UUMA News The Newsletter of the Unitarian Universalist Ministers’ Association November 2005—February 2006 From the President Inside this Issue: he ten members of your UUMA Executive Ministry Days/PLCC 2 T Committee (the Exec) are eager to let you know From the Editor 3 what we’ve been up to, and to learn of any concerns, From Good Offices 3 questions, or opinions you may have. And so we have a website, the UUMA chat, an email list for sending out And We Remember . 4 important news, and a quarterly newsletter. We offer each Administrator Column 7 Chapter a visit from an Exec member who will give a Sermon Awards 8 report and respond to questions and concerns. At this New UUMA Focus Group 8 year’s GA we will return to having Ministry Days (after several years of Professional Days in conjunction with The Power of Effects 9 LREDA), featuring – in addition to the CENTER presentation and worship, 50 year Address 10 including remarks by the 25- and 50-year ministers – more chances for interaction: CENTER-Fold 12 CENTER workshops; collegial conversations: a conversation with Bill Sinkford; and our annual meeting, which we expect to make more interesting starting this year. News from the Dept. of 14 Ministry & Professional Leadership And the minutes of Exec meetings are posted on our website. This only happens, though, after they have been approved at the next meeting about three months later. 25 year Address 16 To keep you more up to date, Executive Notes are now posted on the UUMA News from the UUA 17 Members’ website. There you’ll find a personal account (by me) of some of the matters that were most on the Exec’s mind at our January meeting – like responding Continuing Education 18 to the UUA’s recommendations to search committees regarding reference checks. at Starr King For instance, to further enhance our connections with the Chapters, we decided every St. Louis and G.A. 19 Exec member would be liaison to several chapter presidents, and every Chapter president and one other chapter leader will be invited to a Leadership Assembly and Personals 20 dinner on the Monday before GA this year. A lighter look... 22 The Exec’s next meeting will be in April in New Orleans, as we planned a year ago. New and Upgraded 23 Members I hope the year is going well for you, your ministry, and your UUMA Chapter. Ken Having trouble finding what you need on uuma.org UUMA Main Page (Blue) Members Only Section (Green) · Executive and Chapter Leadership · Password protected page containing Contact Information membership directory. · Order UUMA Publications Online · Alias and Online List-Serves · Ministry Days Registration · Newest Version of UUMA News · Guidelines and UUMA News Archives · UUMA Executive Committee Notes · Links to Conferences and Resources · Member Services · Information about Sermon Awards · Request a Membership Card · CENTER Pages · Chapter Leadership Service · Online Membership Renewal · Good Officers Page - 1 - Winter 2006 UUMA News 2006 Ministry Days - WANTED - June 19-21, 2006 Renaissance Grand Audio-Video Go-To Person St. Louis, Missouri for Ministry Days Register Do you … Online Have a passion for all things techie? Today A flare with the camera? Go the extra mile to get it on tape? Know where the plug to the Microphone goes? Mark Your Calendar: Your association needs you !! March 1 Registration Opens It takes a lot of time and some specialized knowledge. May 19 Early Registration Closes It has been a lot of work but also a lot of fun! May 19 Grant Application Deadline - Craig Roshaven, AV 2000-05 June 12 RSVP for Student Breakfast June 9* Pre-Registration Closes Contact Randy Becker at [email protected] ——— or the UUMA Office if you can help with AV in St. Louis June 19 Onsite Registration June 20 CENTER Day June 21 25/50, Berry St, Annual Meetings * All Pre-Registrations must be postmarked June 9, 2006 P.L.C.C. A Brief History The Professional Leadership Coordinating Council (PLCC), started out as an initiative of the Ministry and Professional Leadership Staff Group (MPL). During GA 2003 in Boston, leaders of the UUMA, UUMN, LREDA, AUUA and MPL staff met at a breakfast meeting to discuss strategies for working together. Similar breakfast meetings were held at GAs in Long Beach and Fort Worth, with an all-day, mid-winter meeting in-between in Boston. (Another all-day meet- ing is planned for this winter.) At Ft. Worth in 2005 representatives from SCM (Society for Community Ministries) were added to the committee. The meetings are a way for professional church leadership to consider how we might bet- ter work together. Our representatives on the committee have been Ken Sawyer, Mary Katherine Morn and our UUMA administrator Janette Lallier. The UUMA has been a supporter of this initiative, especially after we made attendance to our pre-GA events exclusive to UUMA members, spouses and aspirants. At last winter's meeting the PLCC created a committee to develop programming for GA 2006 called the PLCC imple- mentation committee, made up of two members each from the UUMA, LREDA, AUUA, UUMN and SCM. It is devel- oping two workshops for GA 2006 and a reception for participants from all the organizations. Judy Tomlinson and I serve as the UUMA representatives. (Look to upcoming UUMA Publications for more information on these events.) Hopes It is the hope of the UUMA that these conversations and workshops will help all religious leaders in their work to- gether. Thoughtful awareness of communication strategies, funding, credentialing, mentoring, planning, and use of dis- trict services are just the beginning of improvements we can all achieve by working together. The UUMA also hopes that by bringing concerns about religious leadership to conscious awareness, we can creatively consider the similarities and differences of employment in church organizations. - Wayne Walder, CENTER, UUMA Exec - 2 - UUMA News Winter 2006 From the Editor . This is the last printed issue of the UUMA newsletter I will edit. My three year term on the UUMA Exec comes to an end in June. There will be one more web-only issue posted on my watch (deadline May 1, posted in early June), but since I'm of the print generation (only half converted to e-communication) I'll take my leave here. It's been a pleasure, a privilege and a challenge to serve my colleagues in the capacity of Publications portfolio holder. I was recruited for what I was told were my editorial and writing skills, and promptly presented with a job description that included web site management, Professional Days AV and electronic registration, and responsibility for sev- eral email chat lines, and "aliases." Fortunately my Exec colleagues hired an administrator who was web savvy, and my prede- cessor in this position generously offered to stay on as the point person on the AV end, and became a tech guru for all of us wh o had to make decisions about matters e-laborate. Without the skills and general good humor of Janette Lallier and Craig Roshaven I would have had to beat the bushes for any number of recruits among you to get this job done. It has been a pleasure to work with them both (in many cases to simply watch them work and breathe a sigh of relief). A similar tip of the hat to Linda Hart and Andy Backus who have moderated the UUMA chat, largest and oldest of several electronic conversations among our members, and to Christine Robinson who created and helps shepherd the "covenant" chat. I have received numerous inquiries and a small handful of complaints about these means of com- munication, and have always felt completely comfortable saying: "these are the folks in charge; I trust their judgment." Outside of the specifics of this portfolio, the role of Exec member has been an eye opener. The volume of issues on which we are asked as a board to reflect, opine and decide is staggering. In many cases taking a stand that represents the best interests of our membership, involves both research and soul searching, and sometimes making a decision based as much on your respect for and trust in your colleagues' judgment, as in any firm view of your own. It's been an honor, and a hoot. - Roger Brewin Publications and Online Communication Email: [email protected] Phone: (773) 881-4028 as might be helpful” before requesting the member “to file a formal report” of grievance (see Article X, By-Laws; also From Good Offices Guidelines, section III. D.) We are hopeful that things don’t get to the point of formal grievance. The Advisory Committee is Susan Manker-Seale charged with examining our current procedures and suggesting a better path toward nurturing “the highest ethical and profes- Greetings! I have three things to tell you sional conduct among UU ministers,” to quote the purpose of (which is to get you to keep reading). One, we the draft Panel. are creating an Advisory Committee on Ethics and Collegiality to review the issues confront- The second thing I have to tell you is that our By-Laws state ing us in our collegial relations. This is in re- that “each chapter may nominate one or more Good Offices sponse to colleagues wanting more options before resorting to persons from within its ranks. Such appointments shall be for filing a grievance, as well as needing to explore venues for pur- three years and shall be ratified by the Executive Commit- suing right relations. At least six years ago, some of you cre- tee.” (Article VIII, section 2) Our Guidelines say to elect at ated a proposal for a Panel on Counseling and Discipline, which least two.