Prairie Star District

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

Saturday, September 19, 2009

In a change from past years, the Fall Leadership Conference will be held online this year. There will be three workshop sessions on Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 9 AM, 11 AM and 1 PM. Two workshops will be offered during each session.

Workshop topics are

• Yes You Can – Ten Tips for a Successful Presidency: 1 PM
• Engaging New Members in the Life of the Church: 11 AM
• Information for New DREs: 11 AM
• Finance for New Treasurers: 9 AM
• Volunteer Management and Recruitment: 1 PM
• Running Effective Meetings: 9 AM

Participants will need a high speed Internet connection and a phone line. Individuals can participate from their home or office. Small groups could gather at their church with a large screen and speaker phone.

There will be a fee of $10 per workshop for each computer connection. More information and registration is available online.

Tutorial on Online Workshops

If you’d like to learn more about how to participate in an online workshop, see our slide show tutorial How to Take an Online Workshop. It takes only four minutes to watch.

Sign Up for a Fall Workshop

Last year, we started a series of workshops offered online, on a variety of topics. Evaluations were extremely positive. People loved being able to access new information from home, without having to put time or money into travel. This year, the series continues. Participants will need a high speed Internet connection and a phone line. These workshops will each be offered twice on weekday evenings at 7:00 PM.

Topics:

Planning for Churches
September 9 & 15 , 2009

Guest presenter: Dan Wiseman, an experienced consultant in Central Midwest District. Dan has worked with congregations of all sizes and has lots of good information to share.

10 Best Practices for Small Congregations
October 15 & 20, 2009

Guest presenter: Rev. Karen Brammer, Small Church Specialist for the Northern New England District. Karen has great ideas for small congregations and is looking forward to discussing them with our PSD congregations.

Adult RE
November 10 & 19, 2009

Guest presenters: Nancy Combs-Morgan and Dori Davenport Thexton, District Staff in the Central Midwest and Heartland Districts. Nancy and Dori are familiar with curricula and programs for adult religious education. If you need new ideas, sign up for this workshop.

More information and registration for the September and October workshops is online now, and information about the November workshop will be available on the PSD Web site in the next couple of weeks: watch our Future Workshops page. Registration is necessary, but the workshops are free.

Our goal this year will be to record and archive all these programs roviding you with a growing online library of audio programs.

Report from the PSD President

The PSD Board met at our annual retreat in Windom, Minnesota, the weekend of August 21–23, 2009. The lovely and expansive setting on the prairie is the perfect place for the PSD Board to continue our discussions of GRACE (Growing Racial and Culture Equity), Growth in the District, and a change to Policy-based Governance. ... Read Kathy Bowman’s complete report.

If you would like to present a workshop at the Annual Conference in Davenport in 2010, applications are now being accepted. We invite you to consider the opportunity to present a workshop that speaks to the theme ''Roots and Wings: Weaving Multigenerational Dreams''. Proposals for multi-generational workshops are encouraged. More information is available at our Annual Conference page.

The deadline to apply is September 28, 2009.

News about PSD People and Congregations is online.

We welcome new ministers to the District, announce newly settled and consulting ministries, and note ministers recognized at General Assembly. We note a completed educational program and mourn the loss of a former PSD Board member. You can also read about a church pumpkin patch which benefits a food bank.

News of the UU Musicians Network Conference, and notice about volunteers needed to assist with the Children’s Choir at General Assembly (GA) 2010 in Minneapolis, is online.

 
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.