Liberating Practices: A New Learning Community! (online)

Liberating Practices, a new learning community, is being formed by combining the Spiritual Leadership for Culture Change and Liberating Governance learning and practice communities. We’ll meet about once a month. If you already belong to one of the existing groups, you will be added to the new one automatically. If not, please sign up.

Our first gathering will convene on Tuesday January 23 from 7:00 to 8:30pm ET. We will explore the theme: How do we know how we are doing? Many of the metrics we have typically used to assess our effectiveness in congregations such as attendance numbers, pledging income, etc. are a bit removed from the core of our purpose. That is especially true in these times. Are there better tools to help us figure out how we're doing?

An invitation to register will be delivered to your inbox the first week of December. Pre-work will be provided prior to the gathering. We look forward to joining together with you!

NER Congregational Administrators Quarterly Gathering (online)

Our next congregational administrators quarterly gathering will be on Thursday, January 18 12:00-1:00pm ET. Join with your peers from around the region to share ideas, questions, concerns and support.

Registration is free and required. The registration deadline is Wednesday January 17.

Call for Nominations!

The Award for Distinguished Service to the Cause of Unitarian Universalism (often informally referred to as the Distinguished Service Award) is one of the most prestigious awards given by the UUA. Recipients of this award have strengthened the institutions of our UU denomination, clarified our message in extraordinary ways, and exemplified what Unitarian Universalism stands for.

The Award Committee seeks nominations from throughout our Association so it may select from a broad range of the most exemplary leaders in our movement. The deadline for receipt of nominations is January 1, 2024. More information and instructions for submitting a nomination are available.

UUA Programming

The Renaissance and Music Leadership Professional Development Programs provide Unitarian Universalist Religious Professionals learning communities within which they can easily access applicable skills and tools for religious leadership. Courses are also open to interested lay leaders.

New DRE: Settling in Series - Winter 2024

Live sessions Wednesdays January 31 / February 7 / February 21 12:00-2:00pm ET

If you are a newer religious professional serving in UU faith development, this series will provide connection, community, and content!

Registration is required. The registration deadline is Sunday January 28. This training is valued at $175 with Continuing Education Grants available. Course work will be available approximately January 24.

System Theory Renaissance Module (online)

Fridays February 2 / 9 / 16 / 23 12:00-2:00pm ET

Central to our understanding of congregational systems is a grounding in the awareness that “everything we do is faith development; everything we teach is Unitarian Universalism and that the congregation is the curriculum.”

That expression, by Connie Goodbread, is the first part of going deeper into congregational systems, yet the second part must include an immersion into System Theory.

The “System Theory” Renaissance Module will:

• Examine human beings as emotional, intellectual, and physical beings.

• Everything that human beings create, discover, destroy and build is born out of our humanity.

• Explore and clarify what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist.

• Discuss the human qualities that help and hinder the growth of a beloved community.

The overarching lens of System Theory will ground the experience and aid religious educators, and other religious professionals to apply these learnings to their own professional context.

Registration is required at a cost of $200 for all four sessions (sliding scale options are available). Continuing Education Grants may be available, please apply. The registration deadline is Wednesday January 31 or when maximum capacity is reached.

From Safe Congregations Program:

Over the past couple of years, UUA Congregations and related organizations have seen an increase of outside threats and destructive incidences at our UUA congregations. In planning for ways to be supportive and affirming of your congregation’s ministry, it would be helpful to us to have a way keep track of these incidents.

We have designed a Congregational Incident form to help you help us keep track of these incidents. This simple form provides a way for congregations to inform the UUA of a threat or disruptive incident that comes from outside the congregation itself.

All forms come to the Safe Congregation Program email. Please let us know if you have any questions.

From the UUA Office of Church Staff Finances: Resources and Reminders

Compassionate Terminations

Involuntary terminations are never easy. We've created a new LeaderLab resource, Compassionate Staff Terminations, to help congregational leaders and staff supervisors ensure the best possible outcomes for the congregation while offering kindness and respect to the employee. Treating a departing staff member well is good not only for them but for the congregation.

Form I-9 Documents

Form I-9 provides proof of identity and authorization to work in the U.S. Verifying an employee's documents and completing the I-9 is a crucial legal aspect of the hiring process. You must inspect an employee's I-9 documents carefully. Expired documents, for instance, cannot be accepted. The I-9 Form was recently modified, and the new version is required as of last month. You'll find everything you need to know about completing I-9 forms at I-9 Central.

Congregational Salary Program Updates

Because so many congregations begin planning and budgeting for the next program year in the late fall, we revise our salary information in November for the following July through June. All of the updated resources can be accessed from our main Congregational Salary Program page.

Our Monthly Publication

Are you a leader whose responsibilities support staff (board, finance, personnel)? A supervisor of staff? A staff member eager to stay in the loop about employment-related information? Sign up for Compensation and Staffing News for monthly tips and resources on compensation, benefits, and personnel matters.

Digital Security 101 for Congregations:

A Two-Part Virtual Training



Two sessions Mondays January 22 / February 5 7:30-9:30pm ET.

Increasingly, our congregations are finding themselves the targets of online harassment, phishing, doxxing, and other forms of digital hate – often as a result of the ways we are embodying UU values in the world. Unfortunately, many of our UU communities do not have the skills and the infrastructure to protect themselves from malicious digital targeting that is constantly evolving.

Equality Labs' Digital Security For All Workshop is a dive into the world of digital security and what that means for you and your organization. We will develop some common ground and shed light on types of attacks and security concerns that affect our communities, engaging with you at a strategic level as you plan for your organization.

Open to all congregational leaders but especially targeted to those who manage secure information such as congregational websites, social media accounts, databases, and communications.

Registration is required at a cost of $100 for a congregational team of up to 5 attendees for both sessions. This cost is highly subsidized so we can bring this impactful training to our congregations.