Featured in this issue:
Latest NER Blog; SL4CC:Transforming Culture; November Meet & Eat; Stewardship For Us Webinar Save the Date; UU the Vote; Faithify Campaign: Trans Day of Remembrance; Fifth Sunday Fellowship; Essentials for Lay-Led Congregations; Welcoming Neurodivergent People: Skill Up
and more! Scroll down to find the article you are interested in.
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When Practice and Awareness Meet
by Meck Groot & Joe Sullivan
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The point of a community of practice is for people who want to get better at something to learn from each other through regular interaction. Even people new to a field can help the group learn. Their observations and questions can identify unrecognized practices and raise awareness of which practices are actually working.
Often awareness sets practice in motion. But when Rev. Elea Kemler told us she joined Spiritual Leadership for Culture Change because she wanted to know "how other congregations are doing this Spiritual Leadership thing," we began to understand that sometimes practice precedes awareness. That is, sometimes, intentional reflection on one’s ways can reveal the underlying practices.
Over several years, we have had multiple interactions with Rev. Elea and the people from First Parish Church of Groton. When they show up to our learning events, they consistently show enthusiasm and affinity for the practices of Spiritual Leadership. They attend with open minds and open hearts. Their new website reflects much of the same. As does their recording of "Prayer for the Queer Kids." Here are people who have been practicing Spiritual Leadership for some time, whether they call it that or not.
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Transforming Culture by Centering in Gifts
Evening offering: November 29, 7:00pm ET*
Daytime offering: November 30, 1:00pm ET*
*Each offering will have the same program.
An optional orientation to Spiritual Leadership Q&A session
will begin 30 minutes before each offering.
Imagine your congregation interrupting dominant culture by practicing ways for everyone’s innate gifts to be acknowledged, received, and delivered for the well being of the community. What could become possible if Centering in Gifts were a standard practice in your congregation?
In our November gatherings we will imagine together cultural shifts that might take hold when we center in gifts and consider what might get in the way of this practice. We’ll also look at early efforts in congregations to introduce practices for Centering in Gifts and what shifts in culture they are hoping to inspire.
If you have not already joined the community of practice, you can do so using this form. The community is open to all — religious professionals and laity. Once you join, you will automatically receive registration details and the pre-work assignment before each gathering.
To learn more, follow these links:
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Join us for the last Meet & Eat of 2022!
Join us on Zoom on Tuesday November 8th from 12:00-1:30pm ET for shared conversation with colleagues on the topic, Being the Light in the Dark Days.We are in the season of shorter days, leading us into the busy-ness of the holiday season. Set aside 90 minutes to join us for the last in the NER / CER Meet & Eat Series for religious educators. This month, as you prepare for the upcoming holidays, we will invite your ideas about:
- Right-sizing rituals - how do you balance honoring beloved church traditions while responding to covid-era realities?
- Supporting your families - are you finding new ways to be present to families who are attending in person less regularly?
- Keeping your battery charged - to be a beacon to those we serve is a blessing, but we can’t do it without keeping our own flame lit. What are your commitments to self care in this season?
This is the final 2022 Meet & Eat session of 2022 - we hope to see you there for collegial connections. And please look for an announcement of a new series of collegial meetings in 2023 hosted by our UUA’s Office of Lifespan Faith Engagement, for religious educators across the country!
Registration is free, and required. Deadline to register is Tuesday, Nov. 1 or until max capacity is reached.
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Save The Date!
CORNERSTONES OF EFFECTIVE STEWARDSHIP
FOR OUR CONGREGATIONS
UUA Congregational Life and Stewardship for Us announce a 3-part national webinar series in early 2023: Cornerstones of Effective Stewardship in Our Multiplatform, Multicultural-Multiracial/ and Multigenerational World.
Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30pm ET / 6:00-7:30pm CT / 5:00-6:30pm MT /
4:00-5:30pm PT.
January 24th, January 31st, and February 7th. Registration coming soon! Click here fore more details.
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Liberating Governance for Our Times: A Community of Practice
Inspired by the Business Resolution adopted by the 2022 General Assembly to create UUA governance that is “dynamic, accountable, flexible, and responsive,” we invite you to consider your congregation’s ways of sharing power and making decisions. Are your systems dynamic, accountable, flexible, and responsive? Are we creating liberatory ways of being within our congregations as we work for liberation in the world?
Most of us could use some help with this! We are creating a community of practice on liberating governance for our times.
We will meet every other month for 90 minutes to learn together and support each other in making the changes needed in our congregations. This program is open to all staff and lay leaders. It is especially appropriate for Board members and others in the congregation entrusted with significant decisions. We highly recommend participating as a team with others from your congregation.
Let’s learn together as we loosen stuck places, recenter our purpose and values, and learn more inclusive styles of decision making.
To join the email list to get invitations to our gatherings, and to help us know what you particularly need, please fill out this form.
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UU The Vote Opportunities
There is a role for everyone in this work. The work of volunteers is critical to building and sustaining this massive coordinated campaign. Get involved and join the team of UUs fighting for justice and democracy.
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Ready in November:
Mistakes & Miracles
UU Common Read Discussion Guide
The UU Common Read for 2022-23 is Mistakes and Miracles: Congregations on the Road to Multiculturalism (Skinner House Books, 2019). The book’s co-authors Nancy Palmer Jones and Karin Lin—a white minister and a lay person of color—are working with Susan Dana Lawrence of the UUA’s Lifespan Faith Engagement team on a four-session Discussion Guide that will be available for congregations in November.
The introductory section of the Discussion Guide, “Using This Guide,” is available now. Please use the information here to prepare and launch your Common Read group. Beyond scheduling and promoting your group, you will want to put in place support for participants who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color or hold other often-marginalized identities. Facilitators will want to become familiar with facets of leading an online group that may be new.
If you are already reading Mistakes and Miracles now, you can prepare for your group discussions by considering the reflection questions that close out each chapter. Another suggested preparation for facilitators, as well as group participants, is to watch the recorded Zoom workshop, We Can Do This: Faith, Conflict and Antiracism (Vimeo, 56:00), from the UUA General Assembly 2020 on-demand video library. Co-authors Jones and Lin moderate a discussion based on Mistakes and Miracles with Unitarian Universalists Aisha Hauser, Jimmy Leung, Rev. Bill Sinkford, and Rev. Marta ValentĂn.
Mistakes and Miracles can be purchased from inSpirit: The UUA Book and Gift Shop. Discounts are available on orders of 10 or more books.
Skinner House is working on an audiobook edition of Mistakes and Miracles. If you would like to be notified when the audiobook edition is available, or if you need the book in another format, please email UUA Publications Director Mary Benard at mbenard@uua.org.
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New Faithify Campaign!
In honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance (October 25), please consider supporting Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship efforts to provide $100 honorariums to five college age students to participate as singers and dancers in a service marking Trans Day of Remembrance on November 20, 2022 in Bellingham, Washington. The donation window is open until Thursday, November 24. Learn more and donate here.
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2022 Robert C. Palmer Lecture on Human Rights, featuring Dr. ElĂas Ortega
The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville, TN (FUUN) will hold its annual Robert C. Palmer Lecture on Human Rights on November 12, 2022, at 8:00pm ET in person and on Zoom as part of its year-long Widening the Circle of Concern program. The event is free and open to the public.
FUUN is honored that Dr. ElĂas Ortega will be delivering this year’s lecture, entitled “Dignity, Friendship, and Self-Regard: Human Rights and Universalist Ethics.” Dr. ElĂas Ortega is an interdisciplinary scholar working at the intersection of the sociological study of religion and religious ethics. His academic and community work is shaped by the aspiration that centering the lives of those most impacted by systems of oppression is necessary for liberation. It is Dr. Ortega’s belief that lifting the Universalist heritage can inspire us to do the necessary work to realize a better tomorrow. Currently, Dr. Ortega serves as President and Professor of Religion, Ethics, and Leadership at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, IL. He also served on the UUA Commission on Institutional Change, which authored the Widening the Circle of Concern report.
Registration is free and required.
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Fifth Sunday Fellowship:
A Shared Pulpit Experience
A group of small congregations has begun to collaborate on shared worship for 2023, shared over Zoom. The invitation is still open to any lay-led congregation. If you have a part-time minister and are seeking either a few Sunday's respite, or a collaborative opportunity with some other part-time professionals, this invitation is open to you. If you have no professional staff, and are seeking either respite or a collaborative opportunity, with other lay leaders, this invitation is for you, too. If you're curious, this invitation is for you, as well. The more the merrier. We will be meeting Thursday November 10 at 7:00pm ET to continue planning. Please contact Lisa Napier, Corimini5@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
More information regarding each worship service is forthcoming.
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Essentials for
Lay-Led Congregations
When you are depending on volunteers to care for your congregation, you will want to keep your ministry manageable, and provide relevant training for those providing the programming.
In the Fall of 2022, the UUA Congregational Life Staff is offering a program that includes an email subscription to a newsletter (full of helpful tips, tools, training opportunities, and other resources), and admission to the December 10, 2022 Lay Led Congregation Convergence. There you will get to connect with leaders from other lay-led congregations. Registration Information.
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Climate Disaster Response: Assessing climate impacts & making connections
Climate disasters impact our communities - how can UUs be prepared? Join the last in this series of workshops with activities to help you identify the climate risks, understand who is most at risk and how your community will be impacted. From there, make a plan to prepare for and respond to climate disasters in your neighborhood.
Sessions are 90 minutes long and begin at 7:00pm ET / 6:00pm CT / 5:00pm MT / 4:00pm PT. Find out more and register for the Nov 15: Community Conversation.
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Welcoming Neurodivergent People: Skill Up
This series is jointly supported by the UU Ministers Association and your UUA staff. It is aimed at religious professionals but open to all. Religious educators can get credit for credentialing and UUMA members continuing education credit.
Join us Wednesday, November 16, 2022, 5:30pm-7:30pm ET for a panel presentation and Q&A focusing on supporting neurodivergent children and youth. Learn with Katie Resendiz, Rev. Sierra-Marie Gerfao, April Rosario, and Meredith Plummer. Between them they have extensive experience across many kinds of neurodivergence and decades of experience with neurodivergent children and youth inside and outside UU congregations. We recommend having watched at least one of the first three sessions and read the recommended 101 document to get the most of out this experience. You can find all previously recorded sessions on the UUMA Store Front and you will receive the 101 document when you register for the November 16th viewing. It’s worth registering even if you can’t attend because you will be sent the video in advance, can submit questions to the panelists and will receive a recording of the Q&A.
Subscribe to our announcement list to be notified of future events and resources. Visit the Neurodivergence Skill Up Series main page for more information.
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