.
How does the congregation interact with the local bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender community (ies)?
The UUCB has a number of ties to the LGBTQ community. Spectrum, a support group for transgender people, meets at our church, as well as two AA meetings specifically geared to the needs of LGBTQ people in recovery. The Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus has long shared resources with the church (including our former Minister of Music, who also conducted the BGMC) and a number of our members belong to both organizations. The church takes part in the Pride Parade each year. COLAGE (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) is another organization that met at UUCB in the recent past, but has not been active of late. Other groups that have met at the church in the past include SOS (Save Our Selves) and a group for married lesbians seeking social ties and emotional support.
How accessible to people with disabilities is the wider community of which you are a part?
It’s a mixed bag. There have been efforts to improve access; however, as an older city with a great deal of pre-ADA construction still in use, there are many businesses and public venues that are less than ideal from an accessibility standpoint.
Has your wider community undertaken any work to make your community more accessible to people with disabilities that you are aware of?
Not sure.
Is there a disability rights group in your community?
While there are a number of social services agencies serving clients who experience disabilities, there doesn’t appear to be an active disability rights advocacy group in Buffalo. There is a large umbrella organization located in a number of nearby communities, which serves the general area of Western New York (The Center for Disability Rights, Inc.).
How has the congregation engaged in this issue in the wider community?
Though individual congregants may have engaged with this issue, the congregation as a whole has not.
Does the congregation have a relationship with another congregation that serves primarily people of color or b/g/l/t people?
No.
In some congregations, issues of gender, age, and class would warrant some time as part of the BCT training. For example, one congregation that was several hundred years old had never had a female minister. Another example is calling a minister from a working class background in a congregation of primarily upper class congregants and there being strife over many issues. If there is a reason why you feel that part of the BCT time should be spent addressing one of these areas due to congregational history, please give a short history of why that should happen below.
UUCB, a congregation that dates back to 1831, has never called a female minister to a settled position, although we have had female interim minsters (including our current one, Rev. O’Neall), and female ministerial interns who have been well accepted by the congregation. Some members of the committee also feel that age may be a factor that should be brought into the discussion, in that the congregation might not be prepared to call a minister who is over 60.
Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo
Buffalo
New York
Congregational Information
*Interim minister (if applicable):
Rev. Dr. Margret A. O’Neall
Other ministers serving congregation at present (if applicable, also list length of settlement to date):
n/a
*Previous minister(s)/length of settlement (list dates ):
Joel Miller, 2000-2011
Daniel Budd, 1984-1999
Glyn Pruce, 1978-1983
Paul Carnes, 1958-1977
*Hoping to have new minister begin (month/year):
August, 2014
*Size of congregation:
370
*Number of services:
One per week
Time(s):
11AM Sept-June, 10AM during summer
*Average worship service attendance (if more than one service, feel free to list estimates for each service):
Sept-June, 194; summer, 130
Size of search committee:
7 people
(Search committee make-up: Does the search committee include any people who identify as people of color; Latino/Latina/Hispanic; gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender; people with a disability? Which one (s)?
2 people on the search committee identify as LGBTQ. One person identifies as an American of African descent. One person experiences hearing loss issues.
How many people in your congregation identify as people of color and/or Latino/Latina/Hispanic? (These figures may be given in a lump sum or broken down by different identities. Please note if the figures are for adults or for adults, youth, and children)
43 adults, youth and children.
How many people in the congregation identify as bisexual, gay, lesbian, and/or transgender? (These figures may be given in a lump sum or broken down by identity. Of particular use here if the figures are given in a lump sum is a notation of how many of these folks identify as transgender—transgender, transsexual, intersexual, cross-dressers, third gender.)
46; we are not aware of any transgender members at present, although we have had at least one active transgender member in the past.
How many people in the congregation live with disabilities?
22 people experience disabilities of which we are aware.
Are the above numbers from the congregational survey or an estimate?
Estimate
.
History of congregation
Have any of your previous or current ministers (settled, interim, intern) identified as people of color; Latina/Latino/Hispanic; bisexual, gay, lesbian, transgender; and/or having some disability? Please list.
Rev. Jessica Rodela intern, 2006-07 person of color
Rev. Kari Skadberg intern, 1995-96 & subsequent DRE lesbian
Rev. John DeTaeye intern/acting minister, 1990-91 gay
Are you officially recognized as a Welcoming Congregation?
Yes!
Is there an active Interweave or b/g/l/t group in the congregation?
Not at present, although there has been an active chapter of Interweave here in the past.
What work around anti-racism has the congregation done?
Journey Toward Wholeness, in 2000 or 2001.
Is there a group for people of color/Latina/Latino/Hispanic concerns?
No.
What work around disability issues has the congregation addressed?
In 2000, the congregation created a capital campaign to improve the accessibility of our building by funding the design and construction of a new entry and foyer. Construction was completed in 2001.
What disability issues are currently being addressed?
We have just applied to be a part of the new Disability/Ability Action Program pilot for certification of congregations. If accepted, we will be conducting an assessment of accessibility and inclusion of people with disabilities at our church. We will then create an action plan of worship, workshops and projects, have that plan approved by the Disability / Ability Certification Committee, and then implement the plan. When the plan has been fully implemented, the congregation can vote to be recognized as a congregation with a Disability / Ability Action Program certification. We are also in the midst of approving funding for repair and upgrade of our elevator to make it more functional. Finally, on an ongoing basis, the church hosts a number of AA and NA meetings for those in recovery from addictions.
What disability issues has the congregation said it needs to address but has not?
There has been some discussion about having sign language interpretation during Sunday services. Although individuals have sometimes provided this service on a occasional/volunteer basis, we have not made it a permanent part of our worship service. There has been some discussion about the sinks in the restrooms being unworkable for people who use wheelchairs.
Is there a group(s) for disability issues/concerns?
Currently the Accessibility Committee handles these concerns. In addition, a ministry team for access and inclusion in the worship service is under development.
Is there other anti-oppression/multicultural work that the congregation is doing that is not covered in the above questions?
n 2010, the DRE facilitated the formation of a new Multi-Identity Committee, focused mainly on the needs of children and families of color, children and families who identify as multi-racial, and children and families formed through transracial adoption. Partnering with a local social services agency, the Multi-Identity Committee has sponsored/hosted a number of stand-alone educational and community events, as well as an ongoing playgroup for families with young children.
The Wider Community
Where do the majority of your members live? (For example, they may all come from the suburbs to downtown or be primarily located between the town your congregation is in and a neighboring town or you may serve people in a 50-mile radius around your congregation.)
About 73% of our members live within the urban and city-residential areas within about a 3-mile radius of the church. Approximately 15% live in suburbs that ring the Buffalo metro area (within 5-15 miles from the church). Another 12% come from outlying and rural communities within a 30-mile radius.
What are the racial/ethnic communities that are in the area served/close to your congregation?
The Elmwood Village, where our church is located, is flanked on the east by neighborhoods that, while historically German and Polish, today are mostly inhabited by African-American individuals and families. To the west, there is an extremely diverse and vibrant neighborhood, with areas that are home to Buffalo’s large refugee population, with groups from South Asia, West Africa, and parts of Latin America, as well as lower-income families, artists, students, and urban entrepreneurs. With the influx of immigrants and refugees, there is also an increasingly visible presence of people from the Muslim world; the mosque in North Buffalo and a number of new restaurants and groceries, among other businesses, attest to their growing participation in the economic, cultural, and religious life of our city.
How does the congregation interact with these communities/groups?
The congregation as a whole has not engaged with these groups in any meaningful way. However, we have recently begun a “share the plate” program in which half of our unrestricted Sunday offerings are donated to a different community group each month. Many of the recipients have been organizations that work to aid refugees in Buffalo. In addition we have active volunteer projects at two refugee service organizations, and the UUCB youth group has focused their service efforts on outfitting an apartment for a newly arrived refugee family. We are also reviving our ties with an interfaith group, Concerned Ecumenical Ministries, which provides a number of important community services to the West Side of Buffalo.
How do issues of race and ethnicity surface in the wider community?
In the 1960’s and 1970’s, many of the European immigrant communities of Buffalo (primarily Polish, Italian, and Irish) made a flight to the suburbs as school boards considered mandatory integration and busing in their neighborhoods. Their departure left the East Side of the city vulnerable, and its neighborhoods and schools have never completely recovered. The city that remains is highly segregated on a de facto basis, with college-educated whites mainly dwelling in the enclaves of North Buffalo and Elmwood Village. Thus issues of race and ethnicity, when they arise, tend to center around control of scarce resources, especially money for education, housing, roads, urban renewal, and other city services. Unfortunately, these patterns tend to perpetuate themselves, and become even more pervasive. For example, we have seen a number of young city-dwelling congregants “flee” to the suburbs, and their better-funded school systems, once they start their families. While expressions of overt racism are less common in the downtown and urban areas of the city, they still occur. In the suburbs to the north, and in the “Irish” ward of South Buffalo on into the Southtowns, which tend to be enclaves of white privilege and/or ethnic & cultural isolation, prejudice and ill-treatment of persons of color is reported to be even more widespread. On a community-wide scale, the nature of our institutions seems to perpetuate a structural oppression and inequality that is no less intractable and no less damaging.
What activities and services in your community are there for bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender people/concerns?
There is a fairly robust network of services here for people who identify as LGBTQ, including health clinics, such as Evergreen Health Services, advocacy organizations such as the Pride Center of Western New York, and cultural organizations from the Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus to summer reading clubs. The city is an urban community that is in general, welcoming to people who identify as LGBTQ. A huge Pride Parade is held each spring and is supported by local businesses and a large segment of the populace. The closing of many gay and lesbian bars has resulted in a lack of hangouts for LGBTQ people who want to socialize. Ambush Buffalo is a newer movement in which lesbians “ambush” a straight bar (with the agreement of the owner) and enjoy a night out in a new milieu while doing education and outreach in the community.
Do you have people who are out in the congregation but not able to be out in the wider community?
Not that we are aware.
How does the congregation interact with the local bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender community (ies)?
The UUCB has a number of ties to the LGBTQ community. Spectrum, a support group for transgender people, meets at our church, as well as two AA meetings specifically geared to the needs of LGBTQ people in recovery. The Buffalo Gay Men’s Chorus has long shared resources with the church (including our former Minister of Music, who also conducted the BGMC) and a number of our members belong to both organizations. The church takes part in the Pride Parade each year. COLAGE (Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere) is another organization that met at UUCB in the recent past, but has not been active of late. Other groups that have met at the church in the past include SOS (Save Our Selves) and a group for married lesbians seeking social ties and emotional support.
How accessible to people with disabilities is the wider community of which you are a part?
It’s a mixed bag. There have been efforts to improve access; however, as an older city with a great deal of pre-ADA construction still in use, there are many businesses and public venues that are less than ideal from an accessibility standpoint.
Has your wider community undertaken any work to make your community more accessible to people with disabilities that you are aware of?
Not sure.
Is there a disability rights group in your community?
While there are a number of social services agencies serving clients who experience disabilities, there doesn’t appear to be an active disability rights advocacy group in Buffalo. There is a large umbrella organization located in a number of nearby communities, which serves the general area of Western New York (The Center for Disability Rights, Inc.).
How has the congregation engaged in this issue in the wider community?
Though individual congregants may have engaged with this issue, the congregation as a whole has not.
Does the congregation have a relationship with another congregation that serves primarily people of color or b/g/l/t people?
No.
In some congregations, issues of gender, age, and class would warrant some time as part of the BCT training. For example, one congregation that was several hundred years old had never had a female minister. Another example is calling a minister from a working class background in a congregation of primarily upper class congregants and there being strife over many issues. If there is a reason why you feel that part of the BCT time should be spent addressing one of these areas due to congregational history, please give a short history of why that should happen below.
UUCB, a congregation that dates back to 1831, has never called a female minister to a settled position, although we have had female interim minsters (including our current one, Rev. O’Neall), and female ministerial interns who have been well accepted by the congregation. Some members of the committee also feel that age may be a factor that should be brought into the discussion, in that the congregation might not be prepared to call a minister who is over 60.