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| You’ll have an opportunity
to attend two workshops. Workshops offered at 10:30 a.m. are specified
as “A”; those offered at 11:45 a.m. are specified as “B.” Please
indicate on your
registration form your two choices; doing so does not commit
you to those particular workshops. |
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A1 You Can Sing (Don’t Listen to
Them) Once and for all, give yourself the gift of
freedom – to be free of the “Voices of Judgment” and enjoy the sound of
YOU, singing at the top of your lungs! The sound of the human voice can
be a healing presence for the world which sorely needs this healing.
Facilitator: Suzanne M. Sheridan, singer/songwriter with EXIT 43 |
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| A2 Governance and
the GA: Change is Coming!
“Every generation needs a new revolution.” – Thomas Jefferson. The
Fifth Principle Task Force is charged by the UUA Board of Trustees to
examine our annual meeting through the lenses of democratic process,
transparency, and sustainability. Come discuss the recommendations we
are considering and why. Facilitator: Denny Davidoff, Chair,
Fifth Principle Task Force, and former UUA Moderator |
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| A3 Building a
Strong Youth Outreach Program Last year 64 youth
participated in social justice work through the Youth Outreach program
at the Unitarian Church in Westport. Westport youth will talk about
different types of service – from repairing homes in Bridgeport to a
week in New Orleans. We’ll provide resources for connecting to service
organizations and fun ideas for raising funds for service trips.
Faclitators: Jamie Forbes, Director of Youth Outreach, and youth
Brody McConnell, Ryan Grosso, Zulaikha Hasan, Erin Leddy, and Ryan Leddy,
Unitarian Church in Westport (CT) |
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| A4 The Sienna
Project We believe education is a right of all children.
Inspired by this belief, the religious education program at the
Unitarian Society of Ridgewood has raised funds and sent youth to help
build schools in Guatemala through the Sienna Project. The Sienna
Project is committed to building five schools in five years in small
Mayan villages in Guatemala. Facilitator: Rev. Tracy Sprowls
Jenks, Religious Education Minister, Unitarian Society of Ridgewood (NJ) |
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| A5 We’ll All Be
Back Tomorrow: Covenant, Right Relations, and Anti-Oppression
The work of transforming our congregations into anti-racist,
anti-oppressive, and multicultural institutions requires us to build
deep, committed relationships that survive through hard work and even
mistakes. We’ll explore the role of covenant in keeping people engaged
with this work, examine tools for right relationship in our
congregations, and hear stories of success. Facilitators: Members
of the District Anti-Racism and Diversity Committee |
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| A6 Prep for
Peacemaking: Preparing for GA 2009 The Draft Statement
of Conscience on Peacemaking will be voted on at General Assembly 2009.
We’ll explore the content of the statement and view a video presentation
by the Rev. Paul Rasor, author of Prophetic Nonviolence: Toward a
Unitarian Universalist Theology of War and Peace. We’ll take time to
share our views and ideas for action on this important and timely topic.
Facilitator: Richard Kopp, Peacemaking Cause Convener, UU
Fellowship of Huntington (NY) |
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| A7 Are You Ready?
How ready is your congregation for a fire, flood, break in, or an
attack? Do you know what you need to know to respond to crises and
emergencies that may happen in your facility? We’ll discuss what every
church needs to know – from denominational resources and media relations
to fire drills. Facilitator: Rev. Rosemary Bray McNatt,
Co-Founder and Vice President, UU Trauma Response Ministry, and Julie
Taylor, Executive Director, Disaster Chaplaincy Services |
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| A8 Practicing
Living with Skin: An Introduction to Right Relations
Living in human community together challenges us daily to examine our
inner beliefs and values and to choose their right expression in our
actions. Whether we are trying to meet our own needs or respond to the
needs of others, we must balance the tensions among our competing
yearnings for freedom, compassion, fairness, and equality. In right
relations work in our congregations, we develop practices that deepen
our self awareness and our interpersonal relationships while also
growing our commitment to human flourishing in all the communities we
touch. Facilitator: Frances Sink, District Right Relations
Consultant |
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| A9 Taking Action to
Support Our Youngest Citizens Promise the Children (PtC)
is a national UU organization initiated by UU Service Committee. PtC
offers legislative advocacy programs for high school youth and focuses
on increasing equity in public education and promoting access to
age-appropriate sex education for all school-aged children and youth.
We’ll explain how we work with our community partners, plan our
campaigns, and decide on strategies to promote our work, reaching out to
those who are motivated by faith or principles to make a difference in
the lives of those too young to vote for their own support.
Facilitator: Meryl Baier,
National Organizer, Promise the Children |
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| A10 How To
Celebrate the 2010 Margaret Fuller Bicentennial See a
slide show about why Margaret Fuller speaks to us today and why we
commemorate her. Brainstorm ideas to create her 2010 Bicentennial
celebration in your church and community. Be inspired by original poetry
about Fuller, and hear about unique plans in New York and
Boston/Cambridge/Concord. Facilitators: Laurie James,
biographer/actor and Co-Chair, District Women and Religion Committee,
and Reena Kondo, Co-Chair, District Women and Religion Committee |
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| B1 Music on a
Mission: Service Through Song Song touches the human
spirit at a deeper level. Learn how one group takes its passion for song
and turns it into ministry for social outreach. Discover how to use
congregation resources and bring unique perspectives to worship and
out-reach through song. Facilitators: Holly Bussey, Marianne
Chopp Alt, Sarah Burke, and Kathy Frey, members of uu4ia, women’s quartet
from the UU Church at Washington Crossing (Titusville NJ) |
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| B2 The Review of
Article II: Purposes and Principles A workshop about the
mandated review of Article II of the UUA bylaws. Article II contains the
Purposes and Principles. Three years of work has gone into the review.
Facilitator: Rev. Orlanda Brugnola, Chair, UUA Commission on
Appraisal |
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| B3 Justice-Making
for Youth and Young Adults Every movement for social justice in the world
has involved significant leadership from youth and young adults. How do
our own UU young people manifest our values in the world, and what would
help them to do even more of it? What obstacles are faced in this work
and what helps to overcome them? What kind of support can congregations
offer? People of all ages are welcome in this conversational session.
Facilitator: Rev. Meg Riley, UUA Director of Advocacy and Witness
Programs |
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| B4 The Road to New
Sanctuary: How the UU Congregation of Danbury Joined the Movement
The New Sanctuary Movement, endorsed by the UUA, serves to assist and
advocate for families being torn apart by the current broken immigration
system. We’ll describe the whys and hows of joining the Movement, with
particular emphasis on achieving consensus and support form the whole
congrega-tion. Facilitators: Charles Stark, Lynn Taborsak, and
Chris Halfar, Social Action Committee, UU Congregation of Danbury (CT) |
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| B5 We Talk About
Race But Not About Class: Working Together, Learning From Each Other
UUs increasingly recognize the significance of racism and classism.
Understanding of class among UUs lags behind understanding of race. But
the two are connected. We’ll present an understanding of class in US
society and within UU congregations and how race and class intersect in
these contexts. Facilitator: Rev. Anthony P. Johnson, Interim
Minister, First Unitarian Society of Plainfield (NJ), and Rev. Heidi J.
Swarts, Assistant Professor, Rutgers University |
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| B6 Change the World
Before Those Other Guys Do We’ll examine the role of the
UU United Nations Office (UUUNO) to advocate and educate at the United
Nations. The panel will discuss UUUNO advocacy for LGBT rights, the
rights of women, and ending the genocide in Darfur. We’ll discuss the
UUUNO intergenerational seminar and the youth leadership training
program. Facilitators: Bruce Knotts, Executive Director, Holly
Sarkissian, Envoy Coordinator, Diana Sands, LGBT Associate, and Brody
McConnell, Seminar Committee, UUUNO |
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| B7 Are We Ready to
Welcome Everyone? The US Supreme Court Olmstead decision
states that people cannot be segregated by disability. In New Jersey,
this means that people will be leaving large developmental centers and
psychiatric hospitals. Are UU congregations ready to welcome those back
into the community? Facilitator: Rev. Sue Henshaw, Support
Coordinator, Caregivers of New Jersey |
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| B8 We Are All
Connected It is important for us to care for this Good
Earth and by living the 7th Principle we can live all other principles.
We’ll present new ways to engage your religious education children as
well as adults by integrating the lessons with worship. Each lesson has
step-by-step instructions, including chalice lighting, opening words,
and closing thoughts to develop each lesson further or develop it into a
multigenerational service. The lessons engage all ages with an acted out
story , a craft made from recycled materials, and music or other
hands-on activities. Facilitator: Stefani Scott, Co-Chair, 7th
Principle/Green Sanctuary Projects, UU Fellowship at Stony Brook (NY) |
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| B9 The New UU
Women’s Federation: What's in It For You? We’ll describe
the mission and activities of the new UU Women's Federation (UUWF).
We’ll explain the three UUWF grants programs, the application, and the
awards process. Facilitators: Catherine Onyemelukwe, Co-Chair,
Social Justice Committee, Unitarian Church in Westport (CT), and UUWF
Board Vice President, and Denny Davidoff, UUWF Past President |
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| B10 Faith Without
Borders We’ll describe how congregations can fulfill the
UU calling toward “faithful global citizenship” by designing sustainable
and effective international ministries. Congregations can receive
assistance, support and celebration through the UUA's Faith Without
Borders program. Facilitator: Rev. Eric Cherry, Director, UUA International Resources Office |
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| B11 Young Adults
and Our Whole Lives Sexuality Education An introduction
to the newest level of the Our Whole Lives curriculum, young adults aged
18-35. We’ll explore the differences between the young adult and adult
curricula, discuss why offering the course can strengthen your whole
congregation, and do a few sample activities from the curriculum.
Facilitator: Claire Sexton, District Young Adult and Campus Ministry
Consultant, and Rev. Jude Geiger, Minister of Religious Education, First
Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn (NY) |
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