Saturday Events

Annual Conference 2011 Archive

Saturday, April 9, 2011
 

Business Meeting

8:00  to 9:15 AM

The 48th Annual Meeting of Prairie Star District will include reports from the District Executive and the UUA Trustee,  adoption of the 2011–2012 Prairie Star District budget, the election of District leaders, and other matters of district business.

All are welcome to attend the meeting. Only delegates accredited by their congregation will be able to vote. See Business Meeting for procedures for accrediting voting delegates and links to the report of the Nominating Committee and the proposed budget.

Judy Lecture: Spiritual Maturity as the Goal of Faith Development

 9:30 to 10:45 AM

The Arthur M. Judy Memorial Lecture will be presented by the Rev. Dr. Kendyl Gibbons.

Spiritual Maturity as the Goal of Faith Development

Religious educators in the liberal tradition have proposed that the process of faith development is a life-long endeavor, but what is that process intended to achieve?  How are we supposed to tell whether or not it is working?

Just as we expect ourselves and others to change over time in physical, intellectual, and emotional ways, so we should be anticipating growth in our religious lives.  The traditional ‘fruit of the spirit’ identified in Christian scripture by St. Paul – including love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – offers one form of measurement, but are these indeed the most significant indicators of what spiritual maturity means for our diverse communities in today’s world? 

The concept of spiritual maturity transcends theological categories; it points to the qualities that enable the great mystics and leaders to recognize one another across divergent religious heritages and vocabularies.  This perspective allows us to honor the wisdom of Gandhi, Rumi, Thich Naht Hahn, Schweitzer, Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, Martin Luther King, and many other prophets from traditions different from our own.  With or without the concept of a self-conscious, personal god, each of us is challenged to become wiser and more compassionate throughout our lives.  All of us know people who may not be formally educated or outstandingly successful in worldly terms, who nevertheless radiate serenity, acceptance, and joy.  Even for highly rational humanists – like the presenter herself! – it is possible to understand the community of religious institutions as part of a path toward a deeper, more grounded spiritual life that makes us each more whole.  We can learn to pursue spiritual maturity as an enduring goal; one that may remain accessible when intellectual achievement, physical health, and even emotional mutuality are out of reach.

It matters what we believe about the purpose of religion, and the potential for spiritual maturity in each of us.  Cultivating that aspect of our humanity neither requires nor excludes any specific ideas about god and the holy, but it does call us to reflect upon particular dimensions of the human condition as they appear in our lives.  We will consider how this reflection process can best be understood and nurtured, by individuals as well as our covenant communities.

Rev. Dr. Kendyl Gibbons

Kendyl Gibbons is a life-long Unitarian Universalist, who currently serves as senior minister of the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis. She graduated from the College of William and Mary and Meadville/Lombard Theological School, and now teaches at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities and the Humanist Institute. She has served as President of the UU Ministers Association, and is a published author in Parenting Beyond Belief and the hymnbook Singing the Living Tradition.

Morning Workshops

Session A - 11:00 to 12:15 AM

There will be three workshop sessions - one in the morning and two in the afternoon - with eight or nine workshop choices for each session. See Workshop Session A for descriptions of the morning workshops.

Awards Luncheon

12:30 to 1:30 PM

During the conference luncheon, individuals and congregations who have been selected to receive this year's Prairie Star District awards will be recognized.

• See Awards for information about the awards and how to nominate for them.
• The lunch is included in the registration fee for conference attendees.
• Additional tickets for this lunch can be purchased  for guests not attending the conference. Purchase guest tickets on the registration form or at Annual Conference A La Carte. Additional lunch tickets are $30.

Afternoon Workshops

Session B - 1:45 to 3:00 PM

Session C - 3:15 to 4:30 PM

There will be three workshop sessions - one in the morning and two in the afternoon - with eight or nine workshop choices for each session. See  Workshop Session B, and Workshop Session C for descriptions of the afternoon workshops.

Conference Supper

5:00 to 7:00 PM

Multigenerational supper for all ages. Youth from the Youth Con will  join other participants.

Evening Entertainment: The Mighty Nish Band

7:00 to 9:00 PM

9:15 PM

End the day with multigenerational worship led by youth.