People often lament that so few of our children and youth seem to stay Unitarian Universalists as adults.  They point to the reputed statistic that only about 10% of our members grew up as Unitarian Universalists.

This finding has led more than one parsimonious finance-minded person to suggest that our Religious Education programs are failing in their efforts, and that we would be better off committing the money spent in other ways.

But here is what research with adults has shown us: those who continue to be religiously active report four factors as vital to their continuing participation:

1) the congregation took the programs for children and youth seriously, and treated them as integral elements in the holistic life and vision of the congregation.

2) they regularly experienced adult worship and slowly became aware of its power and meaning in the lives of adults.   They could see a place for themselves in the worship life of a congregation as adults.

3) they had a good, on-going relationship with the key religious professionals in their congregation.  The Minister or Director of Religious Education knew their name, knew about their lives, and showed that they cared about the young person as a person.  The leaders in the congregation were not just "up there" but were people they could approach and talk with.

4) they had on-going, appropriate relationships with adults in the congregation other than their parents.  It was evident that other adults valued them and did not just see them as an obligation, a distraction, or a nuisance.

Without these four factors fulfilled, even the best Religious Education program will not encourage our young people to remain with us as adults.

AND, another study of those young adults who are active in our movement found that an equally important factor in their on-going involvement was that the congregation provided Adult Education which encouraged their continued growth and development as adults.   Unitarian Universalists choose to be involved in congregations not so much for confirmation of who they already are as to be challenged to be all they could be.  If one does not feel like one is encouraged to growth in a congregation, one is likely to look elsewhere.

So, ask yourself - is your local congregation one that is growing Unitarian Universalists across the whole life span?  It takes more than an RE program to do that!!!

Rev. Randy

UUA TRUSTEE TIDBITS

A Resource for Membership Committees

Here is a tool to help you recruit and welcome new guests to your congregation. The second year of this non-denominational program offers a free online outreach assessment by which you can review your hospitality practices. Of course, you'll need to do some translation as it is written for mainline Protestant groups. However, you will find useful insights. And no, you do not need to buy any of their marketing materials (although a few are worth considering). Rev. Kenn

Southern Unitarian Universalist Leadership Experience (SUULE)

February 19-25, 2012 - Orlando, Florida

Registration Details on-line October 1st

Costs: $725 per participant;

minimum of two participants per congregation

Annual Leaders Roundtable

                September 17 - Hosted by UU Fellowship of Boca Raton

                September 24 - Hosted by UU Congregation of Lakeland

Designing a Transformative, Vital, Healthy Unitarian Universalist Congregation - Facilitated by Rev. Kenn Hurto

Download Flyer

Please call the office if you would like to attend the Boca Raton Leaders Roundtable

Register On-line for September 24, Lakeland

District Board Meeting - October 14 & 15 - Oviedo

"Crossing Borders" - Florida District Annual Assembly

Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Jacksonville

March 23-25, 2012

The September 2011 district monthly packet has been posted to the district website and may be viewed at the following link:

http://www.floridadistrict.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/FLD-September-2011-Packet.pdf   (2.3MB, 17 pages)

CON Dracula Beacon Youth Conference - September 30 to October 2 - University UU Society

Flyer & Registration forms

Florida UU Women's Retreat - April 27 to 29, 2012 - Ellenton, FL

Flyer & Registration

Job Opportunity

Lifespan Religious Director - UU Church of Jacksonville

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Jacksonville, Florida is seeking a full-time Lifespan Religious Director (LRD) to begin early 2012. Compensation and benefits consistent with UUA Fair Compensation guidelines, and your education and experience. Partner with our dynamic new minister to create a vision for progressive religious ideals in one of Florida's most unique cities located in beautiful Northeast Florida between the Atlantic Ocean and the St. Johns River.

More information can be found on our website at http://www.uujax.org/what/employment-volunteer.html.

Congratulations

To Ila Klion on her recent appointment to the General Assembly Planning Committee. Ila also serves as Vice President of the Florida District Board of Directors and is a member of the River of Grass UU Congregation. 

Preparing for Justice GA 2012 

                What would best help you in preparing your congregation to support Justice GA 2012 - both congregants who are going to Phoenix and those who want to offer support in their local context? Are you looking for worship resources? Thoughtful theological grounding for our immigration justice work? Information about immigration? Spiritual preparation materials for participants? Small Group Ministry plans for adults, youth, or families? Adult RE materials? Materials for children's or intergenerational worship and programming? Suggestions for getting involved in local immigration issues? Successful models for congregational actions? Service and reflection ideas for youth? Something else?

                In an "open source" spirit, we invite you to share. Tell us what you have developed for your congregation that may help others. Tell us what resources you need to prepare for Justice GA or to help your congregation respond faithfully to the justice issues that surround immigration policies and realities in our time. As we develop this collection of resources, tell us what would be most useful to you- what content, what format, and anything else you would like us to know. Please be in touch with Gail Forsyth-Vail, Adult Programs Director, who is leading the task force dedicated to this effort, gforsythvail@uua.org or call 617-948-6519.

                Let's reach out one to another and work on creating the very best set of resources we can - as quickly as we possibly can. Thank you!

UUA Common Read

                The Common Read selection committee has chosen Acts of Faith (Beacon Press, 2007) as this year's Common Read.

                Eboo Patel's memoir is especially appropriate for a congregational year which begins with the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Patel shares his faith journey as a young American Muslim and the call to religious pluralism which led him to found the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC). Frankly discussing the appeal of religious fundamentalism to young people, Patel challenges those who believe in religious pluralism to support young people to

ground themselves in a faith that feeds their cooperation across faiths to make the world a better place.

                Check out www.uua.org/commonread for more about Acts of Faith and information on planning and leading a congregational Common Read project, or to download a color PDF flyer. A discussion guide adaptable for youth/young adult, adult, and cross-generational UU groups will be available in October.

Mountain Retreat and Learning Center - Upcoming Events

October 28 to 30 - Women's Retreat: A Weekend of Rejuvenation, Featuring Rev. Amy Carol Webb

November 23 to 27 - Thanksgiving: A Family Celebration

Registration forms for both events are available on the Mountain website .

Job Opportunity

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee - Manager, College of Social Justice

Learn more

General Assembly 2011

The videos of all GA plenary events, and a few other events, are online at www.uua.org/ga/2011, with both captions and transcripts.

Indigenous Peoples Day

Dear all,

                I wanted to give you a heads-up regarding a special push that the office of Multicultural Growth is doing this year to encourage congregations to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day on October 10.

                As part of the initiative, we have a beautiful new Indigenous Peoples Day web page (www.uua.org/indigenouspeoplesday) that offers, among other things, 10 ways to celebrate the holiday, and there will be a flyer in the September congregational bulletin (attached). We are planning for this to be an ongoing initiative rather than a 1 year special promotion, and this is also going to be a Standing on the Side of Love initiative. Soon to come will be a web form where folks can input what they plan to do to celebrate the holiday.

                I hope you'll be as excited about this holiday as I am, and please be in touch with any questions or promotional ideas!

Warm regards,

Alex Kapitan

Congregational Justice Administrator, Multicultural Growth & Witness

Unitarian Universalist Association

www.uua.org/multicultural