THE ANNALS OF ALL SOULS: THE ANNUAL MEETING

The Annual Meeting of the Unitarian Church of All Souls took place on February 3 following the Rev. Dr. Forrest Church’s sermon earlier that morning titled “Love and Death.” Forrest announced in the sermon that the esophageal cancer he was free of for nearly one year had returned and metastasized. The unexpected, gloomy news left most of the congregants red-eyed and deeply saddened. When Board of Trustees President George Collins called the meeting to order, he too was visibly upset. Senior Minister the Rev. Dr. Galen Guengerich, also deeply moved, urged the congregation to pray for Forrest’s recovery and to tend to the work of the congregation. He further encouraged those present to go forward in the work of the church. “We can do the hard things ahead together,” he said. He went on to say that this is what Forrest expects us to do. The circumstances led to an abbreviated Annual Meeting. The scheduled reports by ministers Cheryl Walker, Walter Klauss, David Robb and Director of Religious Education Melaney Mashburn were not given.

Following an intensive course of chemotherapy, Forrest returned seven weeks later on March 16, Palm Sunday, and delivered, an “Easter” sermon at both the 10:00AM and 11:15AM services. George said that Forrest’s friends, colleagues, family and members of the congregation traveled from all parts of the country to welcome his return. Before an overflowing gathering in the Sanctuary, in his familiar vigorous voice and characteristic warm smile, he gave a penetrating, reflective sermon on “Love, Death and Easter.” He offered remarkable insights into the cycles of life and its meaning expressed with love, clear-sightedness, and with his ever-present sense of humor and irony—all in relation to Easter. Particularly poignant was his discussion of the relationship between parent and child.

The business of the Annual Meeting opened with a voice vote to approve the nomination of Sheila Darnborough and Carolyn Jackson as Deacons while the ballots for Clerk of the Society and Trustees were collected and counted. Sandra Fisher, a teacher, executive management consultant and instructor was honored with the annual Deacon’s Award. Sandra, active in several church programs and a member of the Church Council, is best known for her work as executive coordinator of the Girl Scout troops funded by All Souls’ outreach programs. Bernie May made the presentation. Schuyler Chapin received the Past President’s Award from Judy Chang, the most recent past President of the Congregation. Schuyler has been a Deacon of All Souls for decades and twice a member of the Board of Trustees. Since he joined the church in 1956, he has been involved in many pivotal church activities. He was instrumental in bringing Forrest Church and Walter Klauss to All Souls. Schuyler has long been an internationally known figure in the arts and is a recipient of the Légion d’Honneur.

Of the five candidates for Board of Trustees, the three elected were: Nancy Northup, Frank Patton and Eric Sivin. All three happen to be lawyers, albeit in very different fields. Nancy was Adjunct Assistant Professor at NYU Law School and Director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice. Currently, she lectures at Columbia Law School and for the last five years has been President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights. She is a former Chair of the All Souls Religious Education Committee and is an Annual Giving Committee member. Frank Patton is a Senior Partner of Patton, Eakins, Lipsett, Holbrook and Savage and is a specialist in estate planning. He is general counsel to the Riverside and Marble Collegiate Churches, among others, and former member of the Board of Trustees of Union Theological Seminary and of All Souls. He is active in the All Souls Community Chorus, and was a member of the Bond of Union Commission. Eric Sivin was a corporate and commercial litigator in New York and taught law at C.W. Post College. He is the founding partner and CEO of Sivin Tobin Associates, a firm that finds lawyers for law firms, corporations and institutions. He is a Board member of the Heart & Soul Charitable Fund and a former Chair of the Religious Education Committee. He is founder and Chair of the Task Force on Gun Control.

George Collins summarized his President’s letter to the congregation, noting some highlights: the installation of Galen Guengerich, Walter Klauss’ thirtieth anniversary with All Souls, the enhanced summer program featuring the Rev. Cheryl Walker’s sermons on the history of Unitarianism, Mary-Ella Holst’s adult education series on Virginia Woolf, and a review of various ongoing programs and the status of the search for a Development Director. George introduced the Alban Institute, which has been engaged to guide the future direction of the church. He also reviewed the office renovations in Wiggins House and systems upgrades that were completed this year.

Following the annual meeting, Joan Ellis recommended initiating a “prayer circle” on Forrest’s behalf. The group was formed and met the next week and continues to meet weekly in the Sanctuary after the second service. “In doing this,” George said, “we share love and good energy with Forrest. Everyone is welcome to attend.”
 

The Angie Henry Utt
Lecture