The role of Association District Representative was, for many years, coordinated by Pacific Southwest District (PSWD) Administrative staff. It existed to maintain informal and informational communications among the congregations of the district (PSWD) and the Association (UUA). The position was held for several years by the late Kitty McConkie, and then by me, Jim Merrill.
As a result of recent administrative changes, the ADR role ceased to be supported by PSWD/PWR (Pacific Western Region) staff. As a PSWD Trustee for two years and then President of the PSWD Board of Trustees for the last three years, I continued to provide updates and informational columns to this newsletter about district-specific and some associational issues. My term as President concluded June 30, so I no longer have any official connection to the district, region, or association. Hence, this is my last ADR report.
I am aware, however, of topics around our UUCV congregation’s relationship to the PSWD, to Camp de Benneville Pines, and to the Region and Association that I may be able to help explain in occasional columns with the indulgence of our intrepid newsletter editors.
We Merrills have been advocates of and participants in greater involvement in district and associational affairs (PSWD District and PWR Regional Assemblies and UUA General Assemblies) for the sake of trends in our movement beyond our congregation.
The publication UU World – https://www.uuworld.org/ – is one way all of us can keep up. Our congregation’s Leadership Development Committee maintains a budget to support lay members’ participation in broader district, regional, and associational affairs.
Jim Merrill