In 2023, an increasing number of our congregations have been targeted and threatened by extremist groups who do not like the way our congregations act for justice and equity. Though most threats do not lead to violence, these times call us to be prepared. This workshop will help participants:
- Anticipate and plan for how to respond to violent threats, vandalism, doxxing, and other forms of intimidation and harassment.
- Understand what is happening to our congregations as an outgrowth of our core commitment to the inherent worth and dignity of every person: when authoritarian political leaders seek to dehumanize people, we show up.
- Develop strategies for community safety in our congregations, helping them be safer places for everyone, especially people with marginalized and/or targeted identities who may feel under attack.
On October 21, 2023, the UUA offered a daylong online conference with worship and inspiration, followed by workshops and Keynote panel discussions. This class is the recordings for the pre-work and the presentations of that webinar. Additional resources will be added as we discover them.
Training fee: $15 per participant
Take The "Threats from Without, Care from Within" Training
(Note: You will redirected to a separate website, UU Institute, a online learning management system (LMS) managed by the UUA.)
Training Content Includes
- Congregational Stories from All Souls Indianapolis, IN; First Unitarian Church of Louisville, KY; UU Community Church in Portage, MI; Targeted Hate in Central Alabama
- Opening Worship with Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt, Rev. Mariela Perez-Simons, Rev. Jules Taylor, and Sana Aisenberg.
- Panel Discussion with Co-host, Natalie Briscoe, Regional Lead, Southern Region of the UUA; Co-host, Rev. Ashley Horan, UUA Organizing Strategy Director; Katie Bitz, Western State Center; Freddy Cruz, Western State Center; Liz Kearny, Showing Up For Racial Justice Faith; Rev. Aaron Payson, Trauma Response Ministry
- Workshop: Congregational Safety 101 with Rev. Sunshine J. Wolfe Congregational Life Staff member in the Central East Region
- Workshop: Communicating in a Crisis- Strategy and Recommended Practices with Lisa Gregory, UUA Director of Communications; Suzanne Morse, UUA Public Relations Director; Rev. Lisa Presley is a Congregational Life Staff member in the MidAmerica Region
- Workshop: Learning to Flock as a Faith – A Case Study with Rev. Christine Dance UU Congregation of Phoenix, AZ;Brigitta Vieyra intern minister, UU Congregation of Phoenix, and Faith Organizer with SURJ (Showing Up For Racial Justice.)
- Workshop: Safer & Stronger Organizing in Times of Rising Bigotry with Kate Bitz and Freddy Cruz, Western States Center
- Workshop: Safety and Care for Members of Targeted Communities with Rev. Sunshine Wolfe, and Rev. Sana Saeed, Congregational Life Field Staff, Central East Region
- Workshop: We Have a Policy for That: Addressing Destructive Behavior at Church with Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh Congregational Life Field Staff, Pacific Western Region
- Workshop: Safer & More Powerful Together: Power & Relationship Mapping Your Community with Rev. Ashley Horan, UUA Organizing Strategy Director and the UUA Organizing Strategy Team
- Workshop: Trauma Response Ministry with Rev. Aaron Payson, Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester. He is also a founding UU Trauma Response Ministry (UUTRM) member and currently serves as a UUTRM Lead Responder.
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