Youth Caucus is Connection
Plug yourself in Whether you come to General Assembly alone or with your youth group the programs offered by Youth Caucus are a great place to get connected! Here are some highlights. YOUTH MIXER On Wednesday night, the Youth Caucus Room will become a social space with games, music, conversation, crafts and more. Have an instrument? Bring it. Have a favorite game? Teach others to play it. Want to meet new people? Grab some of our conversation starters. Like crafts? Make a friendship bracelet, pipe-cleaner sculpture or creative mailbag gifts. DANCE Alhough not organized by the Youth Caucus, the all-ages GA Dance always draws a huge youth crowd. Scheduled for after the Synergy Bridging Service…
Because You Can’t “Over Engage”
We repost an excerpt of this thoughtful reflection by David L. Odom from our friends at Building Faith on involving youth more fully in congregation life and mission. This post originally appeared on the Duke University Faith and Leadership blog – Ed. Overinvesting in the Young When American congregations hear “overinvest in the young,” they frequently think of stretching the budget to hire a full-time youth minister or find some other way spend more money on high school students. Unfortunately, youth ministries are often segregated from the rest of the church. Pouring money into a typical youth program can result in young people being more lavishly entertained and, at the same time, more isolated. “Overinvesting”…
Be a Bridge Keeper for Youth Faith
SHOW THE WAY ACROSS THE BRIDGE! The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) sponsored Bridge Connections Program helps keep youth transitioning (“bridging”) into young adulthood connected to Unitarian Universalist (UU) faith communities and campus groups when they go off to college, get their own apartment, or start a new job. A Timeless Connection Each spring, the UUA Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries sends brochures to every certified congregation with a link to the online Bridge Connections Form. Bridging youth provide the contact-information of their new location on this form. Every fall, the UUA notifies local congregations and campus ministries of recently bridged young adults moving to their area, so that they may welcome them and…
Healing Trauma
This is a collection of resources developed by the UUA, Unitarian Universalists and others to help minister and heal in the aftermath of trauma. – Ed. Overcome Trauma with Compassion and Love Trauma response resources from the UUA. Resources for helping children, families, and communities process trauma, disaster, and violence from the UUA Resource Development Office. The Unitarian Universalist Trauma Response Ministry. The UUTRM provides culturally sensitive spiritual care to survivors of mass disasters and other significant trauma. Trauma response video. By Lara Campbell, Ministerial Intern, Church of the Larger Fellowship. Coping With a Disaster or Traumatic Event. From the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Coping with Violence and Traumatic Events…
Small Group Ministry Institute
Monday, July 22 – Friday, July 26 Murray Grove Retreat and Renewal Center, Lanoka Harbor, NJ 08734 Sponsored by the UU Small Group Ministry Network and the Central East Regional Group, UUA. An Institute is a “working conference” designed for SGM enthusiasts from congregations of all sizes. Open to new and experienced program organizers, facilitators, ministers, religious educators, and other congregational leaders. As participants, you will: Learn about and practice Small Group Ministry through hands-on workshops, presentations, daily group sessions, worship, and networking Explore the impact of Small Group Ministry/Covenant Groups in congregations Build your facilitator skills, including problem resolution Create and select effective sessions, including the use of art, music, and movement Develop…
April Leadership Conference for Young Adults
Want to connect with other UU young adults? Want to increase your capacity for leadership? Want some help getting a young adult or campus ministry group off the ground? Want a weekend full of learning, worship, fellowship and fun? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should probably just register right now for the Young Adult and Campus Ministry Leadership Conference in the Metro NY Area on April 12-14. Registration closes on Friday, April 5th so sign up today! This conference is free of charge, and transportation scholarships are available. This leadership development training and conference is for Unitarian Universalist young adults who are current or aspiring young adult or campus ministry group…
What is Your Vision of the Future of UUism?
AND THE SURVEY SAYS… The UUA Board of Trustees is looking for feedback on the future of the UUA and what impacts we want it to make. Your feedback makes a difference. You’ll find a link to the survey here.
Come Out AND Keep Faith
Welcoming Faiths Welcomes You This community event addresses head-on the impact of religion and bullying by society on LGBTQ youth and families. 11 area congregations in the Lowell, Andover, and Haverhill Massachusetts area have joined together to form a community advocacy group called LGBTQ Welcoming Communities of Faiths. Welcoming Faiths, along with PFLAG, and the Northern Essex Community College GSA are presenting a community event April 3, 2013 at 7pm titled “Coming Out and Keeping the Faith”. There will be a panel of diverse religious leaders as well as LGBTQ youth impacted by rejection based on religious belief. Be part of the dialog and learn how to be an ally and welcoming to the LGBTQ…
Lifting Up Our OWL
This is a re-post of a story of the Our Whole Lives curriculum in action from The Christian Century. You’ll find links at the end of the re-post for more information about OWL – Ed. When Nicole Chaisson teaches fifth- and sixth-graders about sexuality at Macalester Plymouth United Church in St. Paul, she doesn’t have to worry about what the state legislature might say. She is not relying on federal funding, and no organization will ask her to demonstrate the results. But her relative freedom doesn’t make her task simple. On this Sunday evening, the session is about puberty, and the six girls and five boys in attendance are giggling nervously. They seem both comfortable…
Repudiate the Doctrine
Grants available for local action to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery At Justice GA 2012 in Phoenix, delegates voted to repudiate the doctrine that Europeans used as legal justification for conquest and colonization of the Americas. The GA resolution encourages Unitarian Universalists to identify traces of the Doctrine of Discovery that linger in our movement and in our lives as UUs, and work to eliminate them. Now the UUA is offering seed grants of $500 to $1,000 to Unitarian Universalist congregations, groups, and organizations for projects that teach about, repudiate, and mitigate the current-day effects of the Doctrine of Discovery. Successful proposals will describe plans for education, reflection, and action opportunities; outreach to partners in…
