Quest Information

• Advocacy in Quest
• RE-Quest
• Editor's Wish List

Advocacy in Quest

An ad-hoc meeting was held July 21 to review some important Quest policies. I would like to use that occasion to remind readers and contributors that while Quest will report advocacy activities, it is not a forum for advocating. While this might seem to be a small distinction, it is an important one. As a principle, the principal purposes of Quest are to educate and inform.

During the meeting, several ideas were discussed that would provide a more extended format for discussion of social and other issues. Some of these included chat rooms, continuing the Hot Topics meetings, periodic fora for discussing controversial issues, and an occasional editorial page for Quest. While not all of these may be practical or possible, some might.

We have a wonderful newsletter that I eagerly look for in my (e-)mail box, and it’s the product of a lot of work by a lot of good folks – you! Let me know what you think!

RE-Quest

This newsletter Quest is as old as UUCR. Older than our church buildings, Quest began when the church began as the Rockville Unitarian Center, newly spun off from what is now Cedar Lane. Our first meeting place moved from Richard Montgomery High School to the West Rockville Elementary School. Our office was in first-staff-member Harriet Duncan’s West Montgomery Avenue house. From there, Quest operations moved to the basement of our new parsonage on Brice Road where Penny Watts, succeeded by Betty Prestemon, managed its production and distribution. Quest has always been written by dedicated professional member- editors. Production and publication technology was by ditto, mimeo, and xerox; layout by cut-and-paste.

Volunteers collated, folded, labeled, and stamped issues to be mailed to our ever growing list of readers. Almost fifty years and thousands of issues later, the system is more complex and sophisticated yet the volunteer operation is essentially the same (and still the best way to get to know UUCR and its people.). Folding Quest was my introduction to UCR in 1959.

Now twice monthly, Quest is one part of the Publicity/Communication arm of UUCR. Each issue reaches an audience far beyond our church members and friends, sent throughout the denomination... to GWA, JPD, the UUA and to many local churches and community-serving institutions via U.S. Mail, email, and website.

Quest guidelines and creative process remain simple. Quest advises members and friends of Sunday services and other activities and programs sponsored or supported by the church and the denomination. It is a medium for the church membership to share information and personal news of members and friends of interest or concern to the rest of the church community. Items published in Quest are limited to those inserted by church members and friends, committees, groups or organizations, and staff.

To communicate effectively, a newsletter should be easy-to-read and re- read. Submissions that are simple, well organized and un-crowded, written in brief, conversational paragraphs or 3-4 sentences for a total of under 200 words will read well and be better remembered. There should be a contributor’s byline. Submissions need not be formatted. Rotating editors collect items for each issue from e-mail or from a folder in the workroom by the deadline date. They edit for grammar and spelling, length, accuracy, style convention and duplication (see “Editors’ Wish List”). Edited copy is then forwarded to the Layout Editor who uses Adobe Pagemaker to format and arrange the articles. The copy is proofread, checked again, then printed and finally reproduced by the office administrative staff. The mailing volunteer team collates, folds, labels, and mails the issue.

Voilà! Volume XLVIII #20 appears!!!

Editors’ Wish List

Here are some wishes that I probably share with the other Quest editors, that will make their task easier:

Please give your article a title of your choice (the editors might tweak it), followed by your byline.

When e-mailing your article, rather than show “Quest article” as the message subject, please write your title, followed by “for Quest.” For instance, this article’s subject line would be: “Editors’ Wish List for Quest.” That would make double- checking sources and email inputs easier.

At the end of your article, please show your full name, phone number, and email address, formatted as you can see them in the Contacts Box. Having you provide your current and accurate info will help the editors compile the Contacts box and avoid transcript (or obsolete info) errors when retyping from another source. Note: Per Quest policy, that information is removed from the web version unless you specifically request otherwise.

And of course, an email-transmitted electronic file is preferable, rather than a written-on-paper article deposited in the lingering slot of the workroom at the church.

The editors’ team, including Desktop Publishers/Layout Editors serving as final Pagemakers, all aim to please and make your reading Quest an informative and UU-sharing experience.

Looking forward to read you in the next Quest issues!