Webinars

Webinars offer a convenient way to engage in online collaborative learning. 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 on what matters. Webinars are just $20 per connection and can be watched by one person at home or with a group from your church.

Introduction to Conflict Dynamics

Rev. Margaret Kiep & Dave Mentz
Jan. 18, 2017 - 7-8pm PT

Faith traditions are all in a time of transition and the UU faith is no exception. As we struggle to consider what our faith will look like in the world of congregations and beyond, let us come together to consider some new perspectives on the traditional ideas of membership. In this webinar, we will expand upon the idea of a faith tradition that looks beyond the goal of increasing membership to considering together what a full Spectrum of Engagement in our UU Faith might look like. This spectrum was first presented at GA 2015 by Carey McDonald, Marie Blohowiak and Lori Emison Clair.

Register for Introduction to Conflict Dynamics

PWR Winter Webinars

• A Theme-Based Approach to Full-Week Faith
  Jan. 19, 7-8pm PT - Eric Bliss, PWR Youth Ministry Specialist
• SpiritJam: Fun, Engaging Faith Formation
  Jan. 24, 7-8pm PT - Katie Covey
• Just a Few Kids: Creative Strategies for Congregational Engagement
  Jan. 31, 7-8pm PT - Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh & Rev. Sarah Schurr
• Inclusive Youth Group Dynamics
  Feb. 14, 10-11am PT & Feb. 16, 5-6pm PT - Eric Bliss, Natalie Briscoe, and youth TBA
• Reaching Out to Millennials & Young Families
  Feb. 18, 9-10am PT - Rev. Annie Gonzalez Milliken & Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh

Events and Trainings

PWR Congregations in the News

"In its fight for acceptance, respect and understanding, the Colorado Springs transgender community got an unexpected ally Sunday - Mayor John Suthers. It was the first time the city's mayor has recognized the event, said organizer Dana Stevens, who read the letter. Stevens added that past mayors have either ignored or failed to acknowledge the event, which has taken place at the church since 2009. All Souls Universalist Unitarian Church welcomes a wide spectrum of worshipers, including those who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender." Read more from The Gazette.

"Sometimes that means going to the desert. The No More Deaths group, sponsored by the Tucson Unitarian Universalist Church, sends volunteers to areas with border crossings to give migrants food and water, and to provide first aid, in hopes of keeping people from dying while they try to cross the border. The group also does search-and-rescue projects if they learn about migrants who are lost from their groups and in danger. That's according to Emrys Staton, who works with the group and is director of Pastoral Care and Justice Ministries for Phoenix's Unitarian Universalist Congregation. The group, which also documents abuse of migrants by border patrol agents, has about 50 core members in Tucson and Phoenix, he added, and has worked with thousands of volunteers over the years." Read more from The Daily Beast.

"Rev. Peter Farriday of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Clarita shared similar thoughts, calling on people to focus on the greater good of the country and see others, even those who have different political beliefs, as our neighbors." Read more from The Signal.

"'For the police to believe that was such an antagonistic act worthy of freezing people and throwing a concussion grenade so closely to (a woman from New York) that she lost almost all the flesh between her elbow and wrist is appalling,'' said Shawna Foster, minister at Two Rivers Unitarian Universalist church in Carbondale [Colorado] who has also traveled to Standing Rock. 'The police may have a shaky legal ground to stand on – they are protecting private property in violation of treaties – but they have lost moral ground with the escalation of violence.'" Read more from the Post Independent.

"The Olympia Charter for Compassion, a copy of which was included in Sunday's program, was created by a number of South Sound congregations in response to 'recent acts of physical and verbal violence against persons of color, gay, lesbian and transgender persons, and those of different religious traditions.' Perhaps the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Congregation choir struck the best note for the afternoon, singing a hearty, hand-clapping song called "Room at the table" for everyone." Read more from The Olympian

"Bill Jacobs, shelter leader at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Yakima, said that they haven't had many people stay at the shelter ever since the cold weather shelters opened on Tuesday. 'We are blessed to have this wonderful Yakima-large building which we don't use ourselves to full capacity and the fact that we can use it to provide shelter to people that desperately need it is something we are very proud of,' said Bill Jacobs." Read more from KAPP-TV.

The Presidents Zoom

Board Presidents in our small congregations have a big job to do! In these congregations, that often have limited or no ministerial support, the Presidents are often the place where the buck stops for every new idea or old problem.

On the evening of Thursday, December 8, about a dozen board Presidents from our small congregations gathered on Zoom. Facilitated by PWR Congregational Life Staff, the Rev. Sarah Schurr, the purpose of the meeting was to give these Presidents a chance to learn from and support each other.

"It was great," she said. "Many of these Presidents have felt isolated and now found other leaders share who their joys and struggles. We heard some great news about what is going on out there in the 'small but mighty' congregations. There are some new and blossoming partnerships between congregations—sharing staff, programming, and worship services. We also heard about some exciting new meeting spaces and professional ministry support."

The Region's plan is to sponsor another Zoom meeting for small congregation Presidents in early spring. If you are the board President of a UU congregation with fewer than 75 members and you want to be involved, contact Rev. Sarah Schurr at sschurr@uua.org.

Sanctuary Movement

UU congregations throughout the Pacific Western Region have expressed a growing interest in becoming part of the Sanctuary Movement. Their campaign says, "As people of faith and people of conscience, we pledge to resist the newly elected administration's policy proposals to target and deport millions of undocumented immigrants and discriminate against marginalized communities. We will open up our congregations and communities as sanctuary spaces for those targeted by hate, and work alongside our friends, families, and neighbors to ensure the dignity and human rights of all people."

Rev. Sarah Gibb Millspaugh, PWR Congregational Life Staff, recently participated in a webinar organized by Rev. Alison Harrington, of Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson, and shared Harrington's Four Ways Your Faith Community can Prepare for Sanctuary. If your congregation is interested in learning more about Sanctuary, be in touch with your congregation's Primary Contact.