Candidate Statement

Why I am Running for Election   

I am feeling called to this role of Board Trustee for our Association by a large spectrum of our beloved community who are concerned about the erosion of our precious faith tradition.

I would be representing the heartland of our country to help deal with the sense of a lack of representation on this board, from all the different areas of the country. 

A growing number of members are concerned that our Unitarian Universalist principles and practices are being undermined. I believe Unitarian Universalism should be allowed to maintain its historic integrity and proceed along its progressive path. 

I acknowledge the desire of many, especially younger and/or marginalized-identifying members, to take our religion in a profoundly different direction. I believe this is the wrong approach. But we do not need to be antagonistic toward one another. UUs have always been welcoming of other perspectives and opinions. I would wholeheartedly support helping another branch of UUism to be formed, that is more attractive to the aforementioned folks, (Maybe named 21st Century UUs) if attempts to respectfully discuss differing positions continue to be thwarted.

Vote for me and allow me to help mitigate the conflict that has been growing between local congregations’ members and various identity groups.

My Position

The Unitarian Universalist ideals of  Reason, Tolerance, and Freedom are a magnificent bedrock for beloved Unitarian Universalist community.

With them, we have been able to achieve advances in many areas of justice-building and living in community over the past decades, and must always continue that process. This is not to say that we have reached the goals articulated in our Seven Principles. We will always be trying to improve situations for all living beings.

In recent years, I see these tenets being ignored and trampled-on by leaders at all levels of our religious structure. Our principles are not being adhered to, in many cases, when concerns with our leadership are expressed. Dissent and alternate views are being disallowed, as in the case of there being no Letters to the Editor allowed in the UU World Magazine any longer.

About Me

I have served as a UU congregational minister for the past eleven years, along with an active community ministry. I received my Master’s Degree from Meadville Lombard School of Theology, in Chicago, where my areas of specialization were Pastoral Counseling and Worship Arts. I have served on the board of the UU Multiracial Unity Action Council for three years, and am the co-chair of the Religious Professionals task force.

I grew up in Modesto, CA, as a Church of the Brethren pacifist, and have taken training for non-violent resistance. I participated in marches for anti-nuclear weapons proliferation, Climate Concerns in D.C. in 2013, the National Women’s March in 2017; and a Poor People’s Campaign march in 2021.

I served on the board, was a youth group advisor and directed the choir at my denomination's local church when I moved to Indiana thirty years ago. After growing impatient with the slow pace of instituting gay rights and diverse liberal religious thought, I changed my affiliation when I found a home with the Lafayette UU Church. There I served as Choir Director, Religious Education teacher, Ministerial Committee member and chair, and President of the Board, before deciding to attend UU Seminary.

Credentialed in Music and Consumer & Family Science, I taught in California, Oregon, and Indiana. I worked as a college academic advisor, and spent ten years as a counselor/academic advisor and ESL instructor at a state Adult Education Program, working with immigrants and young people to gain their U.S. citizenship and High School Equivalency Diplomas.

I am active in my rural community, serving on several boards, and volunteered three years as a “Big Sister” to a young teen mother.

I also worked for a number of years in retail management and am now the owner/host of an historic B&B. I love music making, gardening, reading, quilting, and other creative arts. With husband, Carl, I enjoy visiting our daughter, in Denver, and son, close-by in Indiana. 

Attend a "Meet the Candidate" Townhall Meeting

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Contribute to my campaign

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Who is Beverly Seese?

 Who is Beverly Seese?

I have served as a UU congregational minister for the past eleven years, along with an active community ministry. I received her Master’s Degree from Meadville Lombard where my areas of specialization were Pastoral Counseling and Worship Arts.

I grew up in Modesto, CA, as a Church of the Brethren pacifist, and have taken training for non-violent resistance. I participated in marches for anti-nuclear weapons proliferation, Climate Justie in D. C., the National Women’s March in 2017; and a Poor People’s Campaign march in 2021. 

I served on the board, was a youth group advisor and directed the choir at my denomination's local church when I moved to Delphi, Indiana, thirty years ago, my husband's home town. 

I grew impatient with the slow pace of instituting gay rights and diverse liberal religious thought, and changed my affiliation when I found a home with the Lafayette UU Church. There I served as Choir Director, Religious Education teacher, Ministerial Committee member and chair, and President of the Board, before going to seminary.

Credentialed in Music and Consumer & Family Science, I taught in California, Oregon, and Indiana. I worked as a college academic advisor, and spent ten years as a counselor/academic advisor and ESL instructor at a state Adult Education Program, working with immigrants and young people to gain their U.S. citizenship and High School Equivalency Diplomas. 

I am active in my rural community, serving on several boards, and I volunteered three years as a “Big Sister” to a young teen mother.

I also worked for a number of years in retail management and am now the owner/host of an historic B&B. I love music making, gardening, reading, quilting, and other creative arts. With my husband, Carl, we enjoy visiting our daughter, in Denver, and son, close-by in Indiana. 

Why am I Running?

I am feeling called to this role of Board Trustee for our Association by a large spectrum of our beloved community who are concerned about the erosion of our precious faith tradition.

I would be representing the heartland of our country to help deal with the sense of a lack of representation on this board, from all the different areas of the country. 

A growing number of members are concerned that our Unitarian Universalist principles and practices are being undermined. I believe Unitarian Universalism should be allowed to maintain its historic integrity and proceed along its progressive path. 

I acknowledge the desire of many, especially younger and/or marginalized-identifying members, to take our religion in a profoundly different direction. I believe this is the wrong approach. But we do not need to be antagonistic toward one another. UUs have always been welcoming of other perspectives and opinions. I would wholeheartedly support helping another branch of UUism to be formed, that is more attractive to the aforementioned folks, (Maybe named 21st Century UUs) if attempts to respectfully discuss differing positions continue to be thwarted.

Vote for me and allow me to help mitigate the conflict that has been growing between local congregations’ members and various identity groups.

Since the national divisions highlighted by the 2020 campaign and elections, I have had as my personal mission, to work at bringing people back together. This is needed throughout our communities and within our congregations.      

Beverly's Community Ministry Activities

•  Volunteer each Spring at “Carroll County Senior and Family Services Center” to figure taxes for low-income clients.

• Make clothing alterations for senior citizens at affordable prices.

• Drive senior citizens, who live at the County Home and have no supporting family, to shopping and appointments when needed.

• Volunteer as Power-of-Attorney for a local senior citizen.

• Volunteer at “Historic Wabash and Erie Canal Park” to maintain the property and help educate visitors about the people and their lives during the Canal Era.

• Volunteer at our local, nonprofit “Performing Arts Center” when ushers are needed and cleaning help is needed.

• Participate in Social Justice marches and demonstrations.

• Volunteered with “Big Brothers, Big Sisters” for three years with a young teen-mother.

• Organize outdoor activities for neighborhood, home-schooled children.

• Participate in community trash clean-up activities.

• Help with ESL classes for immigrants.

• Member of “Grace Relations” a Kokomo multi-denominational ministers’ group working together toward multiracial unity.

• As a Community Service, I provide housing at my Bed & Breakfast for affordable prices or just a donation when needed.

My Position

“A member wondered if I am advancing a new vs old UU approach to the stresses we all see within our denomination. 

 

I am not promoting a "divorce" between new and old approaches in the Unitarian Universalist Association. 

I am a progressive; I want us to continue to improve the ways we interact with other UUs and with all the people in our communities and the world. I maintain strong respect for and value our Liberal Religion. (See sermon by Rev. Rick Hoyt McDaniels)

Unitarian Universalism is a liberal religion, not because of our progressive politics but because of our commitment to the ideals of liberalism. Liberalism in the classic sense is not an ideology, but a method for resolving conflict, gaining knowledge, and advancing toward truth. Our liberal approach to religion and to all that concerns us as religious people is a precious inheritance. Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels

 

But some of the spokespersons of the new approaches do not seem concerned with adhering to our UU principles, not to mention appropriate civil discourse.                    

 

Civil discourse is engagement in conversation intended to enhance understanding;

• It is discourse that "supports, rather than undermines the social good.

• Civil discourse has also been defined as "robust, honest, frank and constructive dialogue and deliberation that seeks to advance the public interest by an assortment of national leaders in 2011 during a conversation at the U.S. Supreme Court. 

• Uncivil discourse is "language characterized as containing direct insults, willful misattribution of motive without due reason, and open contempt".

I have observed over the last few years: 

• Increasing intolerance of some participants' dissenting voices in National Zoom meetings while accepting crude and derogatory language from those hosting the meetings, 

• Deletion of all "Letters to the Editor" in the UU World (Is someone afraid of criticism?), 

• Condemnation of carefully thought out books and pamphlets written by ministers and other leaders in our association, slander and threats of de-fellowshipping of ministers and other leaders for disagreeing with controversial actions and statements of our UUA Leadership.

I believe, that such a destructive divide has developed between these perspectives of our religious community, that it is not wise to continue butting heads over different approaches.  Too much harm is being done to all members and all our congregations and to UUA standing in the wider religious world. 

It seems more productive to take some sort of "trial separation" where the opposing sides set up different leadership bodies and stop hurting one another with their accusations. There needs to be a time for healing and then counseling for the estranged parties.

Newsletter Insert

Dear Newsletter Editor,

We, Rebecca Mattis and Beverly Seese, are requesting that you publish the announcement below in your congregational newsletter to inform your members and General Assembly delegates that there is an actual election for UUA Board members at this year’s Portland General Assembly. This election is required since we petitioned to have our names placed on the ballot to provide delegates an opportunity to participate in the selection of our UU leaders.

Announcement of Elections at General Assembly 

At this year’s General Assembly in Portland, Oregon, delegates will be given the opportunity to vote on candidates to serve on the UUA Board of Trustees. We, Beverly Seese and Rebecca Mattis, petitioned to be placed on the ballot providing delegates an actual choice of who will serve as future UU leaders.

Please visit our personal campaign websites, BeverlySeeseUU.Blogspot.com and RebeecaMattisUU.Blogstop.com to learn about our backgrounds and campaign platforms.

We have arranged to hold three Meet the Candidates Townhall forums on May 18, May 25, and June 2, at 7:00 central time.  Details can be found on our campaign websites. 

Delegate voting opens June 1.  We encourage you to become informed voters and live into our Fifth Principle, the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.

Donate to Campaign

Contribute to my Candidacy

I welcome any financial contribution you can make to my campaign.  Numerous expenses are incurred running as a candidate for a UUA Board of Trustee position including travel, purchase of a booth, and production of campaign literature. No contribution is too small.

Please use the Contact Me feature on this website to send me an email. I will share my mailing address and other details for contributing. 

Your support enables us to live into our Fifth Principle, the right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.

Meet the Candidate Townhall Meetings

Meet the Candidate Townhall Meetings 

Three joint Meet the Candidate Townhall meetings with Beverly and Rebecca have been scheduled to allow you to learn why we placed our names on the ballot to be UUA Board of Trustee members.  These are interactive Zoom sessions designed so you can directly ask us questions, share your comments, and interact with us.  

Pre-registration is required.

Please see the dates and links below to register for Meet the Candidate Townhall meetings.

• May 18, 2022, 8:00 PM Eastern, 7:00 PM Central, 6:00 PM Mountain, 5:00 PM Pacific, Register

• May 25, 2022, 8:00 PM Eastern, 7:00 PM Central, 6:00 PM Mountain, 5:00 PM Pacific, Register

• June 2, 2022, 8:00 PM Eastern, 7:00 PM Central, 6:00 PM Mountain, 5:00 PM Pacific, Register