Prairie Star District

This issue of the PSD Newsletter, and previous issues, can be read online.

Annual Conference 2008

Each spring, at the Prairie Star District Annual Annual Conf 2008 logo Conference, it is inspiring to see the banners of all of our churches arrayed together. This year the conference will be April 11–13, in Omaha, Nebraska.

The weather in Omaha will be warmly welcoming. The forecast calls for a weekend blessed with fellowship, spiritual growth, learning opportunities, and sharing.

A weekend full of events and workshops on the theme “Rebuilding a Faithful Democracy” will introduce you to new information, help you hone your skills, and allow you to connect with fellow UUs. Charlie Clements, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) will be the keynote speaker. The Judy Lecture will be provided by Rev. Meg Riley, Director of Advocacy and Witness at the UUA.

The Embassy Suites Hotel in Omaha’s Old Market entertainment area is a great site for our meeting. Rooms are large and provide the space for an active family weekend. The two-room suites make it easy for attendees to share the space and the cost. Both parking and breakfast are included in the hotel’s special conference rate.

Be sure to bring your significant other and your children. There is something for everyone in Omaha and the children’s options are especially attractive this year. First through sixth graders will be heading off to the world-class Henry Doorly Zoo in the morning and then spending the afternoon at the Children’s Museum.

Registration will open early in February. More information and registration material can be found at Annual Conference on our PSD website. The members of both First and Second Unitarian Churches are looking forward to hosting your visit.

A New Chalice Lighters Fund

PSD has a program that has been assisting congregations with their growth-related projects for more than 20 years. It’s called Chalice Lighters. Individual Unitarian Universalists sign up to respond to three calls a year, with a check for between $10 and $25 each time, to support a worthy project in a local congregation. This program has given out more than $400,000 over the years. Those small checks really add up!

This year we started a new fund that will make grants of up to $1,000 to congregations for social justice work which builds community awareness of UU values in action. Examples of programs that could be funded include things such as: workshops on self-sufficiency and welfare rights; nutritional weekend food supply for elementary school students; UU Social Justice Empowerment workshops; micro loans; Green Sanctuary/Earth Ministry projects. In each case, the congregation needs to be able to tell how they will publicize the project in their community when they apply for the grant.

Obviously, the more Chalice Lighters we have, the more money we can give to congregations for their growth-related projects. If you’re not already a Prairie Star District Chalice Lighter, consider signing up today. You can find more information on the Chalice Lighters page of our web site.

News of PSD People and Congregations is online.

Radius 2008, a conference for young adults, will take place July 31–August 3, 2008, in Kansas City, Missouri, at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church.

• Need to learn more about serving students? You can do it at a training especially for campus ministry on Thursday night and Friday.
• Want to work with the local congregations on a social justice project? We can arrange for that as well.
• Feel like working with the staff at All Souls to provide a worship service on Sunday morning? They would love our involvement!

This event is being designed by young adults and allies from Prairie Star, Central Midwest, Mountain Desert, and Heartland Districts, but all young adults are welcome. We are hoping to provide an environment in which people can develop relationships, deepen their own spirituality, learn useful skills in the areas of social justice, anti-oppression, and anti-racism, and share their own special skills of creativity with each other.

Keep an eye on the young adult page of the PSD web site, FUUSE, and Connectuu for more details such as registration information and housing updates (inexpensive options will be available).

Have specific questions? Contact Sherry Warren, Prairie Star District Youth and Young Adult Specialist, or phone her at home 785-594-3993.

Reducing the risk of child sexual abuse should be a high priority for every congregation in our district-large or small. That’s why the Lifespan Program Area is offering Prairie Star congregations the opportunity to participate in Reducing the Risk II, a comprehensive support program to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse.

Here’s how it works: for $25 plus $5 shipping, the District will send a congregation the Reducing the Risk II resource kit, which includes 6 Training Videos on DVD, a reference book containing helpful information on key topics, and a training manual with detailed lesson plans on how to use the kit in your congregation. In addition, the District will pay for one person in each congregation with leadership responsibilities for children and youth to receive The Safety Award in Reducing the Risk of Child Sexual Abuse through the Institute of Church Safety.

For more information, visit these posts from Phil’s Little Blog on the Prairie: Safety Award and Reducing the Risk.

To order the resource kit, contact Phillip Lund.

Apply before March 15, 2008, for new PSD grants to help your congregation grow. See Collaborative Growth Initiative.

Unitarian Universalist University is a gathering just before GA of congregational leaders of all kinds. If you want to increase your knowledge and ability to serve your congregation, UU University is for you! Over 450 people attended in 2007!

Learn more about UU University.

At UU University–2008 you will learn strategies for leading theologically diverse congregations and how congregations interact with — and have a positive impact — on a theologically diverse world.

UU University will be Tuesday, June 24, & Wednesday, June 25, 2008, in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. It begins at noon on Tuesday and concludes at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

 
Prairie Star District is one of nineteen districts of the Unitarian Universalist Association. We serve almost 70 congregations in the Upper Midwest. We have three full time staff people and three part time program and support staff members who work with many volunteers to assist congregations. To learn more about us, see our Web site.