Post-Hope

Posted by Elizabeth Nguyen // October 4th 2016 // Stories and Voices // no comments

This homily was delivered by intern minister and UU young adult Joseph Boyd after the murder of Terence Crutcher at All Souls Unitarian Church, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. – Ed. by Joseph Boyd In the aftermath of Terence Crutcher’s death, this has been a busy week at All Souls. For many of us, these last couple weeks have felt very heavy, even exhausting. You may be thinking: I’d love to be more involved, but I’m already overwhelmed with my own ordinary problems. I work a stressful job, I’ve got kids, my relationship with my partner feels shaky. I’m overwhelmed. I can’t even imagine doing anything about racism in Tulsa, let alone America. I’ll leave that to…

Youth Ministry Training Webinar 2

Posted by jennicadavishockett // September 21st 2016 // Events and Opportunities, Guides and Tools, youth // no comments

What does a Healthy Youth/Adult Relationship Actually Look Like? In every training or conversation with adults working with youth, Evin Carvill-Ziemer, Congregational Life Staff in the Central East Region of the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) is peppered with questions like these:  “I want the youth to lead, but they don’t know what they want to do, so I end up organizing activities by default—how can I change this?” “My youth have great ideas, but their lives are busy and they drop a lot of balls—how can I help without nagging or taking over?” “I’m never sure how much of my life to share with youth—I want to be real, but I’m also the adult—where’s the…

Youth Ministry Training Series Starts September 2016!

Posted by jennicadavishockett // August 30th 2016 // Events and Opportunities // 6 comments

Have you ever asked a Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) staff person for an advisor training and been told some form of, “We don’t do advisor training anymore,” or, “There’s one weekend training on the other side of your region a couple of months from now”, and wondered to yourself, “How am I ever going to get the skills I need to work with youth?”, or, “How am I ever going to get my volunteers trained?!” OR Is your youth ministry set up in a way that doesn’t revolve around a youth group? Perhaps you have a vital Coming of Age program, your high school aged youth are plugged in to teaching religious education classes and…

How Unitarian Universalist Faith Forms Part 1/2

Posted by T. Resnikoff // July 19th 2016 // Future of Faith, Guides and Tools // one comment

Bonds Between People of Faith   Blue Boat brings you this article by Rev. Dr. Kate R. Walker, Minister, Mt. Vernon Unitarian Church Alexandria, VA in two parts. Part one focuses on Dr. Walker’s reflection on how faith formation in Unitarian Universalist youth and young adults is differs from other faiths . Part two includes Dr. Walker’s research findings and observations. – ed     By Rev. Dr. Kate R. Walker This is a summary on the research conducted during my Doctor of Ministry degree with a thesis on The Faith Formation of Unitarian Universalist Youth and Young Adults. ~ May and June bring graduations and the mark of transitions for youth and young adults. At…

How Unitarian Universalist Faith Forms Part 2/2

Posted by T. Resnikoff // July 19th 2016 // Future of Faith, Guides and Tools // no comments

Bonds Between People of Faith   Blue Boat brings you this article by Rev. Dr. Kate R. Walker, Minister, Mt. Vernon Unitarian Church Alexandria, VA in 2 parts. Part one focuses on Dr. Walker’s reflection on faith formation in youth and young adults. Part two includes Dr. Walker’s research findings and observations. – ed By Rev. Dr. Kate R. Walker (Read Part One here.) PART TWO Things that I found in my research with our youth and young adults: *Unitarian Universalist (UU) young adults have a more positive worldview than UU youth, and both groups are more positive than the norm found in U.S. young adults, who show prominent themes of chaos and corruption in…

VIDEO: Activities at Campus Ministry Meetings

Posted by Annie Gonzalez Milliken // May 25th 2016 // Future of Faith, Guides and Tools, UU Campus Qs // one comment

#UUCampusQ’s Episode Three What Can I Actually Do? The Reverend Annie Gonzalez Milliken, the Young Adult and Campus Ministry Associate of the Unititarian Universalist Association Office of Youth and Young Adult Minisitries learns what kinds of activities work well for a campus group, by speaking with  Alice King, an intern minister and seminarian with 9 years of on the ground campus ministry experience, and Kayla Parker, a recent seminary grad who previously served as the Unitarian Universalist Association Campus Ministry Associate. Like Campus UUs on Facebook to be notified when episodes of UUCampusQs are released!   Alice mentions a wide variety of resources in her part of the video.  Here are some of the ideas…

Lessons From Youth Group

Posted by T. Resnikoff // May 4th 2016 // Stories and Voices // no comments

Everything I Know About Parish Ministry I Learned in Youth Group By Alex Haider-Winnett I grew up UU in Southern California in the 90s. My home church in Orange County had an excellent religious education program and a vibrant youth group. Some of my best friends were people I met at cons. I married my wife at the summer camp where we met. My greatest allies, mentors and cheerleaders were adult advisors I had. I found my calling to serve Unitarian Universalism (UU) at General Assembly Youth Caucus. Instead of going to my Senior Prom, I went to a training on youth empowerment and leadership. I credit YRUU with saving my life and giving me…

VIDEO: How Do I Fund My UU Campus Ministry?

Posted by T. Resnikoff // March 3rd 2016 // Future of Faith, Guides and Tools, UU Campus Qs // one comment

#UUCampusQ’s Episode Two 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 Bart Frost, Director of the Unitarian Universalist Association Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministries, to share solutions for funding your Unitarian Universalist Campus Ministry. Like Campus UUs on Facebook to be notified when episodes of UUCampusQs are released!  And if you missed it, be sure to watch the first UUCampusQs video on finding UUs on your campus.

VIDEO: How do I find the UUs on my Campus?

Posted by Annie Gonzalez Milliken // January 29th 2016 // Future of Faith, Guides and Tools, UU Campus Qs // 3 comments

#UUCampusQ’s Episode One In this lively video, the Reverend Annie Gonzalez Milliken, the Young Adult and Campus Ministry Associate of the Unititarian Universalist Association Office of Youth and Young Adult Minisitries explains how to find the UUs, and build or grow your Unitarian Universalist Campus Ministry. Like Campus UUs on Facebook to be notified when episodes of UUCampusQs are released!

Giving Youth Access to Life-Changing Resources

Posted by T. Resnikoff // January 29th 2016 // Featured Youth, Stories and Voices // no comments

Embarking on a life of ministry An Open Letter to UU Ministers and Religious Professionals, Three summers ago, I had the absolute privilege of attending Summer Seminary as part of its pilot year in Boston. Summer Seminary is a program run by the Unitarian Universalsit Association (UUA) that brings youth together from all over the country to learn about becoming religious professionals. These youth share a passion for ministry, religious education or music ministry. Throughout the program they learn from seminary faculty, UUA staff, and current religious professionals about all the pieces that go into a life of religious service. My year, we had speakers who shared about their social justice centered UU community ministry. This…