Now's the Time . . .

. . . to begin cultivating candidates for the governing board and other leadership positions.

. . . to encourage the nominating and canvass committees to begin making preparations for the spring annual meeting and canvass drive.

. . . to remind members, with elections coming up, that churches are free to speak out on issues, but may not participate in political campaigns on behalf of or in opposition to candidates for public office.

. . . to call those friends and members you haven't seen this fall, and to invite them to specific events.

For more information see the January 2000 issue of InterConnections.

Small Groups on E-Mail

There is a new UUA-sponsored e-mail list for people involved in or interested in small-group ministry (also known as covenant groups). It offers an opportunity to share experiences, questions, comments, problems, innovations, and insights.

New Survey Reveals Information About Small Group Ministry

The burgeoning small-group ministry (SGM) movement within the UUA is thriving, but also experiencing some growing pains, according to the first-ever comprehensive assessment of it. A survey of congregations in the UUA's Northeast District, where former District Minister the Rev. Glenn Turner and the Rev. Calvin Dame, minister at the Augusta, Maine, UU Church, helped found the movement, shows that 17 congregations have organized small groups on the SGM program model.

Small-group ministry groups, also called covenant groups, meet once or twice a month for about two hours of personal sharing and discussion of a topic.

The survey, by the district's extension committee, found 59 groups with an average of 6.8 members per group.

The most successful programs happened when the minister was active and involved from the beginning. The date and time of a group's meetings were more important than geography in determining which group people chose to join.

No group had "birthed" a second group. Starting an entirely new group when there was sufficient demand was a more successful approach. And although all SGM groups are encouraged to have a co-leader, few in the Northeast study did.

Most congregations felt it was too early to say whether SGM had affected membership numbers. Most said the groups had made their communities more caring, increased intimacy, and helped integrate new folks. Dame added, "In my congregation we've had real growth in numbers, and it is commonly perceived that SGM is the engine of that growth.

Other findings:

• Groups organized by special interests were less successful than general interest groups.
• Having a "passionate champion" for SGM in a congregation is an important element in its success.
• Members of groups are encouraged to invite nonchurch friends as a way of introducing them to Unitarian Universalism.

New Folks Respond to Follow-Up by Coming Back

When leaders at the UU Church of Fresno, Calif., noticed that many visitors seemed to disappear after one or two visits and some new members lasted only a few months, they did something about it--instituting programs that boosted membership from 280 to 323 in two years.

"We found that new people didn't know how to get involved," says Lydia Flores, human resource committee chair. Mentors were assigned to new members, and a handbook was developed, telling new folk about church organization and activities. A new member potluck was added to orientation sessions. Those who join the church are surveyed after a few months to find out if they feel included, if they've found something to be involved in or need help with that, and if they have any questions.

A new committee, Contact Ministry, calls everyone in the church at least twice a year, asking about personal concerns--and not asking them to do anything. Small groups of ten or fewer people were formed on the covenant group model, and people were asked to make a six-month commitment to attending their twice-monthly group. "All of this has really increased our membership," says Flores. "We also have a minister [Rev. Brian D. Jessup] who is very outgoing and inclusive." Flores attended a Pacific Central District meeting and brought back information that led to creation of a churchwide database of personal information and interests, which has helped people get connected.

"All of this was a team effort," says Flores. "Our need created the necessity to do something. We communicated this need to others, and that moved them to help. The minister spoke about our concerns from the pulpit and helped move things along."

See InterConnections, January 2001, "Keeping Members Connected by Creating Small Groups." Subscribe to the Rev. Robert Hill's free Covenant Group News; download the Covenant Group Sourcebook at the Center for Community Values; or contact Lydia Flores (forever566@juno.com).

Gift Annuity Helps Congregations, UUA

Endowment committees should know that the UUA's Charitable Gift and Estate Planning staff offers free services to individuals who wish to make contributions to their congregations in the form of charitable gift annuities.

The annuities provide a fixed income to donors for a set number of years or until death, when the balance goes to the congregation. All donations are held by the UUA in a trust account at State Street Bank in Boston and are invested according to socially responsible principles. Donors are encouraged to donate at least a fourth of the annuity to the UUA.

Gift annuities appeal most to people over 75, says Marcy Bailey-Adams, UUA director of gift planning, because annuity payment rates are higher than income offered from other investments, the payments are reliable, and some of the payment is tax-free income.

To find out more, e-mail the office (giftplans@uua.org), or call (888) 792-5885 to obtain the new brochure, A Legacy of Hope, the UUA Charitable Gift Annuity. The Web site includes a gift calculator that will let you determine your rate of return.

Compensation Data Requested by UUA

Worksheets for the UUA's next survey of compensation patterns will be mailed to congregations in January. Congregational officers or staff are asked to fill out the worksheet, then enter the data electronically, e-mailing the data to the Office of Church Staff Finances. Only congregations unable to enter the information electronically should return the worksheets.

The information will be used by the UUA's Compensation, Benefits, and Pension Committee to recommend appropriate levels of compensation for ministers, educators, administrators, and musicians. The survey forms will be mailed in care of congregational presidents. Results will be available to congregations in June 2003.

View the UUA's chart of basic compensation ranges. For help with compensation issues, contact your district office. Most have compensation consultants available.

Joys and Concerns More Meaningful

When the joys and concerns part of the service at First Universalist Church, Rochester, N.Y. (131 members), began to take too long and was used improperly by some for announcements, the congregation and the Rev. George Tyger changed it.

The new ritual, called "the sacrament of joys and sorrows," utilizes a bowl of water, small stones, and a small statue of Kwan Yin, a female manifestation of the Buddha who personifies compassion.

As participants share a joy or a sorrow they drop a stone into the bowl of water (from the annual Waters of the World service). Those who do not wish to speak of their joy or sorrow are encouraged to participate in silence. A half-dozen or so people each week choose this option and that has permitted many more people to participate in this ritual than before.

"This has allowed people to share what is important in their lives, even when it is too difficult for them to verbalize," Tyger says. The change was introduced with a newsletter article and a sermon. Tyger periodically reminds people "gently and with care" what the time is for and what is not acceptable.

"The time is far more powerful with the new ritual and the silence rather than the expectation of a detailed accounting of what happened in peoples' lives," says Tyger.

For more information contact Tyger at (617) 546-2826 or read the Dec. 2, 2001, sermon.

Midsize Conference Coming to KC in March

The UUA's Midsize Church Conference, for leaders of congregations from 250 to 500 members, will be March 6-9, 2003, at All Souls UU Church, Kansas City, Mo. and the adjacent Marriott Country Club Plaza hotel. Watch the UUA Web site and InterConnections for details.

Ten Ways to Ensure Boy-Friendly RE Program

From the Spring 2002 issue of MaleCall, newsletter of the UU Men's Network:

• Recruit male teachers
• Plan at least one movement-oriented activity each week
• Hold at least one class session each month outside the classroom
• Create a mentor program in which each child has scheduled contact with a same-sex adult
• Create a rites-of-passage program for teens
• Put up a basketball hoop
• Hold at least one service each year that men and boys plan and execute
• Start a men's group
• Do a service project
• Remember that no attention is ever wasted on children and youth.

As part of a plan to revamp, enhance, and coordinate training opportunities available to lay leaders in congregations, Harlan Limpert joined the UUA staff in September in the newly created position of director of lay leadership development.

Limpert worked for the past seven years as director of corporate human resources at Target headquarters. He is president of the First Universalist Church, Minneapolis, Minn., and is a graduate of Starr King School for the Ministry. He will work in Boston for a period of time then move back and work out of his home in Minneapolis. Creation of his position is part of a general UUA staff reorganization that began to be implemented in July.

Personal Touch Works Best With Young Adults

Young adults connect best to congregations when they are personally invited to become involved, says Joseph Lyons, UUA campus and field coordinator. "This can be as simple as an e-mail, written note, or phone call. They may say no, and they may say yes, but at least they have the chance to decide and may have not had that chance before."

For more information on young adult ministry contact the Young Adult-Campus Ministry office (ya-cm@uua.org) at (617) 948-6463 or visit their Web site.

Save on GA 2003, Register Before Nov. 15

If you're planning to attend General Assembly 2003 in Boston, June 26-30, you can save money by registering by November 15.

Since the GA Office expects the number of registrants to be double normal attendance because of the Boston location, early registration is being encouraged with lower fees. Registration for full-time participants is $190 before Nov. 15. After that you'll have to wait until March 1 to register, when the fee will be $240.

The fee for youth (14-22), retired ministers and spouses, and theological students who wish to attend all of GA will be $105 before Nov. 15 and $130 after March 1.

Early registration is available only to those who are paying for full GA registrations. Those who wish to attend only part of GA must wait until March 1 to register.

Whether the Early Bird Registration Program will be continued in future years will depend on its success this year.

For details and registration forms go to the General Assembly page on the UUA Web site.

New Personnel Manual Ready for Congregations

A Personnel Policy Manual for UU Congregations has been created by the UUA Office of Church Staff Finances and is available for congregations.

The manual is not intended as a mandate for congregations. Instead, it is a resource that congregations can modify and adapt for their own purposes. The manual was prepared by Karin Wille, a UU layperson and former church officer who is a specialist in employment law.

Employment laws vary from state to state. Congregations are encouraged to have an attorney review their final product. The manual does not apply to ministers whose employment arrangements with congregations are covered by individual contracts.

You may also contact Joyce Stewart (jstewart@uua.org) at (617) 948-6421 for a copy by conventional mail. District compensation consultants also have copies.