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Search InterConnections for resources relevant to your interest and role: whether you are a lay or professional leader, there's information here to help you fulfill your ministry and carry forward your mission more effectively.
Displaying 41 - 50 of 198.
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In the early 1980s, First Unitarian Church of Oakland, CA, was struggling. Once a vibrant congregation, it had lost much of its membership as its urban neighborhood declined. But when a new minister arrived with a vision that included involving the congregation in planning and leading worship...
By Donald E. Skinner | September 15, 2007 | From InterConnections -
The article about ministerial disability in InterConnections ("How to Respond When Ministers Become Ill," Spring 2007) reminds us that we are all vulnerable to sudden illness or accidents that can impair our ability to earn a living....
By Donald E. Skinner | July 15, 2007 | From InterConnections -
What does our congregation need to do to grow? Should we be more welcoming, or is it a matter of adding more ways to integrate folks? Or should we really be focusing on outreach? It can be hard to know what to do if you're part of a membership committee....
By Donald E. Skinner | July 15, 2007 | From InterConnections -
When a congregation becomes motivated to improve its annual budget drive great things are possible. Members of High Plains Church Unitarian Universalist in Colorado Springs, CO (143 members), want to build a larger facility to accommodate their growth, which has been running at 15 to 20 percent....
By Donald E. Skinner | April 2, 2007 | From InterConnections -
When a number of men at River Road Unitarian Church in Bethesda, MD (656 members), bought seats at a "gourmet men's dinner for eight" at the annual church auction in 1986, they had no way of knowing they’d be forming a group that would have a profound effect on their lives. That dinner evolved...
By Donald E. Skinner | April 2, 2007 | From InterConnections -
The glass is half full for many small group ministries in our congregations, say leaders of the small group ministry movement. Six years ago congregations were invited to start such ministries and an estimated 60 to 70 percent have....
By Donald E. Skinner | April 2, 2007 | From InterConnections -
When a longtime member of a congregation decided it was time for a new minister she started a derogatory email campaign against the current one. She sent multi-page emails to members of the congregation, listing all of the minister's alleged faults....
By Donald E. Skinner | December 15, 2006 | From InterConnections -
Like many churches, the buildings of Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church in Houston were sorely underutilized during the week. So when the church built a new, 23,000 sq. ft....
By Laura Emerson | December 15, 2006 | From InterConnections -
First Unitarian Church of Nashville moved to a different way of recognizing joys and concerns several years ago. Says Director of Music Jason Shelton, "Our practice of people coming up and lighting a candle and speaking their joys and sorrows had become unsafe. People were saying inflammatory and...
By Donald E. Skinner | October 15, 2006 | From InterConnections -
Good worship can be a challenge. The sermon may be inspiring and uplifting, with just the right tone and number of examples, but the transitions from one service element to another may not be smooth. Or the special music may not complement the sermon, or vice versa....
By Donald E. Skinner | October 15, 2006 | From InterConnections