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Search InterConnections for resources relevant to your interest and role: whether you are a lay or professional leader, there's information here to help you fulfill your ministry and carry forward your mission more effectively.
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Creating a night at midweek for friends and members to come out for a "church night" is a tradition for many of our congregations. It's an important time to build relationships in a more relaxed setting than on Sunday morning. And it provides a worship opportunity for those who have difficulty...
By Donald E. Skinner | October 15, 2006 | From InterConnections -
Q. Our small Unitarian Universalist (UU) church is exploring the possibility of renting out space in our RE wing to a daycare or preschool to increase our yearly income. Have other UU churches done this, how did they begin, and what has their experience been? A. John Levine of the First Unitarian...
By Donald E. Skinner | June 15, 2006 | From InterConnections -
The annual water service, sometimes called a "water communion" or "Waters of the World," is beloved by Unitarian Universalists (UUs). The water service is a UU ritual, usually conducted in the fall when friends and members return from their summer travels....
By Donald E. Skinner | June 15, 2006 | From InterConnections -
Q. Our congregation wants to attract new members; we also want to manage our money in a responsible way. We estimate that it costs $75 minimum to keep a member on the church list for a year. This includes newsletter costs and the support we provide to our district and the Unitarian Universalist...
By Donald E. Skinner | April 1, 2006 | From InterConnections -
People complain about someone to a third person. Resistance to change, turf wars. Rampant gossip, secret meetings. Calls for resignations. Email and telephone cliques that exclude some people. Abrupt changes in support of and participation in congregational life. Committee on Ministry is...
By Donald E. Skinner | April 1, 2006 | From InterConnections -
Try as we might, conflict is a part of life in many of our congregations. A group may not like the direction the church is going. Someone feels left out. There is too much spirituality on Sunday morning. Or not enough. The minister or religious educator is going down the wrong path....
By Donald E. Skinner | April 1, 2006 | From InterConnections -
Sometimes a new building is just what a congregation needs. Sometimes, if you build it, people will come and fill it. There is nothing worse than having to turn away people because you don't have room for them. And sometimes there are alternatives to a new building. Before you embark on an...
By Donald E. Skinner | April 1, 2006 | From InterConnections -
Q. Our church has just gone to two services and had our first congregational meeting after the second service. We wonder if we are disenfranchising those who attend the first service since few people return for the meeting....
By Donald E. Skinner | January 1, 2006 | From InterConnections -
Q. We had an awkward situation recently when our church sold a piece of furniture that a member had donated. The member felt we should have kept it. We felt that once it was donated it was the congregation’s to do with as it wished. Do other congregations have policies covering donated items? A.
By Donald E. Skinner | October 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
Those of us who are leaders in our congregations are sometimes puzzled by those who sit on the sidelines. Why, we wonder, did we get involved and why do those folks choose not to? Here are stories of a few people who chose to get involved....
By Donald E. Skinner | October 1, 2005 | From InterConnections -
Q. One of the things we struggle with as a congregation is cultivating enough leaders. Our current leaders are getting burned out and there aren’t enough new ones coming up to replace them. We’re getting frustrated. A. Try the following ways, says Eunice Benton, district executive for the...
By Donald E. Skinner | August 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
The annual stewardship drive is a lot of fun at Arlington Street Church (ASC), Boston (301 members). For starters there’s the gold spray-painted “ark of the covenant” that is carried down front on Covenant Renewal Sunday. There’s a celebratory mood, with lots of music and a rousing sermon by...
By Donald E. Skinner | August 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
If you dropped into a meeting of the executive team at Unity Church-Unitarian in St. Paul, MN (787 members), you might wonder who was in charge. The team is composed of the two co-ministers, the Revs. Janne and Rob Eller-Isaacs; director of resource development Louise Wolfgramm; and director of...
By Donald E. Skinner | August 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
Many congregations earn extra income by renting their facilities to outside groups. But is there a point at which such income might jeopardize a congregation’s tax exempt status? And what about renting to for-profit groups? The Rev. Ralph Mero, the Unitarian Universalist Association’s (UUA’s)...
By Donald E. Skinner | August 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
After a member of East Shore Unitarian Church in Bellevue, WA, had a heart attack at a church meeting and subsequently died, the congregation bought two automatic external defibrillators. One is kept outside the sanctuary, the other in the education building....
By Donald E. Skinner | June 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
Q. We’re considering a capital campaign. I understand most campaigns collect the money over three years, but what is the rationale for that length? Why not five, for instance? And how should we involve the people who join the congregation toward the end of the campaign or afterward?...
June 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
Does any congregation ever have enough volunteers? Most of us struggle with that. It can be one of the most frustrating parts of being a lay leader. But there are ways to make finding and keeping volunteers less of a problem. Start by asking them the right way: face-to-face....
By Donald E. Skinner | June 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
Every congregation would like to have a substantial endowment fund. But many never get there. We hate to ask for the money. We’re afraid we won’t know how to manage it well. Or that there might be disagreements about how to use it. There are good reasons to overcome those obstacles, says Marcy...
By Donald E. Skinner | June 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
We’ve all had the experience of walking into a room where a conversation was in progress. We were able to understand a little of what people were saying, but a lot of references went over our head because we didn’t have the benefit of what had gone on before. It can be like that if you’re a...
By Donald E. Skinner | March 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
Ever wonder why friends and members leave your church? The Membership Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Berkeley (UUCB) in Kensington, CA (526 members), did and went to the trouble of conducting exit interviews. It’s a process that can tell you a lot about whether people feel...
By Donald E. Skinner | March 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
Last fall was not the first time the basement of the First Unitarian Universalist (UU) Society of Marietta, OH (94 members), had flooded. Situated just blocks from the Ohio and the Muskingum rivers, flooding goes with the territory....
By Donald E. Skinner | March 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
When Carol Hosmer found it necessary to temporarily drop out of her church ten years ago to deal with some family dynamics that were consuming much of her time, she discovered something uncomfortable. It seemed that no one missed her. She explains: “It was a mid-to-large-size congregation and one...
By Donald E. Skinner | March 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
Q. Our church administrator has trouble getting work done because of frequent interruptions from people who ask questions they should know the answers to. What can we do? A. The Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, IN, created a three-page document that answers many of the questions that...
By Donald E. Skinner | January 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
Jefferson Unitarian Church, Golden, CO, start each Sunday with 10 minutes of Morningsong—a hymn sing just before the official start of the service. The practice started with one or two hymns and now is up to three. Minister of Music Keith Arnold says Morningsong is used to teach new hymns, sing...
By Donald E. Skinner | January 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
Should congregations borrow money from their own members for capital improvement projects? It’s an option that some congregations have used, but it’s not without pitfalls. “There are all sorts of reasons why it’s not a good idea,” said Wayne Clark, the Unitarian Universalist...
By Donald E. Skinner | January 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
They go by various names—circle suppers, dinner for eight, second Friday suppers. When they work well they bring friends, newcomers, and members of the congregation together monthly to share food and get acquainted. They can be a powerful tool for creating community in any sized congregation. But...
By Donald E. Skinner | January 15, 2005 | From InterConnections -
Collected thoughts and inspiration for Membership Committees from InterConnections, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) newsletter for board members and professional staff of all Unitarian Universalist congregations. —Don Skinner, Editor Visitors must be greeted and talked with at coffee...
November 1, 2004 | From InterConnections -
This document is intended as a guide for use in forming and organizing membership committees. It is based on a two hundred to four hundred member congregation, but its numbers and functions can be expanded or contracted to meet the needs of your particular congregation....
November 1, 2004 | From InterConnections -
A package of two classes to be offered before religious services on Sunday morning or at a brunch after church, or at an evening session. The first session focuses on information about the denomination, the second on an individual congregation. Newcomers should be encouraged to attend both. These...
November 1, 2004 | From InterConnections -
These membership bylaws are meant as examples only. Please amend them to fit your own needs. Article III Membership Active Members: Any person sixteen years of age or older who agrees with the purposes of this church may become an Active Member by signing the Membership Roll in the presence of an...
November 1, 2004 | From InterConnections -
August 1: Have full greeting teams in place to respond to increase in visitors. August is a prime month for church shoppers. September 1: Have all congregational publications updated, printed and available for visitors and members. October: Hold New Unitarian Universalist (UU) classes....
November 1, 2004 | From InterConnections -
Sample letter about stewardship to be given to prospective members at New Unitarian Universalist (UU) classes and to be sent immediately after joining, along with a pledge card and letter from the membership chair....
November 1, 2004 | From InterConnections -
When you decide to join this church it will be a big moment for you and for us. We have a responsibility to see that you are made welcome and that you find a place in our midst where you can make friends and continue your spiritual journey. In return, we ask that you make an effort to become...
November 1, 2004 | From InterConnections -
This is a model for a two hour Newcomer Class session from the Michael Servetus Unitarian Universalist (UU) Fellowship, Vancouver, WA (200 plus members). It is either offered in connection with a brunch after church on Sunday or as an evening dessert event in a private home....
November 1, 2004 | From InterConnections -
The following suggestions were taken from a workshop presented at General Assembly 2004 in Long Beach, CA, by Wayne Clark, UUA (Unitarian Universalist Association) director of Congregational Fundraising Services: To be carefully interviewed and appropriately matched to a meaningful role....
October 15, 2004 | From InterConnections -
Q. Do any congregations have a planned “path” for the board president after s/he has completed the term of service? Since that person has such a wealth of information and insight, we would like to institute some sort of position for our immediate past president, but obviously one that would not...
October 15, 2004 | From InterConnections -
The most common cause of fires in church buildings is electrical, says Church Mutual, the insurance company that insures a majority of Unitarian Universalist congregations. Electrical fires can be caused by faulty wiring, electrical arcs, and overloaded circuits....
October 15, 2004 | From InterConnections -
Everycongregation has a story about someone who visited a couple of Sunday mornings,but didn’t really feel a connection, and then joined an adult education courseand then another and pretty soon had made a bunch of friends and become soconnected to their new religious community that any thought o...
October 15, 2004 | From InterConnections -
When the board of trustees of First Unitarian Universalist (UU) Church of San Diego, CA (656 members), was simultaneously struggling with some complex issues around a transition in ministry plus the renovation of its meetinghouse, the board found it helpful to take time for the same simple ritual...
By Donald E. Skinner | October 15, 2004 | From InterConnections -
Should ministers know how much their parishioners contribute financially? It’s a question that can cause anxiety on both sides. InterConnections recently invited ministers to discuss this topic....
By Donald E. Skinner | October 15, 2004 | From InterConnections -
Q: We have a major financial donor in our small congregation. When she’s happy, her pledge is increased by a significant amount and the church receives special gifts. When she’s dissatisfied, her pledge is reduced and favors are withdrawn. Our benefactor has recently expressed her disapproval of...
By Donald E. Skinner | June 15, 2004 | From InterConnections -
Being welcoming to visitors is the easy part. When someone visits your congregation it’s not a stretch of the imagination to greet them warmly at the door, give them a packet of information, talk with them at coffee hour, and invite them back again. But if they do come back again—and again, then...
By Donald E. Skinner | April 15, 2004 | From InterConnections -
When four Kansas City-area Unitarian Universalist (UU) congregations were invited in the summer of 2002 to be part of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s (UUA’s) proposed media test to begin the following January, they jumped at the opportunity. They saw the campaign’s proposed radio and...
By Donald E. Skinner | April 15, 2004 | From InterConnections -
Some candles are better for you, says the Accessibility Committeee of the Unitarian Universalist Society: East Manchester, CT. In a recent newsletter it offered these tips: Choose beeswax or soy wax candles over paraffin, which is a petroleum waste product and produces smoke and soot....
By Donald E. Skinner | January 15, 2004 | From InterConnections -
The question comes up often on Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) email lists: “We’re thinking about advertising on our National Public Radio station. People who listen to NPR...
January 15, 2004 | From InterConnections -
The Committee on Ministry may be the most misunderstood committee that a congregation has. Is it an advocate for the minister—a kind of ministerial cheerleading squad? Or does it represent the congregation’s interests? Beyond that, does it just respond to crises or is it supposed to meet...
By Donald E. Skinner | January 1, 2004 | From InterConnections -
There are people for whom going to church is akin to visiting a hazardous chemical site. The experience can induce severe allergic reactions. These people suffer from what is sometimes called multiple environmental sensitivities. For these folks someone’s perfume, the chemicals used to clean the...
October 15, 2003 | From InterConnections -
There was a time when visitors to Jefferson Unitarian Church in Golden, Colorado, were afraid to take a red visitor’s cup, says Pat Emery, the church’s volunteer coordinator. “I think it was about ten years ago when one of us overheard one visitor tell another, ‘Don’t take the red cup,...
By Donald E. Skinner | October 15, 2003 | From InterConnections -
When water began leaking onto the last two rows of pews at the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Society of Greater Springfield, MA (225 members), about eight years ago, it was seen as a sign: a sign that it was time to develop a plan for longterm maintenance....
By Donald E. Skinner | October 15, 2003 | From InterConnections -
The search committee has done its job. The new minister arrives next month. You're excited, but also a little nervous. You want this new relationship to go well. But how to make that happen? The most important part of a ministerial start-up is a facilitated retreat, says Lynn Thomas, district...
By Donald E. Skinner | August 15, 2003 | From InterConnections