Discussion List Created For Theological Diversity

A UUA-sponsored e-mail discussion list has been created for conversation about the Commission on Appraisal’s new report, Engaging Our Theological Diversity. The report concluded that an effort is needed to better articulate who we are as UUs and what commitments we share. It recommended that the UUA provide resources to help congregations develop theologically welcoming worship. Subscribe to the list at http://lists.uua.org/mailman/listinfo/theodiversity.

The report itself can be obtained from the UUA Bookstore, www.uua.org/bookstore or 800-215-9076.

GA 2006 in St. Louis

When making plans for GA 2006 in St. Louis remember there’s a change: It will run from Wednesday afternoon through Sunday rather than on the customary GA schedule of Thursday through Monday. Sessions are also being planned before GA for some leadership positions.

See the January issue of InterConnections for more information, or check www.uua.org/GA as GA approaches.

Best-selling Books at GA

Among the top selling books at General Assembly in June :

Singing the Journey. This supplement to the UU hymnal Singing the Living Tradition, was created by the UU Musicians Network and includes multicultural hymns, chants and songs in a myriad of musical styles. Details are at www.uua.org/publications/music. The Rev. Jason Shelton, a member of the supplement task force, cautions that it’s illegal to copy from a songbook and that a congregation should buy enough copies for the whole congregation. The supplement is $16 from the UUA Bookstore, #7409.

Engaging Our Theological Diversity, by the Commission on Appraisal, #7408, $14 (2005, UUA). In-depth commentary on the wide variety of UU theological beliefs and the ways this diversity is a source of enrichment and conflict. Probes the questions: What is at the center of our faith? What holds us together as a community?

The Safe Congregation Handbook, edited by Patricia Hoertdoerfer and Fredric Muir, #7413, $25 (2005, UUA). The handbook includes clear principles, policies, tools, and workshops for creating healthy boundaries in our congregations. Topics include antioppression work, youth safety and self-care programs.

Nurturing Children and Youth: A Developmental Guidebook, by Tracey L. Hurd, #7749, $15 (2005, UUA). A tool for understanding children and youth at each stage of development. Outlines typical progressions in physical, cognitive, social, emotional, moral, and spiritual development from infancy to early twenties. Hurd, a member of the UUA’s Lifespan Faith Development staff group, holds a Ph.D. in developmental psychology and an M.Ed. in child study.

Building Your Own Theology, Vol. 2, second edition, by Richard Gilbert, #1092, $16 (2005, UUA). Participants fully develop and articulate their own set of religious meanings, values and beliefs. This 10-session program includes essays for participants to read before meeting.

This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman, #6021, $20 (2005, Skinner House). A historical resource that marks the significant anniversaries and milestones in Unitarian and Universalist history for every day of the year. Spans 600 years of liberal religious tradition.

‘Love In the Face of Hate’ Video, Study Guide, Out

A Love Story—In the Face of Hate, a new 38-minute DVD about two women who shared 40 years of love then were forced to leave their home state of Virginia because of new homophobic laws, is available for classes and small groups. The DVD is available for loan from district offices and for sale ($15 plus shipping) from www.sumoe.com. A study guide, written by the Rev. Dorothy May Emerson, is free at www.uua.org/re/curriculum.

Phoenix to Host Midsize Congregation Conference

Make plans to attend the 2006 Midsize Congregation Conference March 2 to 5 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Phoenix. Estimated costs, including meals and programming, are $435 and $600 for double and single rooms. The conference is for leaders of congregations with 150 to 550 members.

The keynote speaker will be William Bridges, author of several books on change including, Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change. Find out more at www.wmbridges.com.

Saturday will include workshops on topics such as congregational growth, Web site development, media and press relations, congregational fundraising, safety and ethics, welcoming visitors and getting them to stay, and spiritual life and practices.

For more information go to www.uua.org/cde or contact Diane Martin, Congregational Services administrator, at dmartin@uua.org.

UU Congregations Turn To Policy Governance

More than 24 UU congregations have adopted a form of management called policy governance. At least 20 others are in the process of adopting or are considering adopting policy governance, according to a survey by the Rev. Margaret Keip, a UU minister who supports the practice.

Policy governance is a fundamental redesign of the role of a board. It calls on a board to focus on the organization’s vision and goals rather than on minutia. Policy governance also gives congregational staff more freedom in making decisions. The concept was developed and trademarked by business consultant John Carver over the past three decades. Various forms of policy governance have been adopted by public and nonprofit boards since then.

UU congregations that have adopted policy governance are in the following communities: Berkeley, Canoga Park, Oakland, San Diego, and San Francisco, Calif.; Denver, Colo.; West Hartford, Conn.; Washington, D.C.; Wilmington, Del.; Columbia, Md.; Bloomfield Hills and Midland, Mich.; St. Paul, Minn.; Lincoln, Neb.; Nashua, N.H.; Princeton, N.J.; Portland, Ore.; Devon and Harrisburg, Penn.; Dallas, Texas; Arlington and Oakton, Va.; Seattle and Spokane, Wash. Most are midsize to large congregations.

For more information go to www.uua.org/interconnections and search for policy governance.

UU American Roots Video Available from Tulsa Press

A new 10-segment video on Unitarian Universalism in North America, useful for UU orientation sessions, adult RE, coming of age, etc., is available from the Jenkin Lloyd Jones Press at All Souls Unitarian Church in Tulsa, Okla., as is a companion study guide.

The video segments include historic footage, discussion questions, interactive elements, and other resources to help educate UUs about the role their religious forebears played in American history and to lay a foundation for their current social justice work.

It is available on VHS for $65 or DVD for $75 at www.allsoulschurch.org. Both of these formats are 90 minutes long and include commentary from prominent UU ministers.

Information Technology Group Seeks Dialogue

A new UUA committee, Information Technology and Electronic Communication, would like to hear from lay leaders who have ideas about how technology might be used to improve communication among congregations.

The committee began soliciting feedback from congregational leaders at General Assembly and is asking all leaders to continue the dialogue with ITEC on its blog or by e-mail, both linked to this Web page, www.uua.org/administration/committees/itec/.

ITEC envisions electronic communication as increasingly important in seeking information, sharing data, organizing new congregations, and attracting visitors. It developed the following vision statement: “In six years, congregations and those who serve them will routinely collaborate over integrated easy-to-use channels that we build and maintain to grow healthy congregations that promote UU values in the world.”

Seventh Principle Group Adopts a New Name

The Seventh Principle Project has changed its name to the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth. Group leaders say the original name was confusing, especially to non-UUs who are not familiar with the seventh UU principle’s focus on environmentalism. The UU Ministry for Earth will continue its sponsorship of the Green Sanctuary program and other environmental activism.

Its new Web site can be found at www.uuministryforearth.org.

‘Breakthrough’ DVD, Drive Time CD Available

A DVD of presentations made at General Assembly by the four congregations that were designated breakthrough congregations by the UUA’s growth team is to be mailed in October to all congregational presidents.

The presidents will also be mailed a copy of Drive Time Essays, a CD with audio recordings of 21 short essays about issues affecting congregational life. The CD was also distributed at General Assembly.

The four congregations profiled on the DVD are the Quimper UU Fellowship, Port Townsend, Wash. (208 members); White Bear UU Church, Mahtomedi, Minn. (501 members); All Souls Church, Unitarian, Washington, D.C. (560 members), and First Unitarian Church of Dallas, Texas (967 members). All four have overcome barriers to achieve breakthroughs in membership growth, ministry, being welcoming, worship, and other areas of congregational life.

The Rev. Harlan Limpert, director of district services for the UUA, encourages congregations to gather a group of leaders to watch the DVD, using it to begin a discussion about ways your congregation might learn from some of the breakthroughs described by the four congregations. It would also be appropriate viewing for committee meetings or strategic planning groups.

Detailed articles about the four congregations are available at www.uuworld.org. Information about the DVD and the CD can be found at www.uua.org/programs/layleader, where both a text copy and audio files can be accessed.

New CLF Materials Aid Coming of Age

The Church of the Larger Fellowship has new materials available on-line for families or small groups interested in doing a coming of age program with youth aged 13 to 16. The curriculum is designed for maximum flexibility, and can be adapted to run for varying lengths of time. The activities are written for one youth working with a mentor, but can be expanded for a larger group.

Families and congregations, whether or not they are members of CLF, can access the CLF’s new COA materials, at www.clfuu.org/re/coa.

Denver Center Creates Learning Opportunities

Is your congregation too small to support many adult faith development courses? Five Denver-area congregations joined in 2004 to create the Denver Center for Spiritual Renewal. Last winter and spring, 42 courses were offered in the arts, environmentalism, everyday living, parenting, religion and politics, social justice, spiritual exploration, theological exploration, world religions, and Unitarian Universalism. Courses meet at the various congregations, which range from 70 to 500 members.

Half of the instructors are Unitarian Universalists and half are from the community. The typical course consists of five two-hour sessions and costs $29. Some cost more, and some are free. About two-thirds of course fees go to instructors unless their time is donated. The rest goes to promote the center. There are plans to hire a part-time center director, a necessity for proper coordination, says the Rev. Kirk Loadman-Copeland, senior minister of the First Universalist Church of Denver and a founder of the Center. Of 400 people taking courses in the last year, 70 percent were from member congregations and 30 percent from the larger community.

The center is modeled after the Wright Tavern for Spiritual Renewal, founded in 1997 at First Parish Church in Concord, Mass., www.wrighttavern. org.

Loadman-Copeland says the center “will strengthen our individual congregations through the small group interaction and relationship building that the courses facilitate. It will assist adults in developing a UU identity, and help them live with more clarity, purpose, and authenticity as a result of taking selected courses that are especially transforming, or effective in skill-building in a particular area of life.” He also expects the center to become an effective entry point for newcomers, increase visibility of the five congregations, and promote UU values in the larger community.