Sharing the Lessons of GA With Your Congregation

When General Assembly ends each June the challenge begins. How do you take home all that you learned and were inspired by in five days of workshops, worship services, and conversations? How do you pass it on to those who didn't go?

Doug Walters, a professed GA junkie from the Tennessee Valley UU Church, Knoxville, TN (378 members), has found several ways to recreate the GA experience at home. He once wrote a piece for his congregation comparing the opening banner parade to a scene in the book Clan of the Cave Bears, where all the clans gathered. "It was very effective," he says. "People still talk about it."

At Davies Memorial UU Church, Camp Springs, MD (125), GA attendees have organized debates and other presentations complete with mock voting," then told people how it really went at GA," says board member Joyce Dowling. "There is so much that goes on at GA and so many reasons why people attend that you can't share it all, so we tend to do it differently each year." A digital photo buff, he also makes photos of Knoxville members at GA and then, using PowerPoint and a large TV, creates a slide show that runs repeatedly during coffee hour or the congregation's Wednesday night potlucks. "It costs next to nothing and it gets people asking about GA," says Walters. "So many people have no knowledge of anything beyond their own church. This helps spread the word about the larger denomination."

Word is also passed at Knoxville at Sunday morning forums and through the newsletter. Some years there is also a GA church service.

At the UU Church of Lexington, KY (237), GA issues are discussed at Wednesday night forums, says the Rev. Cynthia Cain. "We've discussed social action issues, the election of president and moderator, Boy Scouts, and other UU issues. We find that discussing what happened at GA actually helps people solidify their UU identity. It puts a face on this nebulous world of what is Unitarian Universalism."

"We hope that those who attend General Assembly enjoy their experiences and gain useful information, but we also hope it doesn't end when they leave the GA site," says Bob Martin, chair of the General Assembly Planning Committee. "We suggest that they take the materials home and organize a General Assembly Sunday. From workshop handouts, orders of service and UUA reports, there is a wealth of information to share.

"In addition, there are audio and videotapes available for sale at General Assembly of major workshops, services, and programs. These make valuable additions when developing General Assembly programs and getting the feel of GA."

In this age of technology, more people are accessing GA on the web, both while at GA, to pick up additional perspectives and after it's all over, to show others or relive a memorable moment.

Deborah Weiner, UUA Director of Electronic Communication, encourages people to use video projectors-which a growing number of congregations now own-to project GA video on a large screen off the Web, print pages off the GA Web site for denomination awareness bulletin board, and use the wealth of Web-based program materials to "take GA home." "More people are accessing GA on the Web: to gain additional perspectives while there, and after it's all over, to show others or relive a memorable mo-ment," she says.

Other information is available on the UUA Web site, which has detailed information on what happened at GA (www.uua.org/ga).