Now’s the Time . . .
  . . . to check on those folks you haven’t seen this fall. Some congregations have a practice of calling all members once or twice a year—not to ask for money or ask them to do anything, just to see how they are.
  . . . to select the team and plan the spring financial canvass.
  . . . to survey your buildings and property for any fire or accident hazards and review your plans for responding to emergencies. Make sure leaders and religious education personnel are aware of those procedures, including location of fire extinguishers and emergency exit plans.

Bylaw-Writing Guide Available
  An updated guide to writing congregational bylaws,Your Congregation’s Bylaws: A Guide to Effective Writing and Revising, can be found on the Web at www.uua.org/cde/education/congbylaws.html. It includes information and examples that will be useful to congregations of all sizes and stages of congregational life and development. The discussion text and examples will enable you to write, change, or expand your own bylaws.

Hard of Hearing Welcomed with Listening Devices
  Virtually every congregation has people who have difficulty hearing. Many congregations help them out with assistive listening devices and have posted signs indicating their availability.

  But if a visitor were to ask for a listening device on Sunday morning, would the ushers know where they are and how to use them? Are their batteries charged? Are there certain places in the room where they work better than other places?

  There are three types of assistive listening systems: induction loop, FM, and infrared. For more information about them and other ways to be welcoming to people who are hard of hearing, request One Voice: Hearing Accessibility Handbook, A Guide for Congregations, created by Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People, Rochester, N.Y. The guide can be obtained on the Web at www.shhh-rochester-ny.org/onevoice.htm.

  Other ways to be welcoming:
  Always use the microphone so that everyone can hear. Speak slowly and distinctly and project your voice. Since people who are hard of hearing often speech read, do not position the microphone directly in front of your mouth. Wireless lapel microphones are a good alternative.

  Information on a broad range of accessibility issues is available from Devorah Greenstein, the UUA’s accessibilities program associate, at dgreenstein@uua.org, www.uua.org/programs/justice/accessibility or 617-948-6451.

UU World in Advance
  UU World is helping religious educators use the magazine more effectively by sending an e-mail announcement previewing the next issue just before it arrives. To receive the preview sign up at www.uua.org/mailman/listinfo/uuworld.

Newsletter Addresses Small Congregations
  Small Talk, a monthly four-page newsletter of tips and information for small congregations (under 150 members), has been developed by the Rev. Jane Dwinell, small church specialist on the staff of the Northeast District. Design editor is Dana Dwinell-Yardley.

  Topics have included the importance of keeping track of attendance numbers, when to hire an administrator, whether and how to grow, and making your congregation more visible with signage.

  The newsletter, begun in December 2003, is free if received by e-mail. Paper subscriptions are $10 for those without e-mail. “There was nothing like this newsletter,” said Dwinell. “The response has been incredible.” More than 90 people are subscribed outside of the Northeast District (140 total). Intended at first for congregations in the Northeast District, it is now available to small congregations anywhere. Dwinell will also visit other districts for consultations if they will pay her expenses.

  There is also a Small Talk e-mail chat list available at www.uua.org/lists for lay leaders, directors of religious education, ministers, and musicians in small congregations.

  Contact Small Talk at sky@vtlink.net. Dwinell can also be contacted at 802-229-4008 or 1 Liberty St., Montpelier VT 05602.

One-Stop Justice Site
  Get information on all of the UUA’s social justice programs and services now available at one site www.uua.org/justice.

Twelve Hallmarks Of Healthy Congregations
  A healthy congregation has 12 characteristics, says the Rev. Tom Owen-Towle in his new book, Growing a Beloved Community: Twelve Hallmarks of a Healthy Congregation, (Skinner House, 2004) #7026 $14 from the UUA Bookstore, 800-215-9076, www.uua.org/bookstore.

  Characteristics that congregations might want to cultivate include the following, says Owen-Towle:
• Occupy holy ground—a church is not a social club but rather a place where people are called out of their daily routines for a sacred purpose.
• Welcome all souls—offer an open door to everyone, then lovingly attend to those who choose to stay.
• Give everyone a voice—democracy requires sharing power.
• Encourage unity amidst diversity—be diverse without becoming divided.
• Balance justice and joy—do good works, but take time for fun as well.
• Spread our good news—communicate our faith.
• Practice respect—of each other.
• Nurture stewards—the people who keep their religious community spiritually, financially, and programmatically afloat.
• Keep journeying—resist the temptation to get too comfortable.

  In conclusion, Owen-Towle notes, “Vigorous, thriving congregations exude an inner and outer sense of balance, proportion, and comeliness.”

Church Volunteers: What They Want
  The following suggestions were taken from a workshop presented at General Assembly 2004 in Long Beach, Calif., by Wayne Clark, UUA director of Congregational Fundraising Services:
• To be carefully interviewed and appropriately matched to a meaningful role.
• To receive training and supervision to enable them to be successful in their role.
• To receive recognition in a way that is meaningful to them.
• To be regarded as persons of uniqueness; more than just a body in a chair.
• To be accepted as a valuable member of a team.

Prevent Electrical Fires With Inspections, Care
  The most common cause of fires in church buildings is electrical, says Church Mutual, the insurance company that insures a majority of UU congregations. Electrical fires can be caused by faulty wiring, electrical arcs, and overloaded circuits. The wiring in many older buildings is not adequate for loads such as computers, air conditioners, organs, sound systems, and other equipment.

Church Mutual has the following recommendations:
• Prevent electrical fires by having building wiring inspected by a qualified contractor, not overloading circuits, and turning off equipment when not in use.
• Inform the whole congregation about the danger of fire.
• Do a quick inspection of your building monthly, looking for places where fires might start.
For tips on other risks that congregations face, visit the Church Mutual Web site at www.churchmutual.com.

Join Election Efforts During Late October
  In the two weeks preceding the November 2 election many UU congregations are joining with the Interfaith Alliance Foundation and Faithful Democracy, two groups the UUA is partnered with, to participate in nonpartisan election-related activities, including offering rides to the polls, reminding members of the congregation to vote, providing childcare so that parents can vote, helping people who qualify to vote early, and putting reminders to vote on your congregation’s street sign.

For more information see www.uua.org/news/2004/voting/index.html.

Strategic Planning Book
  A new book, Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations, helps congregations do strategic planning in a way that is theologically based and congregationally oriented rather than based on a corporate management style. Written by Gil Rendle and Alice Mann of the Alban Institute and available at the UUA Bookstore, www.uua.org/bookstore or 800-215-9076, #7173 $25.

How to Build a Music Ministry
From Ken Langer, director of music and arts, Eno River UU Fellowship, Durham, N.C., writing in the Spring 2004 issue of UU Musicians Network Notes newsletter.
• Choose good music and do it well.
• Treat the choir as another small group whose members care for each other.
• Do more than sing––talk about the music with the congregation, making a connection between the music and the theme of the service.
• Provide music opportunities for people at all levels and skills, including children.
• Consistently spread the message to others, including the congregation and the music committee, that music is a ministry.
• Music in Our Congregations: Handbook for Staffing a Music Program in UU Congregations can be obtained for $5 (free to UUMN members) from UUMN Services, 2208 Henery Tuckers Ct., Charlotte NC 28270. Enclose a self-addressed 6.5 x 9.5 envelope and 83 cents postage.

For additional music information, visit UUMN’s Web site at www.uua.org/uumn.

Update on Small Group Ministry
About two-thirds of UU congregations are now doing some form of small group ministry/covenant groups, a concept introduced only a few years ago. About 1,000 people are subscribed to the monthly Covenant Group News e-mail list, www.uua.org/lists, which includes small group resources and advice. The list is open to leaders of small group programs.

Interconnections Resources
InterConnections Resources is a Web site created by the UUA’s Office of Lay Leadership Development to help you find answers to questions about leadership issues and resources. It’s at www.uua.org/programs/layleader and has four parts: Quickstart (for immediate answers); Events for Leadership (conferences, workshops, etc.); FAQ (answers to more than 100 frequently asked questions); InterConnections (back copies of the newsletter).