1 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,399 Welcome to the Congregational Leaders Conversation. 2 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:35,679 This monthly program offers an opportunity 3 00:00:35,679 --> 00:00:40,159 to hear from experienced expert guest, speakers on 4 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:43,840 topics of interest to congregational leaders, and to be in conversation 5 00:00:43,840 --> 00:00:47,679 with them and one another about what you're noticing in our congregations. 6 00:00:47,759 --> 00:00:52,679 You can expect a variety of opinions, questions, concerns, and ideas shared every month. 7 00:00:52,719 --> 00:00:56,159 We do record these meetings and post them on 8 00:00:56,439 --> 00:00:59,600 the website for those who want access later, and the video 9 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:04,560 does not include any um, time spent in uh, small groups. 10 00:01:04,599 --> 00:01:08,920 Um, I am QuianaDenae. 11 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:11,000 It always both parts. 12 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:14,560 Uh, my pronouns are she, her, they and them are very acceptable. 13 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:18,400 I am an African-American black woman with shiny glasses. 14 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:21,640 My hair is back, but I do have long locks that might come out towards the front, 15 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:26,239 and I have on a gray shirt that represents the 35th annual powwow 16 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:28,319 of life that happens in Lansing every year. 17 00:01:28,359 --> 00:01:31,640 I am physically in Ann Arbor, Michigan, 18 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:36,719 and I serve our MidAmerica region small congregations in our region. 19 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:39,760 Tonight's gathering is an opportunity for 20 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:43,120 all of us to practice some of the key leadership skills that 21 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:45,280 are essential for these times. 22 00:01:45,359 --> 00:01:48,719 We ask that you lean into those skills and your interactions 23 00:01:48,719 --> 00:01:53,640 with each other this evening and suggest the following group norms, which you will also find in the chat. 24 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:55,680 Take care of yourself. 25 00:01:55,719 --> 00:01:58,000 Extend grace as others do the same. 26 00:01:58,079 --> 00:02:00,079 Share by choice. 27 00:02:00,079 --> 00:02:02,319 It's okay to pass and pause. 28 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:04,400 Share the time. 29 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:06,400 Speak from your own experience. 30 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:08,919 Expect multiple perspectives. 31 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:11,319 Pause for repair as needed. 32 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:14,919 Make room for joy, laughter, curiosity, 33 00:02:14,919 --> 00:02:17,120 growth, sadness, and silence. 34 00:02:17,199 --> 00:02:20,319 Honor confidentiality, particularly 35 00:02:20,319 --> 00:02:25,879 that um, with that, that, particularly with what is shared in our break rooms. 36 00:02:26,039 --> 00:02:29,080 Here is a little bit of information to let you 37 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:31,360 know what to expect in our time together. 38 00:02:31,439 --> 00:02:33,599 Our tech host is Ritoo. 39 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:36,680 And uh, our and my 40 00:02:36,719 --> 00:02:39,479 colleague, Lauren Wyeth, is our is my co-host. 41 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:41,800 Um, and the 3 of us are here with you every month. 42 00:02:41,879 --> 00:02:44,919 Our guest speaker, this, 43 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:46,919 our guest speakers, plural, very exciting. 44 00:02:47,159 --> 00:02:50,360 This evening are Kelly Greene and Paula Gribble 45 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,680 from the UU community of Charlotte, and the Reverend 46 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:57,400 Christina Leone-Tracy and Hannah Roberts Villnave from 47 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:02,199 Fox Valley UU Fellowship in Appleton, Wisconsin. 48 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:05,680 We are, uh, we've invited this uh, 49 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:09,159 stellar crew of religious professionals to come to talk to us about the 50 00:03:09,159 --> 00:03:12,879 creative ways they're gathering their communities for worship and faith formation. 51 00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:16,439 It promises to be a rich conversation with 52 00:03:16,439 --> 00:03:20,199 all of us, and we are so glad that you have chosen to join us tonight. 53 00:03:21,759 --> 00:03:23,759 Yeah, welcome. 54 00:03:23,759 --> 00:03:25,280 So glad to be here with you tonight. 55 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:27,360 I love this program. 56 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,120 It's lovely to gather with this particular group of speakers this evening. 57 00:03:30,199 --> 00:03:32,199 It's going to be a great evening. 58 00:03:32,199 --> 00:03:36,000 My name, as QuianaDenae said, is Lauren Wyeth. 59 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:39,199 My pronouns are she or they, and I 60 00:03:39,199 --> 00:03:42,599 am a white person in my mid 50s with blondish 61 00:03:42,639 --> 00:03:45,039 brown curlyish hair that's about down to my shoulders. 62 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,319 I'm wearing tortoise shell glasses, and today I'm 63 00:03:48,319 --> 00:03:51,560 wearing a pale green linen top 64 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:55,439 with a lot of dark blue and dark green leafy pattern on it. 65 00:03:55,520 --> 00:03:58,560 And behind me over one shoulder is a bulletin board 66 00:03:58,599 --> 00:04:03,759 with lots of UUy things on it and a chalice over the other shoulder on a bookcase. 67 00:04:03,759 --> 00:04:06,919 And I serve on the MidAmerica life 68 00:04:06,919 --> 00:04:10,199 staff as a congregational consultant. 69 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:13,319 I work primarily with our larger congregations, 70 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:16,639 and I'm also the faith development specialist for our region. 71 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:20,000 I'm located here in South Minneapolis, 72 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,240 where I live, and I'm up in the attic of my little South 73 00:04:24,279 --> 00:04:27,399 Minneapolis home, which serves as my office. 74 00:04:27,439 --> 00:04:30,439 I want to tell you a 75 00:04:30,439 --> 00:04:35,040 little bit about what we're going to be up to tonight in terms of the flow of the evening. 76 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:38,600 So we'll be together for 90 minutes. 77 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:42,439 Coming up next, we'll take a few minutes to light our chalice and ground ourselves. 78 00:04:42,519 --> 00:04:45,639 Then we'll take some time to reflect on what's happening in our 79 00:04:45,639 --> 00:04:49,519 own congregations before introducing ourselves in small breakout groups. 80 00:04:49,519 --> 00:04:54,920 And then when we come back together, we'll hear from our guests for about half an hour. 81 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:58,000 Then following their presentation, we'll 82 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,160 have a chance to process in those same breakout groups again before having 83 00:05:01,160 --> 00:05:04,079 some time for Q and A in the large group. 84 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:09,319 And then we'll close our time together at 9 Eastern 6 Pacific. 85 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:14,000 So I invite you now to settle in as 86 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:17,279 I light a chalice for us and offer these 87 00:05:17,319 --> 00:05:20,680 words from Christopher Sexton. 88 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:25,519 We 89 00:05:25,519 --> 00:05:29,240 are galaxies, pretending to be calendars, 90 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:33,079 trying to measure ourselves in days and years, 91 00:05:33,079 --> 00:05:36,560 when really we are storms, and seasons, 92 00:05:36,560 --> 00:05:40,759 and unfinished constellations, collapsing, 93 00:05:40,759 --> 00:05:44,600 expanding, yearning, burning, colliding, 94 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:49,439 spiraling, becoming something we don't even have language for yet. 95 00:05:49,519 --> 00:05:52,639 Hmm. 96 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,000 Ooh, as a person who loves 97 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:00,120 words, you know that language is like, oh, we don't even have language yet. 98 00:06:00,199 --> 00:06:02,279 Hmm. 99 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,519 Thank you, Lauren, so much. 100 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:08,959 Before we go into our breakout 101 00:06:08,959 --> 00:06:14,120 groups for check-in, we take a couple minutes to reflect on what's happening in our congregations. 102 00:06:14,199 --> 00:06:18,040 Ritoo is putting a link to a document in the chat. 103 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:21,560 You're invited to open up that link now and 104 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:24,360 take a few minutes to reflect and add your thoughts to it. 105 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:27,600 All right friends. 106 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:29,519 We'll be heading into breakout groups. 107 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:31,639 Welcome back, welcome back. 108 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:34,839 I hope you had some good introductions, some 109 00:06:34,879 --> 00:06:38,879 good FaceTime in your breakout groups with some folks. 110 00:06:38,959 --> 00:06:42,079 I just love getting congregational leaders connected with each other. 111 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:45,160 It is unique work that 112 00:06:45,199 --> 00:06:48,920 we do in the world as congregational leaders and I 113 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:52,319 love giving you the opportunity to reach across space 114 00:06:52,319 --> 00:06:55,920 to connect with other people who are doing similar 115 00:06:55,920 --> 00:06:59,680 work, but in ways that might be new so that we can do 116 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:03,240 a little cross-pollination and also a little validation 117 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:06,600 of what this is like to be in this role that you have so 118 00:07:06,600 --> 00:07:09,040 generously taken in your congregation. 119 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:12,480 So again, my name is Lauren Wyeth, 120 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:15,279 and I am going to be our facilitator 121 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:17,360 this evening. 122 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:18,959 Our guest speakers, as QuianaDenae 123 00:07:18,959 --> 00:07:22,560 mentioned earlier, are Kelly Greene, and 124 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:26,079 Paula Gribble, from the Unitarian 125 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:29,279 Universalist community of Charlotte, North Carolina. 126 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:32,759 Kelly serves there as the director of member relations 127 00:07:32,759 --> 00:07:36,399 and Paula as the director of lifespan education. 128 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:39,720 And then we also have the Reverend Christina 129 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:43,959 Leone-Tracy and Reverend Hannah Roberts Villnave, 130 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:48,000 who are the co-ministers of the Fox Valley Unitarian 131 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,519 Universalist Fellowship in Appleton, Wisconsin. 132 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:54,839 For this 1st part of our evening 133 00:07:54,839 --> 00:07:58,800 together, we're going to be in listening mode, as we hear from Kelly and 134 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:02,439 Paula, and then from Christina and Hannah, 135 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:06,480 I've invited each of them to spend 12 to 14 136 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:10,720 minutes, just talking with us in their pair. 137 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,920 So 1st we'll hear from Kelly and Paula about 138 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:18,839 what they're doing in their congregation that is new for them. 139 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:22,199 In my opinion, unique, somewhat 140 00:08:22,199 --> 00:08:26,560 in our congregation, and that's why we've invited them into this space together. 141 00:08:26,639 --> 00:08:30,240 So I'm going to pull Kelly, 142 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:34,120 and Paula, into this 143 00:08:34,159 --> 00:08:37,639 space, and I'm going to pull myself out, and I'm going to invite 144 00:08:37,639 --> 00:08:42,840 you two, to tell us a bit about the work that you do together there in North Carolina. 145 00:08:42,919 --> 00:08:44,919 Thanks and welcome to you both. 146 00:08:44,919 --> 00:08:46,639 Thanks, Lauren. 147 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:48,679 Appreciate that. 148 00:08:48,679 --> 00:08:52,000 Um, I'll go ahead and just give a brief, 149 00:08:52,039 --> 00:08:54,360 um, explanation of what we're gonna talk about. 150 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:58,559 Kelly and I participate in, um, 151 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:02,440 facilitating for our congregation something called community Sunday. 152 00:09:02,519 --> 00:09:05,519 And community Sunday is something that we 153 00:09:05,519 --> 00:09:08,919 do once a month, every 3rd Sunday, where 154 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:12,960 in the regular time of church, instead of a 155 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:17,080 full traditional worship service, we do a brief 156 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:21,840 service that is then, um, added 157 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:25,720 to, we, we like to say that our, these are extensions 158 00:09:25,759 --> 00:09:29,720 of the worship service, activities that people participate in. 159 00:09:29,759 --> 00:09:33,960 And they could be discussion, could be something active movement. 160 00:09:34,039 --> 00:09:36,480 We talk a little more about what kinds of things we do. 161 00:09:36,559 --> 00:09:40,159 Um, and so we worship for 20, 162 00:09:40,159 --> 00:09:44,159 um, the 25 minutes and then we have 45 minutes in 163 00:09:44,159 --> 00:09:47,399 these different, um, people choose which way they want 164 00:09:47,399 --> 00:09:49,960 to go and choose an activity to participate in a workshop. 165 00:09:50,039 --> 00:09:54,360 And like I said, we do this every, every month. 166 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:57,440 Um, And um, I was 167 00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:01,159 going to ask Kelly if she wanted to either add to that and also tell us how that started. 168 00:10:01,279 --> 00:10:04,679 Thank you all for being here. 169 00:10:04,799 --> 00:10:06,799 So I, 170 00:10:06,799 --> 00:10:09,960 We started this, um, 171 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:12,360 during a period when we were in transition. 172 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,480 I learned about, um, 173 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:18,759 something called action Sundays from UU 174 00:10:18,799 --> 00:10:25,320 FRC, which I'm not going to remember what the FRC stands 175 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:29,399 for, but from one of my membership colleagues in the Monday, Monday chats. 176 00:10:29,519 --> 00:10:34,240 Um, The 177 00:10:34,279 --> 00:10:37,039 congregation that was doing it was much was smaller than ours. 178 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:39,080 So we brought it here. 179 00:10:39,080 --> 00:10:41,799 We figured it's a time when we can try something 180 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:44,600 new and there was nobody to tell us we couldn't. 181 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:47,879 Um, So, we 182 00:10:47,879 --> 00:10:51,840 got together, leaders from different program 183 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:54,600 areas of our congregation. 184 00:10:54,679 --> 00:10:57,919 We really wanted this to be very intergenerational 185 00:10:57,919 --> 00:11:02,360 and interactive so that it would be very different from 186 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:05,519 just sitting in the pews and listening to somebody preach. 187 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:08,600 So that was our goal to, 188 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:11,000 to build connection. 189 00:11:11,039 --> 00:11:14,039 It was, you know, we were coming back from COVID and we're all 190 00:11:14,039 --> 00:11:16,960 weird about how to interact with other humans. 191 00:11:17,039 --> 00:11:20,159 And we were trying to overcome that. 192 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:23,279 So that's how this started. 193 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:26,519 And we 194 00:11:26,519 --> 00:11:31,120 have continued to sort of, um, expand 195 00:11:31,159 --> 00:11:35,000 our ideas of what connection means, um, and expand 196 00:11:35,000 --> 00:11:38,360 our ideas of what we might have as a 197 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:42,919 workshop, um, and we participate 198 00:11:42,919 --> 00:11:46,080 in a planning team that consists right now of 199 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:50,200 myself, and Kelly, and our music director, 200 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:54,000 John, and then several congregants who, um, 201 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:58,320 started out as a part of it as representatives of different areas of the congregation. 202 00:11:58,399 --> 00:12:02,720 And um, they have really stuck with it. 203 00:12:02,759 --> 00:12:04,960 They've been, um, with the exception of one of them. 204 00:12:05,039 --> 00:12:08,279 They've been, my understanding is they've been there since the beginning, right, Kelly? 205 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:10,360 Mhm. 206 00:12:10,360 --> 00:12:11,120 Yeah. 207 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:11,679 So they help us. 208 00:12:11,679 --> 00:12:12,799 We meet. 209 00:12:12,799 --> 00:12:15,320 Um, the week after following 210 00:12:15,320 --> 00:12:20,039 Community Sunday and we debrief about what happened and then we talk about the month upcoming. 211 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:23,120 And we work together to come up with, I 212 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:26,159 just ideas of what might be appropriate. 213 00:12:26,279 --> 00:12:29,080 Um, currently we, um, 214 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:32,360 Focus our community Sundays 215 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:34,679 on what our min- monthly ministry theme is. 216 00:12:34,759 --> 00:12:37,799 So whatever that theme is, informs 217 00:12:37,799 --> 00:12:41,440 somewhat thematically what the workshops are going to be. 218 00:12:41,519 --> 00:12:44,519 Um, and those 219 00:12:44,519 --> 00:12:47,919 workshops can be, as I said before, they can be discussion. 220 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:51,720 Um, we've had all kinds of of, 221 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:56,039 um, interactive things where people are, um, challenged 222 00:12:56,039 --> 00:12:58,720 to be connective and be in conversation with one another. 223 00:12:58,799 --> 00:13:03,159 Um, we've had movement, um, dance. 224 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:06,840 Um, we've uh, had musical, 225 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:10,360 musically oriented workshops, including drumming and singing. 226 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:14,080 Um, songs of protest, songs of love. 227 00:13:14,159 --> 00:13:19,080 Um, We've gone outside, we've done bird watching. 228 00:13:19,159 --> 00:13:24,240 We've, We've tried really hard to Um, 229 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:27,440 Pull from the skills and 230 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:30,679 interest of our members so that this is not just 231 00:13:30,679 --> 00:13:33,799 a top-down leadership thing. 232 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:36,960 It is something where people 233 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:39,159 can bring their gifts and share them. 234 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:41,240 Bring their gifts and their passions. 235 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:44,320 So it's very participatory 236 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:48,919 in that way too, that it's not just us professionals leading. 237 00:13:48,960 --> 00:13:53,200 It's it's everybody gets to to help create an experience. 238 00:13:53,279 --> 00:13:56,399 Yeah, and I think some 239 00:13:56,399 --> 00:13:59,759 of the best sessions we've had have been 240 00:13:59,759 --> 00:14:03,039 ones where even if there is, you know, somebody 241 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:06,720 leading and facilitating something, the actual workshop is 242 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:11,440 very interactive, is very, um, connective. 243 00:14:11,519 --> 00:14:15,399 And so, you know, even in the ways that we set 244 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:18,799 up the different workshops in our different spaces, we try really 245 00:14:18,799 --> 00:14:22,759 hard not to be, you know, chairs and rows too much. 246 00:14:22,799 --> 00:14:25,799 Um, and I want to bring up 247 00:14:25,799 --> 00:14:29,879 too, specifically what Kelly mentioned is we wanted it expressly 248 00:14:29,879 --> 00:14:33,519 to be, um, multi-generational, and 249 00:14:33,559 --> 00:14:37,320 so we try to create topics 250 00:14:37,320 --> 00:14:41,519 and activities that appeal across generations, 251 00:14:41,519 --> 00:14:46,240 not just kids and adults, but also across, you know, young adult generations, 252 00:14:46,279 --> 00:14:50,159 um, older adult generations, and invite 253 00:14:50,159 --> 00:14:53,440 people into a space where we're all connecting together. 254 00:14:53,519 --> 00:14:56,519 Yeah, and 255 00:14:56,519 --> 00:14:58,600 we try to have, I apologize. 256 00:14:58,679 --> 00:15:00,679 I think there's some people connecting out in the hallway. 257 00:15:00,720 --> 00:15:04,120 Um, We tried to ha- 258 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:06,240 going to close the door real fast. 259 00:15:06,240 --> 00:15:07,399 I'm sorry. 260 00:15:07,399 --> 00:15:09,240 No worries. 261 00:15:09,320 --> 00:15:11,519 Hey Paula, while we have Kelly doing that. 262 00:15:11,600 --> 00:15:14,639 Have you mentioned the size of your congregation, 263 00:15:14,639 --> 00:15:17,320 it might be helpful for people to understand kind of the context. 264 00:15:17,399 --> 00:15:19,399 Okay, yeah. 265 00:15:19,399 --> 00:15:21,039 Our congregation is about 500. 266 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:23,440 So we're a larger congregation. 267 00:15:23,519 --> 00:15:27,000 Go ahead, Kelly, you were going to say. 268 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:29,120 Um. 269 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:31,320 We 270 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:33,840 noticed that, um. 271 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:37,120 Our kids didn't know our elders 272 00:15:37,159 --> 00:15:40,679 are, our adults didn't know the kids, that kind of thing. 273 00:15:40,759 --> 00:15:44,120 So we've tried to 274 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:47,519 create workshops also where we can all be together and I 275 00:15:47,519 --> 00:15:52,120 think, you know, to build on what you were saying, Paula, so we can all be together and 276 00:15:52,159 --> 00:15:54,440 experience church together. 277 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:57,519 And it's a relationship builder too. 278 00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:00,600 It's um, you know, in a lot of our congregations. 279 00:16:00,679 --> 00:16:03,679 We get very used to, as Kelly said, 280 00:16:03,679 --> 00:16:07,399 sitting in pews, you know, facing the front, and 281 00:16:07,399 --> 00:16:11,039 even in our coffee hours, sometimes, we get very comfortable 282 00:16:11,039 --> 00:16:13,559 talking to the one group of people. 283 00:16:13,639 --> 00:16:17,240 And we find that in community Sundays, 284 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:21,480 people who don't normally connect with one another are making connections. 285 00:16:21,559 --> 00:16:24,600 Um, and that's across generations. 286 00:16:24,679 --> 00:16:26,679 It's also across demographic. 287 00:16:26,679 --> 00:16:28,759 It's across interests. 288 00:16:28,799 --> 00:16:31,720 Um, and that's really exciting to see. 289 00:16:31,799 --> 00:16:34,960 And I will say almost every 290 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:38,360 community Sunday, we get people, Visitors who come 291 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:42,200 and say, we're here because we know this is what you're doing. 292 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:45,480 We do have some, I will say, 293 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:48,159 we have some people who don't want to interact with other people. 294 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:51,759 They just want to sit and listen, 295 00:16:51,799 --> 00:16:55,879 and some of those won't, won't come, but we always 296 00:16:55,879 --> 00:16:59,519 have people who come specifically because they, they want interaction. 297 00:16:59,600 --> 00:17:01,600 They want community. 298 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:04,119 And 299 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:07,559 we have, um, we have an interesting building in space and 300 00:17:07,559 --> 00:17:11,440 we've become really creative about offering 301 00:17:11,480 --> 00:17:14,359 what we can in those spaces. 302 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:17,920 So typically we offer 3 to 4 different, 303 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:22,759 um, workshops or sessions most often for, and then recently we did five. 304 00:17:22,799 --> 00:17:26,440 Um, and so we get about, 305 00:17:26,519 --> 00:17:29,759 I would say an average of 25 um, 306 00:17:29,759 --> 00:17:32,400 in a session, uh, 25 people. 307 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:36,559 Um, and um, 308 00:17:36,559 --> 00:17:39,839 so quick um, process question, Lauren. 309 00:17:39,920 --> 00:17:42,319 I'm I'm seeing questions in the chat. 310 00:17:42,359 --> 00:17:46,839 Do you do we want us to answer those now or would you rather us wait until the Q and A? 311 00:17:46,920 --> 00:17:50,039 Um, you can feel free to answer those if you, 312 00:17:50,039 --> 00:17:52,599 uh, you know, when you, when if you feel like you have some time. 313 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:56,279 You've got you've got another 5 minutes, so 1st feel free. 314 00:17:56,359 --> 00:17:59,359 Okay, so if someone asked if we live stream the 315 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:03,839 services, and um, We, 316 00:18:03,839 --> 00:18:08,079 um, Live stream our worship services, 317 00:18:08,119 --> 00:18:12,480 um, but when we go into our different workshops, those are currently not streamed. 318 00:18:12,559 --> 00:18:16,920 Um, we have found that there are some barriers 319 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:20,920 to try to, to do that in, in, and because 320 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:26,240 we strive so hard for deep, meaningful connection during our sessions. 321 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:29,480 We either need to find a way for people 322 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:33,319 um, virtually that can fully participate. 323 00:18:33,359 --> 00:18:36,400 Um, or we need to offer virtual 324 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:40,079 sessions, but what happens when you do a mixed or a 325 00:18:40,079 --> 00:18:44,319 hybrid version of that is we find that people are just voyeurs. 326 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:48,160 They're just kind of watching and it's not the kind of connection that we're going for. 327 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:52,200 Um, we have talked about doing virtual sessions. 328 00:18:52,279 --> 00:18:55,799 We have, and Honestly, 329 00:18:55,799 --> 00:19:00,359 we didn't get a lot of participation, and we keep saying we need to go back to that, but we haven't. 330 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:03,680 Um, So the format 331 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:08,599 is a, 25 or so minute service. 332 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:11,799 And then we break 333 00:19:11,839 --> 00:19:17,000 up into workshops that are scattered throughout the campus. 334 00:19:17,720 --> 00:19:21,920 And we do try to have, um, 335 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:26,119 something discussion, something movement, something we 336 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:29,519 expect kids will want to go to, you know, 337 00:19:29,519 --> 00:19:32,920 we try to have a range of experiences every, every time. 338 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:36,160 And each of those workshops are about 45 minutes. 339 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:38,240 They have about 45 minutes to do. 340 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:43,079 Um, we find that it's a good amount of time to get get into something. 341 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:46,319 Um, but it it ends up putting 342 00:19:46,319 --> 00:19:49,839 us, um, at a typical time for us to end and 343 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:52,799 have coffee hour as if the service had been the whole time. 344 00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:57,000 Yeah, and the question about, did we grow as a result of this? 345 00:19:57,079 --> 00:20:00,720 I don't think we have grown. 346 00:20:00,839 --> 00:20:03,880 But I will say that, 347 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:06,119 I think we've gotten 348 00:20:06,319 --> 00:20:10,400 a different diversity of people because we do this. 349 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:14,200 Oh, 350 00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:17,359 well, you're gonna leave us wanting to hear a lot more. 351 00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:19,440 Um, about that. 352 00:20:19,519 --> 00:20:22,559 So we will come back after the 353 00:20:22,559 --> 00:20:25,599 Q and A and give you an opportunity to answer some more questions. 354 00:20:25,680 --> 00:20:28,599 Um, I'm going to invite. 355 00:20:28,759 --> 00:20:31,160 I'm so grateful for you sharing what you're doing there. 356 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:35,160 And I'm going to invite Christina and Hannah to 357 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:38,400 tell us about what's happening up at Fox Valley in 358 00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:40,440 Appleton, Wisconsin. 359 00:20:40,519 --> 00:20:42,519 Welcome you two. 360 00:20:42,519 --> 00:20:44,680 Thanks for having us. 361 00:20:44,759 --> 00:20:46,759 Yeah, thanks for being here. 362 00:20:46,759 --> 00:20:49,319 Um, I'm Christina and I'm one of 363 00:20:49,319 --> 00:20:52,920 the co-ministers and we serve a congregation up here. 364 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:57,319 We like to joke that we are the largest world's largest fellowship. 365 00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:01,960 Um, we do have fellowship DNA, but we're about a 500 member congregation. 366 00:21:02,039 --> 00:21:05,200 And I'm just pulling up my um, 367 00:21:05,279 --> 00:21:09,000 Stopwatch here so that I don't talk too much. 368 00:21:09,079 --> 00:21:11,119 Mine's already going. 369 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:13,160 You're behind, Christina. 370 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:14,119 I am. 371 00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:15,160 Okay. 372 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:17,000 So, um, we're actually gonna share with you 2 different concepts. 373 00:21:17,039 --> 00:21:20,519 Um, one is about our Sunday coffee 374 00:21:20,519 --> 00:21:24,039 house model, and the other is about our weekend camps. 375 00:21:24,119 --> 00:21:26,119 So we're gonna try to squeeze a lot in. 376 00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:29,759 Um, and just as an introduction to why we tried these 2 things. 377 00:21:29,839 --> 00:21:33,200 We had heard from a lot of our longtime members that 378 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:36,440 they had missed some of the, you know, the good 379 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:40,920 old days aspects, including retreats and extended opportunities for learning and connection. 380 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:44,000 But we were realizing that retreats were harder and 381 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:48,000 harder to get people to come to, even though we would offer them, we wouldn't get the sign up. 382 00:21:48,079 --> 00:21:53,400 Yeah, and we'd also been experimenting with some different pieces and worship elements. 383 00:21:53,480 --> 00:21:56,839 So this congregation, though it is large, has a long tradition 384 00:21:56,839 --> 00:22:00,359 of spoken congregational response, a sort of a version 385 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:05,319 of a talk back that some of you may be familiar with, or spoken joys and concerns. 386 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:08,640 Um, and that we've been experimenting with how to 387 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:12,240 bring those into the space without, um, some of the 388 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:15,759 harmful side effects, um, and microaggressive bad 389 00:22:15,799 --> 00:22:19,640 vibes, um, that come along with some of those, um, large 390 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:22,160 open mic opportunities into many of our congregations. 391 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:27,160 And we were also thinking about the people in our community, right? 392 00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:29,240 the sort of the nones, NONES. 393 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:31,680 Um, for whom, right? 394 00:22:31,759 --> 00:22:35,160 Even our, like, UU services were 395 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:39,599 sort of too churchy, the sort of bar to entry in terms of how 396 00:22:39,599 --> 00:22:45,000 much it felt like their traumatizing childhood faith, um, was just too high. 397 00:22:45,079 --> 00:22:49,799 They couldn't sort of get over the burden, the, the, the hump of how churchy it felt to them. 398 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:53,039 Yeah, so so these 399 00:22:53,039 --> 00:22:56,519 2 different innovations that we came up with, we started 400 00:22:56,519 --> 00:22:59,559 one, um, and then a year later started the other. 401 00:22:59,640 --> 00:23:01,640 We'll talk about both. 402 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:03,839 Um, but really the the thing that was really important for our 403 00:23:03,839 --> 00:23:07,119 congregation was that we build both of them as experiments. 404 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:10,359 So we tried really hard to, 405 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:13,920 um, just, be very communicative, put out 406 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:16,000 a lot of information about how they were going to go. 407 00:23:16,079 --> 00:23:18,079 We made a lot of videos. 408 00:23:18,079 --> 00:23:21,000 Um, And we just kept using the word experiment. 409 00:23:21,079 --> 00:23:23,079 Let's just try it. 410 00:23:23,079 --> 00:23:24,039 We're just gonna try it. 411 00:23:24,039 --> 00:23:26,400 And we created mechanisms for feedback and dates. 412 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:29,519 Um, that we would say, you know, we're going to do this until this 413 00:23:29,519 --> 00:23:33,000 date, and then we will tweak it, or we will stop if it's not working, just to kind of 414 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:35,759 reassure people that if it doesn't work, we're not going to keep trying. 415 00:23:35,839 --> 00:23:38,880 Yeah, and I would say, I think some 416 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:42,640 of it, the, the timing of the experiment feeling is also that, like, 417 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:45,960 we started doing this 1st one, um, in, like, 418 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:49,200 September of 2023 that, I'm going to talk about, and I 419 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:52,359 think that's not coincidental, that it was sort of as the 420 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:56,240 congregation was really trying to come back into its own post-pandemic 421 00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:59,519 shut down, like, that it made it easy 422 00:23:59,519 --> 00:24:02,680 to feel experimental because everyone was still sort of recalibrating 423 00:24:02,720 --> 00:24:06,480 their expectations, um, from that return to in-person worship. 424 00:24:06,559 --> 00:24:08,559 ship 425 00:24:08,559 --> 00:24:11,720 So our Sunday coffee house service, uh, started, like I said, in September of 2023. 426 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:13,880 So we're in our 3rd year of it. 427 00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:15,759 What is time? 428 00:24:15,759 --> 00:24:19,559 So, uh, this congregation has 2 Sunday services, a 9 and an 11. 429 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:24,559 Um, And they were sort of, they were functionally the same liturgy. 430 00:24:24,599 --> 00:24:27,599 And I don't know, maybe some of you have that where you're like, we have 431 00:24:27,599 --> 00:24:30,640 2 services, but one is just like a poorly attended version of the other. 432 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:33,759 Um, uh, and, Um, we 433 00:24:33,799 --> 00:24:37,400 decided that we were going to keep the 11 as it was in the sort of traditional liturgy. 434 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:40,400 And we always say, we call it our traditional service, but I feel like 435 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:44,160 traditional is always in quotes because it's, It's us. 436 00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:46,240 Um, it's UU's. 437 00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:49,440 Um, but then our 9 o'clock service became our coffee house service. 438 00:24:49,519 --> 00:24:54,119 It's held in our fellowship hall, so we have a fellowship hall space that's separate from our sanctuary. 439 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:56,640 Um, people sit around round tables. 440 00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:59,400 There's coffee, there's bagels, there's fidgets. 441 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:04,400 Kids come with their parents sometimes, um, and sort of participate alongside them. 442 00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:08,920 And so it's, like, we're kind of hanging out in the fellowship hall around tables. 443 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:12,480 Um, and there's like a, um, a high top table at the front where, 444 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:16,599 um, whoever's leading worship sits with a really simple PA 445 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:19,200 system, a couple of simple speakers and a handheld mic. 446 00:25:19,279 --> 00:25:22,519 Yeah, and so, 447 00:25:22,519 --> 00:25:25,519 um, the format of our coffeehouse service. 448 00:25:25,559 --> 00:25:29,079 Follows the shape of a traditional service. 449 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:33,119 We have a chalice lighting, a chalice extinguishing, a couple hymns that we sing. 450 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:37,680 We do have a, um, like a little keyboard and our pianist, like we sing along. 451 00:25:37,759 --> 00:25:40,799 We actually are hoping that next year we can actually do away with that and 452 00:25:40,799 --> 00:25:44,160 instead just have like a guitar because it feels, like 453 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:46,720 it would fit even better than a, than a keyboard. 454 00:25:46,799 --> 00:25:49,920 Um, but really it's just a very informal service. 455 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:52,000 It's very paired down. 456 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:54,079 Um, and there's a lot of, like, 457 00:25:54,079 --> 00:25:58,759 joking and banter that happens in this service, a lot of like, spontaneous 458 00:25:58,759 --> 00:26:03,440 commentary, um, and instead of us, the biggest thing 459 00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:07,039 that is not in this service is we don't have a full length sermon. 460 00:26:07,079 --> 00:26:10,119 We have what we call the sermon spark, which 461 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:14,240 is about 5 minutes if we keep to the time that we're supposed to. 462 00:26:14,279 --> 00:26:19,359 Um, and that introduces the content, um, of the service. 463 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:22,480 But doesn't um, take up the whole time. 464 00:26:22,559 --> 00:26:24,559 Yeah. 465 00:26:24,559 --> 00:26:27,759 So there's sort of 2 opportunities where people turn and talk to the folks around their table. 466 00:26:27,839 --> 00:26:30,960 Um, one is at the beginning with like an icebreaker 467 00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:34,799 type question, which I have finally started writing actual icebreaker questions. 468 00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:36,880 I was notorious for like 2 years. 469 00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:41,200 I would just write like ones that were like, what was the most traumatizing part of your childhood? 470 00:26:41,279 --> 00:26:43,279 Basically. 471 00:26:43,279 --> 00:26:44,079 I would just ask like, what's your deepest childhood wounds? 472 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:47,160 Um... 473 00:26:47,160 --> 00:26:49,799 I feel really good about my 474 00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:53,240 I've really grown and my ability to be like, this is actually an icebreaker. 475 00:26:53,279 --> 00:26:56,440 Um, So, so we asked that icebreaker question at 476 00:26:56,480 --> 00:26:59,039 the beginning and that's like a name's pronounced icebreaker question time. 477 00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:02,279 Um, and then after the sermon spark, um, we have 478 00:27:02,279 --> 00:27:05,400 a time that's much more robust, about 15 minutes that's 479 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:10,359 like, you've been sort of introduced to this sort of juicy concept. 480 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:13,559 Here's a couple ways you might think about it, turn and talk to your neighbors about 481 00:27:13,559 --> 00:27:16,440 what you're bringing to that conversation and how it's working for you. 482 00:27:16,519 --> 00:27:19,880 Um, and I think we've really found that this, this 483 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:23,119 service is a, um, a really important front door for our congregation. 484 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:26,440 Um, We get newcomers 485 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:30,440 who come to that 1st, like all the time, um, 486 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:33,680 in part because they're, and so we see a lot of newcomers with like 487 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:37,200 religious baggage, that kind of younger newcomers. 488 00:27:37,279 --> 00:27:39,599 I would say this service is really age diverse. 489 00:27:39,680 --> 00:27:43,640 It has its own stalwarts, um, Both 490 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:46,759 at all places across the lifespan. 491 00:27:46,799 --> 00:27:50,039 Um, Particularly like young parents have 492 00:27:50,039 --> 00:27:53,400 really loved it because it's a chance to talk to grown-ups while their kids 493 00:27:53,400 --> 00:27:55,720 are in the nursery, um, things like that. 494 00:27:55,799 --> 00:27:58,839 Um, and that we, we sort of get a little bit, like there are some 495 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:01,759 introverts who really like it because it's structured interaction. 496 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:06,440 Um, and there's some introverts who are like not on your life, um, and they come to the 11. 497 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:09,759 Uh, and there's also extroverts who are like, this is what I've wanted all 498 00:28:09,799 --> 00:28:12,480 along more talking to the people. 499 00:28:12,559 --> 00:28:17,400 Um, and so it's, we found it really a, a helpful supportive environment. 500 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:19,720 For those connections and that front door. 501 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:22,279 Speaking of not talking too long. 502 00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:24,400 Christina. 503 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:26,519 Do you want to talk about camp? 504 00:28:26,599 --> 00:28:28,599 Yeah, we're doing okay. 505 00:28:28,599 --> 00:28:29,920 We're doing okay. 506 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:30,680 I, timers, good. 507 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:34,000 Um, we, uh, I, 508 00:28:34,039 --> 00:28:39,119 I wanted to say, you know, the, the thing that has given me in my ministry life in the last couple years, 509 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:43,799 is watching people during that 15 minute time where they get to talk to each other. 510 00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:46,960 Um, watching these, you know, this elder 511 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:50,480 who's been here for 35 years, leaning in to 512 00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:54,480 hear what the 19 year old trans person 513 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:57,759 with blue hair is sharing and they're, you know, 514 00:28:57,799 --> 00:29:00,079 really deeply connecting and it just is, um, 515 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:02,440 It fills me up for the rest of the week. 516 00:29:02,519 --> 00:29:05,319 So that's been uh, really wonderful. 517 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:08,200 So that's Sunday coffee house. 518 00:29:08,279 --> 00:29:10,839 So that is sort of one of our innovations. 519 00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:14,640 Um, and then the other, um, oh, 520 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:17,319 and our, um, attend the attendance. 521 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:22,480 At that service is a smaller space, uh, we really settled around like 40. 522 00:29:22,759 --> 00:29:26,880 Um, 40 to 50 sometimes a little higher, sometimes a little lower. 523 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:30,119 Um, we always joke that we kind of created a 524 00:29:30,119 --> 00:29:33,359 little, uh, pastoral size congregation. 525 00:29:33,440 --> 00:29:35,440 Oh, like family size. 526 00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:36,799 congregation, yeah. 527 00:29:36,839 --> 00:29:41,799 Um, But, um, Yeah, so about that size. 528 00:29:41,880 --> 00:29:44,039 And then the 11 o'clock is is much larger. 529 00:29:44,119 --> 00:29:46,119 Um, excuse me. 530 00:29:46,119 --> 00:29:49,000 Then, um, so the other innovation is 531 00:29:49,039 --> 00:29:52,559 what we're calling our weekend camps, and, um, 532 00:29:52,759 --> 00:29:56,039 These, uh, started in earnest 533 00:29:56,039 --> 00:30:00,119 last year, we had done a few, um, kids camps. 534 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:03,559 Um, and I used to run a week long kids camp um, 535 00:30:03,559 --> 00:30:07,400 at a different congregation, but we wanted to sort of start small, just do it over the weekend. 536 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:10,559 Um, and so we started doing these camps last 537 00:30:10,559 --> 00:30:13,200 year, we've done 4 now, so 2 each year. 538 00:30:13,279 --> 00:30:15,480 One in the fall, one in the spring. 539 00:30:15,559 --> 00:30:18,559 Um, And so basically our 540 00:30:18,559 --> 00:30:21,960 goal was to create a shorter, simpler, cheaper, 541 00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:24,000 easier version of what people said they missed. 542 00:30:24,079 --> 00:30:26,599 Uh, in the old retreats. 543 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:29,640 So, we always, you know, remind 544 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:31,960 people it's, you know, you don't have to spend the night. 545 00:30:32,039 --> 00:30:34,200 It's just at our building. 546 00:30:34,279 --> 00:30:36,279 There's no extra cost. 547 00:30:36,279 --> 00:30:38,359 Um, you don't have to go camp somewhere. 548 00:30:38,400 --> 00:30:40,599 Um, and there's built in childcare. 549 00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:44,319 So, the, um, There's 550 00:30:44,359 --> 00:30:47,599 kids camp and adult camp that happens at the same time and the timing 551 00:30:47,599 --> 00:30:51,440 of it is Saturday from 9 AM to 4 PM. 552 00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:53,480 We start with breakfast. 553 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:56,640 Um, we have a break for lunch, and then we close, 554 00:30:56,640 --> 00:31:00,759 and then the next day we have some involvement and participation in the Sunday service at 11. 555 00:31:01,039 --> 00:31:03,319 And then we continue until about 3. 556 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:06,160 So it's about 12 hours of camp in one weekend. 557 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:08,240 Yeah. 558 00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:10,759 And there's a few times that everyone, kids 559 00:31:10,759 --> 00:31:13,319 and adults, um, is all together. 560 00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:16,400 So the breakfast on Saturday morning, there's like 561 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:19,640 a sing-along time on Saturday morning, um, then, 562 00:31:19,640 --> 00:31:22,920 and then the lunches on Saturday and Sunday where it's like brown bag lunch, 563 00:31:22,920 --> 00:31:26,400 so everybody just kind of sits around tables, um, and 564 00:31:26,400 --> 00:31:29,680 then like a, uh, um, gap, 565 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:33,079 like a sort of short, like worshipful moment at the start of the day on 566 00:31:33,079 --> 00:31:36,359 Saturday and then a short worshipful moment at the end of the day on Sunday. 567 00:31:36,440 --> 00:31:40,640 So just like some ritual bookends, um, to the learning time together. 568 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:43,559 And other than those sort of like everyone's and whole group. 569 00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:46,440 There's, there's 3 offerings. 570 00:31:46,519 --> 00:31:49,680 There's a kids' camp, which might have some age banded groups, 571 00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:53,039 but they're all sort of doing the same curriculum, essentially, 572 00:31:53,039 --> 00:31:57,960 um, and, uh, so the kids are doing their curriculum. 573 00:31:58,039 --> 00:32:00,039 And then there's 2 tracks for adults. 574 00:32:00,039 --> 00:32:03,000 And when people register, they choose one of the tracks. 575 00:32:03,079 --> 00:32:06,079 Um, this last one, uh, a group of 576 00:32:06,079 --> 00:32:09,559 lay leaders and Reverend Christina were helping lead a track about, um, 577 00:32:09,559 --> 00:32:12,799 exploring religious naturalism, um, and I let a track about, 578 00:32:12,799 --> 00:32:16,200 um, Mycelial community organizing. 579 00:32:16,279 --> 00:32:19,200 So like what we can learn about community organizing from the mycelium. 580 00:32:19,279 --> 00:32:22,400 Um, We've done, um, I've 581 00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:25,640 done other, like, justice ministry skill-based things. 582 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:28,119 We'll sometimes have like a couples retreat track. 583 00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:31,240 Um, uh, the heart-to-heart couples retreat curriculum, 584 00:32:31,279 --> 00:32:34,880 um, You did sort of a, like a building your own theology, 585 00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:37,079 but... 586 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:39,200 I was like, you called it something different. 587 00:32:39,240 --> 00:32:41,240 There you go. 588 00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:43,960 So those are the sort of like things and then you stay on the same track all weekend. 589 00:32:44,119 --> 00:32:47,160 And so that's kind of how the learning is 590 00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:49,240 structured both for kids and adults. 591 00:32:49,319 --> 00:32:51,319 Yeah. 592 00:32:51,319 --> 00:32:54,960 And then, so like I said, one weekend camp equals 12 hours. 593 00:32:55,039 --> 00:32:59,960 Which I like to remind people is about 3 months of consistent Sunday attendance. 594 00:33:00,000 --> 00:33:03,359 So it's the same amount of time as if you actually came to church every 595 00:33:03,359 --> 00:33:06,039 single Sunday for 3 straight months, which nobody does. 596 00:33:06,119 --> 00:33:09,160 Um, so I, it's kind of like an intensive, 597 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:11,720 you know, if you ever took an intensive in college or something like that. 598 00:33:11,759 --> 00:33:14,920 Um, you get the benefit of learning something really deeply. 599 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:19,799 Um, You know, you focus a lot on one thing and really get to learn about it. 600 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:22,920 And then the other benefit is that they really 601 00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:25,680 develop deeper connections with people. 602 00:33:25,759 --> 00:33:28,400 They have longer chances to actually get to meet more people. 603 00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:31,920 Meet new friends, connect with each other, and, and 604 00:33:31,920 --> 00:33:35,319 I always say, like, it's a chance to sort of create some ownership, 605 00:33:35,359 --> 00:33:39,599 shared ownership of, the community and and like the building. 606 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:42,680 Um, you know, people, especially if they're new, you know, 607 00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:45,799 they're kind of like, I've never even been in this part of the building before or whatever. 608 00:33:45,839 --> 00:33:50,400 And especially for kids, you know, we see them come back the following Sunday and. 609 00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:54,599 It's like they own the place, you know, they've been running around all weekend. 610 00:33:54,680 --> 00:33:59,599 They've been doing scavenger hunts and they're kind of like, you know, um, and that's what I want. 611 00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:02,039 You know, we want these kids to feel like that and, um, 612 00:34:02,160 --> 00:34:04,160 And then they know people. 613 00:34:04,200 --> 00:34:07,440 They like sat with this old couple at 614 00:34:07,440 --> 00:34:12,400 lunch and so now they see them and they know them and and it's creating stickier. 615 00:34:12,559 --> 00:34:14,639 Stickier connections. 616 00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:17,719 Yeah, I will say, I feel like the greatest review of weekend 617 00:34:17,719 --> 00:34:22,639 camps is that my own, uh, 7 year old earlier this year was given the option. 618 00:34:22,679 --> 00:34:26,320 We, there was a, we had a birthday party invitation for a Saturday afternoon 619 00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:29,760 and we were like, hey, it's the weekend of camp. 620 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:33,480 Do you want to plan to go to this birthday party or do you want to commit to camp? 621 00:34:33,599 --> 00:34:35,599 She was like, oh. 622 00:34:35,599 --> 00:34:36,320 Camp. 623 00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:37,880 Like, okay. 624 00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:40,119 Yeah, my 10 year old who, like, balks at 625 00:34:40,159 --> 00:34:43,920 church does not want to come, does not want to go to RE, asks when the next camp is. 626 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:46,000 Yeah. 627 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:47,239 Yes. 628 00:34:47,239 --> 00:34:48,400 Um. 629 00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:49,039 So that's it. 630 00:34:49,039 --> 00:34:50,480 Those are our 2 631 00:34:50,480 --> 00:34:51,239 Two innovations. 632 00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:55,079 Yes, and recommended to you by our oldest, 633 00:34:55,079 --> 00:34:58,599 by both Christina's and my oldest PK is with, um, eye rolls. 634 00:34:58,679 --> 00:35:01,119 If they love it, anyone can. 635 00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:04,519 Super high praise, super high 636 00:35:04,519 --> 00:35:08,159 praise, all of us, any of us who have had 637 00:35:08,159 --> 00:35:11,800 children in RE programs or are 638 00:35:11,840 --> 00:35:17,639 volunteered in them know how hard it is to convince the kids to think that it's cool. 639 00:35:17,719 --> 00:35:19,719 So, this is a real win. 640 00:35:19,719 --> 00:35:21,679 Hello QuianaDenae. 641 00:35:21,679 --> 00:35:24,239 It's to you, I think, isn't it? 642 00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:26,880 Oh, it's my time to party? 643 00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:28,960 Mm-hmm. 644 00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:31,280 As chatty as I've been, this is the time I choose to be quiet. 645 00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:33,320 That should tell you everything you need to know. 646 00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:35,760 Um, so let me pull my screen over here. 647 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:37,840 friends, I do apologize. 648 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:40,239 Um, as we prepare to go 649 00:35:40,280 --> 00:35:43,559 back into our breakout rooms, uh, with some minor adjustments to 650 00:35:43,559 --> 00:35:48,360 incorporate folks who joined a little bit later, we will be in breakout groups until 40 after the hour. 651 00:35:48,440 --> 00:35:51,920 So you should have about at least 15 minutes for this conversation, 652 00:35:51,920 --> 00:35:55,079 and you will find the prompts in the chat again, to begin our 653 00:35:55,079 --> 00:35:58,920 conversation, go ahead and invite each person to respond to the 1st 654 00:35:58,920 --> 00:36:02,519 question, which is, what was a moment in the presentation 655 00:36:02,519 --> 00:36:05,880 where you had an aha or a feeling of sparkiness? 656 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:09,000 After that, you can open your small group up for discussion. 657 00:36:09,079 --> 00:36:12,079 We ask that you spend at least 5 minutes of 658 00:36:12,079 --> 00:36:15,239 the uh, time coming up with one or more of 659 00:36:15,239 --> 00:36:18,360 those questions to bring to the Q and A, um, after the 660 00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:21,280 breakout group will open the room. 661 00:36:21,440 --> 00:36:23,840 Let me rephrase. 662 00:36:23,880 --> 00:36:26,880 Spend a few minutes coming up with a question in your small 663 00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:32,159 group that you can bring to the Q and A after the breakout groups because we're going to get together and talk again. 664 00:36:32,239 --> 00:36:34,760 We are going to open those rooms now. 665 00:36:36,719 --> 00:36:38,719 Welcome back. 666 00:36:38,719 --> 00:36:41,559 I'm hopeful that you had some good conversations and those breakout groups. 667 00:36:41,639 --> 00:36:44,800 I often hear in the feedback at the end that we 668 00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:48,280 invite people to fill out the breakout groups are a highlight of your time 669 00:36:48,280 --> 00:36:50,440 together, and I hope that was true for you this evening. 670 00:36:50,519 --> 00:36:53,519 Um, we are now moving into a 671 00:36:53,519 --> 00:36:56,880 15 minute period of Q and A. 672 00:36:56,920 --> 00:36:59,960 And so I'm going to take myself off spotlight 673 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:04,440 and actually just have us be able to see one another's faces. 674 00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:07,119 I'm going to pull questions out of the chat. 675 00:37:07,199 --> 00:37:10,199 So if you have a question that you would like to ask, 676 00:37:10,199 --> 00:37:13,239 if you would put it into the chat, that would be the most effective way 677 00:37:13,239 --> 00:37:17,320 for us to get through as many of them as we're able to in the time that we have. 678 00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:20,559 And I am going to start with 679 00:37:20,559 --> 00:37:25,480 a question that I, um, that I got to begin. 680 00:37:25,559 --> 00:37:28,679 Um, and I'm going to ask this of both pairs. 681 00:37:28,719 --> 00:37:32,480 So maybe one of you from each, um, each congregation could answer. 682 00:37:32,559 --> 00:37:35,719 Just how much time does it take you on average to prep 683 00:37:35,760 --> 00:37:39,639 for, say, for um, for you in Charlotte for 684 00:37:39,639 --> 00:37:42,320 a community Sunday versus a typical Sunday? 685 00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:45,880 And um, for 686 00:37:45,880 --> 00:37:49,719 you in Wisconsin, instead of doing 2 services 687 00:37:49,719 --> 00:37:53,599 that are the same, how much more time are you putting in to do the coffee 688 00:37:53,639 --> 00:37:55,800 house model for one of those, would you say? 689 00:37:55,840 --> 00:37:59,960 Um, 690 00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:03,239 I would say that, um, I don't, 691 00:38:03,239 --> 00:38:06,519 I haven't counted the time, um, that it takes to 692 00:38:06,519 --> 00:38:11,000 prep, but I would, I would guess that it takes about, 693 00:38:12,760 --> 00:38:15,440 Maybe. 694 00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:18,599 It's hard to say because I plan the service and 695 00:38:18,599 --> 00:38:20,679 I do a workshop and I coordinate. 696 00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:23,079 Who else is doing workshops? 697 00:38:23,159 --> 00:38:25,159 So. 698 00:38:25,159 --> 00:38:27,320 For me, it's probably a good, 699 00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:29,760 I would, I would think at least 20 hours of time. 700 00:38:29,800 --> 00:38:33,039 But one of the things that spreads 701 00:38:33,039 --> 00:38:36,440 that around for community Sundays is that we're asking people from 702 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:39,639 in the congregation, to lead a 703 00:38:39,639 --> 00:38:44,239 session, you know, and so some of that prep time is then spread. 704 00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:47,360 So while, while someone is working on 705 00:38:47,400 --> 00:38:49,440 one session, someone else is working on another, right? 706 00:38:49,559 --> 00:38:53,400 So some of that is spread out over time and it helps with the prep time. 707 00:38:53,440 --> 00:38:55,440 Mhm. 708 00:38:55,440 --> 00:38:56,480 That's helpful. 709 00:38:56,480 --> 00:38:58,199 Thanks, Paula. 710 00:38:58,199 --> 00:39:00,119 Hannah or Christina? 711 00:39:00,159 --> 00:39:03,199 Um, I'd say for a 712 00:39:03,239 --> 00:39:06,880 Sunday coffee house service, especially because we are already planning. 713 00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:09,119 The traditional service. 714 00:39:09,159 --> 00:39:11,199 We're sort of planning them at the same time. 715 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:15,239 Um, and the most 716 00:39:15,239 --> 00:39:18,480 of the elements of, we actually only have, we 717 00:39:18,480 --> 00:39:20,800 have, we still have a printed order of service on Sunday mornings. 718 00:39:20,880 --> 00:39:24,000 Um, and it's different every week for the traditional service, 719 00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:26,880 but it's the same all month for the for the coffee house. 720 00:39:26,920 --> 00:39:30,920 So we're not choosing different hymns, we're not, that's only, that only happens once. 721 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:33,880 And we only have to print it once, so that's kind of nice. 722 00:39:33,960 --> 00:39:36,960 Um, and also, especially for things like hymns, you 723 00:39:36,960 --> 00:39:39,480 know, they, People get a chance to kind of learn them. 724 00:39:39,519 --> 00:39:43,159 Um, But in a, 725 00:39:43,199 --> 00:39:46,679 in, I've actually figured out that my process is that I write my 726 00:39:46,679 --> 00:39:48,760 9 o'clock sermon spark 1st. 727 00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:51,239 And then I expand it for the 11. 728 00:39:51,519 --> 00:39:55,519 So it actually kind of helps me think about like, what's the nugget that I actually want to say? 729 00:39:55,599 --> 00:39:59,599 Before writing the whole sermon rather than doing the opposite. 730 00:39:59,679 --> 00:40:01,679 It's much harder to like edit it down. 731 00:40:01,679 --> 00:40:03,320 Mm. 732 00:40:03,320 --> 00:40:04,400 Mm. 733 00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:06,800 So in that sense, it doesn't really take a lot of extra time. 734 00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:10,119 The hardest part is just like, The 735 00:40:10,119 --> 00:40:13,480 little fiddly details about who's serving coffee or whatever. 736 00:40:13,559 --> 00:40:15,559 Right, right. 737 00:40:15,559 --> 00:40:17,239 All right. 738 00:40:17,239 --> 00:40:19,559 Um, okay, how about this one, 739 00:40:19,559 --> 00:40:22,920 this time, uh, question that maybe Kelly would take and 740 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:26,159 maybe Hannah would take, which is, um, Kelly and 741 00:40:26,159 --> 00:40:30,760 Hannah, what are some specific examples of workshops, 742 00:40:30,760 --> 00:40:34,159 you know, topics that you've done, um, for community 743 00:40:34,199 --> 00:40:36,840 Sundays, um, would be for Kelly? 744 00:40:36,880 --> 00:40:41,679 And, and for Hannah, what about for workshops that you've done at, um, camp? 745 00:40:41,760 --> 00:40:44,800 That have been particularly fun or 746 00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:48,639 particular, for you or particularly popular with your congregation. 747 00:40:48,719 --> 00:40:53,400 The 1st thing that comes to mind for me was the last one that I did. 748 00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:56,960 Where, um, We, 749 00:40:57,000 --> 00:40:59,440 The theme was planting seeds. 750 00:40:59,519 --> 00:41:02,519 We asked people about, we 751 00:41:02,519 --> 00:41:06,480 talked about our UU values, and we 752 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:11,159 talked about what seeds are we planting by living our UU values? 753 00:41:11,199 --> 00:41:14,199 And We had 754 00:41:14,199 --> 00:41:17,480 people get into breakout groups and talk with each other about 755 00:41:17,519 --> 00:41:22,960 it, and then we shared as a group, and everybody gave me. 756 00:41:24,280 --> 00:41:27,400 Actions that they wrote down with their names 757 00:41:27,400 --> 00:41:32,199 and gave to me and I sent 758 00:41:32,199 --> 00:41:35,840 them, emailed them to them, and then, uh, scheduled an 759 00:41:35,880 --> 00:41:37,920 email out for 3 months. 760 00:41:37,960 --> 00:41:41,079 This is, this is how you, you're 761 00:41:41,079 --> 00:41:44,679 saying you want to live your values in the world because 762 00:41:44,679 --> 00:41:47,840 you want to plant more justice, and 763 00:41:47,880 --> 00:41:50,519 we're going to check back in 3 months and see how we're doing. 764 00:41:50,559 --> 00:41:52,719 Oh, that's beautiful. 765 00:41:52,800 --> 00:41:57,960 So people got an opportunity to reflect back a little while later. 766 00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:00,000 Gorgeous. 767 00:42:00,280 --> 00:42:03,559 One of our really popular ones was religious naturalism, um, 768 00:42:03,559 --> 00:42:06,599 that that has been, that that was a really, people were really hungry. 769 00:42:06,679 --> 00:42:10,639 We did a sermon series about, he, he, inclusive 770 00:42:10,639 --> 00:42:13,280 visions of humanism 2 years ago. 771 00:42:13,360 --> 00:42:15,360 A while ago. 772 00:42:15,360 --> 00:42:18,559 And anyhow, basically, Christina and I sort of introduced the concept of religious naturalism 773 00:42:18,559 --> 00:42:21,079 to the congregation, which is like a flavor of humanism. 774 00:42:21,159 --> 00:42:24,400 Um, and people were just really hungry to 775 00:42:24,400 --> 00:42:27,920 dig more deeply into this 776 00:42:27,920 --> 00:42:31,320 thing that described something they had thought about themselves, 777 00:42:31,360 --> 00:42:34,960 but not been able to identify in a way that was just delightful to see. 778 00:42:35,000 --> 00:42:38,119 Yeah, and that whole camp was called Blue Boat home. 779 00:42:38,199 --> 00:42:41,960 And we, um, and 780 00:42:41,960 --> 00:42:45,199 we have a woodworker in the congregation, and he actually 781 00:42:45,199 --> 00:42:48,719 attended that track, but he made a little boat that 782 00:42:48,760 --> 00:42:53,239 the kids camp painted, and got, um, the plan. 783 00:42:53,360 --> 00:42:56,159 That's gorgeous. 784 00:42:56,519 --> 00:43:00,159 Because can you pull out one thread of value of 785 00:43:00,159 --> 00:43:05,239 your successful experiments and how participants were apprised of or realized that value? 786 00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:07,400 Like what? 787 00:43:07,400 --> 00:43:08,760 Yeah. 788 00:43:08,760 --> 00:43:09,519 Thread of value. 789 00:43:09,599 --> 00:43:13,840 And how participants realize that value. 790 00:43:13,920 --> 00:43:18,159 I 791 00:43:18,159 --> 00:43:21,559 think for my experience of us is that, um, 792 00:43:21,599 --> 00:43:27,039 our, we did a lot intentionally to cultivate 793 00:43:27,039 --> 00:43:31,280 connections between people, and we hear people giving 794 00:43:31,320 --> 00:43:34,599 the feedback that they talk to people they never would have talked 795 00:43:34,599 --> 00:43:38,320 to, that they developed a relationship with someone, 796 00:43:38,320 --> 00:43:42,639 where there wasn't a relationship before, that they got to do something. 797 00:43:42,719 --> 00:43:45,119 That wasn't typically their personality. 798 00:43:45,159 --> 00:43:48,159 They played a game or they did a craft or they 799 00:43:48,159 --> 00:43:52,360 did line dancing or whatever we did, but, but 800 00:43:52,360 --> 00:43:55,639 it was, um, and so some of that self-reporting, 801 00:43:55,679 --> 00:44:00,119 um, I think is helps them realize like they're, when they talk about 802 00:44:00,119 --> 00:44:03,000 it, they realize it themselves and share with us. 803 00:44:03,039 --> 00:44:05,039 Mm-hmm. 804 00:44:05,039 --> 00:44:06,480 Yeah. 805 00:44:06,480 --> 00:44:07,159 Yeah. 806 00:44:07,159 --> 00:44:08,079 I would say too, um, 807 00:44:08,199 --> 00:44:12,039 It has been valuable to 808 00:44:12,039 --> 00:44:15,519 give our members an opportunity to to share their 809 00:44:15,519 --> 00:44:17,559 gifts and to be in front to lead. 810 00:44:17,639 --> 00:44:21,760 It's a, you know, a little small, 45 811 00:44:21,760 --> 00:44:24,920 minute thing that you can do to lead, but it's 812 00:44:24,960 --> 00:44:29,519 an opportunity that will hopefully help people to see, yes, I can lead. 813 00:44:29,559 --> 00:44:31,559 I have something to share. 814 00:44:31,559 --> 00:44:34,639 It helps you cultivate some leadership, I'd imagine, in your congregation as well. 815 00:44:34,800 --> 00:44:36,800 Yes. 816 00:44:36,800 --> 00:44:37,760 Gorgeous. 817 00:44:37,760 --> 00:44:38,760 Thank you, Kelly. 818 00:44:38,760 --> 00:44:40,599 I, 819 00:44:40,599 --> 00:44:44,119 one, uh, so I think the, one of the 1st camp tracks 820 00:44:44,159 --> 00:44:47,440 that I led was like a, Skill building for 821 00:44:47,440 --> 00:44:51,800 justice work, um, Time. 822 00:44:51,880 --> 00:44:55,000 Um, and I introduced, I think it's like a side with love concept 823 00:44:55,000 --> 00:44:57,760 where they do the, it's like concentric circles of organizing. 824 00:44:57,840 --> 00:45:01,719 Um, which if you're not familiar with, it's a delight. 825 00:45:01,800 --> 00:45:04,920 Um, and our green sanctuary team 826 00:45:04,920 --> 00:45:08,920 had, like, there were a couple of their core leaders there, had this, like, revelation 827 00:45:08,920 --> 00:45:12,800 about, like, oh, we need to rethink how we approach 828 00:45:12,840 --> 00:45:16,199 different groups of people and how we understand what our 829 00:45:16,199 --> 00:45:21,519 actual core of leaders is versus, like, people we're organizing versus the wider congregation. 830 00:45:21,599 --> 00:45:25,800 Um, and it was just so gratifying. 831 00:45:25,840 --> 00:45:28,880 to like hear them repeat again and again in different settings 832 00:45:28,920 --> 00:45:32,280 and say like, This is, this is how we're thinking of this 833 00:45:32,280 --> 00:45:35,519 and just hear them use the framework and adapt it and replicate 834 00:45:35,519 --> 00:45:37,920 it, um, in other places, just, 835 00:45:38,039 --> 00:45:41,079 Made my heart sing and they've been really 836 00:45:41,079 --> 00:45:44,840 successful because they, in some ways, uh, Not 837 00:45:44,880 --> 00:45:48,360 fully, but somewhat uniquely among our justice teams, I feel like really grasped that 838 00:45:48,360 --> 00:45:51,880 idea of like, oh, there's this core of people who 839 00:45:51,880 --> 00:45:55,119 are really involved in leadership, and then there's this outer core of people who 840 00:45:55,119 --> 00:45:58,280 are on volunteers, and then there's this bigger circle of people who want 841 00:45:58,320 --> 00:46:01,599 to be organized about environmental justice, 842 00:46:01,599 --> 00:46:05,840 and, and yeah, just like, like any good teacher. 843 00:46:05,920 --> 00:46:07,920 I love seeing them apply the learning. 844 00:46:07,920 --> 00:46:11,559 Yeah, I would say, um, The 845 00:46:11,559 --> 00:46:14,440 track we did a, the camp we did where we had like a Credo. 846 00:46:14,519 --> 00:46:16,519 We did like an adult Credo track. 847 00:46:16,519 --> 00:46:19,440 Um, we ended up spending kind of a lot of time on 848 00:46:19,440 --> 00:46:22,920 religious trauma and religious baggage and how do we kind of 849 00:46:22,920 --> 00:46:25,800 unlearn that and, um, it ended up becoming a group. 850 00:46:25,840 --> 00:46:29,199 Um, Well, you say what a credo is, Christina. 851 00:46:29,280 --> 00:46:32,320 So it's kind of what like our middle school, high school kids 852 00:46:32,320 --> 00:46:35,800 do in coming of age where they write their statement of belief. 853 00:46:35,880 --> 00:46:37,960 Um, what is it that they believe or what is that? 854 00:46:37,960 --> 00:46:39,960 in their heart. 855 00:46:39,960 --> 00:46:42,239 And, um, our adults always wish they could do it. 856 00:46:42,280 --> 00:46:47,360 Um, so we did sort of kind of, you know, building your own theology, exploring your own values and beliefs. 857 00:46:47,440 --> 00:46:50,360 Um, and where does, you know, what, what does that come from? 858 00:46:50,400 --> 00:46:52,400 Um, 859 00:46:52,400 --> 00:46:55,119 And as we were doing this, you know, people were sort of wrestling 860 00:46:55,119 --> 00:46:58,480 with, their own historical religious baggage, 861 00:46:58,480 --> 00:47:01,840 and, um, and that ended up becoming, it's, 862 00:47:01,840 --> 00:47:05,000 its own group that has continued to meet, because 863 00:47:05,039 --> 00:47:10,199 there was enough, like people needed to process that more, which I thought was, was really, really cool. 864 00:47:10,239 --> 00:47:14,480 And the other thing that was like a take home that I was super excited by was, um, 865 00:47:14,559 --> 00:47:17,719 Our, one of our 1st camps was all 866 00:47:17,760 --> 00:47:21,960 based on the new UU shared values and the acronym jetpig. 867 00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:25,119 And I wrote a song and the, all the campers 868 00:47:25,119 --> 00:47:27,159 learned the song and they sang it at church. 869 00:47:27,239 --> 00:47:31,239 And um, So many people have 870 00:47:31,320 --> 00:47:34,360 when I, when I ask people like, what's at the center of 871 00:47:34,360 --> 00:47:38,480 our values, they all, they sing the, the chorus of the song. 872 00:47:38,639 --> 00:47:40,639 Oh, that's so... back to me. 873 00:47:40,679 --> 00:47:42,719 They're like, love at the center, love at the center. 874 00:47:42,719 --> 00:47:45,639 And I'm like, my work here is done. 875 00:47:45,719 --> 00:47:49,440 Yeah, I would say the last, is it, listening to you talk, Christina? 876 00:47:49,480 --> 00:47:53,920 I think the thing that I realized is that some of the things that end up being addressed are things that, 877 00:47:54,039 --> 00:47:57,280 we sometimes do as like stumbling blocks 878 00:47:57,280 --> 00:48:00,400 in congregational ministry, right? 879 00:48:00,480 --> 00:48:03,519 People's religious trauma and baggage, like why 880 00:48:03,519 --> 00:48:07,599 does this committee chair just keep emailing the same 25 people? 881 00:48:07,679 --> 00:48:10,840 And then nobody comes and they're like mad about it. 882 00:48:10,920 --> 00:48:15,480 Um, why do people, um, 883 00:48:15,599 --> 00:48:18,639 Why are people so cranky about 884 00:48:18,639 --> 00:48:21,280 religious language or right that there's like, 885 00:48:21,400 --> 00:48:24,639 Some of these pieces and instead of saying, like, 886 00:48:24,639 --> 00:48:28,840 um, I think one of the gifts that I love about doing ministry with you, Christina, 887 00:48:28,840 --> 00:48:32,800 and that I see in the work that Paula and Kelly are doing too, is instead of saying, like, there's 888 00:48:32,800 --> 00:48:36,039 this thing that people are wrestling with, this baggage that 889 00:48:36,039 --> 00:48:39,320 they're coming in the door with instead of saying, like, how can we get that out of 890 00:48:39,360 --> 00:48:42,960 the way so we can do church the way we're used to doing it? 891 00:48:43,079 --> 00:48:46,679 Then instead it's like, okay, like that's what they're showing up with. 892 00:48:46,719 --> 00:48:50,000 That's the ministry to do, is with that, that thing, 893 00:48:50,039 --> 00:48:55,000 that religious baggage, that, framework of organ, whatever it is. 894 00:48:55,079 --> 00:48:58,320 And I just, that is, has been really life giving and wonderful for me. 895 00:48:58,360 --> 00:49:01,400 There's a 896 00:49:01,440 --> 00:49:04,960 couple of questions that are, that are sort of the logistics 897 00:49:04,960 --> 00:49:09,320 of how you do, what you do, that are in the chat that are unique to each of your congregations. 898 00:49:09,400 --> 00:49:12,880 So I want to invite you to feel free to respond in the chat to those if you, 899 00:49:12,880 --> 00:49:15,760 you know, after this part when folks move into the closing. 900 00:49:15,840 --> 00:49:17,840 Will have some time for that. 901 00:49:17,840 --> 00:49:20,559 Um, There's a question about how 902 00:49:20,559 --> 00:49:25,519 you initiate these out of the box activities and publicize them to the community. 903 00:49:25,599 --> 00:49:29,000 You spoke a little bit about that, but does 904 00:49:29,039 --> 00:49:32,400 anyone want to share a little bit more about in particular, 905 00:49:32,400 --> 00:49:35,320 something that you think that's really important in drawing people in. 906 00:49:35,400 --> 00:49:37,960 to these things that you're offering. 907 00:49:38,079 --> 00:49:41,559 I'm gonna say that 908 00:49:41,559 --> 00:49:45,679 I've, I've been in minist, you know, professional ministry now for 909 00:49:45,719 --> 00:49:50,400 15, 16 years and I've done quite a lot of weird stuff. 910 00:49:50,440 --> 00:49:52,440 Um. 911 00:49:52,440 --> 00:49:54,719 And the way 912 00:49:54,719 --> 00:49:58,360 I try to start is what I would call like a, 913 00:49:58,360 --> 00:50:01,719 like a positive version of a whisper campaign. 914 00:50:01,800 --> 00:50:05,800 So like start by having a 915 00:50:05,800 --> 00:50:09,320 few people, your leaders, one on one with other leaders. 916 00:50:09,400 --> 00:50:11,400 You're having coffee about something. 917 00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:15,159 And then just say, you know, we have this idea. 918 00:50:15,239 --> 00:50:17,239 I wonder what you would think if we tried this. 919 00:50:17,239 --> 00:50:20,679 And trying that one on one kind of sussing out, what are their concerns? 920 00:50:20,760 --> 00:50:22,760 What are they going to say? 921 00:50:22,760 --> 00:50:23,639 Are they saying that's bananas? 922 00:50:23,639 --> 00:50:24,800 Are they saying, oh, that actually sounds cool. 923 00:50:24,800 --> 00:50:25,920 Start doing that. 924 00:50:25,920 --> 00:50:27,199 And it's not a secret. 925 00:50:27,199 --> 00:50:29,000 It's not like they can't tell anyone. 926 00:50:29,000 --> 00:50:31,239 Um, but just, just try 927 00:50:31,239 --> 00:50:34,239 this like, huh, I wonder kind of strategy. 928 00:50:34,320 --> 00:50:37,360 And then when that gets to like a higher level, 929 00:50:37,360 --> 00:50:40,760 then start doing like, you know, articles in the newsletter, 930 00:50:40,800 --> 00:50:45,760 all fellowship messages, videos where you start saying, here's what we're going to try. 931 00:50:45,840 --> 00:50:47,840 Here's what it's going to look like. 932 00:50:47,840 --> 00:50:49,079 We're addressing some of the concerns we've already heard. 933 00:50:49,079 --> 00:50:51,079 It's an experiment. 934 00:50:51,079 --> 00:50:52,679 Don't freak out. 935 00:50:52,679 --> 00:50:53,599 I love this. 936 00:50:53,599 --> 00:50:54,599 I'm going to carry that positive whisper campaign. 937 00:50:54,639 --> 00:50:57,679 I wonder, Paula or Kelly, for the last, 938 00:50:57,719 --> 00:51:01,119 um, this last question, if there's anything that you would say 939 00:51:01,119 --> 00:51:03,880 has been particularly effective for you two? 940 00:51:03,960 --> 00:51:08,559 Just get me. 941 00:51:08,639 --> 00:51:12,519 People know what the what the workshops are going to be. 942 00:51:12,599 --> 00:51:16,239 We've been we've changed what we have done over time. 943 00:51:16,320 --> 00:51:19,719 We have recognized that we need to give them more 944 00:51:19,719 --> 00:51:23,119 lead time and be really careful about the enticing 945 00:51:23,159 --> 00:51:27,280 language that we use and, you know, the newsletter 946 00:51:27,280 --> 00:51:30,679 and the order of service and the Facebook 947 00:51:30,719 --> 00:51:35,639 group and, um, The 948 00:51:35,639 --> 00:51:40,800 positive whisper, the whisper campaign is always the best, best way to get stuff out there. 949 00:51:40,840 --> 00:51:42,840 Yeah. 950 00:51:42,840 --> 00:51:45,159 And of course, have 951 00:51:45,159 --> 00:51:50,320 the people who are leading the workshops be well connected people. 952 00:51:50,400 --> 00:51:53,559 So people are going to want to come because 953 00:51:53,559 --> 00:51:57,679 I know like Paula is leading a thing and Paula is awesome. 954 00:51:57,760 --> 00:51:59,760 So I'm gonna come. 955 00:51:59,760 --> 00:52:02,280 So, well, Kelly, 956 00:52:02,280 --> 00:52:07,079 you set me up so well for my last thought, which is that we have a wonderful turnout this evening. 957 00:52:07,119 --> 00:52:10,840 And I think I'm looking at the 4 faces that are the reason why. 958 00:52:10,960 --> 00:52:14,199 I think you are connected in beautiful ways. 959 00:52:14,280 --> 00:52:16,320 You're doing amazing work in your communities. 960 00:52:16,360 --> 00:52:19,400 Uh, we're so grateful for what you're 961 00:52:19,440 --> 00:52:22,320 doing and for you coming and sharing it with us here. 962 00:52:22,360 --> 00:52:25,400 And, um, I know that there will 963 00:52:25,440 --> 00:52:28,960 be ripples out into other congregations, fellowships 964 00:52:28,960 --> 00:52:32,079 and churches because of what you've shared, and I hope that, 965 00:52:32,079 --> 00:52:35,960 um, you'll bring that back to your congregations and let them know that what 966 00:52:36,000 --> 00:52:39,519 they're saying yes to, what they're experimenting with, what they're bravely, 967 00:52:39,519 --> 00:52:43,480 um, doing that is new and non-traditional and countercultural, 968 00:52:43,480 --> 00:52:47,320 is making positive waves in our larger UU communities. 969 00:52:47,400 --> 00:52:49,400 So thank you. 970 00:52:49,400 --> 00:52:50,119 Thank you. 971 00:52:50,119 --> 00:52:51,119 Friends. 972 00:52:51,119 --> 00:52:53,039 Oh, that was such a beautiful thank you. 973 00:52:53,039 --> 00:52:55,199 And I'm going to add some more on top of it. 974 00:52:55,239 --> 00:52:57,440 I want to thank Lauren for being a great leader tonight. 975 00:52:57,519 --> 00:53:02,559 We're switching things up a little bit, and Lauren stepped into a new role tonight, and you did amazing. 976 00:53:02,639 --> 00:53:06,639 I also want to thank Ritoo for their technical support and help. 977 00:53:06,719 --> 00:53:09,400 They're always here and they're always supporting us, so we are grateful for you. 978 00:53:09,480 --> 00:53:14,280 And I can't really top that thank you that Lauren offered to our 4 guest speakers. 979 00:53:14,320 --> 00:53:17,559 If you're looking for the video recording of 980 00:53:17,559 --> 00:53:21,199 tonight's program, you'll find it posted on our website in about 981 00:53:21,239 --> 00:53:24,480 a week or 2 at the link that is in the 982 00:53:24,480 --> 00:53:28,320 chat, and you'll find the recordings of our fall gatherings there now. 983 00:53:28,360 --> 00:53:30,880 If you were like, oh, maybe I missed something. 984 00:53:30,960 --> 00:53:32,960 Come back. 985 00:53:32,960 --> 00:53:33,360 We'll get it for you. 986 00:53:33,360 --> 00:53:35,440 Next month program, next month's 987 00:53:35,440 --> 00:53:38,079 program falls on Tuesday, May 26th. 988 00:53:38,159 --> 00:53:41,159 And our final conversation of the year, we welcome music 989 00:53:41,159 --> 00:53:45,119 directors Jen Hayman and Paolo Debuque to 990 00:53:45,119 --> 00:53:49,360 share the reflections on the role of music and congregations and communities. 991 00:53:49,440 --> 00:53:52,719 Singing together can soothe and connect us, ground 992 00:53:52,719 --> 00:53:56,840 us in our bodies and values, inspire, and transform. 993 00:53:57,119 --> 00:53:59,119 We hope that you are able to join us. 994 00:53:59,119 --> 00:54:03,760 We have put a survey in the chat because we love getting your feedback. 995 00:54:03,840 --> 00:54:06,960 We ask that you just take a few minutes to offer us any 996 00:54:06,960 --> 00:54:10,559 helpful things that can make this program better as if tonight could be better. 997 00:54:10,679 --> 00:54:12,880 I mean, we're betting a 100 over here. 998 00:54:12,960 --> 00:54:16,119 We review our feedback carefully and we are constantly adjusting 999 00:54:16,119 --> 00:54:19,159 our model to best meet our your needs. 1000 00:54:19,239 --> 00:54:22,480 We build a few minutes into 1001 00:54:22,480 --> 00:54:25,119 our program to fill that form out while we are together. 1002 00:54:25,199 --> 00:54:28,239 Um, you'll find that link in the chat. 1003 00:54:28,320 --> 00:54:30,320 You can open it now and get started. 1004 00:54:30,320 --> 00:54:34,039 And 1005 00:54:34,079 --> 00:54:38,880 so we're going to pause here just for about a minute or two, 30, 45 seconds and then I'll be back. 1006 00:54:40,360 --> 00:54:43,119 Thank you so much for providing us feedback. 1007 00:54:43,159 --> 00:54:46,559 As we close, we invite you to type a learning, 1008 00:54:46,599 --> 00:54:49,880 a gratitude or a wondering into the chat, so that others may 1009 00:54:49,880 --> 00:54:53,119 learn how you've been impacted by this program, it can be 1010 00:54:53,119 --> 00:54:57,199 useful to notice how different ideas impact us in different ways, depending 1011 00:54:57,199 --> 00:54:59,599 on our identities and experiences. 1012 00:54:59,679 --> 00:55:02,719 What's happening in our congregation and um, and in our 1013 00:55:02,719 --> 00:55:08,599 own development, the ideas and questions we need, to consider will rise to the surface. 1014 00:55:08,679 --> 00:55:12,159 Please share what you are carrying forward from our time together. 1015 00:55:13,039 --> 00:55:16,320 Thank you for your presence and your leadership. 1016 00:55:16,400 --> 00:55:20,159 It is a gift, a gift to be into community with you.