Tidbits, 08/2004
UUA TRUSTEE TIDBITS
Joan Lund, August 2004
The steamy days of August cannot dampen my enthusiasm for our exhilarating end-of-June General Assembly in Long Beach. I was very busy during the seven days spent in that beautiful California city, and soon you will be able to read my entire Trustee Report on the District web page, www.floridadistrict.org. This month I will write briefly on The Congregational Presidents Workshop: Imaging our Future. It was one of the most informative an exciting GA events in which I was able to participate.
Over 300 congregational presidents or presidents-elect, Gini Courter, our Moderator, Rev. Bill Sinkford, President of the Association, and the Board of Trustees, met on Saturday afternoon for three hours to engage in a dialogue concerning what the UUA could/can do for the leadership of our congregations. The presidents were asked to write their concerns/questions on cards which some of the Trustees (I was among them) read and organized into categories, and for the last portion of the workshop several of the concerns were addressed in front of the assembled congregational presidents. As you might imagine there were many similar cards so following GA these were further organized into eight categories by one of our Board members, Rev. Linda Olson-Peebles. The Board of Trustees working groups will be discussing and making decisions regarding the concerns of our presidents, with the hope that this type of dialogue and communication will continue in the years to come.
Briefly, in the area of growth two of the important questions asked were, how can the UUA and individual congregations work collaboratively to grow large, mid-size, and small congregations, and how can other regions participate in a program like the Kansas City and Dallas/Ft. Worth initiatives? There were many thoughts and questions concerning congregations. Among them were how do we make our congregations aware of, and connected to our Districts and the UUA, and how can the UUA do a better job of making itself relevant to the day-to-day life of congregations? Questions regarding GA were many and included how can we make GA more affordable and intergenerational, and how can more of our congregants be convinced of the importance of GA? The presidents wanted to know why Affiliates get workshops, but not congregations, and how are priorities set about what programming to provide? The presidents expressed interest in the governance of the UUA and asked why does the GA plenary have to be so long, is this necessary for governance?
After the gathering I experienced the pleasure of talking with several Florida congregational presidents and appreciate the input expressed as they evaluated their individual workshop experiences. Their comments were relayed to my colleagues on the Board. Although I have merely touched upon what was a very informative, thought-provoking workshop during GA, I will write more detail in my Trustee report. I look forward to hearing from you at jlund@uua.org, or by phone at 813-931-9727. Stay in touch.
Joan Lund, August 2004
The steamy days of August cannot dampen my enthusiasm for our exhilarating end-of-June General Assembly in Long Beach. I was very busy during the seven days spent in that beautiful California city, and soon you will be able to read my entire Trustee Report on the District web page, www.floridadistrict.org. This month I will write briefly on The Congregational Presidents Workshop: Imaging our Future. It was one of the most informative an exciting GA events in which I was able to participate.
Over 300 congregational presidents or presidents-elect, Gini Courter, our Moderator, Rev. Bill Sinkford, President of the Association, and the Board of Trustees, met on Saturday afternoon for three hours to engage in a dialogue concerning what the UUA could/can do for the leadership of our congregations. The presidents were asked to write their concerns/questions on cards which some of the Trustees (I was among them) read and organized into categories, and for the last portion of the workshop several of the concerns were addressed in front of the assembled congregational presidents. As you might imagine there were many similar cards so following GA these were further organized into eight categories by one of our Board members, Rev. Linda Olson-Peebles. The Board of Trustees working groups will be discussing and making decisions regarding the concerns of our presidents, with the hope that this type of dialogue and communication will continue in the years to come.
Briefly, in the area of growth two of the important questions asked were, how can the UUA and individual congregations work collaboratively to grow large, mid-size, and small congregations, and how can other regions participate in a program like the Kansas City and Dallas/Ft. Worth initiatives? There were many thoughts and questions concerning congregations. Among them were how do we make our congregations aware of, and connected to our Districts and the UUA, and how can the UUA do a better job of making itself relevant to the day-to-day life of congregations? Questions regarding GA were many and included how can we make GA more affordable and intergenerational, and how can more of our congregants be convinced of the importance of GA? The presidents wanted to know why Affiliates get workshops, but not congregations, and how are priorities set about what programming to provide? The presidents expressed interest in the governance of the UUA and asked why does the GA plenary have to be so long, is this necessary for governance?
After the gathering I experienced the pleasure of talking with several Florida congregational presidents and appreciate the input expressed as they evaluated their individual workshop experiences. Their comments were relayed to my colleagues on the Board. Although I have merely touched upon what was a very informative, thought-provoking workshop during GA, I will write more detail in my Trustee report. I look forward to hearing from you at jlund@uua.org, or by phone at 813-931-9727. Stay in touch.
