Still trying to become the most dangerous church in America?

Dear Visionary UUs,

This August the UU Small Group Ministry Network is offering a weeklong Small Group Ministry conference at Ferry Beach. We offered this last year and it was a huge success. This is an opportunity for visionary and passionate UU's of the Small Group kind (SGM leaders, coordinators, ministers, lay coaches, etc...) to celebrate this ministry, learn new techniques, explore new dimensions in small group ministry and covenant groups, for us all to review the essentials for SGM health, growth and transformation and much more. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

Register on-line at www.ferrybeach.org

Whether your group ministry is just getting started or well under way, I'd like to personally invite you to join us for this exiting week. Come and share your passion, learning, questions and vision for our faith and this powerful ministry.

Why am I so excited for this week?

For me, its about us working together to figure out how to realize our potential, both individually, as congregations, and a religious movement. I'm looking forward to talking to you about taking our movement to the next level. My passion is sharing our faith, doing faith development and spiritual growth via ministry in groups, and turning our small group ministries into leadership (and ministry) development machines.
Have you noticed the buzz around growth?

Our congregations, the UUA Board of Trustees, UUA Staff -- seems like they are all talking growth these days. And remember the call a while back for us to "GET DANGEROUS" -- you know, the story about a top Mormon leader saying if we knew how to retain newcomers as well as they do we'd be the most dangerous church in America? For me, Small Group Ministry is the means by which we can accomplish this.

Take a look at this.

The following is the Rev. Bill Sinkford's conclusion from his "The most dangerous church in America" UU World column:

How can we become the most dangerous church in America? We can stand up in the public square and consistently and clearly voice our commitment to the inherent worth and dignity of every person and our commitment to a world community with peace, justice, and liberty for all. We can take action inspired by these commitments. We can offer visitors to our congregations a liberal religious home, a sanctuary from the uncertainty and isolation that may have brought them to our doors, a community that will help them develop spiritually and grow emotionally—and as we do, they will stay with us...

If you look at faith communities that are THRIVING, they know how to do their ministry via small groups. You can't retain masses of people without doing church in groups. In my opinion the only way we’re going to thrive long term as a movement and realize our potential is if we MASTER accomplishing our work and ministry via intentional group ministries.

I hope you'll seriously consider mobilizing someone from your congregation to join us for this very special week. If you can't make it but want to get serious about Small Group Ministry, talk to me about setting up another training.

In faith,

Peter Freedman Bowden
www.uuplanet.com
401 855-0037 Office

====================

Ferry Beach Small Group Ministry Week
A.K.A. the UU SGM Network Summer Institute
August 12 - August 18, 2006
Ferry Beach, UU Conference Center
Saco, Maine
Register on-line at www.ferrybeach.org

====================

Did you miss GA?

If you missed General Assembly, have no fear! You can order audio tapes/cd's and videos of many GA programs. I've talked to many people who don't go to GA because of the expense. Because they've dismissed GA all together they haven't realized this service is available. I ordered CD's of the programs I missed last year -- it was great. To see a list of available programs and to order online visit the following site:

http://www.softconference.com/260621

If you are a committee leader, check out the available programs and consider having a group viewing (or listening) of programs related to your committee's work. You might even encourage your congregation to start a library of great GA programs for lay leaders.

If you are one of the many congregations struggling to get people to go to GA, showing a video of GA events after a service is a great way to build interest.

LIVING A CALL now available via the All Souls Church Bookstore

You can now order the latest title from Jenkin Lloyd Jones Press at All Souls Church. Living A Call is now available through the All Souls Bookstore. Discounts are available for bulk orders. To order a single copy order online. For larger orders print out the order form.

If you've read Living A Call already I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

Living a Call: Ministers and Congregations Together

Did you like The Almost Church by Michael Durall? The Almost Church was the first book published by All Soul's new press, Jenkin Lloyd Jones Press. Now they're releasing title number 2.

JLJ Press has just released Living a Call: Ministers and Congregations Together. The full announcement for this title from the June 2006 issue of the UU Voice is below. Living a Call is edited by Michael Durall. From what I've heard about the chapters this should be an great book. I'm not sure if you can get it yet via the UUA Bookstore. I do know it will be for sale at General Assembly. Thanks to All Souls Church in Tulsa for their vision in creating this alternative press.

The announcement:

Jenkin Lloyd Jones Press at All Souls Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma has just published a new book, titled Living a Call: Ministers and Congregations Together. This book is a collection of 14 essays, contributed mainly by a younger generation of UU ministers. Their views of congregational life and their approach to ministry are considerably different than UUs may be familiar with. Many of the chapters are powerful in content, thought provoking, and challenging. The book is for clergy, lay leaders, and people in the pews.

The book is $13.95 per single copy, $11.95 for 6-10 copies, and $9.95 for 11 or more copies. If a congregation purchases 15 or more copies at the discounted price and believes the book is not helpful, a full refund will given.

Books can be ordered directly from All Souls Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, www.allsoulschurch.org, or 918 743-2363. Books are also available through the UUA bookstore, 1-800-215-9076.

Everything our faith has to offer, young adults are ready for more of it.

What are you doing this Summer?

If you are a UU young adult, young adult minister, or religious educator join me this Summer for the STAR ISLAND Religious Education Week. Provided registration is good, I will be leading one of the morning workshops.

The workshop is called "SUPERSIZE THIS! A Young Adult workshop on engaged spirituality, leadership and community." If you are NOT a young adult but still want to hang out on the porch and talk with me, you can still come. There are other workshops to choose from.

If you know of any young adults, young adult professionals, etc... could you forward this to them? Thanks! I'm trying to help the STARlings get the word out.

Here is the full description from the STAR RE WEEK site:

SUPERSIZE THIS!
A Young Adult workshop on engaged spirituality, leadership and community

Everything our faith has to offer, young adults are ready for more of it. Aren't you? During this week we're going to take Unitarian Universalism to the next level. We'll start with an honest UU reality check, looking at the assumptions, structures, language/terms that congregations have been using to operate. After identifying what we think has been, we’re going to challenge the status quo! Drawing on wisdom from small group ministry, life coaching and other sources we will look at new ways of doing spiritual growth, leadership development and community building.

Topics will include spiritual leadership in group ministries, covenants and group health, peer spiritual direction and coaching, weaving spiritual disciplines into group life, cultivating relationships that matter, and techniques for sharing our faiths with those who are hungry for it.

Peter Bowden is the director of UU PLANET Ministries, an independent Unitarian Universalist training and resource center (www.uuplanet.com), and a children's television producer ("Peep and the Big Wide World" and "Curious George"). He has worked with youth and young adults since 1990. This work led him to Star Island a number of years ago where he discovered Small Group Ministry and become one of its greatest advocates. Peter is one of the founders of the UU Small Group Ministry Network (www.smallgroupministry.net). He lives in Newport, RI, with his wife, the Rev. Amy Freedman.