For We Have Promises to Keep
It all began in May 1848 with a modest suggestion by the Rev. Charles Brooks at a ministerial conference to address what he described as “the condition of aged and destitute clergy.” A year later, a constitution was adopted and a charitable society formed “to do its work of love with impartiality and in silence.” Over the intervening years, this Society’s name has changed, surviving and former spouses as well as retired ministers are now granted financial assistance and counsel, our outreach extends not only across North America but also to retired colleagues and survivors in Transylvania and the Philippines, and the overall number of beneficiaries and the total amount of aid have increased significantly. Entrusted with an endowment of over $12 million, we disburse close to $400,000 annually in both special and ongoing grants. 
The Unitarian Universalist Society for Ministerial Relief, to quote the New England poet Robert Frost, has “promises to keep” in calling to remembrance those liberal religious leaders who over a century and a half ago resolved to “be there” for those retired colleagues and their families in financial need. Dollars matter, but what this Society, its leadership and members, is really about is seeking to make a qualitative difference, not only a monetary one, in the lives of those whose circumstances, often dire and sometimes appalling, come to our attention. And so we covenant with our forebears to continue what they began, to help our retirees and survivors meet the rising costs of healthcare, burdensome debts, increasing taxes, fixed incomes, and diminished retirement resources.
As a liberal religious movement, Unitarian Universalists embrace and seek to embody those purposes and principles that inspire and impel us to make a difference for good in the world. Our Society, though an independent, single-purpose religious charitable body, is a functionally integrated affiliate of the Unitarian Universalist Association. Our Association’s First Principle affirms “the inherent worth and dignity of every person”. Our mission is to take that principle personally. To that end, we seek to increase the visibility of this Society, to do what we can to ensure that our retirees know we are here for them. We seek to explore every possible avenue (including this website) to reach out to those who may need our help but, for whatever reason, may be reluctant to ask. (Some may regrettably feel ashamed or embarrassed or too proud to come forward.) We encourage all our retired ministers and survivors to seek us out when they find themselves in difficulty, either short-term or long-term. We also count on our ministers and partners, active as well as retired, to let us know directly of those retirees whom we may be in a position to help. And finally, another aspect of our mission is to be generous in our assistance. While we must be prudent in managing our funds, it is wise to remember Albert Einstein’s cautionary wisdom: “Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” |
Rhys Williams, a beloved colleague and longtime friend, served this Society as its president for nearly forty years. He was like a brother to me throughout our ministries, our close friendship dating to our years as classmates at St. Lawrence University. During his final days in the summer of 2003, Rhys said to me, “You never know,” reflecting on the illness afflicting him. Just as many of our beneficiaries poignantly tell us that they never thought they would find themselves in dire straits. Unfortunately, we know that randomness is a fact of the human condition. It is not just something that happens to others.
We have promises to keep. And this promise, handed down to us over 166 years ago, calls us to pay attention to those who have served our movement, not to let them fall off our “radar screen”, not to buy into the “claptrap mythology” that makes people feel that being in need is somehow their fault and that asking for help is a sign of weakness. And finally, all of us in our liberal religious faith are called to disabuse those good retirees of the false notion that there are always others whose needs are greater than theirs. This is our mission, then: to be visible, attentive and generous to our retired ministers, their families and survivors, whose needs merit our help.
--Rev. Dr. David C. Pohl
UUSMR President