UUAMP is committed to providing opportunities for our members to grow and develop. The UUAMP Certification Program as well as our massive library of resources can be found under the Continuing Education & Resources tab. Below we have listed topics of our webinars, book discussions, and in-person gatherings - all chosen to help fulfill our mission of sustaining and nurturing the ministry of membership in UU congregations. We encourage anyone passionate about deepening your skills, relationships, and gaining a deeper understanding of your work to attend these offerings.
UUAMP is committed to helping all Unitarian Universalist congregations do our work better. Everyone is welcome to join the Book Discussions, Webinars and Connections Chats!
Full Scholarships for Membership Professionals- UU Wellspring
“What will you do with this one wild and precious life?” asks the poet Mary Oliver.
UU Wellspring.inc is a 10-month online or in-person program of distinctly Unitarian Universalist spiritual development designed to help participants answer that provocative question. Begun in 2005, the program celebrates the depth and breadth of our rich religious tradition.
Wellspring is offering 10 free spaces to membership professionals for the program that begins in October.
Want to know more? Here are some links that might be helpful:
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Watch this five-minute video of UU Wellspring participants talking about their transformative experiences in the program.
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Watch this video on starting or taking your congregational UU Wellspring program online.
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Sign up for either the Lay Person or Religious Professional UU Wellspring online groups starting October 2020. Indicate "Membership Professional applying for scholarship" on the form.
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Check out the website for more information here.
UUAMP Pro Day a Success!
UUAMP PRO DAY 2020 (virtual) CONFERENCE
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Two-hour event scheduled for 11 am Pacific/12 pm Mountain/1 pm Central/2 pm Eastern
We're honored that Alex Kapitan will be our keynote speaker. Zr. Alex Kapitan is a lay community minister, a queer and trans lifelong UU, co-leader of the Transforming Hearts Collective, and co-creator of the online course Transgender Inclusion in Congregations, which many members of UUAMP have been engaging with this year. Alex previously worked for many years at the UUA’s national office supporting Welcoming Congregation, anti-racism, and social justice programming.
KEYNOTE: RADICAL WELCOME AND TRANSFORMATIONAL CULTURE SHIFT Membership professionals are at the front lines of welcome in our congregations, and radical welcome is even more important now as we navigate our changing world. We understand that true faith-filled welcome is not just about the experience of the first-time visitor, it’s about fostering a deep sense of belonging in all who are part of our faith communities. But expanding the circle of belonging takes more than a checklist of wheelchair ramps, pronouns on name badges, and singing the occasional hymn in Spanish. It takes radical welcome and culture shift that transforms our hearts.
The Pro Day 2020 program - A 2 hour program with an optional 1/2 hour continued conversation:
*Opening & Chalice Lighting
*Welcome & Introductions
*Keynote - Alex Kapitan
~Presentation
~Breakout Sessions
~Q & A
~~BREAK- 15 minutes~~
*Business Meeting
~President's Report
~Treasurer's Report
~Nominations
~Code of Ethics
~Membership
~Appreciations
~Adjournment
*Breakout Sessions
*Closing Worship
*Optional Extended Conversation- 30 minutes
Registration is $25 for members. Deadline to register is June 19.
We hope to see you on June 23!
This Week In Unitarian Universalism
Help Your Congregation Connect to UU History and Identity
Peggy Garrigues, Director of Congregational Life at the UU Society in Coralville, Iowa, would like to offer the possibility of a weekly electronic article about UU history that you could publish in your weekly email or bulletin, or choose selections to include in your monthly newsletter. Most of the entries will be taken from the book This Day in Unitarian Universalist History, by Frank Schulman, that is published by Skinner House Books. Peggy will pay the permission fee if enough congregations are interested.
Each week, subscribers will receive approximately five to seven entries of events that happened related to Unitarian, Universalist, or UU history for that week over the last several centuries. The entries will be sent out several weeks ahead of time, so you could include in either weekly or monthly publications by your congregation. Each week the entries will include events related to people of color, women, or someplace outside of the US to the extent that the information is available in the book. As time goes on, Peggy will be also seek input for events from other sources beyond the book.
If at least 45 congregations are interested, the annual subscription fee will be $10 which will cover the cost of the permission to publish. Please fill out the attached link if your congregations is interested in subscribing. There will be commitment at this time. Peggy will be in touch with the results of the interest form. Email Peggy with questions.
FREE New Resource from Faith Forward!
Free New Resource from Faith Forward!
Faith Forward: From Visitor to Leader is a guided path for congregations to help build connections and deepen in their faith, based out of the First Unitarian Church of Dallas.
They are gifting all congregations the use of their Spiritual Practice series, which is easily adaptable for distance learning, including Zoom. It is a 12-session series that helps participants develop regular disciplines of the spirit - practices that help them connect with the sacred. The series can be share as a whole, or each class can be offered as an individual class. We feel this is a perfect time to encourage our people to explore new spiritual practices and this series allows them to do it with their faith community.
To sign up for the series for no cost, use this link to register: https://faith-forward.teachable.com/p/faith-forward-spiritualpractice/?product_id=634744&coupon_code=SPIRITUAL-PRACTICE.
Learn more about Faith Forward here: https://faithforwarduu.org Contact Marie Luna, Faith Forward Coordinator, at mluna@dallasuu.org with questions.
LESSONS LEARNED?
Lessons Learned?
LESSONS LEARNED?
Click here to view Session One: Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Click here to view Session Two: Monday, July 20, 2020
Facilitated by Mark Bernstein, Congregational Consultant, and member of the UU Church of Delaware County in Media, PA, and Caron Armstrong, Membership Manager, UU Fellowship of Winston-Salem, NC.
This series is co-sponsored by Feel Good Consulting and the UU Association of Membership Professionals.
****Info and Recorded Sessions - "The Best View: Congregational Life in the Aftermath of COVID-19"****
There is an adage that the best view comes after the hardest climb. When life begins to return to “normal”, what will we see? How will our view of church change as a result of the pandemic and what modifications should we begin to prepare for?
This session was offered three times. Recordings of each session are below.
Mark Bernstein is a member of the UU Association of Membership Professionals and serves as Adjunct Staff for the Central East Region of the UUA. His home congregation is the UU Church of Delaware County in Media, PA. This session is jointly sponsored by Feel Good Consulting and the UU Association of Membership Professionals. Questions? m.mjbernstein@verizon.net
Open to Everyone: Monday Membership as Ministry Chats
UUAMP SUMMER PROGRAMS
Monday Membership as Ministry Chats
Join us for Monday Membership as Ministry Chats at 2 pm Eastern/1 Central/Noon Mountain/11 am Pacific. These Zoom sessions are open to UUAMP members, but we’re also opening them up to non-UUAMP paid staff and volunteer leaders who might benefit from some expertise and support on the topic of welcoming people virtually to our congregations.
Join us and feel free to invite others in your congregation who work in the area of membership ministry. Register using this link.
July 6: Check In with host, Sarah Masters
July 13: Connection Chat on Communications Policies/Plan with Kari Gottfried, Ann Arbor (Host, Hannah Hotchkiss)
July 20: Let’s talk about how we can collaborate on Membership Programs for an all virtual year! (Host, Marie Luna)
July 27: Workshop: Young Adult Ministry with Joe Chapot (to be recorded)
August 3: Check In with host, Kristin Cleveland
August 10: Connection Chat (topic TBA)
August 17: Collaboration Chat (topic TBD)
August 24: Workshop: Welcoming All Year with Tina Lewis
Deep Dives
Members share challenges and triumphs in their congregations related to the monthly topic. This series is facilitated by Mark Bernstein, Central East Region Adjunct Staff Member and UUAMP member.
Deep Dives is on hiatus in early 2020.
Book Discussions
Sign up here to register for our 2019 Book Discussions!
January 24, 2019 at 1 pm EST: "Upcycle Your Congregation"
May 15, 2019 at 1 pm EST: "Emergent Strategy"
