Annual Meeting Information |
Download Handouts from Workshops presented at the At the 2008 Annual General Meeting of the Pacific Northwest District of the Unitarian Universalist Association, workshop presenters were asked to limit their use of paper handouts in order to help fulfill our goals of “going Green” and reducing waste. Instead they were offered the opportunity to upload materials from their talks and handouts to the District’s website for access by anyone interested, whether or not an AGM attendee. So far the following presenters have provided material for the website: Annual Budget Drives: Going Beyond Fundraising Is it time to reinvent your annual pledge drive? Get ideas for developing generosity within your congregation and making stewardship a positive and sustainable year round program that goes beyond just raising funds. Bring your burning questions to this interactive workshop. Presenters: Aggie Sweeney, UUA Congregational Stewardship Consultant and Mary Gleason, East Shore Unitarian Church , Bellevue , WA Click Here for printable handouts from this workshop Weaving the Fabric of Our Faith How do we provide programs across lifespan ages that meet the need to seek meaning, hold each other in love, channel our passion for justice, and satisfy our quest to know more deeply the diversity and wholeness of our faith? A facilitated panel discussion will report on the new programs and resources for children and youth religious education. The presentation will discuss Unitarian Universalism as a transforming faith that is held in the hearts and minds of those who claim it. After the presentation, groups will divide into congregational size groups for further discussion. Presenters: Dana Regan (Director of Religious Education for Youth, First Unitarian Church of Portland, OR) with Cathy Tauscher (Woodinville UU Church), Rebecca Gammons (West Hills UU Fellowship), and Sara Cloe (UU Community Church of Washington County). Click Here for printable handouts from this workshop UU Values in Public Policy: Tools to Build an Effective Advocacy Network UU state advocacy networks bring UU values to diverse public policy issues, including global warming, poverty and homelessness, health care, and marriage equality. Learn about one such network, Washington State UU Voices for Justice, and about how you and your congregation can bring liberal religious voices to public policy making. Presenter: Rev. Carol McKinley, Coordinator, Washington State UU Voices for Justice Click Here for printable handouts from this workshop Deep Green: Toward More Sustainable UU Conferences Our seven UU core principles include respect for the interconnected web of life. The burgeoning ecological crisis compels us to live every aspect of our lives with sustainability in mind, including attending our regularly scheduled, currently annual, General Meeting! We will explore the pros and cons of proposing alternative year General Meetings and other ideas to deepen our commitment to further action. Presenters: Jim Knudson, Olympia UU Congregation and Rina Fa’amoe, Northlake UU Church, Kirkland , WA Click Here for printable handouts from this workshop Planning Along the Chaordic Path UU congregations live on a fine line between individual autonomy and social structure—a lot like pushing a wheelbarrow full of bullfrogs. Such organizations require a certain type of planning uniquely suited to this type of "chaordic" culture, which must balance the dynamic tension between chaos and order. Typically planning requires the use of multiple lenses to create coherent direction and foster intentional maturation. We’ll look at some of the underlying dynamics unique to UU churches, models associated with church development and the growth of individuals within the community, and the perspectives that allow churches to create plans that work. Presenter: Matt Wesley, Woodinville UU Church, Woodinville , WA Click Here for printable handouts from this workshop Dancing with Norms: PNWD Healthy Congregations Team People who work in groups, both big and small, have both spoken and unspoken rules of behavior. Rules we speak about together are intended to guide our groups toward healthy interactions; these are the healthy norms we agree to. However, unspoken or unconscious rules may interfere with a group’s healthy interactions. At this workshop, the team will offer a process to identify unspoken norms that may operate in a group, and learn to replace unspoken norms with new norms that support healthy working relationships. Presenters: Rev. Bruce Davis, Evergreen UU Fellowship, Marysville , WA Click Here for printable handouts from this workshop Membership Retention: The Exit Interview and Process This congregation implemented a formal exit interview of "missing" members. At this workshop you can learn about how those members were identified and selected for sampling, along with how the interview format was developed. You can learn how to create a formal interview process for your congregation. Presenter: Michelle Valentine, Evergreen UU Fellowship, Marysville , WA Click Here for printable handouts from this workshop Blessings on the Journey: Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression Programming for Small Groups Our covenant groups (called Chalice Circles) are spending ten months looking at structures of oppression—in our world, our congregation, and ourselves. In the safety of small groups, we’re able to wrestle with ageism, sexism, racism, heterosexism, classism, and ableism authentically and compassionately. Leaders and participants will share the challenges and the gifts, and the ways in which this work is transformative. Presenters: The Rev. Liz Stevens, Minister and Heidi Hoke, Chalice Circle Coordinator; Kitsap UU Fellowship, Bremerton , WA Click Here for printable handouts from this workshop Pilgrimage: Walking the Road to Santiago In Summer and Fall of 2007, UU Minister Fran Dearman embarked on a four-month sabbatical. At the heart of this time of renewal was a two-month journey, walking the ancient pilgrim trail through Northern Spain to the shrine of St. James of Compostela. What does such a journey mean for a Unitarian Universalist? With word and picture, Fran will share some of her experiences, both practical and spiritual, about this journey. Participants in the workshop will learn about pilgrimages in general, about how this particular route is navigated, and perhaps be led to some broader insights about the broader pilgrimage of their own day to day lives. Presenter: Rev. Fran Dearman, Anchorage Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Anchorage , AK Click Here for printable handouts from this workshop Creating Peace with Compassionate Communication—In our Church, Your World, and In Your Home Compassionate Communication is a language of connection that increases our understanding of and ability to create peace. Based on "power with" or "partnership power" dynamic and sustainable relationships are formed in which each person’s needs are equally honored and are addressed peacefully. This can create a profound basis for spiritual growth, a delightful closeness in families, effective and creative work situations, and a powerful way to effect change in our world. Presenters: Debbie Grieb and Veronica Lassen, UU Church of the Palouse, Moscow , ID Click Here for printable handouts from this workshop
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