Dear Partisans,

I call you "partisans," because you are Unitarian Universalist brothers (and sisters too) who are committed to creating a mature, liberal religious, masculine presence wherever you live, move, and have your beings. So, welcome, fellow partisans, to a new year with new opportunities to take yet another step, every day, for greater gender justice and joy in our own little corners of the world.

First, some council membership changes. We welcome onto our continental steering council, brother Abhi Janamanchi, parish minister of our Clearwater, FL, clan and Dick Michaels, active lay leader from our Evanston, IL, congregation. They will bring both skill and passion to our soulful and prophetic work. We also say farewell to Hal Krieger, who is leaving our leadership due to his wife's serious illness. First things first; we men are often slow to support one another in doing the right thing by our partners and families. Thanks, Hal, for all you have been and done among us.

On another issue, UUMeN is gearing up to play a major role in the CENTER Day 2001 event. CENTER Day is held just before each General Assembly; it's designed to educate and inspire UU religious professionals. The theme of CENTER Day 2001, which will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, is "The Spiritual Care of Men." UUMeN will conduct numerous workshops and furnish resources for 700+ of our UU religious leaders. We hope they'll then be inspired to return home and set into motion men's growth experiences in their local congregations.

I am personally pleased that UUMeN chose to republish my New Men, Deeper Hungers book (a revised edition with study guide), which had long since sold out. This is a user-friendly volume for local men's programming. Other members of UUMeN are also producing valuable resource materials for purchase, and we will let you know about them as they become available. As always, our primary mission at UUMeN is to furnish a resource center to assist in the maturation of men's interior and exterior lives.

By the way, I want to mention that there is a fine, informative piece called "Creating Groups for Men Within Your Congregation" in the August 2000 issue of InterConnections, a newsletter that goes out to lay UU leaders. Check with your church leaders to make sure they've received a copy.  May your fall be filled with enough comfort and challenge to stretch your very beings into sizes beyond imagining.

Yours in evolved brothering,