Issue 37: May 2007, page 6

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Thoughts from the District Executive:

On Getting Good Help

Nancy Heege

One of the services that Prairie Star District offers to its congregations is our Consultant Program. Over the last several years, only a few congregations have availed themselves of these services. Additional congregations could take advantage of this program.

We have a cadre of experienced facilitators, all experienced UU leaders, who are available to congregations to lead several kinds of processes:

• Board retreats and planning sessions
• Visioning and strategic planning
• Organizational development work
• Conflict management workshops and consultations
• Transition to professional ministry
• Technology of Participation: Focused Conversation
• Technology of Participation: Consensus Workshop
• Appreciative Inquiry
• Religious Education (for all ages) consultations

The Consultant Program is subsidized by the Fair Share contributions congregations make to the District, so the costs are quite low compared to professional consultants. Congregations are asked to pay $225 per day for the consultant’s time. The District pays the honorarium, training, and travel expenses for the consultants.

Evaluations are consistently high. Comments from this year included:

• From the Bismarck–Mandan UU Fellowship, which had two sessions on visioning and strategic planning: “I just want to give you a big THANK YOU for all you have done for our congregation! Your input and wisdom have made such a difference toward our progress and growth. Thank you for sharing your life and positive energy.”
• From the Menomonie congregation for an assessment and planning consultation: “Cheri’s service was invaluable — thank you.”
• From Ames, which had a Board retreat: “The most helpful part of the retreat was getting through a long process with ease and arriving at a consensus painlessly and with good humor and agreement.”
• From Lawrence, which had a workshop on Constructive Conflict: “This is a workshop we needed, and it was most timely and appreciated!”

If you would like to explore the possibility of engaging a District Consultant to work with your congregation, please contact me.

The New The Prairie Star

This newsletter, The Prairie Star, will soon become available to more people in Prairie Star District. This is the final issue of the Prairie Star in this paper format. In September, our new email The Prairie Star will debut. Any member of a PSD congregation will be able to receive the newsletter by email.

If PSD has your email address, you will receive the September newsletter by email only. If we do not have your email address, we’ll send a paper copy of the new format and request your email address so you can receive the email version of the next issue. Paper copies will continue to be printed and mailed to those who do not have email.

Subscribe to The Prairie Star, E-Mail Edition!

To be sure that you start receiving the e-mail edition of The Prairie Star right away, please visit our Newsletter page and type your e-mail address into the form you find there. At that address, you’ll also find back issues of the newsletter going back to 1998!

This change will allow more people to receive the newsletter and result in considerable financial savings for the District. The change may also result in the newsletter being published more frequently than the current three times per year so that the news is more timely.

Want to hear about District/UU news as it happens?

Subscribe to PSD-L,
an email list serve for announcements only.

To subscribe see Email Lists
and follow the instructions to sign up!

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