The heart of all of our Religious Education programs is the corps of volunteers who translate static curriculum into dynamic experiences for children and adults alike. Those of us who direct these programs cannot remind ourselves of this fact too often. When its truth secures a place in our consciousness, it automatically follows that this heart of our ministry must be nurtured throughout the year. Many of us do well with autumn teachertraining events and springtime recognitions, but what are some simple things we can do to feed those who feed our flocks in the long months of the winter blahs? Goals, Community, and Activity --things to hope for, people to be with, and things to do--need to be uplifted and transfused. The table that follows lists some simple exercises that can invigorate your committees. Give them space: Isolation. Give them variety: Diversification. And give them acknowledgment: Recognition. We believe some of these simple procedures will bring them back to service year after year.

Each person comes to committee membership with individual and unique experiences. Celebrating those differences can help keep people interested and result in new ideas.

1. Invite new people onto the committee each year. If your congregation is large enough, set up committee rotation on a three-year service basis. If you are small, make sure at least one "new blood" representative joins the group each church season.
2. At mid-point in the year, ask committee members why they continue to serve. (P.S. The only incorrect answer is "for the kids!" By that we mean the activity must be feeding them as well as educating the children.)
3. Hold a joint Children's and Adult RE Meeting. Good education techniques should work across age lines. Some great ideas and stimulation might be right under your nose!
4. So as not to reinvent the wheel, which can make older committee members feel useless, poll committee members on 3" x 5" cards asking what worked well in the past.
5. Ask committee members to share memories from their own religious training Ideas from more orthodox music and ritual observances can be adapted to Unitarian Universalist practice.
6. Encourage each committee member to write a positive adjective describing what every other committee member brings to the group. These cards are collected and read anonymously for some much-needed winter affirmation.

Recognition
Telling people that they are appreciated and that their efforts are valued is an absolute imperative if you intend to keep up the morale of your volunteer corps. Do this in a variety of ways.

1. Profile a different committee member in every, or every other issue of your church newsletter. Seeing one's name in print (with a picture whenever possible) goes along way toward establishing an identity of value.
2. Work with your parish minister so that from time to time committee members can be invited to participate in the direction of worship. Not only a children's story, but appropriate readings, congregational litanies, or musical interludes are ways to highlight people's gifts and activities in a very visible way.
3. Send out a winter-blahs greeting card. After the rush of the solstice holidays and before Valentine's Day, send a simple note of thanks with an expression of excitement about upcoming spring activities. People will thank you for this.
4. Although this would require some extra involvement on the committee's part, have the committee sponsor a service project in these mid-winter weeks. An all-church potluck, a night of theatre, a bus trip to a nearby museum or a paint party for a dingy classroom--any of these would bring thanks and recognition from the larger church community, once again establishing for the committee a real sense of value to the church.

Isolation
Isolation activities help focus a committee's work, and help the group understand its task as special and important.

1. At the beginning of each committee meeting, light a chalice to set a mood, focus the discussion, and remind everyone of the religious significance of the committee's work.
2. Vary the site of the meetings. Alternating between meeting at the church and meeting in committee members' homes keeps the work focused on the program, but at the same time builds a sense of community beyond the "church building."
3. Thank-you parties are always a good idea, however be sure to schedule a couple a year where no committee work is accomplished, where spouses and significant others are invited, and, especially for children's RE committees, where no children are present!
4. Try to schedule at least one overnight retreat each church season. Getting away from the demands of home immediately underscores the special work to which everyone is committed and helps individual members bond more quickly than a month of Sunday meetings ever could.
   From REACH February 1997