Blue Boat of Youth and Young Adult MinistriesYouth Ministry Training Webinar 9
In the April Webinar, Natalie Briscoe, Congregational Life Staff in the Southern Region, and Kim Sweeney, Congregational Life Staff in the New England Region, talked about new models and methods for stellar Youth Ministry that may challenge our assumptions about what ministry to and with Youth can and should be. When asked to sum up the webinar, Briscoe said “In particular we lifted up a vision of whole Unitarian Universalist communities where youth are a part of the entire congregation as well as having youth-specific space for developmentally appropriate stretching. We also explored methods for relationship-centered ministry (rather than program-centered ministry) that builds sustaining, multigenerational connections throughout the congregation. These models both rest on the foundational idea that youth…
Youth Ministry Training Webinar 8
UPDATE: This webinar will be hosted live on April 12th at 1pm EST and it will be recorded. We are canceling the previously scheduled Thursday evening webinar to encourage attendance the #Uuwhitesupremacyteachin webinar on Thursday, April 13 at 8 PM eastern. More information about that webinar available on the Black Lives of UU. For a long time many Unitarian Universalist congregations have successfully used the traditional model of youth ministry consisting of a weekly youth group, maybe some off-site trips or overnights, and a yearly youth-led worship service. As Natalie Briscoe, Congregational Life Staff in the Southern Region notes, “These traditional models are effective delivery mechanisms for often stellar curriculum, especially if that curriculum is a part of the…
Youth Ministry Training Webinar 7
Part of a successful youth ministry is creating and maintaining sustainable systems and organizational tools, like calendaring, directories and templates, to keep the youth ministry program running as a vital part of the congregation and so it can live on after a volunteer or staff member leaves. Adults need to be competent in practicing compassionate communication, handling conflict with grace and humility, expressing needs, and being a good listener. And they need to be able to model these skills for youth. Youth Ministry Advising: A Complete Guide has some tips for developing these skills. Volunteers and staff must be competent with social media. Supervisors should inform volunteers and staff if their congregation has something akin…
Youth Ministry Training Webinar 6
Inclusive Youth Group Dynamics If you’ve found yourself here on Blue Boat it’s a fairly safe assumption that at some point in your Unitarian Universalist life, you’ve created a covenant with a youth group or religious education class. Eric Bliss, Youth Ministry Specialist for the Pacific Western Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association is a champion of covenant and works with groups all the time to create them. He notes that when we do this essential activity, it might at times feel…how do you say… tedious or awkward. Eric says that covenanting is essential because, “Capital “C” covenant is the basis of our faith. In other words, rather than doctrine or creed, how we choose to be in relationship with…
VIDEO: Keeping Your Campus Ministry Going
#UU Campus Q’s Episode Five The Reverend Annie Gonzalez Milliken, the Young Adult and Campus Ministry Associate of the Unititarian Universalist Association Office of Youth and Young Adult Minisitries invites Matt Stidman and Marion Hirsch (narrated by Stephanie Carey Maron) to tackle the problem of transferring leadership of campus ministry so it continues even after you’re gone. Like Campus UUs on Facebook to be notified when episodes of UUCampusQs are released! (Spoiler alert: Marion’s narration is particularly animated!)
Youth Ministry Training Webinar 5
Inclusive Ministry in a Diverse World As Unitarian Universalists (UU) we say that we build inclusive community where you can explore your identity without boxes – that we are multi-racial, Latino/a/x, Asian, Black, Native, and White; rich, middle class, poor; young and old; lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, straight, and anything in between. AND, “we know that in day to day life – including in youth ministry – living that out is really really really hard. We might ask an insensitive question, make an assumption that is hurtful, speak for someone else, use a harmful word – or be on the receiving end of an ouch. The systems of white supremacy, economic inequity, homophobia, ableism, and…
Youth Ministry Training Webinar 4
Pastoral Care To and With Youth Let’s be frank. The world changed on November 9th, 2016 (the day Donald Trump was elected president of the United States). For many of us our day-to-day experiences may not be much different, we still move through the world with varying levels of privilege and marginalization. And yet, for people of all ages, we are changed. Our eyes are open more widely, our hearts are breaking more deeply and our need for community support is more acute. What’s more, reactions to the election are but a small facet of the complexities we navigate, and this includes our Unitarian Universalist (UU) youth. In addition to being keenly aware of how…
VIDEO: Best Practices for Campus Ministry Outreach
#UUCampusQ’s Episode Four Students on campus need your community now, so get the word out! The Reverend Annie Gonzalez Milliken, the Young Adult and Campus Ministry Associate of the Unititarian Universalist Association Office of Youth and Young Adult Minisitries invites Carey McDonald, Outreach Director at the UUA to discuss how Campus Ministries can get the word out on what they do in noticeable, memorable and effective ways. Like Campus UUs on Facebook to be notified when episodes of UUCampusQs are released! Carey has thought a lot about this and shares some pizzazzy tips:
Standing Rock – Issue Primer
Learn more about protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) The Rev. Peter Morales, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, answered the call of protest leaders for clergy of all denominations to join peaceful interfaith witness with the indigenous peoples who are protecting the water and land at Standing Rock. Learn more about this here. ________________________________________ The call for peaceful public witness follows acts of violence and intimidation committed against protestors, and the infringement of First Amendment rights of assembly and free speech of both protestors and the Press. Protestors have been subjected to the use of private security firms with attack dogs unleashed against them, the arrest and unusually harsh treatment of protestors by…
Youth Ministry Training Webinar 3
Kim Sweeney, Lead for Faith Formation and Safe Congregations, works in New England and loves rules. She says “I love rules, structure, routine and clarity. Maybe it stems from my time spent serving in the military, but I imagine my own comfort with rules and structure existed before that, and enabled me to thrive in that military environment. To some degree, knowing the boundaries and expectations has always been quite comforting to me. “Two summers ago, when I was asked to serve as the lead for Safe Congregations work in New England, I found myself pretty excited. In the most simplistic of views, I thought that safety policies and procedures really just mimicked rules and…
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