Five members from CUUF attended the annual general meeting, March 1 and 2, all of them wiser with the information gleaned from the workshops and enriched from the experience of being in the presence of hundreds of UUs. They are all willing to share information in more depth with anyone who’s interested. Here are their reports:

Chris Rader—

In workshops and talks throughout the weekend, we were inspired to improve our congregations and our own lives in order to “be a blessing to the world.” I attended two workshops on UU congregations and one on personal growth; all were excellent, as were the talks by Rev. Rebecca Parker and the Sunday service led by Rev. Peter Luton.

Effective Committees on Ministry—No longer simply support groups for ministers who navigate congregational dynamics and advocate for the minister, COMs now are responsible for assessing the whole church ministry guided by the congregation’s mission statement. Strategies include (1) using “appreciative inquiry” (focusing on what’s going well) to assess the quality of the ministry/ outreach; (2) consulting with the minister and church leaders regarding goal achievement; (3) facilitating conflict resolution (using resources from PNWD’s Healthy Congregations Team); and (4) setting policy for rites of passage processes. At CUUF we don’t have a Committee on Ministry but we could well benefit from forming one in a year or two.

Welcoming Congregations—There are guidelines for becoming a formal Welcoming Congregation, and resources at the national UUA level focusing on actively reaching out to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. More than being silently tolerant of GBLTs, the congregation by majority vote affirms that it welcomes GBLTs. It does this by such means as a declaration on the web site, flying a rainbow flag, and allowing GBLT groups to use the facility. Getting the majority of the congregation to affirm this can be a difficult process, usually taking a year and several committed members.

Peacemaking through Compassionate Communication—Nonviolent communication, a concept pioneered by Marshall Rosenberg, teaches that underlying all conflict is a need: to be appreciated, to be listened to, for safety, freedom, order, joy; and dozens of other needs or values. If someone yells at you, first connect with and center yourself, then listen and empathize to determine which of their needs is/are not being met. “The cause of my negative feelings is my needs, not your behavior. Your behavior is a trigger or stimulus.” When all parties understand and value each other’s needs, conflicts can be resolved.

Vern Smith—

Overall, I felt the AGM was a highly useful event and I am very glad that I was able to attend. The train ing, fellowship and networking were excellent, and I really enjoyed the Sunday Service.

Annual Budget Drives: Going Beyond Fundraising—-A new perspective in the ongoing effort to fund a church and all of its programs includes calling it “Stewardship” and making sure the effort is nestled under the umbrella of the congregation’s mission. The training focused on working to help members become more self-actualized when it comes to participating in the fellowship. The subsequent discussion between representatives of different churches comparing problems, solutions and ideas was a great exchange.

Planning Along the Chaordic Path or Pushing Bullfrogs in a Wheelbarrow—“Chaordic” is a combination of Chaos and Order. This session dealt with the special dynamics of leading, working, and planning within the organization of a UU church. We explored the different types of personalities and groups and ways to build cohesiveness in UU churches.

Living Your Bliss – In 10 Minutes a Day— This was an exploration of different methods of personal spiritual practice. The methods included poetry, guided meditation, yoga, and journaling. I enjoyed the guided meditation and the yoga the most.

Dick Murphy—

Membership Retention: the Exit Interview Process—The Evergreen UU fellowship in Marysville fellowship is presently lay led and has a membership of about one hundred. I was really impressed by three things: 1) The Question Asked: New people join our congregation on a continuing basis but our total membership does not significantly change. Why are we losing membership? 2)The Way the Question Was Addressed: An ad hoc committee selected twenty names from a list of those who had stopped pledging in the past five years. A carefully worded letter requesting an exit interview was sent to the twenty people. The interview process and questions were carefully worked out. Nineteen responded and were interviewed. 3) The Results: Those interviewed had an average of 11.8 years membership and rated their involvement in the fellowship at 3.9 on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest. The overwhelming reasons given for attraction to and for joining the fellowship were community and the people. Reasons for leaving the fellowship listed by highest first were: issues with one or more past ministers; moved away; wanted more spirituality and less liturgy; disillusioned with leadership; burn out.

Gary Pape—

Effective Committees on Ministry—The purpose of the committee on ministry and suggestions for effective functioning was examined. The committee consists of 3-4 church members who act as a liaison between the minister and the fellowship. It can serve as a “sounding board” for the minister or for a church member. The committee can provide an avenue for feedback and conflict resolution. The workshop impressed me for the following reasons: 1) Developing a successful ministry is a well studied subject and the PNWD and UUA have significant resources to share their knowledge. 2) A congregation must examine their underlying assumptions toward ministry and ministers. The presenter noted that the mission of the congregation drives the ministry. Unsuccessful minister experiences can often be traced to unrealistic expectations of the minister to accept most or all of the responsibility in meeting the fellowships needs. Relatedly, ministry (i.e. caring for one another, supporting everyone’s spiritual growth) is the responsibility of everyone. As we embark on a search for a minister, it is clear to me that learning about our role, our expectations of a minister, and ways to develop healthy relationships is vital. For these reasons I am in the process of organizing a PNWD led workshop in the late spring.

Are You Ready for a Capital Campaign? presented by a UUA stewardship consultant and by the Olympic UU capital campaign chairman—The Olympic fellowship recently completed a successful campaign to expand their building. They reviewed the steps involved and the available financial and consulting resources. The essential message of the workshop was that ambitious capital campaigns can be successful if thoughtful planning takes place. The UUA has a tried and tested guide to “walking a fellowship” though the planning and action stages. I will present this information to our Long-Range Planning Committee.

Living Your Bliss – In 10 Minutes a Day—Recognizing the busy schedule most of us have and ways in which one can achieve some serenity in short time periods were demonstrated . It was a participatory workshop and I learned several ways to access an inner peace. Now, if I can just implement what I learned………..

Rita Salama—

I loved the workshops and being with so many other UUs, and learning about new things available to us through the PNWD, but the Sunday service was the highlight of the weekend for me.

Weaving the Fabric of Our Faith—I had been captivated by the description of finding ways to provide programs across lifespan ages only to find the workshop focused almost exclusively on the new programs and resources for children and youth. However I was so excited and moved by the descriptions and demonstrations of the new Tapestry of Faith curriculum that all was forgiven—especially knowing that there are adult programs available now and being developed.

Dancing with Norms presented by the PNWD Healthy Congregations Team—We have norms; those spoken and unspoken rules of behavior, anytime we work within a group. Spoken rules are agreed upon, healthy ways of relating to each other, but the unspoken rules may interfere with those positive interactions. This workshop provided a process recommended for anytime a group is new or has a significant number of new members, to create healthy norms for group work.

Reader’s Theatre: An Exciting Way to be Inclusive and Unique in Worship Service-I was thrilled to meet our former minister, Rev. Annie Holmes, and see her creative work in action as a team of readers from her congregation gave a dramatic presentation. She has written several services in a format that is unique and exciting. Don’t be surprised if you see one of these at a future service at CUUF!