At every New England Regional learning event, we offer tools and resources to bring home to your congregation for sharing and discussion. Below is a collection of resources from the past five years of focused study and development on aspects of congregational life. Plus, our digital archive offers ten years worth of materials from 2007-present, and is organized by date, topic, and name of presenter. Additionally, our UUA offers rich, varied resources you can access anytime by using the site menu above. Generous gifts from congregations make all of this work possible. Contact us at newengland@uua.org, (617) 948-6415 if you need help locating a resource.

For ongoing learning check out UU Leadership Institute online multi-session courses for deep learning with your team.

2022 Workshops & Materials

• March 5 & 26 (online) From Reactivity to Resilience: Doing Our Inner Work in Congregations led by Julica Hermann de la Fuente, Rev. Erica Baron, and Meck Groot. March 5 Part I webinar recording (YouTube, 2hr video), Part II March 26 webinar recording (YouTube, 1hr 54min video), workbook (9 page PDF).

2021 Workshops & Materials

• May 15 & May 22 (online) Centering In Gifts a 2 part Online Workshop led by your New England region team. Part 1: May 15 led by Rev. Erica Baron and Hilary Allen workshop recording (YouTube, 1 hour). Part 2: May 22 led by Meck Groot and wren Bellavance-Grace workshop recording (YouTube, 1 hour 30 minutes).
• April 15 & 17 (online) Planning Worship for the Post-Pandemic World - Part 1. Multi-platform resources (LeaderLab). Part 2 - Training and Support in the Art of Multiplatform Worship Led by Rev. Kimberley Debus. This program will include 3 hour training offered at various times in how to make multi-platform or hybrid worship nourishing to all participants, and ongoing support groups for worship leaders. This is where you can dive into the questions of HOW to make hybrid or multi-platform actually work. Read more for details of exact times, cost, registration, etc.
• August 8 (online) Reparations: A Congregational Opportunity to Engage Repair. Webinar recording (YouTube, 1hr 11min), Slides with Notes, Resources for Webinar

2020 Workshop Materials

• March 21 & 31 (online) Practice of Covenant Webinar led by your New England Region team. Practice of Covenant Webinar Part 1 (YouTube, 1 hour 26 minutes), Practice of Covenant Webinar part 2 (YouTube, 1hr 49min).
• October 22 & 29 (online) Zoom Skill-Up for Congregational Volunteers online event led by Rev. Erica Baron and Chanel Gomez. Oct 22nd workshop recording (YouTube, 52 minutes), Oct. 29th workshop recording (YouTube, 47 minutes), workshop slide (PowerPoint), live Q/A section (PDF).

2019 Workshop Materials

• September 28 (Augusta, ME), November 2 (Worcester, MA) and November 16 (Montpelier, VT), 2019: Claiming Our Spiritual Leadership workshops variously led by Hilary Allen, Rev. Erica Baron, Wren Bellavance-Grace, Meck Groot and Joe Sullivan​. Workshop Slides with Notes (PDF), Workbook (PDF), "The Practices of Spiritual Leadership" (PDF)
• September 14, 2019: Youth Ministry Reboot! (hybrid workshop online and in person) Led by Rev. Evin Carvill-Ziemer and Wren Bellavance-Grace Workshop Slides (PDF), Youth Ministry Resources, shared Google folder
• May 18, 2019: Mosaic Makers: Toward Vital Anti-Racist, Multicultural Ministries (workshop) Led by Dr. Janice Marie-Johnson. Workshop (PDF), Arlington Street Church- Community Pillar Mosaic Makers (PDF), Congregational team commitments (PDF)
• May 11, 2019: Walking the Talk of Covenant (workshop) Led by your New England Region Staff Team
  Workshop Slides with script (PDF), workbook (PDF), Spiritual Leadership Practices (PDF)
• March 9, 2019:  Integrated Stewardship that Engages All (workshop) led by Mark Ewert and Joe Sullivan
  Workshop slides (PDF), workbook (PDF), fair share contribution guide (PDF).
• February 23, 2019: Lay Pastoral Care (workshop) led by Rev. David Pyle and Woullard Lett
  Workshop slides with notes (PDF), bike rack Q&A (PDF), listening exercises (PDF), Group Listening Exercise Sample Introduction Script (PDF), "Invitation to Brave Space" by Micky ScottBey Jones (JPG)
• February 21, 2019: Mission and Metrics: How We Count What Counts (Webinar) led by Wren Bellavance-Grace
  Webinar recording (YouTube, 1hr 8min), Webinar slides (PDF), Three Essential Types of Leadership Conversations (PDF), Serving with Grace (book)
• February 13, 2019: Centering the Margins in Outreach (Webinar) led by Marchaé Grair & Anna Bethea
  Webinar recording (YouTube, 1hr 30 min), Webinar slides (PDF), Welcoming vs Othering handout cards (PDF), Multicultural Welcome Resource for Greeters (PDF), Sign Up for the UUA Outreach Newsletter for more resources

2018 Workshop Materials

• November 10, 2018: Lay Pastoral Care workshop led by Rev. David Pyle and Woullard Lett
  Workshop Slides (PDF), Workshop Slides with Notes (PDF), "Invitation to Brave Space" by Micky ScottBey Jones (JPG), Listening Exercises (PDF)
• November 3, 2018: Aren't we Welcoming Already? Led by Rev. Michael Crumpler
  Workshop Materials (Google drive), Treasure: From Tragedy To Trans Justice, Mapping A Detroit Story (Vimeo) (now available for rent/purchase0, The Five Practices of Welcome Renewal - Orientation Resources (Google drive)
• October 13 and 27, 2018: Claiming Your Spiritual Leadership led by Hilary Allen, Wren Bellavance-Grace, Meck Groot, and Joe Sullivan
  Slide Presentation (PDF), Printable Workbook (PDF), Guided Meditations on Gifts (PDF), Linked Videos (YouTube)
• May 12, 2018: Claiming Your Spiritual Leadership Workshop led by your New England Staff Team
  Printable Discernment Cycle (PDF), printable Workbook (Word), printable Sweet Spot tool (PDF)
• May 5, 2018: Our Shared Future: Legacy Giving in UU Congregations led by Jay Pacitti (Webinar Recording (YouTube, 1 hr 20 min), Slide Presentation (PDF)
• April 19, 2018: The Richness and Challenge of the Journey Webinar led by the New England Region G.R.A.C.E. Team (Growing Racial And Cultural Equity)
  Webinar recording (YouTube, 1hr, 27min), Slides (PDF), Chat room conversation (PDF) with helpful links and suggestions

2017 Workshop Materials

• June 8, 2017: Justice Ministry Matters Webinar led by Meck Groot and Cora McCold
  Webinar Recording (YouTube, 1hr, 23 min), Slides (PDF), Printable Sweet Spot tool (PDF) to help discern your priorities
• May 20, 2017: Sermon Writing for Lay Preachers led by Rev. Sue Phillips in Hartford, CT
  Slides (PDF), Rev. Victoria Safford's sermon Ways of the Heart (MP3)  (audio file) please LISTEN to it first, then later read the sermon text (PDF)
• May 13,2017, 2017: Making RE Accessible To All Children: Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders, a webinar led by Melissa Plowman, M.A., LMHC
  Slides (PDF)
• April 21-22, 2017: New England Regional Assembly in Woburn, MA
  UUA Presidential Candidates Forum video (1 hr, 30 min), Sermon "Heart Transplant," Presentation slide PDFs: UUA Conversation Slides (PDF), Congregational Relevance Slides (PDF) and Worksheet (PDF), Dynamic Lay-Led Worship Slides (PDF) and Presenter Notes (PDF), Chalices of the New England Region (video)
• April 5, 2017: Leading -and Feeling- Change Webinar led by Hilary Allen
  Webinar Recording (YouTube, 1 hr, 25 min), Slides (PDF), Presenter Notes (PDF)
• March 18, 2017: Cracking the Leadership Crisis, Deeper Dive led by Wren Bellavance-Grace in Ellsworth, ME
  Prerequisite video (YouTube, 1 hr, 30 min) and reflection question: How do you root your congregational service in Unitarian Universalism?, Congregational Polity and the Myth of Congregational Autonomy (PDF) by Rev. Sue Phillips, Video (YouTube, 1 hr, 16 min)
• March 11, 2017: Effective Staff Supervision in Religious Organizations led by Rev. Susan Beaumont in Framingham, MA
  |Workbook (PDF)
• February 15, 2017: Safe Congregations: Mental Health Ministry, a webinar led by Rev. Barbara F. Meyers
  Slides (PDF), Info packet for Lay Leaders and Religious Professionals (PDF), Info packet for Ministers (PDF)
• February 11, 2017: Maintaining a Congregational Website Webinar led by Dawn Casstevens
  Slides (PDF), UUA website resources, UUA WordPress theme for congregations)
• ​January 28, 2017: Becoming a Sexually Safer Congregation led by Kimberly Sweeney in Needham, MA
  Sexually Safer UU Congregations video (5 min),

2016 Workshop Materials

• December 6, 2016: Financial Management for Your Congregation, a webinar led by Rev. Karen McArthur
  Slides (PDF), Congregational Finance LLC (website) free and paid subscriptions to access further resources, UUA resources on financial management for congregations)
• December 3 and November 5, 2016: RE Start! for Religious Education Teams, workshop in Peace Dale, RI and webinar led by Kimberly Sweeney and Wren Bellavance-Grace
  Webinar recording (YouTube, 2 hours), Slides (PDF), Full Week Faith (website), Theme-based Ministry (website), Sophia Fahs Sunday (website), Sunday Schooling Our Kids Out of Church (article), See How Children Experience Church through this 'Pray-Ground' (article), Housekeeping Tool (PDF), Sweet Spot Tool (PDF)
• November 19 & 30, 2016: This is Our Church: Being/Becoming a Lay Led Congregation, workshop in Leominster, MA and webinar led by Wren Bellavance-Grace
  Webinar Recording (YouTube, 1 hr, 27 min), Slides (PDF), Housekeeping Tool (PDF), Sweet Spot Tool (PDF), FAITHIFY crowdfunding website, and UUA theme-based ministry resources, Braver/Wiser weekly reflections, Practicing Sabbath (article), Chuck Knows Church: The Mission Statement (video), Permaculture & Pizza Garden (webpage), New England's Small & Mighty UU Congregations (Facebook), Books: Serving with Grace by Rev. Erik Walker Wikstrom, Doing the Math of Mission by Gil Rendle, Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age by Sherry Turkle
• November 5 & 16, 2016: Generosity and Stewardship—Going to the Heart of It, workshop in Manchester, NH and webinar led by Rev. Mary Katherine Morn and Joe Sullivan
  Webinar Recording (YouTube, 1 hr, 28 min), Slides (PDF), Worksheet & Resources (PDF), TED Talk: The Generosity Experiment (video) with Sasha Dichter (segment begins at the 3:40 mark and ends at 7:21)
• November 12, 2016: Navigating Whiteness led by the G.R.A.C.E. Team in Weston, MA
  Program and Conversations Summary (PDF)
• November 10 & October 22, 2016: Cracking the Leadership Crisis workshop in Lexington, MA and webinar led by Wren Bellavance-Grace
  Webinar Recording (YouTube, 1 hr, 30 min), Slides and homework questions (PDF), Opening/Closing Words (PDF), Language of Spiritual Leadership (PDF), Ancestor Doll Template (PDF), Housekeeping Tool (PDF), Sweet Spot Tool (PDF), Leadership of First Follower video (3 min), Differentiated Leadership video (7 min), Books: Serving with Grace by Rev. Erik Walker Wikstrom, Doing the Math of Mission by Gil Rendle
• October 22, 2016: Living into Right Relations led by Hilary Allen, Meck Groot and Cora McCold in Barnstable, MA
  Handout (PDF), Book Excerpt by Peter Block (PDF)
• October 1, 2016: Creating & Supporting Lay Pastoral Care Teams led by Rev. Sue Phillips in Dorchester, MA
  Slides (PDF), Speaking Notes (PDF)
• September 21, 2016: Considering Authority, Responsibility and Leadership through the Lens of Rank led by Meck Groot at MBD UUMA chapter meeting
  Slides (PDF)
• July 23-29, 2016: The Myth of Congregational Autonomy
  Presentation Script (PDF), Slides (PDF) and Adaptive Leadership (Slides (PDF) led by Rev. Sue Phillips at Russell Lockwood Leadership School, Pacific Western Region
• June 14, 2016: Lifting Up Your Spiritual Leadership, Webinar for Congregational Administrators led by Dawn Casstevens and Meck Groot
  Slides (PDF), AUUA, Navigating Rank slideshare on BeTheLove.net, Overstepping Our Bounds: Navigating Rank in Administration (article)
• June 2, 2016: Embracing Who We Are: Unlocking the Gifts of the Aging Congregation Webinar led by Wren Bellavance-Grace
  Slides (PDF), New Future for and Aging Congregation (article)
• May 7 & 19, 2016: Churches at a Turning Point: Choosing Faithful Futures, workshop in East Greenwich, RI and webinar led by Wren Bellavance-Grace
  Webinar recording (YouTube, 1hr, 55 min), Slides (PDF), Three Types of Leadership Conversations (PDF), Churck Knows Church: The Committee (video): see if you can identify Maintenance, Preferential, and Missional questions, Doing the Math of Mission, book by Gil Rendle, FAITHIFY crowdfunding platform for UU ministries, Stewardship For Us consulting services
• April 9, 16, 26 & 28, 2016: Full-Time Church with Part-Time Staff, workshops in Bridgewater, MA, Brattleboro, VT and two-part webinar led by Wren Bellavance-Grace
  Workshop Slides (PDF), Webinar Slides (PDF), Who is our Church? guided exercise (PDF), WorshipWeb and Theme-Based Ministry UUA resources, Sophia Fahs Sunday, Imagining Congregational Identity (article), New England's Small & Mighty Facebook Group, UU Shared Ministries Sandbox Facebook Group, New England Religious Educators Facebook group
• March 12 & 22, 2016: Congregational Relevance, workshop in Weston, MA and webinar led by Hilary Allen and Sean Neil-Barron
  Slides (PDF), How vs. Yes questions handout (PDF), 3 Types of Leadership Conversations handout (PDF), Niche Worksheet (PDF), The History of Church worship reading (PDF). Relevance Discernment Tools: Contemporary Relevance (PDF), Contextual Relevance (PDF), Disciplined Relevance (PDF)
• March 12, 2016: Growing Shared Ministries led by Wren Bellavance-Grace
  Slides (PDF)
• March 5 & 19, 2016: Real. Good. Embodied. Worship. workshops in East Greenwich, RI and Bedford, MA led by Rev. Marta Valentín, Kim Sweeney and Sarah Dan Jones (Slides (PDF), WorshipWeb and worship-related UUA resources)
• February 27, March 5 & March 8, 2016: Stewardship 202 workshops in Needham, MA and Concord, NH and webinar led by Mark Ewert
  Slides (PDF), Stewardship resources (PDF) curated by Stewardship For Us consulting team, UUA online resources for finance and fundraising
• January 30: RE Start! led by Wren Bellavance-Grace and Kim Sweeney in North Andover, MA
  Slides (PDF), Full Week Faith, On Wholeness & Worship, Whole Congregation Worship, Theme-Based Church, Sophia Fahs Sunday, Books: Generations Together, Faith Formation 4.0, Re-imagining Faith Formation for the 21st Century, Creating Justice Together

Event Materials from the past Ten Years

Check out our digital archive to find resources & materials from the past ten years from 2007-present, and is organized by date, topic, and name of presenter.

Additionally, our UUA offers rich, varied resources you can access anytime by using the site menu above. Generous gifts from congregations make all of this work possible. Contact us at newengland@uua.org, (617) 948-6415 if you need help locating a resource.