ICUU President on Philippines Storm

September 29, 2009.

Dear Philippine UU’s and Unitarians and Universalists around the world

It is with a heavy heart that I and other members of the Staff and Executive Committee of the ICUU have followed devastating effects of Typhoon Onday from afar. There are few things more frightening than the feelings of powerlessness that can come to us as we stand helpless before the storm. Our thoughts and prayers are with you as you struggle with the immediate emergency conditions and with the aftermath of cleaning up and rebuilding lives, homes and businesses.

I hope that many will join me in following the unfolding story. I also invite all who are able and feel so inclined to contribute to relief efforts through your national Red Cross/Red Crescent organizations.

May you in the Philippines find peace and safety soon. May you be spared further setbacks and may you all be graced with the blessings of God.


Sincerely,
Rev. Brian J. Kiely
President
International Council of Unitarians and Universalists

UU Pilgrimage to Philippines

During March, 2010, the Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council (UUPCC) will sponsor a group pilgrimage to experience the remarkable people and culture of the Philippines. There are over 2,500 Unitarian Universalists worshipping in 29 different congregations in the Philippines today, mostly on the large tropical island of Negros. This tour is the second tour which has been coordinated by the UUPCC in coordination with the UUCP. UUPCC Networker for the Philippines, Lee Boeke Burke, and UUCP Chairperson of the Faith in Action Department, Nihal Attanayake, will be your tour guides. The cost of the fall trip is $1450 (with a single supplement of $300). This cost includes all in-country transportation, accommodations, meals, drivers, interpreters and entrance fees. It does not include your airfare to Manila, gratuities, alcoholic beverages, personal expenses, and airport transfers before/after specified trip dates. Your UUPCC registration fee, which is included in the trip cost, pays for your membership in the UUPCC, the cost of processing your application and mailing your travel packet, and an impact fee paid to the UUCP. For more information, check out the UUPCC website, www.uupcc.org.

URGENT! Please donate for Philippine typhoon victims

Folks, This is likely to go down as the biggest catastrophe in the history of the Philippines, even worse than the twin disasters of the earthquake and Mt. Pinatubo in 1990 and 1991. Please try to help. 2 more storms coming so things may get really bad.

In 6 hours last saturday, a month's worth of rain fell, affecting more than 340,000 people in the Metro Manila area. Low-lying Areas in and around Metro Manila were submerged as high as 20 feet. Here is a Facebook photo gallery of the destruction. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=122290&id=710751532&ref=share 48 hours after the rains fell there are still people trapped on rooftops. Some are sick. Many are in danger of dehydration.

Hundreds of thousands have lost their homes and are in shelters. Relief supplies will surely run out fast without donations. To my UU friends, please inform your church mates. Our congregation here was largely spared but so many are not. Thanks for your kind attention. Please be guided by the message below.

For updates, please click here. www.gmanews.tv Bob Guerrero ,YOU MAY DONATE THROUGH http://www.redcross.org.ph. You can also DONATE THROUGH TXTPOWER'S PAYPAL! http://bit.ly/hQtKH or you can donate here, through the Philippine Society of Jesus, Catholic aid group, very good. https://www.myayala.com/sjph/

Brief Report of CM09

The biennial Council Meeting of the International Council of Unitarians and Universalists took place from 1-6 September in Kolozsvár, Transylvania, Romania.

77 registered participants took part including two from Latin America; three (plus two family members) from Africa; three (including one family member) from Australia/New Zealand; and seven (plus one family member) from Asia. Several new faces, including the leader of Hong Kong group, youth officer of Indonesian group, new UUA President and new CUC Director were in evidence.

The Council Meeting went well, although the effects of the visa failures was felt. This included three formal refusals for Africa and one for Asia as well as four Africans who were not technically refused but repeatedly asked for extra requirements to the point where they could not get a visa in time to attend. Other visas were not obtained because of decisions of the applicants themselves.

The new Transylvanian bishop (Rev Bálint-Bencsédi Ferenc) is a real charmer and has an amazing singing voice. The old bishop (Rev Szábo Árpad) didn't come because he had just had stomach surgery. The two new (part-time) staff were welcomed and were very busy at the Meeting: Rev Steve Dick as the new Executive Secretary and Rev Jill McAllister as Program Director, and the retiring Executive Secretary (Rev John Clifford) was given a friendly and gracious send-off.

Business sessions agreed with an intensive process of tightening up membership categories, reporting standards, and financial contributions. Some details remain to be worked out and some necessary policy changes will come back to the 2011 Council for ratification. Brazil and Burundi were both admitted as provisional members, and Spain and Poland both had their membership suspended with the agreement of their delegates due to lack of recent activity. New Members at Large are Nihal Attanayake from Philippines, Femi Matimoju from Nigeria, and Celia Midgley from UK. The President (Brian Kiely of Canada) and Treasurer (David Shaw of Britain) were re-elected unopposed and a new Vice-President (Pauline Rooney of Australia) and Secretary (Dávid Gyerő of Transylvania) were elected unopposed. Motions relating to the oppression of the Hungarian language in Slovakia and the inaccessibility of the famous painting of the Torda debate were passed. Extensive photo and video shots were taken and these should appear on the website in due course.

We managed about 5 minutes' skype video call with former ICUU Program Director Polly Guild in Boston, Massachusetts on her 85th birthday, singing Happy Birthday to her. This was the first ICUU Council she was unable to attend.

John Clifford