Thank You to the Congregations That Held a Collection for LREDA

The LREDA

Endowment Fund

Funding the Future of UU Religious Education

Thank you to the congregations that held a collection for LREDA:

All Souls UU Church, Shreveport, LA Anchorage UU Fellowship, Anchorage, AK Atkinson Memorial Church, Oregon City, OR Bay Area UU Church, Houston, TX Boulder Valley UU Fellowship, Boulder, CO Community Unitarian Universalists in Brighton, MI Community UU Congregation, White Plains, NY Emerson UU Chapel, Ellisville, MO First Unitarian Society in Brooklyn, NY First Unitarian Society, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY First UU Church of San Antonio, TX First UU Church of San Diego, CA First UU Society of San Francisco, CA First UU Society of Syracuse, NY May Memorial UU Society, Syracuse, NY North Shore UU Society, LaCombe, LA The UU Congregation at Montclair, NJ Unitarian Church of Montpelier, VT Unitarian Congregation of Saskatoon, SK, Canada UU Fellowship of Harford County, Churchville, MD UU Church of the Restoration, Philadelphia, PA UU Congregation of Santa Fe, NM UU Congregation of Somerset Hills, Somerville, NJ UU Fellowship at Stony Brook, NY UU Fellowship of Fayetteville, AR UU Fellowship of Wayne County, Wooster, OH Valley UU Church, Chandler, AZ and others around the continent,

And to YOU! Thank you for supporting Unitarian Universalist religious education and religious educators.

We are asking each and every UU congregation to contribute to LREDA.

This packet will help you guide your congregation to take a collection to assist LREDA in advocating for excellence in all of our RE programs.

fc16 Supporting LREDA 2016-2017

Your congregation may choose

 a Plate Share,

 a collection in honor of a beloved former or current religious educator,

 a collection on RE Sunday in honor of your RE volunteers

 a fundraiser sponsored by the RE Committee or community.

This packet includes:

 Sample request for a collection for LREDA (Plate Share or special collection)

 FAQ’s about LREDA to accompany this request (not all congregants know what LREDA is or what is offered to religious educators)

 Newsletter article about the collection

 Order of Service insert The LREDA Endowment Fund The Legacy We Received; The Legacy We Leave Here’s a suggestion on how you can request a collection for LREDA in your congregation – consider a Plate Share, a collection in honor of a beloved former or current religious educator, or a collection on RE Sunday in honor of your RE volunteers. Customize this letter to the facts and systems of your congregation

To: Church name Social Justice Committee, or Worship Committee, or Board………. From: religious educator and RE committee chair Date: xxxxx re: Nomination as a …….Share the Plate Recipient, or……..

I (We) am proposing the Liberal Religious Educators Association to be a Share the Plate recipient this coming January. This is a one-time only request.

Congregations around the continent are contributing to the current LREDA campaign to increase its endowment fund, thereby increasing the services it can provide to religious educators and religious education throughout the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Canadian Unitarian Council. Many congregations are doing this in honor of their RE program and the religious educators who have served them over the years.

Church name has a tradition of strong support for, and volunteer participation in, its Religious Education program, and encouragement for leadership development. (insert information specific to your congregation) The congregation has recognized that religious education is an all-church program, for adults as well as children and youth.

Religious educators who have served here, as well as those from around the continent can tell you of the invaluable support that we received from LREDA. Unlike other UU professional organizations, religious educators, especially in our smaller congregations, have such low Professional Expense budgets that LREDA cannot support its members in all the ways they need only from dues. And, as the UUA/CUC? increasingly removes RE field staff, who in the past supported and trained religious educators, the need is great – and growing.

The current campaign to increase the LREDA Endowment Fund has the goals of providing more direct support to religious educators, programming for their professional development, support of chapters (ours is the xxxxxxx Chapter), and scholarship support to attend trainings and conferences. The Fund is maintained in the UU Common Endowment Fund and an annual draw of 4.5% (of the average balance over the prior 13 quarters) assures that the fund will be available to support religious education for years to come.

I (We) would be happy to provide further information or answer any questions. LREDA Endowment – FAQ

What is LREDA? – LREDA stands for Liberal Religious Educators Association. It is the professional organization for Unitarian Universalist religious educators. They are ministers, lay religious educators, and youth advisors, as well as supportive congregations. LREDA was founded in 1949 and currently has 601 members.

What is the purpose of the LREDA Endowment Fund? The LREDA Endowment Fund was started in 1999 at the 50th Anniversary of the organization. Its purpose is to provide income for programs and services to UU religious educators and religious education beyond those ordinarily made possible by the dues of members – such as: innovative programs in religious education, conferences and trainings for professional development, scholarships to attend conferences and training for RE Credentialing, support of geographic Chapters to engage religious educators locally.

Where is the Fund invested? The Fund is invested with the UUA Common Endowment Fund, with the intent of supporting Unitarian Universalist religious education for generations to come. The withdrawal income is an annual amount that enables the Fund to keep pace with inflation and/or enjoy modest growth, currently 4.5% of the average balance over the prior three years. .

Who decides where the income is spent? Each year the LREDA Board determines the general disposition of the income. The largest amount has been used by the LREDA 21st Century Committee for awarding grants. Past projects receiving grants include the:

 ‘Guide for Inclusion of Children with Special Needs into Our Whole Lives Classes,’

 ‘Dando a Luz: A Guide to Mission Trips,’

 ‘Guide to Best Practices for Supporting Diversity in UU Congregations,’

 LREDA Mentor Training for those in the UUA Credentialing Program for Religious Educators

 Maintenance of the Angus MacLean Library Archives Collection at Meadville Lombard Theological School

What will increased funding accomplish? Increased funding will:

 Increase the amount of special programming grants the 21st Century Committee may offer, and

 Increase the amount of funds available for educational programs, training, scholarships, the Fahs Lecture at General Assembly, block grants for Chapters, and adequate staff support for LREDA programming.

Can I make a Planned Gift to LREDA? Absolutely! There are a number of ways to include LREDA in your Planned Giving. LREDA is included in the UUA’s Umbrella Giving. Contact your financial advisor or [email protected] for specific information. LREDA Endowment Fund 18685 Main St Suite 101122 Huntington Beach, CA 92648 www.lreda.org

S T R O N G R E P R O G R A M S B e g i n w i t h S T R O N G L E A D E R S For Your Newsletter

Share the Plate Recipient for …month…

The Liberal Religious Educators Association (LREDA) is our Share the Plate recipient this month. LREDA is the professional organization of Unitarian Universalist religious educators.

Congregations around the continent are contributing to the current LREDA campaign to increase its Endowment Fund, thereby increasing the services it can provide to UU religious educators and religious education in the US and Canada. Many congregations are doing this in honor of their RE program and the religious educators who have served them over the years.

Church name has a tradition of strong support for, and volunteer participation in, its Religious Education program, and encouragement for leadership development. (Insert information particular to your congregation) The congregation has recognized that religious education is an all-church program, for adults as well as children and youth.

The religious educators who have served here, or in other UU congregations, can tell you of the invaluable support religious education professionals receive from LREDA. LREDA cannot raise from dues alone the funds it requires to support members in all the ways they need. As the UUA increasingly removes RE field staff, who in the past supported and trained religious educators, the need is great – and growing.

Your Gift to LREDA is a Gift to the Your Gift to LREDA is a Gift to the Future of Unitarian Universalism Future of Unitarian Universalism

LREDA has been the professional association for Unitarian Universalist LREDA has been the professional association for Unitarian Universalist Religious Educators for over 65 years. LREDA aspires to extend its legacy Religious Educators for over 65 years. LREDA aspires to extend its legacy for generations to come by increasing its endowment by $1 million. for generations to come by increasing its endowment by $1 million. Please make a gift to the LREDA Endowment in celebration of UU Please make a gift to the LREDA Endowment in celebration of UU religious education today! religious education today! Your Gift to the LREDA Endowment Your Gift to the LREDA Endowment Makes These Things Possible Makes These Things Possible

 Professional Development for Religious Educators  Professional Development for Religious Educators

 Scholarships for religious educators for  Scholarships for religious educators for credentialing and professional development credentialing and professional development

 Innovative program resources that promote growth  Innovative program resources that promote growth and health of Unitarian Universalist congregations and health of Unitarian Universalist congregations through religious education. through religious education. www.lreda.org www.lreda.org

The LREDA Endowment Fund is responsibly managed by the Unitarian The LREDA Endowment Fund is responsibly managed by the Unitarian Universalist Association as part of the UU Common Endowment Fund. Universalist Association as part of the UU Common Endowment Fund.