PWR Webinars

Webinars offer a convenient way to engage in online collaborative learning across the Pacific Western Region (PWR). Participating as a learning community in your congregation gives your team a starting point to gain insight, discuss with religious leaders, and focus your congregation’s learning community on what matters.

This year, the PWR staff provide a variety of exciting offerings with individual webinars at $20 per connection. A connection is one link that is viewed by as many as desired from one place, such as your congregation.

View the PWR Webinar Archive 

Questions about PWR Webinars: Contact PWR Congregational Life Staff, Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong at jkwong@uua.org.

Policy-Based Governance Tune-up

Feb. 27, 2018 at 7:00pm Pacific - Rev. Helen Carroll

The successful transition to Policy-Style Governance is a multi-year process, marked by change, reflection, adjustment, and assessment. In this webinar, we'll address some of the common experiences of congregations in the first 3 years of that transition and explore strategies that help smooth the way toward governance with confidence.

Register for Policy-Based Governance Tune-up

Multicultural Religious Education for Children

Apr. 18, 2018 at 10:00am Pacific - Rev. Dr. Sherri Prud'homme and Laila Ibrahim

You want to create a more inclusive, more multicultural children's program in your congregation, but there's no roadmap. Join educators Rev. Dr. Sheri Prud'homme and Laila Ibrahim for this webinar that helps us know where to start, exploring essential questions like: How do we create culturally-inclusive spaces? How do we bring in cultures other than our own without committing cultural misappropriation? How do we help children develop intercultural competency as they grow up in our faith?

Register for Multicultural Religious Education for Children

Multicultural Transformation Opportunity: Curiosity Circles

Curious about how our Unitarian Universalist movement can become more multicultural and inclusive? Want to learn with a supportive group of leaders from other PWR congregations? We are pleased to announce a launch of Curiosity Circles in 2018.

Here’s what we’re envisioning:

• Pick a religious leader from your congregation (e.g., minister, religious educator, board president, or chair of your anti-racism, anti-oppression, multiculturalism, or immigration justice team) to join a Curiosity Circle.
• Eight people form one team, committing to meet once a month for 10 months beginning in February (actual days/times vary). Teams meet via the Zoom video conferencing platform which can be accessed from computers, phones, and mobile devices.
• We’ll have a variety of teams to create safer spaces, such as a people of color-only team or a religious professionals-only team. You can indicate a preference when you sign up.
• Each person presents a case study from their congregation on blessings and challenges faced by their congregation when it comes to doing this work. The others listen attentively and ask wondering questions.
• The last session will be spent coming up with a charge/mission for a region-wide racial justice team modeled after the New England Region’s G.R.A.C.E (Growing Racial and Cultural Equity) Team.

Together, we can shift our culture and dismantle systems of oppression. Sign up for a Curiosity Circle today. Questions? Contact Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kūpono Kwong or Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh.

UU Leadership Institute - Online Learning for Committed Lay Leaders and Religious Professionals

Healthy boundaries, communication, conflict navigation, covenant, mission, stewardship, building trust, adapting to change… are these concepts that you would like to bring more intentionally into your daily practice of Unitarian Universalism?

The UU Leadership Institute offers a way there, with online courses designed for Lay Leaders and Religious Professionals to learn and grow in faith together. Team up with a few friends, board members, or colleagues for the learning to have the most impact.

We offer four Core Courses in Leadership Development:

• Centered Leadership (Part 1)
• Centered Leadership (Part 2)
• Strategic Leadership
• Adaptive Leadership

Each course has 8 lessons. Complete the lessons at your convenience and hold conversations with your teammates as you advance through the course. This semester we’re also offering five courses in specialized topics in compassionate communication, faith formation, safer congregations, and spiritual companioning.

Register now!

All About Stewardship in Boulder

Join PWR's Rev. Sarah Schurr and Kay Crider from Stewardship for Us for a day that is All About Stewardship! We will cover: Fostering a Culture of Generosity; Building and Sustaining a Good Stewardship Process; and Capital Campaign Readiness & Basics.

Register now!

February 10 • 10am-3:30pm
Boulder Valley UU Fellowship
1241 Ceres Drive
Lafayette, CO 80026

Contact Rev. Sarah Schurr at sschurr@uua.org for further details.

Fostering Safer Congregations Online Course

The UU Leadership Institute is offering an online course with consultant Kimberly Sweeney called Fostering Safer Congregations starting at the end of January. The course is an affordable $30, and will give your minister, religious educator, safety team and perhaps a few board members a comprehensive understanding of safety issues and possible responses for your congregation.

Board Development Days

A day for congregational teams (board members and clergy) to explore and learn together. Note: This day may supplement your traditional Board Retreat, serve as part of it, or provide the foundation for it.

• February 3 at Granite Peak UU Congregation (Prescott, AZ)
• March 3 at Olympic UU Fellowship (Port Angeles, WA)
• March 3 at UU Fellowship of Redwood City (Redwood City, CA)
• March 17 at Edmonds UU Church (Edmonds, WA)
• March 18 at Two Rivers UU (Carbondale, CO)
• April 14 at UU Fellowship of Bozeman, MT (Bozeman, MT)

There are still opportunities to bring a Board Development Day to your area. If you are interested in hosting a Board Development Day in the coming year, let your PWR Primary Contact know.

PWR Congregations in the News

Volunteers celebrate MLK Jr.'s legacy through first Farmington-Four Corners Day of Service - Farmington Daily Times
The event was organized by a group of local churches and hosted by the San Juan Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. Many individual groups have organized service projects for the January holiday, but this is the first time a coalition of groups have come together to celebrate, said Laura Marshall, event organizer and social justice coordinator for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

DA Stan Garnett visits immigrant seeking sanctuary at Boulder church - Daily Camera Boulder News
"I'm pretty involved with the immigrant community in Boulder County and the Spanish-speaking community," Garnett said. "One of those members recently asked me to meet with Ingrid." Since Unitarian Universalist Church of Boulder, where Latorre is staying, is in Garnett's neighborhood, he decided to stop by on his way in to work on Thursday morning, when he met her two sons and got to know a little bit more about her.

Grains of Sand - A measured response of faith at the Idaho Statehouse for the 2018 session - Boise Weekly
"We're a coalition of faith communities to just offer our prayers for compassion, justice and equality," said Rev. Sara LaWall, minister at the Boise Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. "Our platform is built on, let's say, four pillars: religious respect, economic justice, climate care and human rights." LaWall said that although some people think religion and politics should steer far clear of one another, they will inevitably mix.

In Sanctuary, Jeanette Vizguerra Became Symbol of Immigrant Resistance to Trump - Westword
If there was one Denver activist who was propelled into the spotlight to an almost surreal degree in 2017, it was Jeanette Vizguerra. A mother of four and longtime organizer who’s championed labor issues and immigrant rights, Vizguerra became the face of immigrant resistance against the Trump administration when she took up sanctuary in the basement of the First Unitarian Society of Denver in Capitol Hill in mid-February.

Voices of the drums, purveyors of rhythms - Mad River Union
The room at the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is set up. A circle of empty chairs is set out. In the center are drums of all shapes and sizes. Every Wednesday, through Feb. 7, from 4 to 5 p.m. they are offering a Community Song and Drum Class, co-hosted by Therese FitzMaurice at the fellowship. All ages are welcome. Drums and other percussion instruments are provided but participants are welcome to bring their own drums as well. Cost is on a sliding scale.

PWR Job Postings

• Acting Faith Development Educator - UU Congregation of Las Vegas, NV
  Applications open until the position is filled.
• Full Charge Bookkeeper - East Shore Unitarian Church in Bellevue, WA
  Applications open until the position is filled.
• Congregational Administrator - All Souls UU Church in Colorado Springs, CO
  Applications open until the position is filled.
• Director of Religious Exploration - Evergreen UU Fellowship in Marysville, WA
  Applications open until the position is filled.
• Director of Religious Education - Pacific UU Church in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
  Applications open until the position is filled.
• Membership Coordinator - UU Fellowship of San Dieguito, CA
  Applications open until the position is filled.
• Part-time Pastor - UU Church of Greeley, CO
  Applications must be received by Feb. 15, 2018.
• Interim DRE - First Unitarian Portland, OR
  Applications accepted through March 15, 2018.
• Part-time Interim Director of Religious Education - UU Congregation, Santa Rosa, CA
  Applications open until position is filled.
• Music Director - Throop UU Church in Pasadena, CA
  Applications open until the position is filled.

Regional Assembly Funding Support from the PCD Board

All PCD congregations are encouraged to come to Regional Assembly in Portland, Oregon, April 27-29, 2018. To facilitate attendance, the PCD Board voted to provide all congregations attending Regional Assembly a $500 grant to offset the costs of attendance. There are no strings attached. If your congregation needs a grant to attend, send an email to Diane Brinson (dbrinson@uua.org). Diane will arrange for a check to be sent to your congregation.

Each congregation can use the money as best suits their needs. Send youth; send staff; or use the money to rent a bus and take a busload to RA. Each congregation should determine which approach best fits with their mission.

Please plan on attending. The PWR staff has prepared an excellent program including UUA President Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray, Rev. Dr. William Barber, and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal. Presenters at Friday's Professional Development Day include Rev. Erika Hewitt and Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout. Visit the PWR website for more details about RA.

Charles Du Mond, PhD
PCD President

PCD Women's Retreat March 8-11

The annual PCD Women's Retreat is coming up on March 8-11, 2018. All self-identified women are welcome to join us for a calming respite from our busy lives. Our retreat offers something for everyone: delicious meals; workshops for mind, body, and spirit; conversations with new and old friends; time for quiet contemplation; and a boutique, silent auction, and book swap. To learn more about the PCD Women and Religion organization and to register for our retreat, please visit our website. We hope to see you there. Invite a friend!

PSWD Chalice Lighters

The Unitarian Universalists of the Santa Clarita Valley (UU of SCV) has matured well since our founding in 2000, but we need to better communicate to the local community our values as Unitarian Universalists and all that we offer.

That’s where your support comes in. We envision hiring a contracted Outreach Consultant who will lead us in planning and launching a comprehensive plan to market and promote UU of SCV to the outside world. Engaging this consultant, even for a limited period, will increase our visitations and enhance our growth. Funding this Chalice Lighters call will greatly help us expand our reach throughout the Santa Clarita Valley, spreading the UU message while building our congregation.

You can read the full call letter on the PSWD website. You can submit your donation online. You may also write a check and mail it to PSWD Chalice Lighters, 7511 Greenwood Avenue North, #414, Seattle, WA 98103-4627. If you send a check, please write PSWD CL in the memo line of your check and on the payment envelope.

Contributions for this call will be accepted through March 12, 2018. Thank you for your generosity!

In Loving Memory of Alan G. Deale (1927-2018)

The Pacific Western Region staff offer our condolences to the family and colleagues of the Rev. Dr. Alan Glengyle Deale, who died on January 29, 2018 at the age of 90.

He is survived by his wife Kathleen Hunter; his children Dr. Cynthia Deale, Alan Patterson Deale, and Daniel Deale; his stepchildren Lara Payne, Deirdre McKay, and Charles Corlett; and his nine grandchildren.

Rev. Deale was a leader in the Pacific Northwest for many years, and was Minister at the First Unitarian Church of Portland for more than 20 years. He was well known for his leadership in social justice initiatives and as a strong proponent of investment for congregational growth.

A memorial service will take place at 2pm on Saturday, February 24, 2018 at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Rockford, IL. A live feed will be broadcast for those who cannot attend in person.

Notes of condolence may be sent to Kathleen Hunter at 55 Crystal Ave PMB 248, Derry, NH 03038, USA.

MDD Chalice Lighters

The MDD Winter 2017-18 Chalice Lighter call is open through February 26. The winter call goes toward helping the UU Fellowship of Sheridan contract with its first minister, Rev. Kali Hayslett. The Sheridan Fellowship has been experiencing an increase in visitors and membership in recent months, perhaps due to Kali’s presence. Thus, there is hope that the Fellowship will grow with a minister’s continuing presence. They are planning to renew Kali's contract and would like to be able to increase the minister's salary to a more equitable $1300/month. This Chalice Lighter call will allow the congregation time to adjust to the additional cost of a minister as it takes this leap of faith.

You can read the full call letter on the MDD website. You can submit your donation online. You may also write a check and mail it to MDD Chalice Lighters, 7511 Greenwood Avenue North, #414, Seattle, WA 98103-4627. If you send a check, please write MDD CL in the memo line of your check and on the payment envelope.

Thank you for your generosity!

MDD Awards Open

Dale Arnink Award

The Dale Arnink Preaching Award goes annually to the preacher of a sermon that explores and promotes understanding and application of Humanist teachings in Unitarian Universalism. All Unitarian Universalist professional religious leaders, as well as those studying for professional leadership, are eligible to be considered for this award. Sermons are judged through a blind process by a panel of UU religious and lay leaders. The award will be presented at the MDD board meeting at the PWR Assembly on April 27-29, 2018 in Portland, Oregon if the recipient is present, and will be posted on the Mountain Desert District website.

Have you preached or heard a good sermon reflecting Humanist teachings lately? Submissions for the Award should be received no later than 5:00 p.m. February 16, 2018 in order to be considered.

Download the Nomination Form for the Dale Arnink Award – 2018

Walk the Talk Award

The Walk the Talk Award is given to a Unitarian Universalist lay person for living a life which best exemplifies Unitarian Universalist principles. The award will be presented at the MDD board meeting at the PWR Assembly on April 27-29, 2018 in Portland, Oregon if the recipient is present, and will be posted on the Mountain Desert District website.

Complete and return the Nomination Form for the Walk the Talk Award by 5:00 p.m. February 16, 2018.

Youth at Regional Assembly!

Regional Assembly (RA) has a Youth Assembly: three days of faith, frivolity, and fun for Unitarian Universalists in grades 9-12 from all over the western United States.

To make this experience affordable, the cost is only $90 per youth. That's $30 off the regular registration price!

The program runs from Friday, April 27 at 5:00 pm until Sunday, April 29 at noon.

Youth are invited to participate in the RA programs with the rest of our community when the Youth Assembly isn't gathered.

PWR RA Youth Assembly's focus is on Making CoUUrageous Connections! Icebreakers, games, community building activities, workshops, identity caucusing, small group ministry (touch groups), and worship will all be featured as youth from across the Pacific Western Region—Kari Gottfried, Elliot Ferrell-Carretey, Byrne Crandell, Zoe Johnston, Tanner Linden, Harriet Wright, and many more—will lead transformative youth ministry experiences in the context of the broader Assembly.

Workshops will be led by members of the YaYA office, the PWR Multicultural Team, PCD MUUG's (middle school) ministry, and others!

Learn more and register!

Are you a leader in UU Youth Communities?

We are now accepting applications for Goldmine staff for 2018. Our 2018 leadership school is going to be a little shorter, July 7-12, at a location TBA soon in the Pacific Southwest District (likely Southern CA or AZ). Staff will arrive for training and meetings on July 5 or 6.

We’re excited this year to hold our youth and adult leadership schools at the same place at the same time. The Russell Lockwood Leadership School and the Goldmine Leadership School will be distinct programs with some opportunities for shared learning and shared worship. We’ll be at a university or a retreat center, rather than a congregation, so we can be more accessible and offer everyone more comfort and privacy.

If you have extensive youth ministry experience, please consider applying to serve as staff! Complete the online application. Deadline to apply is February 6, 2018

Wishing you all the best,
Adult Dean, Rev. Sarah Millspaugh and PWR Youth Ministry Specialist, Eric Bliss

PCD Spring Youth Retreat - Santa Rosa, CA

Apr. 13-15, 2018 • UU Congregation of Santa Rosa

It's always tough to make a sequel as good as the first, right?

Well, the PCD Spring Youth Retreat is going to bring it! Worship. Touch Groups. Playshops. Caucusing. Spiritual Practices. Everything that makes youth community feel so much like Beloved Community.

Registration includes: transformative programming, lodging at the church, snacks all weekend, and meals provided all day Saturday and Sunday for breakfast.

Registration Fee: $40. Registration open through April 1st.

Learn more and register!

PSWD Youth Spring Con

The PSWD Youth Board will be holding Spring Con at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura, California, March 2-4, 2018. We are committed to making Spring Con radically inclusive, spiritually deep, and religiously contagious. Most importantly, we are committed to making Con a physically and emotionally safe space for all youth. We will be following all district and regional event health and safety policies/guidelines.

Our events help youth develop skills in leadership, community building, event coordination, and public speaking while accepting them into a loving community of their peers. Youth who have been to our events leave the community with the skills and peer support necessary to succeed and grow going forward in their lives and in their faith.

For more information, visit spring-con.com or watch the promo video.

PNWD Youth ProUUd Con

This Spring's Pacific Northwest Youth Con theme is ProUUd. Over the course of the weekend we will be exploring ways to strengthen our own personalized connection to Unitarian Universalism, going deeper on what being a Unitarian Universalist really means, celebrating our pride in our faith and con community and looking at ways to take the empowerment we find here out into our wider communities.

March 23-25, 2018 - Camp Cispus, Randle WA

Find more information and register

Upcoming Youth Events

Conferences

• MDD Colorado/Wyoming Cluster Middle School Con - UU To The Core
  February 23-24, 2018
  UU Church of Boulder, CO
• PSWD Youth Spring Con
  March 2-4, 2018
  UU Church of Ventura, CA
• PNWD Spring Youth Con
  March 23-25, 2018
  Camp Cispus in Randle, WA
• MDD Bridging Con
  April 6-8, 2018
  Los Alamos UU Church in Los Alamos, NM

Trainings

• MDD Youth Chaplain Training
  March 9-11, 2018
  ​Columbine UU Church, Littleton, CO
• PSWD Youth Advisor Training
  March 24, 2018 - 8:00-5:00pm
  ​Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Chandler, AZ
• PWR Goldmine Youth Leadership School 2018
  July 7-12, 2018 - San Diego, CA
  Registration for staff and students opens soon.
• Roots, Reflections, Relationships - A UU Justice Journey - Pasadena, CA
  July 14-22, 2018
  Throop UU Congregation in Pasadena, CA
  Only 15 youth slots available
• Thrive West (For Youth and Young Adults of Color)
  July - Aug TBA
• Summer Seminary
  Late July - Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago, IL.