Update from Our CLEAR Gathering

By Central East Region of the UUA

CER Staff in Phoenix, AZ. R-L, standing - Lenore Bajare-Dukes, Rev. Alia Shinbrough, Rev. Dr. Megan Foley, Rev. Cassandra Montenegro, Rev. Sana Saeed. Sitting: Rev. Renee Ruchotzke, our meerkat mascot, Beth Casebolt.

Your CER Staff in Phoenix. Standing. L-R. Lenore Bajare-Dukes, Rev. Alia Shinbrough, Rev. Dr. Megan Foley, Rev. Cassandra Montenegro, Rev. Sana Saeed. Sitting, L-R, Rev. Renee Ruchotzke, our meerkat mascot, Beth Casebolt.

Your Congregational Life staff has recently returned with new skills, connections, and conversations from a gathering known as CLEAR: Congregational Life Education And Renewal. Two weeks ago, field staff members from the country’s five regions, as well as national programs in Congregational Life such as Hope For Us, the Lay Ministry Network, Congregational Transitions, LeaderLab, and the National Events Team, gathered in Phoenix, Arizona for several days of sharing knowledge, building connections, honing skills, and renewing spirits.

At CLEAR, your Central East Region staff team attended workshops on bringing a trauma-informed lens to our work, supporting religious education through times of change, facilitating circles with congregations, facilitating with stories and movement, working with histories of ministerial misconduct, and helping congregations write limited access agreements. And, just as importantly: we worshiped, ate, laughed, and played together.

We are sharing this with you during this time of challenge and change to let you know that we are working on practicing what we preach! Amid many commitments, we thought it was important to set aside time to reflect together on how we have been doing our work. To learn new skills to meet the needs ahead. We took long breaks for meals, and we took time to rest and digest some tough topics. We had fun, and we nourished our spirits, knowing that this, too, is work that helps us come back and continue to serve. We took time to get to know people from other teams and our own, which helps us bring our best creativity and teamwork to respond to needs. And we took a moment to center ourselves for the work ahead.

This week, of all weeks, we hope that you, too, find some moments for connection, for pause, for noticing the good work you are doing to serve your congregations and communities. For grounding in what sustains you. We never do this work alone. Please reach out to your Congregational Life Field Staff if you need to connect.

As we have returned, we look forward to continuing to check in with congregations, and to gathering in person and online in our upcoming Leading With Love at the Center days - where we’ll also hope to learn, connect, play, and nourish with you. Details will be in the February newsletter coming out later this week.