Webinars offer a convenient way to engage in online collaborative learning across the Pacific Western Region (PWR). Participating as a learning community in your congregation gives your team a starting point to gain insight, discuss with religious leaders, and focus your congregation’s learning community on what matters.

This fall, the PWR staff offer a variety of exciting offerings with individual webinars at $20 per connection (one connection can be viewed by as many as desired if they're gathered together).

Learn more about Webinars in the Pacific Western Region

Upcoming Webinars

Stewardship Transitions for Small Congregations
Kay Crider and Rev. Jan. Christian
Monday, October 3, 2016 - 6:30-7:45 p.m. PT

How can small congregations become aware of and adopt successful stewardship concepts and practices as they grow? This webinar will help you become more comfortable talking about money, the stewardship team and minister’s access to pledge information, migrating from a spreadsheet to a database, educating your fellowship about the range and distribution of pledges, keeping the personal stewardship connections intact as you grow, electronic giving options, subscribing to helpful listservs and blogs, and more.

Register for Stewardship for Small Congregations

Healthy Youth/Adult Relationships
Eric Bliss, Hope Laub and Rev. Evin Carvill-Ziemer
Tuesday, October 11, 2016 - 10:00-11:00 a.m. PT
Wednesday, October 12, 2016 - 5:00-6:00pm PT

Who is driving the youth ministry bus? Is it the youth? Is it the adult? A combination? This hour-long webinar will explore what current healthy practices are in regards to youth and adult relations in congregational and other settings. Topics of emphasis will include proper boundaries, adult roles and authority, and the challenges presented, as well as tools to overcome them. A team of bridged youth and adult professionals will consider these issues all through the lens of the new UUA Youth Ministry Competencies, focusing on competency #1: Forming Healthy Relationships and Sharing Leadership with Youth.

Learn more about Webinars for Youth Ministry or register for Healthy Youth/Adult Relationships on Tuesday, October 11th or Wednesday, October 12th.

Facebook is Not Your Congregation’s Newsletter or Bulletin Board
Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh
Thursday, October 27, 2016 - 7:00-8:00 p.m. PT

Facebook is relatively new technology. But the principles behind it are even older than print newsletters and cork bulletin boards. Facebook is about relationship, self-expression, and storytelling: things at which congregations are amazing. However, we often approach our congregational Facebook pages as announcement vehicles, and they don’t work. It’s not because we aren’t paying to boost the posts, it’s because we need to shift our paradigm. Learn how your congregation can use Facebook pages for public ministry, storytelling, outreach, and grassroots-generated publicity.

Register for Facebook is Not Your Congregation’s Newsletter or Bulletin Board

Ways to Improve Congregational Giving (Some Tried and True and Some Very New)
Kay Crider and Rev. Jan Christian
Wednesday, November 2, 2016 - 6:30-7:45 p.m. PT

Some of the techniques we’ll explore: Tying the congregational budget to our values and how they intersect with our pledges and gifts, creating opportunities for open discussions about money, broadening the ways and opportunities to give, creating the next generation of generous Unitarian Universalists, building a stewardship ministry team, mentoring and more.

Register for Ways to Improve Congregational Giving

Helping Your Congregation De-Stress for the Holidays
Katie Covey & Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh
Thursday, November 10, 2016 - 7:00-8:00 p.m. PT

Simple ideas for worship and program leaders to make the winter holidays meaningful and less stressful, including a “No-Rehearsal Christmas Eve” program, a multigenerational program of "Make Your Own Gifts" and an “Unplug the Xmas Machine” Family Workshop.

Register for Helping Your Congregation De-Stress for the Holidays

Serving as Leader: Effective Leadership in Small Congregations
Rev. Sarah Schurr & Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh
Tuesday, November 15, 2016 - 7:00-8:00 p.m. PT

Being a good lay leader in a Unitarian Universalist congregation is hard. Burnout is common and no matter what you do someone is unhappy. In this webinar, we will explore the role of leaders in a a Unitarian Universalist congregation. We will talk about helpful roles and sound leadership approaches. We will offer some useful tools to help your leaders and your congregation to thrive.

Register for Serving as Leader: Effective Leadership in Small Congregations

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Difficult Conversations
Rev. Laura Shennum & Rev. Dr. James Kubal-Komoto
Wednesday, November 16, 2016 - 7:00-8:00 p.m. PT

Many congregations avoid having conversations or making decisions about particular topics or with particular people (sometimes for years or decades) out of fear of unhealthy conflict. This webinar will introduce you to the practical skills needed to take on these difficult conversations.

Register for Difficult Conversations

Unitarian Universalism 101 for Non-UU Congregational Staff
Rev. Christine Robinson & Rev. Tandi Rogers
Thursday, November 17, 2016 - 7:00-8:00 p.m. PT

What is congregational polity and why is covenant so important? What are these peculiar customs and beliefs? Where are denominational resources for my particular role? What have I gotten myself into?! We will answer these questions and more. A 30 minute video will be assigned to watch ahead of time that gives an overview of UU history and theology.

Register for Unitarian Universalism 101 for Non-UU Congregational Staff

Creating Successful Teams for Accessibility & Inclusion Ministry
Michelle Avery Ferguson, Coordinator the Accessibility & Inclusion Ministry Certification Program, and Rev. Tandi Rogers - a collaboration between EqUUal Access and the UUA.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016 - 7:00-8:00 p.m. PT

Accessibility and Inclusion Ministry (AIM) focuses on welcoming, embracing, integrating, and supporting people with disabilities and their families in our congregations. Its sacred challenge for congregations is recognizing the humanity and gifts of all people. This program extends the efforts described in the document Accessibility Guidelines for Unitarian Universalist Congregations (PDF) by creating a certification program whereby congregations can be formally recognized for their commitment and progress. This webinar will give an overview of the program and tips on how to create successful teams for a positive whole-congregation experience.

Register for Creating Successful Teams for Accessibility & Inclusion Ministry

Untangling Triangles
Rev. Carol McKinley & Rev. Dr. James Kubal-Komoto
Thursday, December 1, 2016 - 7:00-8:00 p.m. PT

Have you ever experienced a situation in which two people vent with each other regarding a third person but don't address their concerns directly with the third person? In this webinar, you will learn what a triangulated communication is, you will learn how triangulated communication increases unhealthy conflict in congregations, and you will learn how to avoid and untangle triangulated conversations.

Register for Untangling Triangles

From Visitor to a Full Spectrum of Member Engagement
Lori Emison Clair, Consultant to the UU Association of Membership Professionals, and Rev. Tandi Rogers
Tuesday, December 6, 2016 - 7:00-8:00 p.m. PT

Faith traditions are all in a time of transition and the UU faith is no exception. As we struggle to consider what our faith will look like in the world of congregations and beyond, let us come together to consider some new perspectives on the traditional ideas of membership. In this webinar, we will expand upon the idea of a faith tradition that looks beyond the goal of increasing membership to a considering together what a full Spectrum of Engagement in our UU Faith might look like. This spectrum was first presented at GA 2015 by Carey McDonald, Marie Blohowiak and Lori Emison Clair.

Register for From Visitor to a Full Spectrum of Member Engagement

Questions

Contact PWR Congregational Life Staff, Jonipher Kwong at jkwong@uua.org.