Now's the Time . . .

. . . to update membership rolls with names of those who have joined your congregation in the past year and to delete names of those you've dropped from membership. Send both sets of names, with addresses, plus your congregation's identification number (see the UUA directory in your congregation's office) to circulation@uua.org or UU World Circulation, 25 Beacon St., Boston, MA 02108. UU World is sent free to those who are voting members of congregations.

. . . to develop a plan to check in on folks whose connection with the congregation is a little tenuous. Give them personal invitations to events or pair them up with a member who might invite them to dinner or bring them to a congregational event.

UUA Information Update

The Annual Congregational Contact Information sheet that updates contact information for the UUA Directory and InterConnections is mailed to each congregation at the time of its reported annual meeting or election. Look for the orange 8.5 x 11 envelope. Please fill out the forms and return them in the envelope provided. Questions? Contact Sarah Lawrence Chapman.

Religious Education Credentialing Program Accepting Applications

The UUA's new Religious Education Credentialing Program opened for applications on June 1, replacing the RE Leadership Landscape Options Program. The credentialing program is for lay educators who are committed to UU religious education as a career and desire professional development, recognition, and standards, but do not feel called to ordained ministry. Participants may achieve status at three levels, based on academic achievement, knowledge of lifespan religious education, and length of experience. A participant may enter the program at any level.

Level One Religious Educator status is for those in the beginning stages of an RE career in a paid position of at least two years duration at at least quarter-time or equivalent, with a basic knowledge of and training in religious education.

Level Two Religious Educator status is for those in the beginning or middle stages of an RE career in a paid position of at least two years duration at at least half-time or equivalent, with a working knowledge of religious education and a bachelor's degree or equivalent.

Credentialed Religious Educator status is for those more advanced in RE careers in a paid position of at least three years duration at at least half-time or equivalent, with a comprehensive knowledge of religious education, at least a master's degree or equivalent, and graduate-level academic credit in specific subject areas pertinent to UU religious education leadership.

For more information, go to the UUA's Ministerial Credentialing webpage or contact Emily Farbman, RE Credentialing Assistant at (617) 948-6418, or Beth Williams, RE Credentialing Director at (617) 948-6417.

New Antiracism Book Of Essays Available

Soul Work: Antiracist Theologies in Dialogue, a new book of essays, is available at the UUA Bookstore. Congregations may find it useful for book discussion groups, social justice or antiracism groups, adult education courses, and Sunday programs.

Soul Work includes papers and discussion transcripts from the UUA Consultation on Theology and Racism held in Boston in January 2001. The papers address such questions as: What theological or philosophical beliefs bind us together in our shared struggle against racism? What are the costs of racism, both for the oppressors and the oppressed?

Contributors to the book include UU ministers Rosemary Bray McNatt, Gary Smith, Thandeka, Rebecca Parker, Paul Rasor, William R. Jones, and Patricia Jimenez. The book was edited by Rev. Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley, adult programs director for the UUA, and Nancy Palmer Jones, a ministerial intern.

Soul Work (Skinner House, 2002) UUA Bookstore #4080, $20, 800-215-9076.

San Diego Book Club Boosts Beacon Titles

A Beacon Press Book Club has been formed at the First UU Church of San Diego, Calif. After Benita Berkson learned at General Assembly last year that the UUA-affiliated publisher was suffering financial difficulties, she and her partner Barbara Davenport gathered several other people and founded the book club. The club, which attracts 8 to 11 people each time it meets, chooses a Beacon book every two months for discussion. Davenport said First UU members bought about 15 copies of each of the first two selections. Davenport encourages other congregations to form their own clubs: "That number, multiplied by four meetings in a year, multiplied by hundreds of congregations, would begin to make a dent in Beacon's budget problems."

'Killer Phrases' Kill Spirit, Incentive

The Rev. Sue Turner, interim minister at Atkinson Memorial Church UU, Oregon City, Oreg., cautions against using two "killer phrases" in our congregations. The first is "It's just easier for me to do it myself." The second is "We've always done it this way before."

When she hears the first phrase, "I start to worry about the impact of that attitude on [the person's] spiritual health. Soon burnout will appear in a grumpy attitude or an unwillingness to participate and the church's contribution to their spiritual life will be diminished. There are not very many things in any congregation that are better done 'all by myself.'"

When she hears the second phrase, "I know that in that particular conversation creative ideas will stop flowing. Who among us is going to keep trying when our best effort of the moment is met with a bucket of cold water?"

She adds, "Both of these killer phrases lead to stagnation and poverty of opportunity for creative interchange. Ask yourself, 'How can I say what I mean in a way that will encourage the creativity that is possible?'"

Geographically Diverse UUs at Home with CLF

If friends or members of your congregation are moving out of your area and away from proximity to a UU congregation, tell them about the Church of the Larger Fellowship.

The CLF, with 3,240 members, is the UUA's largest congregation. It serves its members by mail and by e-mail with regular information, including a monthly newsletter, sermons, the children's magazine uu&me, and religious education resources for parents. It also has e-mail lists and online covenant groups (small group ministry groups) to help connect people who are geographically separated.

CLF is for UUs living abroad or who are disabled, incarcerated, or otherwise isolated. It also provides a "Church on Loan" lending library with worship materials for small UU groups. For more information visit the Church of the Larger Fellowship webpage or call (617) 948-6166.

War, Civil Liberties, Military Resources Available on Web Sites

The UUA website has an extensive array of resources about the war in Iraq and its aftermath, including a bulletin board to share feelings, materials to support UUs in the military and their families, conscientious objector information, resources for worship services and religious education, and pastoral letters.