UUA Congregational Services
Extension Education and Research
Presents

Conference Program Highlights

Theme Presenter

Worship

Worship Service, Full Text, 11/2/01

"It Only Adds," sermon from Worship Service 11/3/01
by the Reverend Dr. Lee Barker

Worship Service, 11/4/01
The Rev. Dr. Marilyn Sewell, Senior Minister
The Rev. William G. Sinkford, Guest Preacher

Workshops

The Revs. Bill and Barbara Hamilton-Holway, co-ministers of the Berkeley, CA congregation, attended the conference with a congregational team.

SERIES I:

 

A "Our Way of Spirit"
Given the acknowledgment of the diversity of religion experience and orientation among us, what unifies us is religious community? "Our Way of the Spirit" is an exploration of basic themes in liberal religion as expressed by significant historical voices, stories from other traditions, contemporary thought and personal experience.
Martin and Ellen Gunderson of Unity Church-Unitarian in St. Paul, MN.

I B "The Large Church as A Civic Institution"
This workshop makes the case that large churches can and should be a powerful influence for justice work in the large community, witnessing as no smaller church can and mobilizing support for crucial issues.
Rev. Marilyn Sewell is the Senior Minister at First Unitarian Church of Portland, OR.

I C "Lost In the Crowd: The Challenge of Welcoming Newcomers"
How can we change the unintentional, though prevalent, behavior of not engaging with and sometimes even overlooking the visitors to our large congregations? In this workshop, we share tried-and-true program ideas that address this dilemma, and, brainstorm fresh ideas to put to use.
Craig Towers, Membership Coordinator, Susan Jackson, Membership Coordinator, Wendy Rankin, Membership Committee Co-Chair, Don Welty, Membership Committee Co-Chair, all are from First Unitarian Portland.

I D "Stewardship Models for Large Congregations"
What are some of the possibilities for fostering stewardship in our congregation? Representatives from three large UU congregations will present different annual stewardship campaign models. They will share their success stories and invite your comments, questions and suggestions. The workshop will be highly participatory, with lots of opportunity for interaction.
Wayne Clark, Director of Congregational Fundraising Services and Mary Miles, Annual Program Fund Director and a member of the Large Congregation Staff Team.

I E "Easing the Transition from Youth to Young Adult"
There is much we can do to 'ease the transition' and to ensure that our youth who graduate from youth programs (also known as "Bridgers") stay connected to their faith tradition. We look at ways to support young people within our religious movement through "A Pre-Bridging Track", followed by "A Bridging Ceremony" to "UU Backpacking: A Faith for the Road", a three part program designed for their faith Journey.
Young Adult/Campus Ministry Staff.

I F "Reaching Young Adults Through Contemporary Worship"
Speaker: Rev. Marlin Lavanhar

I G "Governance Models: A Panel"
Among the earliest and most dramatic changes that congregations face when they become large are those involving their system of governance. Lyle Schaller has observed that governance in large congregations often runs "counter to their own constitution or denominational polity." Is this necessarily so? How can we govern our congregations efficiently and effectively while remaining faithful to our tradition of congregational polity?
Janis Elliott is past moderator of the First Unitarian Church of Portland and a member of the UUA's Commission On Appraisal, Rev. Stefan Jonasson is Coordinator of Services for Large Congregations at the UUA.

I H " Visioning a New Lifespan Curriculum Series"
The UUA is preparing to develop a new, integrated curriculum for all ages in our congregations. Corn offer input regarding the visions, goals, content and processes that will address the religious education program needs of our large churches. All conferees are welcome.
Judith Frediani is Acting Director of Religious Education Department.

Members of the UUA District Staff gather at the Fifth Large Church Conference in Portland, OR.

SERIES II:

II A "The Gospel by Gossip: A Trickle-Up Practice"
Cultures of our churches are mostly identified through the leadership of ministers, boards, or committees. The "good news" of the story that the congregation has to tell reaches us vicariously or by secondhand means. In San Francisco, through Justice Associates in the congregation and Street Retreats in the city, the "word" spreads into the larger community and back into the congregation. The culture of a congregation changes when "people" cross a threshold into diversity by sharing stories of their common humanity.
Rev, Kay Jorgensen is the Social Justice Community Minster at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco.

II B "Taking Our Faith to the Market: Ways to Create Change in Our Membership Attraction Techniques"
Large churches usually are good at attracting, and then offering, programs that keep members and friends. But to stay large and dynamic in today's changing culture, it's important to understand how the church shopping population behaves and to employ some marketing techniques that can help you attract, and then keep, newcomers.
Debbie Weiner is Director of Electronic Communication at the UUA and a lifelong UU who has served as a lay leader in her congregation and district.

II C "Creating a Spiritual Growth Center"
Come hear the experiences of two congregations that have taken the initiative to create a center for spiritual growth and "connection" that serves the congregation and the larger community. The Wright Tavern Center for Spiritual Growth and the Lifelines Center are both efforts of two UU large congregations.
Caroline McCloy is Director of the Wright Tavern, Concord, MA.

Il D "Becoming A Young Adult Friendly Congregation"
What do Young Adults (ages 18-35) see when they enter your church for the first time? Are they immediately comfortable or do they feel like they are in alien territory? There is much you can do to create a space where Young Adults feel welcomed, valued and recognized.
Young Adult/Campus Ministry Staff

II E "A New Vision for the Large Congregation"
The Senior Ministers of Large UU Congregations have challenged large congregations and the UUA to "think bigger" by offering a bold new vision for the future direction of Unitarian Universalism. What is their "new vision" for our faith and just what difference would it make for us ...and the world?
Rev. Lee Barker is Senior Minister of Neighborhood UU Church in Pasadena, California, Rev. Laurel Hallman is Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Rev. Arvid Straube is Senior Minister of the Eno River UU Fellowship in Durham, North Carolina.

II F "An Executive Team Model"
In the tenth year of moving toward a policy/governance form Unity church instituted an Executive Team model. The two ministers, the Director of Administration and the Chair of the Development Ministry Team share executive authority. The model is a natural outgrowth of liberal theology and feminist values. The workshop grapples with the question of whether or not genuine collaborative leadership is possible in large churches.
Rev. Rob Eller-Isaacs and Rev. Janne Eller-Isaacs are CO-Ministers, Barbara Mubbard is the Director of Administration and Louise Wolfgramm is the Chair of Development of Unity Church - Unitarian, St. Paul, MN.

II H "Youth Programs in Large Churches"
How can you prepare for growth in your youth programs and what kind of staffing should you plan for? Come learn how to support ministry with youth in your congregation. We all want to have youth friendly congregations and this workshop will help learn how. Learn what training and resources are available for lay and professional staff.
Jennifer Devine is the Director of Youth Programs at the Unitarian Universalist Association.

The Rev. Thomas Disrud, Associate Minister of the First Church of Portland and the Rev. Marilyn Sewell, Senior Minister of the First Church of Portland, OR.

SERIES III:

III A "Large and New Congregations Together:
Large congregations have a potential to playa significant role in the formation and support of new
congregations. Presenters share models of the covenantal relationship between large churches and new congregations and highlight the resulting benefit for the large congregation as well as for our religious movement.
Bob Johnsen is Growth Consultant for the Joseph Priestley District and Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice of the Baltimore Washington Region; Rev. Stephan Papa is Senior Minister of Mainline Unitarian Church, Devon. P A.

III B "Public Pulpits"
To claim our power, to proclaim our vision, to transform our world: How would our congregations look, feel, be different if we really decided to do this? What stops us? How could we help one another to move forward?
Rev. William Sinkford is the President of the UUA

III C "The Glass Ceiling: Barriers to Growth in Large Congregations"
Few Unitarian Universalist congregations have ever broken the 1,500-member mark and none have managed to stay that large over time. What is the nature of the 'glass ceiling' that prevents our largest congregations from growing even larger? What would we need to do in order to break through this barrier?
Rev. Stefan Jonasson is Coordinator of Services for Large Congregations at the UUA.

III D "Global Warming/Green Sanctuary Program"
First Unitarian Church of Portland's response to global warming through its simple 1-2-3 action plans and green sanctuary program has educated the entire congregation. Over 500 congregants have enthusiastically taken action to take on the threat of climate change by reducing their consumption of fossil fuels and making the church environmentally friendly.
Rick North and Leslie Pohl-Kosbau are members of First Unitarian Church, Poland

III E "Campus Ministry"
College campuses teem with our UU students and those seeking a liberal religious community. You can create a campus ministry program that touches lives, deepens spirituality and ensures an ongoing connection to their faith traditions. Please join us as we share the tried and true wisdom of our Campus Ministry experience.
Young Adult/Campus Ministry Staff

III F "Community Building in Large Church Children and Youth Religious Education Programs"
This workshop is taught as an aid for leaders, advisors and teachers and will use theatrical improvisation as a base. The exercises and strategies help children, youth and their teacher or advisors communicate it an emotionally safe environment; establish and maintain trust; define behavioral objectives; share a vision and promote ownership of the vision of their program.
Dana Regan is Director of RE for Youth and Lynn Bacon is Director of RE for Children First at Unitarian Church, Portland.

III G "Sunday is for Company and the Impact of Institutional Changes on Large Congregations."
There are ten trends that are likely to shape institutional life in the next decade. One is "Sunday is for Company" meaning that the emphasis of Sunday morning worship is on communicating the gospel of liberal religion to unchurched newcomers. Another is "Get Small to Get Big" which recognizes that long term members will get their needs for intimacy and recognition met at other times during the week through small groups.
Rev. Suzanne Meyer is Associate Minister at UU Congregation of Atlanta where her ministry emphasizes adult religious education.