New York State Convention of Universalists (NYSCU) Albany, New York President’s Report 10/21/2017 Dear friends, Welcome to the 191st Annual Meeting of the New York State Convention of Universalists. For this meeting we have partnered with the Hudson Mohawk UU Cluster. Please join me in thanking the Albany congregation (FUUSA) and other Cluster members for their gracious hospitality. I hope that you find your time here rewarding and productive. Please share — with me, and other board members — thoughts on how we might enhance these meetings in the future. But don’t bother suggesting a Hawaiian retreat. I’ve tried; the budget won’t handle it. I am delighted to announce that NYSCU’s 192nd Annual Meeting will be held in Syracuse at First Unitarian Universalist Society of Syracuse, on October 19–20, 2018. We are in discussion with potential keynote speakers. You can find details on this past year’s activities in the other reports in this delegate packet; the reports of the secretary, treasurer, the service gratuity chair, and the grants/loans chair will give you an excellent sense of what NYSCU has been doing. Organized in 1825, the New York State Convention of Universalists continues to: support Universalist history and values, provide financial support to CER (formerly Metro and St. Lawrence Districts) programs, and administer our Grant and Loan Program which has benefited both congregations and individuals within New York State and beyond. Since 2004, NYSCU has awarded grants of more than $500,000 and offered no-interest loans (to congregations) totaling more than $400,000. And we’re very pleased to say that during this time period, all loans have been repaid on schedule (or earlier). We also offer retirement assistance to ministers (and surviving spouses) who served in New York State Universalist churches for a specified period of time prior to 1961. Please join me in thanking the board and committee members who help get these projects funded and distributed. If you have a vision for the growth of Unitarian Universalism or the affirmation of Universalist history, I hope your congregation will apply for a grant this year. If you have a bricks-and-mortar project, you could consider applying for a loan. We also have a category called scholarships to leadership schools. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2018. Forms and information are available on our website www.nyscu.org. While you’re at the website, take a longer look. The site includes other resources, including names and contact information for board and committee members; links to member congregations and denominational contacts; annual reports for the past 10 years; a 10-year history of grants and loans, with links to some project websites; a guide to books that the Convention has helped to publish; and the history of the Convention, written by our archivist Karen Dau. From the book guide page, you can download The Universalist Heritage, a compendium of keynote addresses from 1976 to 1992, and Remember Universalism Into Life, the Leaders’ guide for an 8-week adult discussion series based on those addresses. We offer our continual thanks to Michael Scott, our webmaster. He maintains and invigorates our institutional memory. I am very pleased that Margaret Maguire Davis will continue on the board in the role of Vice President (she is an excellent co-anchor), and Mark Bunce, Ronald Clupper, Ryan Novosielski, and Eve Stevens will continue as board members. A fond farewell and thanks to Ruth Stewart, who is leaving the board. I’d like to thank Lynn Beken, our treasurer as she settles into a diverse position, and many thanks to Margaret Hart, who is leaving the nominating committee after years of invaluable service. Kudos to Fred Boreali, nominating committee chair, and other committee members for presenting this year’s slate of nominees. Again I’d like to commend Karen Dau, our tireless archivist. Please welcome her as she travels into your section of the state on her explorations. And a sad farewell to Tom Hackett, our invaluable secretary (and fellow Yankee fan), though he’s not really leaving (as he reminds me); he will continue to function in the fairly new position of Clerk. It is a pleasure to serve with such a multitalented, enthusiastic, caring group of people. If a member of the nominating committee calls you next year, or maybe next month, about serving on the NYSCU board, I hope you’ll give the idea serious consideration. Peace, Judi Adel, President Last modified May 07, 2021. Please direct any comments, questions, or corrections to .