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!
Congregational Life in the Time of COVID: A Series of Workshops
SEPTEMBER 2021 WORKSHOPS
March 2021 Sessions:
Light at the End of the Tunnel?
Congregational Life in the Time of COVID:
A One Year Perspective
with Mark Bernstein, Feel Good Consulting
and Caron Armstrong, UUAMP
In May, July and October of 2020, we held forums discussing the impact of the pandemic on congregational life. Congregations from across the country joined together to share and learn from one another.
As we approach the one-year anniversary of this extraordinary time in our history, and with the advent of the COVID-19 vaccine, we invite you to join us once again to have a conversation
about your congregation’s current status and your plans for the future.
Click here to view a recording of the March 25 session
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October 2020 Sessions:
NEW NORMAL
OR
NO NORMAL?
Third in a Series of Conversations about Congregational Life in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Building on the forums held in May and July of this year, we offer an opportunity for further discussion and learning on how congregations are coping with life in the era of Coronavirus and their plans for the future.
Click here to view the recording of the October 21 session.
Click here to view the recording of the October 30 session.
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
Sponsored by Feel Good Consulting and the
Unitarian Universalist Association of Membership Professionals (UUAMP)
July 2020 Sessions: 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.
May 2020 Sessions: THE BEST VIEW
****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
Join us for Pro Days! June 17th and 18th 2021
JOIN UUAMP FOR PRO DAYS 2021!
Thursday, June 17th & Friday, June 18th
11am-1:30 pm Pacific/Noon-2:30 pm Mountain/1-3:30 pm Central/2-4:30 pm Eastern each day
Pro Days will be held on Zoom!
Register Here
Cost: $50 for UUAMP members; $75 for non-members
($125 gets you UUAMP membership for one year PLUS the discounted rate for Pro Day!)
There is some scholarship money available. If you would like more information about requesting a scholarship,
send an email to uuampboard@gmail.com
Itinerary
UUAMP Professional Day 1
Thursday, June 17th
Worship & Keynote
Keynote Speaker: Michael J. Crumpler, Director of LGBTQ and Multi-Cultural Programming
Rev. Michael J. Crumpler joined the UUA in early 2017. Shortly thereafter, he was ordained to Reverend in the United Church of Christ. Michael lives in Harlem and is very active in social justice ministry at the historic Judson Memorial Church of New York City and the surrounding queer community. He is most passionate about intersectional ministry centered in blackness, queerness, HIV/AIDS, economic justice, and emotional well-being. (Bio From the UUA website)
Annual Business Meeting
UUAMP Professional Day 2
Friday, June 18th
Workshops
Creating Friction in your Congregation (It's a Good Thing!)
with Mark Bernstein
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. Learn more about Mark here!
The Covid 19 Pandemic has left many of us traumatized, both individually and collectively as a community. We’ll talk about what Membership Professionals and others involved in membership in the congregation can expect as people return and how to support our members as we re-enter in-person congregational life.
Membership Growth in a Digital-First World with Peter Bowden
Peter Bowden has spent over a decade training UU congregational leaders to use digital tools to communicate, build community, and amplify their congregation's impact. Peter grew up UU at the First Unitarian Church of Providence, RI. Learn more about Peter here!
The opportunity for our congregations to engage with people online, be of service, and grow has never been greater! Peter Bowden will share strategies for adapting ministry and membership development for today's digital/pandemic context. We'll cover approaches applicable whether your congregation is gathering 100% online or embracing a dual online-offline (multi-platform) approach.
Closing Ritual
with mandi huizenga
Register Here
“The Meaning of Membership” with Laura Park
"The Meaning of Membership" with Laura Park
Wednesday, May 12th at 2:00 Eastern/1:00 Central/11:00 Pacific
What does it mean to become a member of a religious community covenanted to affirm and promote the free and responsible search for truth and meaning? At Unity Church-Unitarian, we have come to express our membership expectations as commitments we make within, among, and beyond.
In this session, Laura Park, Acting Director of Membership and Hospitality at Unity Church-Unitarian in St. Paul, MN will describe these three expectations and how the church supports congregants in their work within, among, and beyond. The session will also include participant discussion and questions.
Join us on Wednesday, May 12th at 2:00-3:30 Eastern/1:00-2:30 Central/11:00-12:30 Pacific!
Register here to receive the Zoom link
Laura Park has 30 years experience in organization development, primarily within churches. In addition to her work as Acting Director of Membership and Hospitality at Unity Church-Unitarian in St. Paul, MN, she also is Managing Director of Unity Consulting, a program of Unity Church that helps congregations across their country build fruitful governance practices. Laura is the author of The Nested Bowls: The Promise and Practice of Good Governance.
“Reimagining Our Ministry” with Peter Bowden
"Reimagining Our Ministry"
with Peter Bowden - UUAMP edition
Tuesday, Feb 23, 2021, at 2:00 PM E.T.
(60 Minute Session)
This edition of Peter's "Reimagining Our Ministry" series is for members of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Membership Professionals.
Please register for this event at this link:
https://uuamp.org/virtual-
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom meeting access information.
First Virtual UUAMP Pro Day (2020) a Success!
THANK YOU, MEMBERS, FOR PARTICIPATING IN OUR FIRST VIRTUAL PROFESSIONAL DAY IN 2020!
SAVE THE DATE FOR VIRTUAL PRO DAY 2021 ON JUNE 17 & 18.
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!
FREE Resource from Faith Forward!
Free 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.
Open to Everyone: Monday Membership as Ministry Chats
Monday Membership as Ministry Chats
Join us for Monday Chats at 2 pm Eastern/1 Central/Noon Mountain/11 am Pacific. These Zoom sessions are open to UUAMP members, as well as 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.
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"
