Unitarian Universalist Growth, Outreach & Media
The UUA’s Commission on Appraisal (COA) has shared a newsflash via their Facebook page. Facing an 85% funding cut, the COA will, according to this communication, not be able to fulfill its mission.
I don’t know how the UUA Board’s move toward a policy governance model impacts the COA. Can it fulfill its mission on a $5,000 funding level? Do we still need the COA? What do you think?
You can find links to previous COA reports here.
Following guest preaching this past Sunday I talked with a lay leader who asked if I still “do small group ministry.”
Answer? Absolutely!
If you didn’t know I co-founded the UU Small Group Ministry Network and have been consulting on this topic since I launched the smallgroupministry.net website in 2001.
I still consult with congregations. I still guest preach on the topic. When asked, I lead trainings, be it for an individual congregation, cluster or district. The big difference is that it is now just one facet of my growth consulting work.
Which leads me to the question, what do you think of a small group ministry / covenant group webinar series?
With webinars open to people across the UUA I suspect it would be easy enough to fill, especially given my webinars have ~ 20 seats total.
If you’d be interested in a small group ministry webinar (or webinar series), will you take 10 seconds and let me know. Use this form and tell me what topics you’re interested, what challenges or issues you’d like discussed. Anything to help me assess the need and interest.
Thanks!
Peter
On Twitter, when the system has more requests than it can handle, an image is displayed of a giant white whale being carried by a bunch of little birds. Every time I see it I wonder what it would be like if our congregations and/or ministers could somehow display a similar over capacity warning.
Update: Lots of possible captions for this one. As one comment notes, its not all about staff. We need volunteers. And we also need a sense of purpose. We need passion, humor, accountability and on and on… Below is a blank you can download (as someone has already requested). Any caption ideas?
Click to open image file
Friends, registration is now open for the Mass Bay District’s Spring Conference. Theme, “Using Social Media to Fuel Congregational Mission.” Hope to see you there! — Peter
Location: First Parish Church of Weston
Date: Saturday, May 1, 2010
Time: 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Cost: $35 (early bird special by April 11); after that $45
Read full event description and register via the Mass Bay District website.
This dizzying array of social media is the cutting edge of communications in our 21st century culture, especially for youth and young adults. And yet we grapple with how to lasso this technology to serve the mission of our Unitarian Universalist faith and the purpose of our congregations.
MBD’s Spring Conference will introduce participants to a host of new technology and expand our imagination about how to use social media to support our faith. We’ll identify and reflect on the potential and limitations of social media to nurture spiritual depth, faith development, and community building, and we’ll explore the theological and ethical implications of this media.
Featuring presentations and leadership from Shelby Meyerhoff (UUA Public Witness Specialist) and Peter Bowden (Ballou Channing District Growth Consultant), both experts in new technology and its theological implications.
Workshops to discuss the ethical and operational issues that arise when using social media in particular roles for ministers, DREs, youth workers, and lay leaders.
Today the people from “FRESH” a new documentary exploring related issues contacted me to see if I could help spread the word about their film. Love to!
FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.
Friends, the following is from Erik Wikstrom, Worship and Music Resources Director for the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. Erik and I have been in dialog about worship excellence as a foundational growth strategy. Thanks Erik!
I am very excited to announce four new resources pages on the UUA’s WorshipWeb!
The first two are additions to the current Music Module. You can now find a listing of songbooks and other musical resources that are in use in a number of our congregations, along with purchase information! This will greatly increase the repertoire of any congregation that is looking for something to sing beyond the “official” hymnals.
The other music related resources is a compilation of articles that have appeared in the wonderful InterConnections over the year with a focus on
music ministries. You can find this very informative list at
There is also a new module dedicated to resources supporting Multigenerational Worship.
As always, if there are resources that you feel particularly in need of, or if there are resources you have that you feel you could share with
others, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.
Virtually all of our resources have come from congregations to be shared with congregations! Keep the good works coming.
Yours,
Erik Walker Wikstrom
Worship and Music Resources Director for the
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
(617) 948-6428
Friends,
I need to start shaping the focus of the April webinar with Michael Durall, author of the Almost Church series. The general topic we will be discussing is the health, growth and future of Unitarian Universalism.
Given how short our time with Michael is, I’d love to know what topics you are interested in. Are there specific ideas from his books, consulting, etc… you’d like us to discuss? Let me know by commenting on this post or by emailing me at peter@uuplanet.com with the subject “Topics for April MD Webinar.”
I’ll be speaking with Michael shortly about this. Nice to have your input.
Format: Webinar
Date: April 20th
Time: 7:30pm – 9pm EST
Cost: $12 (online registration fee included)
Details & Registration: Register online here
Transforming our Prejudices – A Sensitivity Workshop
Channing Memorial Church, 135 Pelham St, Newport
Saturday, April 3, 2010
10:30am – 3pm. Channing Church Parish Hall
Google Map to Channing Church
The Channing Church Interweave group will be hosting a Sensitivity Workshop on Saturday, April 3rd. Open seats for this workshop have now been made available to participants from other congregations. Donation is $10. Seating is limited. If you are interested in attending, please email Lee Whittaker at interweave@channingchurch.org to let them know how many will be attending. You may pay at the door.
Workshop Description:
Unitarian Universalism calls us towards cherishing a pluralistic world, a world in which difference is honored and celebrated rather than tolerated. Like the process of cutting and polishing stone, learning to appreciate rather than accept differences in race, ethnicity, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, and class can be challenging. This workshop will give participants opportunities to do personal work on internalized and external oppressions as well as provide concrete ways to bring new learnings and tools into everyday life.
Barb Greve graduated for Starr King School for the Ministry in 2007 and currently serves as the interim director of religious education for the First Unitarian Society of Newton, MA. Barb was a Program Associate for the Office of GLBT Concerns from 1995-2005. In that time he preached and ran workshops on issues of race, gender identity, sexual orientation and ability. He collaborated on the UUAs 2nd edition of the Welcoming Congregation Handbook and co-authored Living the Welcoming Congregation.
The remaining seats that had been on reserve for my district have been released. As of this post there are 2 left, open to UUs from any UUA district.
Order now at http://bcduua-webinar02.eventbrite.com/
The web has exploded and social media is changing how people relate and communicate on a daily business. Social media tools are creating new opportunities and challenges for our congregations.
While web based communication tools such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube can enhance our ministry and communications, one problem is that they can consume massive amounts of time. What’s a congregation with limited volunteer and staff time to do?
This webinar presentation and Q & A session we will explore ways to integrate social media tools so content is automatically passed from one tool another. Starting with a traditional monthly newsletter content, participants will be shown how announcements can be shared via a blog format (for fee) and be set up to automatically be shared via a Facebook page, sent out as a “tweet” on Twitter, and displayed on a congregation’s website.
This just in via Shelby Meyerhoff and the UUA’s new media discussion list:
The Unitarian Universalist Association and President Peter Morales are pleased to present a new video series, “A Religion for Our Time.” These short videos will highlight inspiring work in Unitarian Universalist congregations, including innovative projects relating to worship, religious education, social justice, membership, and fellowship.
The first episode is now available and features the Ogden OUTreach Center, the UU Church of Ogden’s drop-in program for bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender youth and young adults. Please share the news about this exciting series and watch for new installments to be released every couple of weeks between now and General Assembly. Join in recognizing and celebrating Unitarian Universalist congregations as they build “A Religion for Our Time.”
Recent Comments