Massachusetts Bay District of Unitarian Universalist Curches

Beyond Fundraising Webinar with Wayne Clark, Director of UUA Congregational Stewardship Services

The number of allowable registrants has been increased as of Wednesday, February 3rd. If you placed your name on our waiting list already, YOU ARE IN!! All registered particpants will receive access codes and phone number a few days before the webinar.

7 - 8:30 PM via Persony and conference call.

There is no fee for this workshop but you must register ahead of time.
Participants will need a computer with high speed Internet access and a separate phone line.

Wayne Clark, the UUA's Director of Congregational Stewardship Resources, will share strategies for lay and professional leaders to move congregations beyond the restrictive myth of scarcity that pervades so many of our churches. He will help participants focus on the reality of abundance as he provides specific resources to help participants inspire and work with their congregations. We strongly encourage teams of people to participate.

Wayne will present his new and comprehensive stewardship development plan with a specific focus upon several key topics:

• Stewardship in difficult economic times
• Using Appreciative Inquiry as a stewardship tool
• Successful models for annual budget drives

Register online here.

Congregational teams can gather around one computer and a speaker phone to participate if desired. Such a team should register under the name of one individual.

The workshop website address and call-in phone number will be emailed to registered participants prior to the workshop.

Please view the "how to participate in an online workshop" tutorial created by the Prairie Star UU District. Click here to see this slide show, less than five minutes long, which explains what to expect and how to use the workshop software.

Claiming Our Joy: Spiritual Leadership For Social Change - a Learning Congregation series (LC) workshop

9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Led by Hilary Allen, Community Engagement Manager at Boston Center for Community and Justice, and Meck Groot, MBD Social Justice Coordinator and former Co-Director of Women’s Theological Center.

Unitarian Universalists work hard against systems of domination and oppression. The needs created by these systems are enormous and the strategies for dealing with them perplexing. Those working for transformation can easily feel overwhelmed and spent.

How do we remember and nurture our connection to s/Spirit as we work for change? How can we tap into the power of Beloved Community even as we work to create it? These are the questions at the heart of this workshop.

Claiming Our Joy will help lay and professional leaders consider the practices they can use to enliven social change and social action efforts within their congregations and the wider world. The workshop will help leaders:

• identify current attitudes and behaviors that deplete our souls and divide us from s/Spirit and each other
• craft an understanding of what community is and how it can sustain us for the long haul
• recognize that community is both a catalyst for and a result of social change
• explore spiritual leadership practices that open our hearts and build Beloved Community

REGISTRATION FORM (including details on cost).

Policy Governance - Another Way to Work

9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Facilitator: Terasa Cooley, MBD District Executive
(an MBD workshop offered through Clara Barton District as part of our new cooperative relationship with other New England districts)

We volunteer to work at the church because we want to make a difference. Often we do this work out of love for our congregation but it can feel frustrating and unproductive. Governing boards can be especially confusing, toggling us between tedium and overwhelming responsibility.

Growing congregations are seeking a different way and many are turning to the model of policy governance to help them feel more connected to the lifeblood of congregational life. Come learn about the possibilities and challenges of this model. This workshop will be especially relevant to mid-size and larger congregations.

Participants in the workshop will learn to:

• Identify the values important to them in any governance system
• Discuss some of the cultural and systemic issues in congregational governance which sometimes make us "stuck"
• Surface their concerns about authority and responsibility
• Explore the possibilities and challenges of the policy governance style systems

REGISTRATION FORM

Creating Sanctuary: Best Practices for Safe Congregations - a UUA New England Region LC workshop

Presenter: Deb Levering, Program Consultant, Clara Barton District
9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.

What does it mean to feel safe in our congregations? How do we balance our desire to be a welcoming and nurturing environment for all people with our need to stand firm against threats to personal and institutional safety and well being? How do we create safety plans that affirm mutual respect and justice? Join us as we:

• Identify critical areas for policy and procedures
• Discover the value of covenants
• Learn skills for managing disruptive behaviors
• Consider compassionate systems for practicing right relations

REGISTRATION FORM (including details on cost).

Renaissance Module: Unitarian Universalist History

Led by Ruth Gibson and Gabrielle Farrell
Tuesday's session goes from 9AM - 9PM; Wednesday's session goes from 9AM - 5PM
Fee: $250 (includes overnight accommodation and 5 meals)
Registration deadline: March 8, 2010

Renaissance Modules are part of the credentialing process for professional UU religious educators. For more information about the UUA's credentialing program for DREs, and how the upcoming Module fits with related curriculum, see more at the UUA website.

This module will provide an opportunity for participants:

• To gain basic knowledge of the history of Unitarian and Universalist thought
• To gain basic knowledge of the history of the Universalist Church of America, the American Unitarian Association, and the Unitarian Universalist Association
• To experience an introduction to the history of religious education in Unitarian Universalism
• To learn about resources available for further study and how to access them
• To explore with others concepts of history, tradition, heritage, and custom
• To work with others on an integrative learning project

Activities include making take-home history timeline, viewing and discussing videotapes, singing serious and silly songs, planning, playing, and worshipping together.

Reader: David Bumbaugh’s Narrative History of Unitarian Universalism. For maximum learning, participants should have read the entire book before coming to the module.

For a downloadable registration form click here.