We have been running an announcement in the District packet and e-newsletter for the last few months seeking nominations for awards to be presented at the Florida District Assembly on April 9.  This is a reminder that the March 1 deadline for award nominations is quickly approaching. 

Potential nominees include members of your congregation, congregation committees or individuals from the greater community.  Self nominations are acceptable.

Please take a few minutes to review the flyer and think about whom in your congregation might be deserving of one of the many possible awards.

Nominations must be received no later than March 1^st to be considered.  All nominations must be submitted electronically.  Click here for additional information and nomination form.

Empowering Lay Ministry - 2 workshops offered

East Coast: March 5 (register by February 27); West Coast: March 12 (register by March 6)

The term "Follower" has a bad reputation, implying that people who support leaders are passive drones who take orders.  The childhood game, "Follow the Leader," reinforces the stereotype.   This outdated notion can be replaced by the image of a powerful people courageously taking on the role of influencing and shaping their leaders.  It is that idea we explore in the workshop Power from the Pews: Influencing and Shaping Congregational Leaders.  This model rests on trust and courageous truth-telling as people fulfill our ministries.

The Reverend Kenn Hurto, District Executive, and Janet Onnie, District Program Associate, will describe the motivations, characteristics, and values of people who shape our congregational leaders. Participants will discern their "influencer" type.  The workshop presents five types of influencers, then matches them with four kinds of leaders to show how to develop optimum working relationships and how to detect, empower, and reward our congregational influencers. We'll draw on the experiences and insights of participants to draw an image of an exemplary Unitarian Universalist influencer and shaper of congregational leaders.

The East Coast workshop is Saturday, March 5 at the River of Grass Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Davie. A West Coast workshop follows the next Saturday, March 12, 2011 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Sarasota.  Both workshops will begin at 10am and end at 2pm.  The cost is $15 per person or $35 for a 3-person congregational team, which includes lunch.  Advanced registration is required and may be made at the links listed below.  Questions?  Call the District Office at 407-894-2119.

Event Flyer

Register for March 5 workshop (River of Grass/Davie, FL)

Register for March 12 workshop (Sarasota, FL)

Come and view a short film about the important task of choosing your UUA General Assembly 2011 Delegates.  (New resource, available February 23.)

It's that time of year again - March 1 registration for General Assembly will open, a scramble for hotel accommodations will occur online, and many travel plans will turn toward Charlotte, North Carolina.   This seems more like planning for a vacation or a family reunion.

But, this is actually the annual governance event of the Association which binds us together as a religious movement. Most of our congregations are active, certified, voting members of that Association.  Which means, because we have representative governance, that each of our congregations have the right to send official delegates.

So, in the official mailing to the congregation about General Assembly, there will be a number of delegate cards, that number dependent on the certified size of the congregation and any Fellowship Ministers or Master's Level Credentialed Religious Educators serving the congregation.

In the past the assignment of those delegates was often a matter of finding out who had the time, money, inclination, and desire to be a delegate; when General Assembly was farther away, those available were more likely determined by time and money. 

But this year, with General Assembly in our region, and an exciting new option emerging for off-site delegate involvement, choosing who will represent your congregation should be a more mindful process.  Why?  Not only because of easier access but also because of significant agenda items which should be decided on the basis of your whole congregation's interests and not just the personal desires of available delegates.

A short film about some of the options, issues, and choices for your congregation will soon be available to be viewed by anyone who wishes to do so but is especially recommended for congregational leaders.

Coming on Wednesday, February 23, 2011:
just go to: http://www.uufkw.org/HallelUUjah for links to various ways to view the film.

Moving to Leadership Development  - a Webinar, March 10, 8pm

Most of our congregations have some form of Nominating Committee structure, and in many of those congregations being asked (put) on the Nominating Committee is regarded almost as a punishment. 

What would life be like if proposing a slate of nominees were an easy end result of a process that developed leaders more than just filled slots?

Join us on Thursday, March 10, at 8pm (EST), for a discussion about some exciting different ways of developing, preparing, and recruiting our elected leadership. 

This webinar is open to all by pre-registration: if you are interested in attending this 1 hour (I promise just 1 hour!) online discussion, let me know at rbecker@uua.org so I can send you the information for connecting. 

And part of the process of your preparation for this webinar will be my short video on the subject which will then be available for use with your local congregational leadership in sharing the ideas we will be exploring in the webinar.

The Florida District Board of Directors cordially invites you to our Annual Assembly & Business Meeting April 8 - 10, 2011 at the First Unitarian Church of Orlando - the oldest Unitarian church in Florida.

We are privileged to have two remarkably talented presenters this year.  Sarah Dan Jones & Janice Marie Johnson will lead us through a day-long celebration and reflection on our identity, our heritage, and our future.

On this, the 50^th Anniversary of the 1961 consolidation between the Universalist Church of America and the American Unitarian Association, we ask anew:

Where have we been?  How does our heritage inform today's witness?

Who are we today? How has our society changed? How have we changed?

What is our future? What unique mission does the Free Church in America offer to these

times and today's multidimensional, complex and challenged world?

Come be part of the conversation, singing as we go.

Download the complete Assembly brochure - click here

Register online for the Assembly - click here