Pre-GA
Activities Begin In Historic Québec
(Québec
City, QUE - June 19, 2002) In the setting of one of the most beautiful,
historic, and Roman Catholic cities in North America, the Unitarian
Universalist Association's pre-General Assembly activities have begun.
The UU Ministers Association's Professional Days began with a keynote
presentation this morning at the Hilton Hotel on "Transforming
Congregations by Engaging Identity-Based Conflict," presented by
Jay Rothman and Randi Land. In afternoon sessions, the 600 ministers
in attendance participated in a variety of programs
and workshops which support continuing education of the UU professional
ministry.
Come
Thursday night, over 4,000 delegates from across the US, Canada, and
around the world will gather in Québec's state-of-the-art Centre
des Congres for the UUA's opening celebration. The site overlooks the
historic Plains of Abraham where in 1759 British forces under the command
of General James Wolfe defeated French forces under the command General
Montcalm, thereby changing the course of North American history.
The site of this General
Assembly, while lacking a resident UU congregation (the closest congregation
is in Montreal), has a unique history. Québec's first inhabitants
were Inuit people who migrated from Asia thousands of years ago, before
the continents drifted apart. The first Europeans to visit the shores
of Québec's fertile St. Lawrence Gulf were Basque whalers and
cod fishermen. Commissioned by François I, the King of France,
the explorer Jacques Cartier landed in the Gaspé Peninsula in
1534. After Cartier claimed possession of this immense territory for
France, the European presence in 'New France' began to grow. In 1608,
Samuel
de Champlain anchored on the north shore of the St. Lawrence in
a place the Indians called Kébec. He founded a trading post on
the Place Royale, in what was to become Québec
City. Today, Québec is composed of 20 distinct tourist
regions which allow visitors to discover the diversity and cultural
richness of this beautiful province.
In
this beautiful and historic setting, UU Ministers' Professional Days
continue this evening and tomorrow, when a highlight of the UUMA Business
meeting will include a reflection on 25 years in the ministry from the
Rev. Jane Rzepka, Senior Minister of the Church of the Larger Fellowship.
On the afternoon of June 20, the Ministerial Conference at Berry Street
will feature an address by the Rev. Roberta Nelson, one of the UUA's
leading ministers of religious education. Opening ceremonies for General
Assembly begin Thursday evening at 7:30 PM with a celebration and plenary
session in the Centre des Congres.
For complete coverage of
General Assembly 2002, watch for continuing
updates on uua.org, featuring live streaming video of the Service of
the Living Tradition and Sunday Plenary session, beginning Sunday, June
23, at 10:00 AM EDT.
Reporter
and Photographer Deborah Weiner; Web Designer Julie Albanese
