1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,736 2 00:00:01,736 --> 00:00:05,050 Pat Kahn: Great, thank you Alicia very much for that. 3 00:00:05,050 --> 00:00:09,850 And welcome to all of you who have signed on for our August 4 00:00:09,850 --> 00:00:12,250 webinar on peer and professional support 5 00:00:12,250 --> 00:00:15,160 for the religious educator. 6 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:18,660 We are joined today-- oh, I'm sorry. 7 00:00:18,660 --> 00:00:19,340 I'm Pat Kahn. 8 00:00:19,340 --> 00:00:22,550 I'm the director of children and family programs in the Faith 9 00:00:22,550 --> 00:00:23,780 Development Office. 10 00:00:23,780 --> 00:00:26,660 I am off-site staff in Atlanta, Georgia. 11 00:00:26,660 --> 00:00:28,720 And Alicia introduced herself. 12 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:31,850 She is on-site staff up in Boston. 13 00:00:31,850 --> 00:00:35,850 And we are joined by two members of the LREDA Board. 14 00:00:35,850 --> 00:00:40,060 Robin Pugh, who is the one with the phone to her ear. 15 00:00:40,060 --> 00:00:42,180 She is the religious educator at the U.U 16 00:00:42,180 --> 00:00:44,330 Church at Washington Crossing. 17 00:00:44,330 --> 00:00:49,200 And she is the newly elected at G.A, 18 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:51,470 vice president of the LREDA Board. 19 00:00:51,470 --> 00:00:55,830 And she is joined by Michelle McKenzie-Creech. 20 00:00:55,830 --> 00:00:58,400 Oh, they're both credentialed, religious educators. 21 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:00,820 Michelle is at the U.U congregation of Monmouth County 22 00:01:00,820 --> 00:01:02,240 in New Jersey. 23 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:06,050 And she just left the LREDA Board. 24 00:01:06,050 --> 00:01:07,050 But she's doing this. 25 00:01:07,050 --> 00:01:10,030 And she'll, at one point, introduce 26 00:01:10,030 --> 00:01:13,860 one of the participants today is Leah Purcell who 27 00:01:13,860 --> 00:01:15,460 is now on the LREDA Board. 28 00:01:15,460 --> 00:01:19,130 But we'll get to that in a minute. 29 00:01:19,130 --> 00:01:24,430 We would really love it if you would, in the chat box, 30 00:01:24,430 --> 00:01:28,800 we can see your name and we know your location 31 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:31,200 but, specifically, the congregation. 32 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:34,440 And if you could also type in how many years 33 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:36,220 you've been a religious educator, 34 00:01:36,220 --> 00:01:39,890 and how many children and youth you served in your program. 35 00:01:39,890 --> 00:01:41,610 And then, while you're all typing that 36 00:01:41,610 --> 00:01:44,860 into the chat box, which, incidentally, 37 00:01:44,860 --> 00:01:47,120 will be available after the webinar, 38 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,900 we capture everything that's in the chat box, and then post it. 39 00:01:50,900 --> 00:01:53,710 But while you're typing that in to the chat box, 40 00:01:53,710 --> 00:01:55,770 we'll have each of our presenters 41 00:01:55,770 --> 00:01:59,685 tell you a little bit more about themselves. 42 00:01:59,685 --> 00:02:02,670 Robin Pugh: Hi, my name's Robin Pugh. 43 00:02:02,670 --> 00:02:05,840 My congregation is called Unitarian Universalise Church 44 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:08,680 at Washington Crossing because it's where Washington 45 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:10,449 crossed the Delaware. 46 00:02:10,449 --> 00:02:13,510 So we are in Titusville, New Jersey. 47 00:02:13,510 --> 00:02:17,780 But half of our congregation comes from Pennsylvania. 48 00:02:17,780 --> 00:02:21,860 This is my 16th year as a religious educator. 49 00:02:21,860 --> 00:02:24,210 Six years with this congregation. 50 00:02:24,210 --> 00:02:29,990 And we have 110 children and youth. 51 00:02:29,990 --> 00:02:30,490 Michelle? 52 00:02:30,490 --> 00:02:31,698 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: Hi. 53 00:02:31,698 --> 00:02:33,060 I'm Michelle McKenzie-Creech. 54 00:02:33,060 --> 00:02:36,440 And I am currently serving the Unitarian Universalise 55 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:39,000 Congregation of Monmouth County, which 56 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,170 is in Lincroft, New Jersey. 57 00:02:41,170 --> 00:02:43,720 And I am full-time. 58 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:45,520 And I'm also life spanned. 59 00:02:45,520 --> 00:02:51,850 We have about 150 children and youth in our congregation. 60 00:02:51,850 --> 00:02:56,350 And we draw from lots of congregations in New Jersey. 61 00:02:56,350 --> 00:03:04,871 But we draw from pretty far and wide here in Lincroft. 62 00:03:04,871 --> 00:03:05,640 Pat Kahn: Great. 63 00:03:05,640 --> 00:03:08,030 I've been watching the chat box as we go along. 64 00:03:08,030 --> 00:03:11,600 We've got people all over the country 65 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,440 and all different levels of experience. 66 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:23,095 So I think this will be a great webinar for everyone. 67 00:03:23,095 --> 00:03:23,970 Robin Pugh: I'm back. 68 00:03:23,970 --> 00:03:24,928 Why is it not doing it? 69 00:03:24,928 --> 00:03:27,716 Pat Kahn: Because you an I both did it at the same time. 70 00:03:27,716 --> 00:03:30,640 I'm going to turn it over now and mute myself. 71 00:03:30,640 --> 00:03:31,490 Robin! 72 00:03:31,490 --> 00:03:35,840 Robin Pugh: OK, let's start with a chalice lighting. 73 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:37,270 I will read the bold. 74 00:03:37,270 --> 00:03:40,680 And what happens? 75 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:46,020 Michelle will read the italicized. 76 00:03:46,020 --> 00:03:48,662 We like the flame of knowledge. 77 00:03:48,662 --> 00:03:51,806 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: May understanding be with us. 78 00:03:51,806 --> 00:03:54,446 Robin Pugh: We light the flame of love. 79 00:03:54,446 --> 00:03:57,510 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: May caring be among us. 80 00:03:57,510 --> 00:04:00,499 Robin Pugh: We light the flame of holiness. 81 00:04:00,499 --> 00:04:02,540 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: May the unifying spirit 82 00:04:02,540 --> 00:04:05,276 be within us. 83 00:04:05,276 --> 00:04:07,640 Robin Pugh: Thank you. 84 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:08,630 OK. 85 00:04:08,630 --> 00:04:13,990 So welcome to the exciting world of religious educators. 86 00:04:13,990 --> 00:04:16,810 It is a wonderful group of colleagues. 87 00:04:16,810 --> 00:04:22,480 And I feel like this job is fun and creative, sold deepening, 88 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:24,850 important, and all of that. 89 00:04:24,850 --> 00:04:28,330 But it can also be challenging, and frustrating, 90 00:04:28,330 --> 00:04:31,090 and overwhelming, at times. 91 00:04:31,090 --> 00:04:34,910 So what helps us get through our jobs 92 00:04:34,910 --> 00:04:40,780 is each other, peer support, and our professional organization, 93 00:04:40,780 --> 00:04:41,710 LREDA. 94 00:04:41,710 --> 00:04:46,440 So this webinar is about what is LREDA. 95 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:48,950 What our responsibilities are. 96 00:04:48,950 --> 00:04:50,830 Self care. 97 00:04:50,830 --> 00:04:53,720 I'll tell you how LREDA helps you. 98 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:55,690 It not only helps you individually, 99 00:04:55,690 --> 00:04:59,710 but it also helps religious educators as a profession 100 00:04:59,710 --> 00:05:02,830 in, both, the denomination in the UU world 101 00:05:02,830 --> 00:05:05,950 and the whole outside world. 102 00:05:05,950 --> 00:05:08,000 And we will have time for questions. 103 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:09,980 And Michelle and I, we decided we're 104 00:05:09,980 --> 00:05:14,980 going to share our top 10 tips of being a religious educator. 105 00:05:14,980 --> 00:05:16,990 Know that this is a profession. 106 00:05:16,990 --> 00:05:19,260 Unlike ministers, this is a profession 107 00:05:19,260 --> 00:05:22,280 where we learn on the job, for the most part. 108 00:05:22,280 --> 00:05:26,610 So when you start or if it's in your early tenure, 109 00:05:26,610 --> 00:05:31,140 it's very normal to feel a little overwhelmed 110 00:05:31,140 --> 00:05:33,610 because, obviously, you don't have all the answers. 111 00:05:33,610 --> 00:05:38,270 But the good news is there's a lot of support out there. 112 00:05:38,270 --> 00:05:40,630 So LREDA. 113 00:05:40,630 --> 00:05:44,370 LREDA stands for the Liberal Religious Educators 114 00:05:44,370 --> 00:05:45,650 Association. 115 00:05:45,650 --> 00:05:47,780 It is the professional organization 116 00:05:47,780 --> 00:05:51,430 for Unitarian Universalise religious educators. 117 00:05:51,430 --> 00:05:54,510 And I always wondered why it wasn't called something UU. 118 00:05:54,510 --> 00:05:57,860 And that is because it was established 119 00:05:57,860 --> 00:06:02,180 before the Unitarian and the Universalise denominations 120 00:06:02,180 --> 00:06:03,365 combined. 121 00:06:03,365 --> 00:06:03,865 And 122 00:06:03,865 --> 00:06:11,670 So LREDA had to be a liberal religious educator because it 123 00:06:11,670 --> 00:06:13,910 wasn't for one denomination. 124 00:06:13,910 --> 00:06:15,700 So that's the reason. 125 00:06:15,700 --> 00:06:17,610 So when you have to explain what LREDA 126 00:06:17,610 --> 00:06:21,380 is to your congregants all the time, 127 00:06:21,380 --> 00:06:24,550 every time you mention it, that's the reason why. 128 00:06:24,550 --> 00:06:27,350 So we promote the religious growth and learning 129 00:06:27,350 --> 00:06:28,870 of people of all ages. 130 00:06:28,870 --> 00:06:30,560 So that means it includes a delta RE. 131 00:06:30,560 --> 00:06:31,750 It's lifespan. 132 00:06:31,750 --> 00:06:35,220 And we advocate for and support religious educators, 133 00:06:35,220 --> 00:06:42,060 and the fields of liberal religious educators. 134 00:06:42,060 --> 00:06:45,920 LREDA is probably an anti-racist, anti oppression, 135 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:48,050 and welcoming organization. 136 00:06:48,050 --> 00:06:51,310 And the members are bound by bylaws, 137 00:06:51,310 --> 00:06:52,860 the code of professional practices, 138 00:06:52,860 --> 00:06:55,460 and the guidelines for professional religious 139 00:06:55,460 --> 00:06:56,150 educators. 140 00:06:56,150 --> 00:06:58,360 And we'll get into that a little bit. 141 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:01,780 And now I'm going to turn it over to Michelle. 142 00:07:01,780 --> 00:07:03,720 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: So our picture 143 00:07:03,720 --> 00:07:07,060 here shows what you might look like during the course 144 00:07:07,060 --> 00:07:08,670 of the year. 145 00:07:08,670 --> 00:07:15,390 As a religious educator, we know that we wear many hats. 146 00:07:15,390 --> 00:07:19,010 So I couldn't even put them all on the slide here. 147 00:07:19,010 --> 00:07:24,260 But whether we're supervising, or we're cheerleading, 148 00:07:24,260 --> 00:07:32,410 or we're being the teacher, or a mentor, partner, administrator, 149 00:07:32,410 --> 00:07:34,860 budget maker and doer. 150 00:07:34,860 --> 00:07:40,170 I mean, all of those things fall into, sort of, what we do 151 00:07:40,170 --> 00:07:41,850 as a religious educator. 152 00:07:41,850 --> 00:07:48,640 And we always find ourselves multitasking and being able to 153 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:54,880 or need to change engineers years regularly. 154 00:07:54,880 --> 00:07:57,160 Some of the common responsibilities 155 00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:02,130 of a religious educator vary from congregation 156 00:08:02,130 --> 00:08:05,130 to congregation, and depending on your job description, 157 00:08:05,130 --> 00:08:07,970 and how many hours you are and such, and whether or not you're 158 00:08:07,970 --> 00:08:09,270 lifespan. 159 00:08:09,270 --> 00:08:11,960 But you will find yourself involved 160 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:17,640 in a variety of responsibilities from an admin work 161 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:19,700 to, like I was saying, budgeting. 162 00:08:19,700 --> 00:08:23,160 Some religious educators find themselves involved 163 00:08:23,160 --> 00:08:27,790 with worship-- whether that's in the common worship, 164 00:08:27,790 --> 00:08:31,060 or children's worship, or youth worship-- 165 00:08:31,060 --> 00:08:36,530 programming, and probably doing a lot of volunteer management. 166 00:08:36,530 --> 00:08:44,200 So again, at any time, we have a lot of balls up in the air. 167 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:48,750 So part of what LREDA can help with 168 00:08:48,750 --> 00:08:54,070 is that many of the resources that LREDA has 169 00:08:54,070 --> 00:08:56,730 can help you with health care. 170 00:08:56,730 --> 00:09:00,150 And we just wanted to take the beginning of our time 171 00:09:00,150 --> 00:09:06,180 together to lift up that the work of a religious educator 172 00:09:06,180 --> 00:09:11,070 is never done, and there's always more to do. 173 00:09:11,070 --> 00:09:14,210 But it's really, really important 174 00:09:14,210 --> 00:09:16,920 to care for your own spiritual needs 175 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:24,110 and to find a healthy work and just personal family life 176 00:09:24,110 --> 00:09:24,610 balance. 177 00:09:24,610 --> 00:09:27,860 You know, whatever that is for you. 178 00:09:27,860 --> 00:09:31,090 The wisdom and the support of colleagues is so, so important. 179 00:09:31,090 --> 00:09:34,170 And we're going to talk a lot about that today 180 00:09:34,170 --> 00:09:37,170 and how LREDA can help provide that. 181 00:09:37,170 --> 00:09:39,230 But I think the most important thing to point 182 00:09:39,230 --> 00:09:44,020 out is that, without these and without finding this balance, 183 00:09:44,020 --> 00:09:48,920 you really can't do your work as well as you need to 184 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:50,020 and want to. 185 00:09:50,020 --> 00:09:53,500 You really have to take care of yourself to be there for others 186 00:09:53,500 --> 00:09:55,230 and to serve. 187 00:09:55,230 --> 00:09:58,880 So we'll share with you today some ways that LREDA 188 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:03,330 can support you in doing that and just some tips from Robin 189 00:10:03,330 --> 00:10:05,870 and I that we've learned along the way in the field, 190 00:10:05,870 --> 00:10:09,510 and how to help with that. 191 00:10:09,510 --> 00:10:12,760 Robin Pugh: I'm going to talk a little bit about peer support. 192 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:15,620 Why is peer support important? 193 00:10:15,620 --> 00:10:19,470 Because, in some respect, you are on a religious education 194 00:10:19,470 --> 00:10:22,540 island in your church. 195 00:10:22,540 --> 00:10:26,560 You are the only person in the church that knows what you do. 196 00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:27,980 That really knows what you do. 197 00:10:27,980 --> 00:10:30,270 That knows that you're doing, you know, 198 00:10:30,270 --> 00:10:32,680 whatever, 100 different small things 199 00:10:32,680 --> 00:10:36,250 and 20 different large things. 200 00:10:36,250 --> 00:10:38,880 So you need the support from other religious educators 201 00:10:38,880 --> 00:10:42,860 because they understand what your job is. 202 00:10:42,860 --> 00:10:44,000 And you know what? 203 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:46,660 One very-- because I used to work in the real world, 204 00:10:46,660 --> 00:10:48,160 the outside world. 205 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:50,990 One thing that's so great about being a religious educator 206 00:10:50,990 --> 00:10:54,030 is that we're not very competitive with each other. 207 00:10:54,030 --> 00:11:01,780 So if you need help or our best ideas, we share and happily 208 00:11:01,780 --> 00:11:04,170 and proudly. 209 00:11:04,170 --> 00:11:07,800 Yeah, so there's not, kind of, one upmanship, I'll say. 210 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:10,640 So that's been something so wonderful. 211 00:11:10,640 --> 00:11:14,500 So one, these are the ways we can share. 212 00:11:14,500 --> 00:11:18,310 If you are a member of LREDA, there is the LREDA list, 213 00:11:18,310 --> 00:11:19,560 list serves. 214 00:11:19,560 --> 00:11:22,227 And that is different than the reach list, 215 00:11:22,227 --> 00:11:24,060 for those of you that are on the reach list. 216 00:11:24,060 --> 00:11:29,320 I find them very different and use them for different things. 217 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:36,080 So the LREDA list generally has longer term religious educators 218 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:38,930 who, I think, gives very good advice. 219 00:11:38,930 --> 00:11:43,310 But it's not quite for, how can I explain it? 220 00:11:43,310 --> 00:11:46,490 Like, I'll say, small personal asks. 221 00:11:46,490 --> 00:11:49,400 Like, what story do I need for Sunday? 222 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:53,680 Or what ice breaker do I need? 223 00:11:53,680 --> 00:11:57,280 I use it more for questions about policy. 224 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:02,020 Or problems with your minister, maybe, or sticky situations, 225 00:12:02,020 --> 00:12:04,230 or things that have to do with a larger. 226 00:12:04,230 --> 00:12:07,470 Like, I'm getting really stale in my teacher training. 227 00:12:07,470 --> 00:12:09,080 What other ideas are out there? 228 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:10,440 Things like that. 229 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:11,897 That's my personal difference. 230 00:12:11,897 --> 00:12:13,730 Of course, this isn't written down anywhere. 231 00:12:13,730 --> 00:12:15,490 But this is what I've picked up. 232 00:12:15,490 --> 00:12:17,826 There are some religious educators 233 00:12:17,826 --> 00:12:19,950 who've been in the field for a long time that don't 234 00:12:19,950 --> 00:12:22,730 bother to subscribe to reach. 235 00:12:22,730 --> 00:12:27,480 So that's why if you want to have more sage advice, 236 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:30,380 I go to LREDA. 237 00:12:30,380 --> 00:12:31,680 What else? 238 00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:36,140 As my own tip, I put my emails that I get from LREDA in reach 239 00:12:36,140 --> 00:12:37,576 on a separate email address. 240 00:12:37,576 --> 00:12:38,950 And then, I read them all at once 241 00:12:38,950 --> 00:12:40,533 because I don't like to be interrupted 242 00:12:40,533 --> 00:12:42,430 during the day with them. 243 00:12:42,430 --> 00:12:47,100 You get about five or 10 emails a day from them. 244 00:12:47,100 --> 00:12:50,900 Another good thing is both lists will keep you on schedule. 245 00:12:50,900 --> 00:12:52,640 You'll find that everyone is talking 246 00:12:52,640 --> 00:12:57,010 about-- I don't know-- December, the holidays, in October. 247 00:12:57,010 --> 00:12:58,500 And you'll be like, oh, I guess I 248 00:12:58,500 --> 00:13:02,290 should start figuring out what I'm 249 00:13:02,290 --> 00:13:03,600 doing for December holidays. 250 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:06,620 So it just keeps you on tasks, too. 251 00:13:06,620 --> 00:13:10,060 The other part of peer support is the chapter meetings 252 00:13:10,060 --> 00:13:11,830 and retreats. 253 00:13:11,830 --> 00:13:15,970 And I know that different regions have 254 00:13:15,970 --> 00:13:21,840 different levels of chapter and, what do I call it, 255 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:24,640 chapter organization. 256 00:13:24,640 --> 00:13:26,820 Yeah, sometimes, I'm in Metro, New York. 257 00:13:26,820 --> 00:13:32,830 And we have a strong chapter with cluster groups that meet. 258 00:13:32,830 --> 00:13:35,240 I can't emphasize enough how important 259 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:37,950 it is to take the time to form relationships 260 00:13:37,950 --> 00:13:39,310 with religious educators. 261 00:13:39,310 --> 00:13:42,835 And this will be a continuing theme. 262 00:13:42,835 --> 00:13:46,560 You know, all of us feel like we have too much to do. 263 00:13:46,560 --> 00:13:48,640 And it's very hard on the day that you 264 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:50,140 have to go to a cluster meeting just 265 00:13:50,140 --> 00:13:51,940 to think you have time for it. 266 00:13:51,940 --> 00:13:54,800 But you need to build up that trust 267 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:58,950 with other religious educators so when you really 268 00:13:58,950 --> 00:14:01,240 need some help, you'll get good advice. 269 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:02,850 You'll know who to ask for. 270 00:14:02,850 --> 00:14:07,010 And to be honest, as a DRE whose been in the field for 16 years, 271 00:14:07,010 --> 00:14:09,440 it's my colleagues that keep me fresh 272 00:14:09,440 --> 00:14:13,560 and interested in loving my job. 273 00:14:13,560 --> 00:14:16,350 Otherwise, it can get administrative and routine. 274 00:14:16,350 --> 00:14:19,100 And your congregation doesn't want it to be like that. 275 00:14:19,100 --> 00:14:22,070 And you don't want it to be like that. 276 00:14:22,070 --> 00:14:23,526 So that's that part. 277 00:14:23,526 --> 00:14:25,400 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: Can I add something 278 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:26,522 about the list, Robin? 279 00:14:26,522 --> 00:14:27,230 Robin Pugh: Sure. 280 00:14:27,230 --> 00:14:29,355 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: So the LREDA list, I just 281 00:14:29,355 --> 00:14:32,920 want to note that it's a closed list. 282 00:14:32,920 --> 00:14:37,430 And you have to be a member of LREDA to be on that list. 283 00:14:37,430 --> 00:14:39,780 And LREDA-- I think we said a little bit about this 284 00:14:39,780 --> 00:14:42,760 in the chat-- is an open organization. 285 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:47,175 So the list includes not only religious educators 286 00:14:47,175 --> 00:14:53,190 but ministers and, on occasion, some lay leaders 287 00:14:53,190 --> 00:14:57,700 who are, maybe, playing the role of religious educator 288 00:14:57,700 --> 00:14:59,050 in their congregation. 289 00:14:59,050 --> 00:15:01,770 So I just want you to be aware of who you're talking to. 290 00:15:01,770 --> 00:15:04,770 Whereas, the reach list is an open list 291 00:15:04,770 --> 00:15:08,010 and includes everything from RE chairs, 292 00:15:08,010 --> 00:15:11,330 to volunteer teachers, religious educators, 293 00:15:11,330 --> 00:15:14,060 and there's a very broad scope of people 294 00:15:14,060 --> 00:15:16,040 that you're talking to on that one. 295 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:17,915 Robin Pugh: One time I was on the reach list, 296 00:15:17,915 --> 00:15:20,326 and I realized that my RE chair was on it. 297 00:15:20,326 --> 00:15:21,950 So then, I was a little bit embarrassed 298 00:15:21,950 --> 00:15:27,890 that I was asking for a story for Sunday on Friday afternoon. 299 00:15:27,890 --> 00:15:29,510 But anyway, that's just [INAUDIBLE]. 300 00:15:29,510 --> 00:15:31,280 So that could be a problem with the rates. 301 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:33,790 I'll say that. 302 00:15:33,790 --> 00:15:34,720 OK, peer support. 303 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:38,380 I'm going to talk about good offices in the next slide. 304 00:15:38,380 --> 00:15:41,210 But other forms of support that LREDA gives us 305 00:15:41,210 --> 00:15:45,800 is the mentoring for the RE credentialing program. 306 00:15:45,800 --> 00:15:47,905 And I am a credentialed. 307 00:15:47,905 --> 00:15:51,040 And I can tell you, without my mentor, 308 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:53,670 I never would have done it. 309 00:15:53,670 --> 00:15:56,500 Like, they can be both a cheerleader 310 00:15:56,500 --> 00:15:59,430 and, kind of, I don't want to say a taskmaster. 311 00:15:59,430 --> 00:16:00,330 But you can add. 312 00:16:00,330 --> 00:16:01,652 Like I asked my mentor. 313 00:16:01,652 --> 00:16:02,860 I work better with deadlines. 314 00:16:02,860 --> 00:16:04,970 And I asked my mentor to tell me, like, OK, 315 00:16:04,970 --> 00:16:07,650 you're going to do this by this, and remind me of that. 316 00:16:07,650 --> 00:16:08,930 And that helped me. 317 00:16:08,930 --> 00:16:11,280 So they're really there for your support. 318 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:15,900 And you can tell them how you want to be supported. 319 00:16:15,900 --> 00:16:19,380 And the other peer support is interest groups. 320 00:16:19,380 --> 00:16:22,790 So I noticed that someone here has 200 registered children 321 00:16:22,790 --> 00:16:23,780 and youth. 322 00:16:23,780 --> 00:16:29,020 There is a separate group called LREDA small and LREDA large. 323 00:16:29,020 --> 00:16:32,962 And let's see, usually, LREDA large 324 00:16:32,962 --> 00:16:36,630 is more than 200 kids or 500 members. 325 00:16:36,630 --> 00:16:38,990 And LREDA small is a congregation 326 00:16:38,990 --> 00:16:41,950 with less than 150 members. 327 00:16:41,950 --> 00:16:44,210 I don't fit into either of these groups. 328 00:16:44,210 --> 00:16:49,110 But I actually have attended some of the large sessions. 329 00:16:49,110 --> 00:16:52,750 They have an add on day at the end of fall conference. 330 00:16:52,750 --> 00:16:58,730 And large talks a lot about systems. 331 00:16:58,730 --> 00:17:00,150 Since they're so large, they have 332 00:17:00,150 --> 00:17:02,070 to have for doing everything. 333 00:17:02,070 --> 00:17:07,550 And that's been helpful to me, even in my program. 334 00:17:07,550 --> 00:17:10,060 And now we get to go to offices. 335 00:17:10,060 --> 00:17:11,714 You will here this often. 336 00:17:11,714 --> 00:17:13,630 Call early, call often. 337 00:17:13,630 --> 00:17:15,680 OK, so in preparation for this webinar, 338 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:19,200 and I went and read what good offices do. 339 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:21,599 And on our website, on LREDAs website, 340 00:17:21,599 --> 00:17:23,109 it will talk about, you know, when 341 00:17:23,109 --> 00:17:25,290 you're having a conflict with the minister, 342 00:17:25,290 --> 00:17:29,280 when it can't be resolved and you 343 00:17:29,280 --> 00:17:33,520 need to go further and maybe go into mediation, et cetera. 344 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:36,080 But then, I also called a good officer 345 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:38,250 and asked, what kind of problems do you have? 346 00:17:38,250 --> 00:17:41,200 And I learned this. 347 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:43,930 And I said, you guys need to do better PR 348 00:17:43,930 --> 00:17:49,380 because you can talk to your good officer about a strategy 349 00:17:49,380 --> 00:17:51,820 for getting more professional expenses. 350 00:17:51,820 --> 00:17:55,445 For instance, you want to talk to your minister. 351 00:17:55,445 --> 00:18:01,150 And you want to figure out how to make the best argument. 352 00:18:01,150 --> 00:18:04,300 And they will help you formulate talking points 353 00:18:04,300 --> 00:18:07,460 and how to approach that conversation in the most 354 00:18:07,460 --> 00:18:09,340 savvy way. 355 00:18:09,340 --> 00:18:14,420 Another example she gave was, say you start your job, 356 00:18:14,420 --> 00:18:16,280 and shortly thereafter, the minister 357 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:19,550 resigns for whatever reason. 358 00:18:19,550 --> 00:18:20,950 How do you talk to families? 359 00:18:20,950 --> 00:18:23,020 And what kind of issues do you expect 360 00:18:23,020 --> 00:18:24,650 to encounter in your congregation 361 00:18:24,650 --> 00:18:26,060 now that the minister is leaving, 362 00:18:26,060 --> 00:18:32,120 and you might be the only other major staff that's 363 00:18:32,120 --> 00:18:34,560 in the congregation? 364 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:37,830 They can also advocate for a DRE Relations 365 00:18:37,830 --> 00:18:40,410 Committee, which is like the ministerial Relations 366 00:18:40,410 --> 00:18:40,910 Committee. 367 00:18:40,910 --> 00:18:45,250 It's a group of people that are your advocates 368 00:18:45,250 --> 00:18:49,630 but can also filter information from the congregation to you 369 00:18:49,630 --> 00:18:52,120 and vice versa. 370 00:18:52,120 --> 00:18:54,710 And for instance, they might be able to do research 371 00:18:54,710 --> 00:18:58,370 on professional expenses, and then tell the congregation 372 00:18:58,370 --> 00:18:59,950 that you need more. 373 00:18:59,950 --> 00:19:02,380 And lastly, another example. 374 00:19:02,380 --> 00:19:05,320 You accidentally lost your composer and snap 375 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:08,060 at the minister in front of other congregants. 376 00:19:08,060 --> 00:19:09,650 The minister is angry. 377 00:19:09,650 --> 00:19:13,800 So this is a call early, call often situation. 378 00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:15,870 The minister is bearing resentment. 379 00:19:15,870 --> 00:19:17,430 And you need to figure out what's 380 00:19:17,430 --> 00:19:19,470 next after you apologize. 381 00:19:19,470 --> 00:19:23,450 And that's a really good time to call your good officer 382 00:19:23,450 --> 00:19:24,300 to start that. 383 00:19:24,300 --> 00:19:29,450 And you want to have a very solid relationship 384 00:19:29,450 --> 00:19:32,634 with your minister, even if and can I say this out loud? 385 00:19:32,634 --> 00:19:34,300 I worked with a minister for eight years 386 00:19:34,300 --> 00:19:37,140 that I didn't particularly like. 387 00:19:37,140 --> 00:19:40,406 But we had a really good collegial relationship. 388 00:19:40,406 --> 00:19:42,839 Like, he wouldn't have been my friend. 389 00:19:42,839 --> 00:19:44,630 But you know, we worked together very well. 390 00:19:44,630 --> 00:19:48,310 So you have to figure out how you can work together 391 00:19:48,310 --> 00:19:50,680 because it's important for the congregation. 392 00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:53,960 It's important for your enjoyment of the job. 393 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:55,010 All that. 394 00:19:55,010 --> 00:19:58,274 OK, on to Michelle. 395 00:19:58,274 --> 00:20:00,315 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: Yeah, so I love, Robin, 396 00:20:00,315 --> 00:20:02,993 that you gave a few examples from the professional, 397 00:20:02,993 --> 00:20:07,810 or I'm sorry, for the good offices because, I mean, 398 00:20:07,810 --> 00:20:10,980 even before we were preparing for this webinar 399 00:20:10,980 --> 00:20:13,420 and being on the LREDA board for three years, 400 00:20:13,420 --> 00:20:17,900 I just always felt like good offices were for that time 401 00:20:17,900 --> 00:20:21,310 when it's an emergency when you're about to lose your job, 402 00:20:21,310 --> 00:20:24,390 or you want to figure out how to exit the congregation 403 00:20:24,390 --> 00:20:26,520 professionally and gracefully. 404 00:20:26,520 --> 00:20:28,970 And it's for those times, too. 405 00:20:28,970 --> 00:20:32,270 But it just never occurred to me that you could call 406 00:20:32,270 --> 00:20:35,591 for some of those other things. 407 00:20:35,591 --> 00:20:37,090 You know, how to have a conversation 408 00:20:37,090 --> 00:20:38,160 with your minister. 409 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:41,522 So I'm glad that you lifted those up. 410 00:20:41,522 --> 00:20:42,605 Robin Pugh: Can I jump in? 411 00:20:42,605 --> 00:20:43,355 I forgot on thing. 412 00:20:43,355 --> 00:20:44,722 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: Sure. 413 00:20:44,722 --> 00:20:49,360 Robin Pugh: Good offices are all over the country. 414 00:20:49,360 --> 00:20:50,810 And you can call. 415 00:20:50,810 --> 00:20:53,090 So there will be one in your region. 416 00:20:53,090 --> 00:20:55,610 But you can call whoever you want in the country. 417 00:20:55,610 --> 00:20:58,480 So if you form a relationship where you, kind of, know 418 00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:00,290 someone, you can call them. 419 00:21:00,290 --> 00:21:03,710 Or if someone has a particular expertise in the area, say 420 00:21:03,710 --> 00:21:05,460 interim ministry and you look for one 421 00:21:05,460 --> 00:21:07,600 that's particularly good in interim ministry, 422 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:09,076 you can call them. 423 00:21:09,076 --> 00:21:09,950 I forgot to say that. 424 00:21:09,950 --> 00:21:11,654 Thank you. 425 00:21:11,654 --> 00:21:13,070 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: So we're 426 00:21:13,070 --> 00:21:17,880 going to move into talking about how LREDA 427 00:21:17,880 --> 00:21:19,580 offers professional support. 428 00:21:19,580 --> 00:21:23,910 And this is a pretty large category for LREDA. 429 00:21:23,910 --> 00:21:29,260 And we're going to begin just by lifting up the LREDA website. 430 00:21:29,260 --> 00:21:35,570 And I just want to encourage you to go to the website one day, 431 00:21:35,570 --> 00:21:41,090 and take 20 minutes, and just see what you can find on there. 432 00:21:41,090 --> 00:21:41,790 Go around. 433 00:21:41,790 --> 00:21:43,480 Click on the tabs. 434 00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:45,750 See what LREDA has to offer. 435 00:21:45,750 --> 00:21:48,600 We're going to lift up some of the things on the website 436 00:21:48,600 --> 00:21:49,740 today. 437 00:21:49,740 --> 00:21:53,490 And we also know that the website 438 00:21:53,490 --> 00:21:56,720 can be a little challenging sometimes 439 00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:59,220 to navigate and to find what you're looking for. 440 00:21:59,220 --> 00:22:07,090 And the board is working on that project right now. 441 00:22:07,090 --> 00:22:09,790 So one of the things that you'll find 442 00:22:09,790 --> 00:22:13,100 on the website and actually, in the slide before it, 443 00:22:13,100 --> 00:22:17,370 you can see that it highlights where 444 00:22:17,370 --> 00:22:21,560 you can find our code of professional practices. 445 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:24,680 And if you have never read the code of professional practices, 446 00:22:24,680 --> 00:22:27,670 it's not the most exciting document to read. 447 00:22:27,670 --> 00:22:30,670 But it's worth reading because the code 448 00:22:30,670 --> 00:22:36,450 of professional practices is the document that-- 449 00:22:36,450 --> 00:22:40,370 let's see-- it's our standard of commitment 450 00:22:40,370 --> 00:22:42,560 in the practice of religious education. 451 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:49,450 And it is the boundaries and almost 452 00:22:49,450 --> 00:22:55,010 our covenant of how we agree to behave and to be 453 00:22:55,010 --> 00:22:59,050 in relationship with each other, with our congregations, 454 00:22:59,050 --> 00:23:00,370 and our ministers. 455 00:23:00,370 --> 00:23:03,520 And when you become a member of LREDA, 456 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:06,720 you are essentially signing on to that 457 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:11,880 and saying I will follow the code of professional practices. 458 00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:15,080 We have some questions here on the screen. 459 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:18,520 Just to think about, when you do have a chance to go over 460 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:21,450 and to read that code of professional practices 461 00:23:21,450 --> 00:23:26,750 and just, sort of, identifying what it means to you. 462 00:23:26,750 --> 00:23:30,540 So I'll leave those to you. 463 00:23:30,540 --> 00:23:35,140 But it's a document that you should at least go through, 464 00:23:35,140 --> 00:23:41,250 and take a look at. 465 00:23:41,250 --> 00:23:42,695 Are you doing guidelines, Robin? 466 00:23:42,695 --> 00:23:44,070 Robin Pugh: I'm doing guidelines. 467 00:23:44,070 --> 00:23:45,570 OK, guidelines. 468 00:23:45,570 --> 00:23:48,430 It sounds boring, but it's very important. 469 00:23:48,430 --> 00:23:52,870 This is the document that you can point to and talk 470 00:23:52,870 --> 00:23:55,670 about what you need for your job because, you know, 471 00:23:55,670 --> 00:23:57,610 I found this so important because it 472 00:23:57,610 --> 00:23:58,890 wasn't coming from me. 473 00:23:58,890 --> 00:24:01,250 Like, I didn't invent this. 474 00:24:01,250 --> 00:24:07,000 You know, the UUA and LREDA, they want you to have this. 475 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:09,270 So it will start. 476 00:24:09,270 --> 00:24:11,950 It talks about what should be in your contract, 477 00:24:11,950 --> 00:24:14,960 including vacation time and study leaves. 478 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:16,910 It talks about compensation benefits 479 00:24:16,910 --> 00:24:18,860 and professional expenses. 480 00:24:18,860 --> 00:24:21,630 It talks about what is work and what isn't work. 481 00:24:21,630 --> 00:24:25,510 And work, by the way, is attending 482 00:24:25,510 --> 00:24:26,970 any congregational event. 483 00:24:26,970 --> 00:24:30,590 So that potluck on Saturday night is work. 484 00:24:30,590 --> 00:24:36,460 And that is especially important if were a member, 485 00:24:36,460 --> 00:24:40,730 and now you're staff. 486 00:24:40,730 --> 00:24:41,490 What else? 487 00:24:41,490 --> 00:24:43,150 It has time off. 488 00:24:43,150 --> 00:24:47,290 OK, I hope everyone has one Sunday off a month. 489 00:24:47,290 --> 00:24:49,780 I know that that's not always happen, 490 00:24:49,780 --> 00:24:53,110 but it does recommend that. 491 00:24:53,110 --> 00:24:56,097 There also is a section on professional staff relations, 492 00:24:56,097 --> 00:24:58,180 which is about your relationship with the minister 493 00:24:58,180 --> 00:25:00,370 and the musician. 494 00:25:00,370 --> 00:25:02,350 There's a section on leaving your employment. 495 00:25:02,350 --> 00:25:05,380 And there's a special section on part-timers. 496 00:25:05,380 --> 00:25:08,770 And this is what one provision says because I 497 00:25:08,770 --> 00:25:11,040 worked nine years half time. 498 00:25:11,040 --> 00:25:12,860 Since a part-time religious educator 499 00:25:12,860 --> 00:25:16,560 can't be expected to do all that a full-time religious educator 500 00:25:16,560 --> 00:25:19,180 does, there should be a very clear division 501 00:25:19,180 --> 00:25:22,510 of responsibility between the religious educator 502 00:25:22,510 --> 00:25:24,990 and the RE committee and officers. 503 00:25:24,990 --> 00:25:27,790 So you know, it says up front that you're not going 504 00:25:27,790 --> 00:25:29,640 to be able to do everything. 505 00:25:29,640 --> 00:25:30,800 I love that. 506 00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:32,930 And finally, there's a section on procedures 507 00:25:32,930 --> 00:25:36,080 for when a grievance is filed against a LREDA member 508 00:25:36,080 --> 00:25:38,980 for not acting in accordance with the professional 509 00:25:38,980 --> 00:25:42,370 guidelines. 510 00:25:42,370 --> 00:25:45,250 And next, ah. 511 00:25:45,250 --> 00:25:48,900 Professional expenses is my-- I don't 512 00:25:48,900 --> 00:25:51,790 know-- it's my mission to get everyone really 513 00:25:51,790 --> 00:25:54,170 good professional expenses. 514 00:25:54,170 --> 00:25:56,740 So Metro New York published this booklet 515 00:25:56,740 --> 00:25:58,870 that's on the LREDA website about 516 00:25:58,870 --> 00:26:00,150 the professional expenses. 517 00:26:00,150 --> 00:26:03,740 And all I can say is this booklet is a gem. 518 00:26:03,740 --> 00:26:07,740 And I recommend that you give it to your minister, 519 00:26:07,740 --> 00:26:11,790 your personnel committee, your RE chair, the board president, 520 00:26:11,790 --> 00:26:12,460 like, anyone. 521 00:26:12,460 --> 00:26:14,020 It looks very official. 522 00:26:14,020 --> 00:26:18,430 And it helped me get a big increase. 523 00:26:18,430 --> 00:26:19,360 So that was nice. 524 00:26:19,360 --> 00:26:21,660 It explains why religious educators 525 00:26:21,660 --> 00:26:23,040 need professional expenses. 526 00:26:23,040 --> 00:26:25,520 And it outlines how the money is spent. 527 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:28,300 So they actually say how much a red module is, 528 00:26:28,300 --> 00:26:31,150 how much it would cost to go to monthly cluster meetings, 529 00:26:31,150 --> 00:26:34,130 how much it would cost to add the LREDA conference to that, 530 00:26:34,130 --> 00:26:35,730 and things like that. 531 00:26:35,730 --> 00:26:38,810 So just to give you an example, the booklet 532 00:26:38,810 --> 00:26:44,550 recommends $3,000 for a half-time religious educator. 533 00:26:44,550 --> 00:26:45,780 So it sounds like a lot. 534 00:26:45,780 --> 00:26:48,450 At least it's a starting point, you know. 535 00:26:48,450 --> 00:26:51,960 So if you're only getting, like, $500, at least you can say, 536 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:53,860 hey, they're recommending $3,000. 537 00:26:53,860 --> 00:26:58,970 Maybe you can bump me up to, at least, $1,500. 538 00:26:58,970 --> 00:27:01,270 What the booklet goes on to really emphasize 539 00:27:01,270 --> 00:27:04,190 is that the congregation is the winner when they 540 00:27:04,190 --> 00:27:05,880 give professional expenses. 541 00:27:05,880 --> 00:27:12,120 And I feel like, I guess, other jobs when you go to conference, 542 00:27:12,120 --> 00:27:13,960 it's kind of a boondoggle. 543 00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:16,170 And we're not trained. 544 00:27:16,170 --> 00:27:19,070 Like, we didn't go to Divinity School. 545 00:27:19,070 --> 00:27:22,090 We have to be trained on the job at Ren modules 546 00:27:22,090 --> 00:27:23,840 and professional conferences. 547 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:26,630 So it explains that and that more training 548 00:27:26,630 --> 00:27:28,850 results in a stronger and more vital 549 00:27:28,850 --> 00:27:33,970 religious education program. 550 00:27:33,970 --> 00:27:38,330 It also says the more professional expenses you get, 551 00:27:38,330 --> 00:27:42,030 the longer he RE's stay in their job 552 00:27:42,030 --> 00:27:44,920 because they like their job better. 553 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:48,360 So that's that. 554 00:27:48,360 --> 00:27:50,510 Anything else? 555 00:27:50,510 --> 00:27:54,420 My other thing is ask for scholarships. 556 00:27:54,420 --> 00:27:56,320 Don't forget to ask for scholarships 557 00:27:56,320 --> 00:27:59,520 if you don't have enough money because, especially 558 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:02,940 for first timers, there's often some money that's there. 559 00:28:02,940 --> 00:28:05,860 And another technique is to tell your congregation 560 00:28:05,860 --> 00:28:09,880 you got a $500 scholarship and ask them if they'll match it. 561 00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:12,890 That will also help. 562 00:28:12,890 --> 00:28:13,432 OK, Michelle? 563 00:28:13,432 --> 00:28:15,806 Michelle Mckenzie Creech: Yeah, and if you read the book, 564 00:28:15,806 --> 00:28:18,420 and you're still not sure how to have a conversation, 565 00:28:18,420 --> 00:28:20,910 call a good officer. 566 00:28:20,910 --> 00:28:28,440 So LREDA Fall Con, it's one of my favorite things every year. 567 00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:30,660 I get so, so much out of it. 568 00:28:30,660 --> 00:28:31,960 And I've been doing this work. 569 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:33,310 I don't think I mention it earlier. 570 00:28:33,310 --> 00:28:34,970 I've been doing this work for 11 years. 571 00:28:34,970 --> 00:28:39,699 And the first few years of it, I just 572 00:28:39,699 --> 00:28:41,740 didn't attend because I didn't know what, really, 573 00:28:41,740 --> 00:28:42,940 the benefit was going to be. 574 00:28:42,940 --> 00:28:48,800 And it's an expense with that. 575 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:51,500 So I went. 576 00:28:51,500 --> 00:28:55,440 And it offers you so much because you 577 00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:59,700 have an extended period of time to sit with colleagues 578 00:28:59,700 --> 00:29:04,130 and to be together, and to worship together, 579 00:29:04,130 --> 00:29:08,840 and to make new connections, and to share ideas, and just 580 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:11,040 learn from one another. 581 00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:16,120 It is definitely an opportunity for professional development 582 00:29:16,120 --> 00:29:19,640 during the conference and I would really say inspiration. 583 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:26,730 I always come back from Fall Con just really energized and ready 584 00:29:26,730 --> 00:29:29,000 to jump into my work. 585 00:29:29,000 --> 00:29:33,580 Before Fall Conference, there is a professional development 586 00:29:33,580 --> 00:29:34,220 opportunity. 587 00:29:34,220 --> 00:29:36,240 And this year, there are two. 588 00:29:36,240 --> 00:29:39,490 Fall Conference is going to be in Morristown, New Jersey. 589 00:29:39,490 --> 00:29:45,310 And the conference is October 22 through the 25th. 590 00:29:45,310 --> 00:29:47,550 And before the conference, we have 591 00:29:47,550 --> 00:29:50,390 these professional development opportunities. 592 00:29:50,390 --> 00:29:54,240 One of them is the UU identity Renaissance module. 593 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:57,770 So I love the professional development for the conference 594 00:29:57,770 --> 00:30:00,705 because we're already going to the conference. 595 00:30:00,705 --> 00:30:02,390 We may be traveling from far. 596 00:30:02,390 --> 00:30:06,320 The conference does move around the country each year 597 00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:09,590 to try to serve different religious educators. 598 00:30:09,590 --> 00:30:12,350 But you get there, you come a little bit early, 599 00:30:12,350 --> 00:30:14,800 and you get a renaissance module in. 600 00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:20,590 This year, we're also offering a really cool opportunity. 601 00:30:20,590 --> 00:30:23,710 You may be familiar with beloved conversations, which 602 00:30:23,710 --> 00:30:27,270 is a program that was created by Mark Hicks. 603 00:30:27,270 --> 00:30:31,120 And this year, he is going to offer it 604 00:30:31,120 --> 00:30:36,300 for congregational shared ministry teams. 605 00:30:36,300 --> 00:30:38,610 So what that means is that if you're 606 00:30:38,610 --> 00:30:42,540 coming to do beloved conversations, 607 00:30:42,540 --> 00:30:45,510 you should plan to come up with a ministry team. 608 00:30:45,510 --> 00:30:49,330 So that could be your minister and your music director. 609 00:30:49,330 --> 00:30:51,960 It could be your minister, yourself, 610 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:54,160 and your youth coordinator. 611 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:56,530 How you make up that team is really 612 00:30:56,530 --> 00:30:58,630 up to you and your congregation. 613 00:30:58,630 --> 00:31:02,610 And it sounds like a lot of money-- $450-- but 614 00:31:02,610 --> 00:31:06,070 that $450 is for all three of the people coming 615 00:31:06,070 --> 00:31:07,950 as a part of a team. 616 00:31:07,950 --> 00:31:10,820 So I really want to lift that up because I think it's just 617 00:31:10,820 --> 00:31:13,040 a really cool opportunity. 618 00:31:13,040 --> 00:31:17,280 There are also good officer trainings at Fall Conference. 619 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:19,200 If you want to be a good officer, 620 00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:21,350 there's a process for doing that. 621 00:31:21,350 --> 00:31:24,700 And you can find out what that process is on the website. 622 00:31:24,700 --> 00:31:28,860 And there's also a new DRE workshop 623 00:31:28,860 --> 00:31:32,130 that's right there at the beginning that's 624 00:31:32,130 --> 00:31:36,450 specially geared for people in their first couple of years. 625 00:31:36,450 --> 00:31:41,040 There's also add on programs-- LREDA small and LREDA large-- 626 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:45,130 that Robin talked about a little bit earlier. 627 00:31:45,130 --> 00:31:49,670 And I just want to lift up especially LREDA small. 628 00:31:49,670 --> 00:31:53,430 You can come there, and you can be 629 00:31:53,430 --> 00:31:58,030 with colleagues who just have some of the same challenges 630 00:31:58,030 --> 00:32:00,630 that you're dealing with. 631 00:32:00,630 --> 00:32:03,640 This year in particular, we always have an odyssey. 632 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:06,830 And our odyssey speaker is Reverend Ginger Luke. 633 00:32:06,830 --> 00:32:09,470 And we're going to kick the conference off 634 00:32:09,470 --> 00:32:12,670 with Emma's Revolution, and do some singing and some dancing. 635 00:32:12,670 --> 00:32:16,920 And we're going to talk about RE without the walls. 636 00:32:16,920 --> 00:32:18,710 We're going to talk about technology, 637 00:32:18,710 --> 00:32:21,660 and theme based ministry, and full week faith. 638 00:32:21,660 --> 00:32:26,139 So it has just really shaped up to be an excellent conference. 639 00:32:26,139 --> 00:32:27,430 Pat Khan: It'll be great, yeah. 640 00:32:27,430 --> 00:32:29,721 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: It's going to be great, yeah. 641 00:32:29,721 --> 00:32:32,710 The hotel because we're in the metro New York area, 642 00:32:32,710 --> 00:32:35,220 is going to fill up very, very quickly. 643 00:32:35,220 --> 00:32:38,290 So book your hotel. 644 00:32:38,290 --> 00:32:40,320 Find somebody to share a room with. 645 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:42,970 I've seen people put it out on a list serve and say, hey, 646 00:32:42,970 --> 00:32:45,365 I'm looking for a roommate if you don't know somebody. 647 00:32:45,365 --> 00:32:47,860 It helps keep the cost down. 648 00:32:47,860 --> 00:32:55,280 But definitely get that hotel, and think about registering. 649 00:32:55,280 --> 00:32:58,320 General Assembly Professional Day. 650 00:32:58,320 --> 00:33:03,340 So before General Assembly every year, 651 00:33:03,340 --> 00:33:06,630 LREDA hosts a professional day. 652 00:33:06,630 --> 00:33:11,100 And at the professional day, again, it's 653 00:33:11,100 --> 00:33:16,420 just one day-- morning until 3 or 4 o'clock-- 654 00:33:16,420 --> 00:33:20,590 but again, an opportunity to connect and to worship. 655 00:33:20,590 --> 00:33:22,410 And I didn't mention worship with Fall Con. 656 00:33:22,410 --> 00:33:26,310 Lots of time to worship and to sing. 657 00:33:26,310 --> 00:33:29,470 The thing that had the biggest impact on me 658 00:33:29,470 --> 00:33:33,120 in my first Fall Conference is standing 659 00:33:33,120 --> 00:33:36,110 in a room with 300 or so religious educators 660 00:33:36,110 --> 00:33:37,440 singing Spirit Of Life. 661 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:42,050 I mean, nothing more amazing than that. 662 00:33:42,050 --> 00:33:45,125 So General Assembly Professional Day 663 00:33:45,125 --> 00:33:48,550 is just, sort of, a mini compacted version 664 00:33:48,550 --> 00:33:52,370 of all of this where you get to connect with colleagues. 665 00:33:52,370 --> 00:33:54,830 And there's usually a speaker. 666 00:33:54,830 --> 00:34:00,300 There's always a speaker talking about a particular topic 667 00:34:00,300 --> 00:34:02,700 that we want to share. 668 00:34:02,700 --> 00:34:06,940 This past year, we talked about working 669 00:34:06,940 --> 00:34:10,320 with interfaith families. 670 00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:13,760 It's also our annual business meeting for LREDA. 671 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:17,010 So that's where we voted new leadership 672 00:34:17,010 --> 00:34:23,860 and make important decisions. 673 00:34:23,860 --> 00:34:29,510 Additional professional support opportunities out there you 674 00:34:29,510 --> 00:34:31,000 can find on the website. 675 00:34:31,000 --> 00:34:34,750 There's a sabbatical handbook. 676 00:34:34,750 --> 00:34:36,600 We don't have a lot of time today. 677 00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:42,699 But our LREDA integrity team is a fantastic resource 678 00:34:42,699 --> 00:34:48,639 and is a piece of LREDA that's dedicated specifically 679 00:34:48,639 --> 00:34:55,830 towards making sure that we are doing what we're called to do 680 00:34:55,830 --> 00:35:03,830 and following our mission to be an inclusive, anti-racist, 681 00:35:03,830 --> 00:35:07,280 accessible organization. 682 00:35:07,280 --> 00:35:12,120 The communications, we talked a little bit about the e-list. 683 00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:16,370 LREDA sends out a newsletter a couple of times a year. 684 00:35:16,370 --> 00:35:21,290 There's a LREDA Facebook page that just feeds information out 685 00:35:21,290 --> 00:35:22,690 to people. 686 00:35:22,690 --> 00:35:24,840 And Robin mentioned scholarships. 687 00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:28,180 But I'll just mention, again, there are scholarships to LREDA 688 00:35:28,180 --> 00:35:32,530 Fall Con, especially if you're a newer religious educator 689 00:35:32,530 --> 00:35:36,140 or come from smaller congregations. 690 00:35:36,140 --> 00:35:38,150 If you're in the credentialing program, 691 00:35:38,150 --> 00:35:41,470 LREDA has a credentialing scholarship program 692 00:35:41,470 --> 00:35:45,990 to help support the cost of that additional education. 693 00:35:45,990 --> 00:35:55,000 So there are ways out there that LREDA can support you. 694 00:35:55,000 --> 00:35:59,920 And then, finally, I wanted to talk about advocacy. 695 00:35:59,920 --> 00:36:03,420 And I think that this is something 696 00:36:03,420 --> 00:36:06,130 that LREDA really excels at. 697 00:36:06,130 --> 00:36:08,660 But a lot of it happens behind the scenes. 698 00:36:08,660 --> 00:36:12,220 And our members aren't aware of what's happening. 699 00:36:12,220 --> 00:36:17,010 So I thought it was important to just lift up some of this work 700 00:36:17,010 --> 00:36:23,860 because your LREDA board and the other volunteers in LREDA 701 00:36:23,860 --> 00:36:29,530 really put some valuable time and resources into this. 702 00:36:29,530 --> 00:36:32,480 So here are a few things listed on your screen 703 00:36:32,480 --> 00:36:35,930 that LREDA is involved in or, sort of, 704 00:36:35,930 --> 00:36:38,910 has a seat at the table. 705 00:36:38,910 --> 00:36:46,090 And I'll just say that the 21st century 706 00:36:46,090 --> 00:36:50,350 fund has a lot of great opportunities 707 00:36:50,350 --> 00:36:56,085 for innovative new projects. 708 00:36:56,085 --> 00:36:56,585 I'm sorry. 709 00:36:56,585 --> 00:37:00,441 I'm being distracted by my eight-year-old son. 710 00:37:00,441 --> 00:37:00,940 Let's see. 711 00:37:00,940 --> 00:37:05,620 So LREDA has the 21st century fund, innovative projects 712 00:37:05,620 --> 00:37:10,030 out there, that they help funding for. 713 00:37:10,030 --> 00:37:14,500 The connections with our other professional organizations. 714 00:37:14,500 --> 00:37:18,360 The Minister's Association, the Musicians Network, 715 00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:22,260 the administrators, and the membership professionals. 716 00:37:22,260 --> 00:37:27,100 So we're trying to do more work collaboratively. 717 00:37:27,100 --> 00:37:30,600 I want to look up the partnership in the excellence 718 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:32,460 and shared ministry work. 719 00:37:32,460 --> 00:37:35,050 If you're not familiar with, it's a project 720 00:37:35,050 --> 00:37:40,230 that we had an association Sunday grant 721 00:37:40,230 --> 00:37:44,320 that came from the UUA to all of the professional organizations. 722 00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:48,880 And each of the organizations-- I'm sorry, 723 00:37:48,880 --> 00:37:50,640 not all of the professional organizations. 724 00:37:50,640 --> 00:37:53,170 It was LREDA, the Musicians Network, and the Ministers 725 00:37:53,170 --> 00:37:56,180 Association partnered. 726 00:37:56,180 --> 00:37:58,260 They went to each other's conferences that year. 727 00:37:58,260 --> 00:38:02,790 They had representatives on the team from each organization 728 00:38:02,790 --> 00:38:07,220 and came up with a really great report on excellence and shared 729 00:38:07,220 --> 00:38:08,740 ministry. 730 00:38:08,740 --> 00:38:12,830 So that report's been out for a few years. 731 00:38:12,830 --> 00:38:16,730 We are moving in and have moved into the implementation 732 00:38:16,730 --> 00:38:18,240 stage of it. 733 00:38:18,240 --> 00:38:19,780 Right now, we have a working group 734 00:38:19,780 --> 00:38:23,980 that is collecting resources on shared ministry 735 00:38:23,980 --> 00:38:28,080 and will then pass that onto another working group 736 00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:32,730 to see where are the holds, and what we need to add to, 737 00:38:32,730 --> 00:38:33,980 and what do we need to create? 738 00:38:33,980 --> 00:38:37,680 What type of resources do we need to find and make? 739 00:38:37,680 --> 00:38:42,650 And I just lift that up because shared ministry is such very, 740 00:38:42,650 --> 00:38:46,530 very important work that we can do 741 00:38:46,530 --> 00:38:49,810 and having your relationships with your ministry team, 742 00:38:49,810 --> 00:38:55,150 and learning how to communicate well 743 00:38:55,150 --> 00:38:58,490 with your minister and your music director. 744 00:38:58,490 --> 00:39:02,170 And then, finally, I'll just say that here's 745 00:39:02,170 --> 00:39:06,820 a short list of places that LREDA, sort of, has 746 00:39:06,820 --> 00:39:08,720 a seat at the table. 747 00:39:08,720 --> 00:39:15,540 And the RECC stands RE Credentialing Committee. 748 00:39:15,540 --> 00:39:19,280 The Office Of Church finances one 749 00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:22,890 of the projects that we're particularly proud of 750 00:39:22,890 --> 00:39:27,610 is working with Richard Nugent at the UUA 751 00:39:27,610 --> 00:39:32,930 to have other religious professionals included 752 00:39:32,930 --> 00:39:35,780 in the Service of the Living Tradition Fund. 753 00:39:35,780 --> 00:39:44,800 So that's one way that LREDA advocates and make sure 754 00:39:44,800 --> 00:39:48,150 that our voice is lift up and being heard out there 755 00:39:48,150 --> 00:39:50,654 in the world. 756 00:39:50,654 --> 00:39:59,140 Robin Pugh: Great. 757 00:39:59,140 --> 00:40:02,010 Tips. 758 00:40:02,010 --> 00:40:03,592 Michelle, should I go or you? 759 00:40:03,592 --> 00:40:06,052 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: Go ahead. 760 00:40:06,052 --> 00:40:07,920 Robin Pugh: All right, so Michelle and I 761 00:40:07,920 --> 00:40:09,610 had so much to share with you, we just 762 00:40:09,610 --> 00:40:10,920 invented these 10 steps. 763 00:40:10,920 --> 00:40:13,110 So here's my tips. 764 00:40:13,110 --> 00:40:16,530 Number one, lead with your strengths. 765 00:40:16,530 --> 00:40:18,890 You know, our job has many hats. 766 00:40:18,890 --> 00:40:21,850 And you'll be better at some than others. 767 00:40:21,850 --> 00:40:24,770 So shine in the areas where you're really good. 768 00:40:24,770 --> 00:40:26,342 Like, go with it. 769 00:40:26,342 --> 00:40:28,000 Like, if you're a good story teller. 770 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:30,180 For me, I'm good at relationships. 771 00:40:30,180 --> 00:40:32,070 So I'm really good at recruiting. 772 00:40:32,070 --> 00:40:36,120 But I'm not very good at-- well I say it a different way. 773 00:40:36,120 --> 00:40:38,770 I'm not as strong in administration 774 00:40:38,770 --> 00:40:40,210 or graphic design. 775 00:40:40,210 --> 00:40:43,410 So what the best thing to do is to try to recruit volunteers 776 00:40:43,410 --> 00:40:44,930 who can help you with those. 777 00:40:44,930 --> 00:40:47,210 So find, like, a graphic designer. 778 00:40:47,210 --> 00:40:49,220 Find someone that likes doing administration 779 00:40:49,220 --> 00:40:51,950 to help you keep the attendance records. 780 00:40:51,950 --> 00:40:56,870 Or I always find an RE chair that is very administratively 781 00:40:56,870 --> 00:40:58,810 interested, I'll say. 782 00:40:58,810 --> 00:41:01,160 And we work together well. 783 00:41:01,160 --> 00:41:04,390 The second one is your RE program 784 00:41:04,390 --> 00:41:06,480 is only as good as your teachers. 785 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:10,280 So treat them like gold. 786 00:41:10,280 --> 00:41:10,960 Train them. 787 00:41:10,960 --> 00:41:11,600 Nurture them. 788 00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:12,710 Support them. 789 00:41:12,710 --> 00:41:15,560 For me, that involves recognizing 790 00:41:15,560 --> 00:41:17,830 that we are functioning in an old system 791 00:41:17,830 --> 00:41:22,070 where both parents didn't work full-time. 792 00:41:22,070 --> 00:41:29,680 So asking a really busy person to volunteer is a big deal. 793 00:41:29,680 --> 00:41:32,840 At the same time, I ask every person 794 00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:37,160 with a child in the program to volunteer to teach. 795 00:41:37,160 --> 00:41:40,130 They either have to be a teacher, an assistant teacher, 796 00:41:40,130 --> 00:41:43,110 or on the RE committee. 797 00:41:43,110 --> 00:41:46,760 So I balance that because I have more volunteers. 798 00:41:46,760 --> 00:41:48,490 They can volunteer. 799 00:41:48,490 --> 00:41:50,100 The commitment is once a month. 800 00:41:50,100 --> 00:41:54,760 Sometimes, like in the spring, it's twice a month. 801 00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:58,400 But that's what I do. 802 00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:01,500 A quarter of my volunteers are not parents 803 00:42:01,500 --> 00:42:03,010 with kids in the program. 804 00:42:03,010 --> 00:42:07,450 And I get them by asking them to be assistants 805 00:42:07,450 --> 00:42:09,000 in a very personal way. 806 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:10,890 Like, I'm having trouble with x. 807 00:42:10,890 --> 00:42:13,610 I wondered if you could be an assistant in the classroom. 808 00:42:13,610 --> 00:42:18,070 And as soon as an older adult is in the classroom, 809 00:42:18,070 --> 00:42:19,720 they really love it, usually. 810 00:42:19,720 --> 00:42:22,820 And that's how I get them in. 811 00:42:22,820 --> 00:42:26,550 Number three, spend extra time and effort 812 00:42:26,550 --> 00:42:29,710 on anything that involves the whole congregation. 813 00:42:29,710 --> 00:42:32,000 For instance, the story for all ages, 814 00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:36,080 if you do it in front of everyone or the newsletter. 815 00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:40,600 And these might not be so important in your whole job. 816 00:42:40,600 --> 00:42:44,050 But it's how the majority of your congregation 817 00:42:44,050 --> 00:42:46,160 is going to see you. 818 00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:49,520 And that also is helpful when you have to forge partnerships 819 00:42:49,520 --> 00:42:52,400 with, say, the Social Justice Committee, or the board, 820 00:42:52,400 --> 00:42:55,160 or whatever because that's how they know you with the work 821 00:42:55,160 --> 00:42:58,820 that you've publicly done. 822 00:42:58,820 --> 00:43:00,440 As we've said, this is a job where 823 00:43:00,440 --> 00:43:03,340 you will never be finished all that you have to do. 824 00:43:03,340 --> 00:43:04,980 Number one, you have to get used to it. 825 00:43:04,980 --> 00:43:08,780 And number two, it's really good to meet 826 00:43:08,780 --> 00:43:10,570 with the minister or your RE committee 827 00:43:10,570 --> 00:43:14,460 and clarify your tasks and set priority. 828 00:43:14,460 --> 00:43:19,150 And it's good to name things that are going to be undone. 829 00:43:19,150 --> 00:43:22,310 Things that, say, the RE committee will do for you. 830 00:43:22,310 --> 00:43:25,070 And this is what I can do. 831 00:43:25,070 --> 00:43:26,240 This is what you can do. 832 00:43:26,240 --> 00:43:29,320 This is what will not be done. 833 00:43:29,320 --> 00:43:31,800 In addition, when I have my own to do list, 834 00:43:31,800 --> 00:43:33,710 I use Stephen Covey. 835 00:43:33,710 --> 00:43:42,550 And I prioritize them into urgent and important, important 836 00:43:42,550 --> 00:43:49,440 but not urgent, urgent and not important, and not important, 837 00:43:49,440 --> 00:43:50,400 not urgent. 838 00:43:50,400 --> 00:43:53,430 OK, so what happens is the urgent not important 839 00:43:53,430 --> 00:43:55,850 is the person that's in your congregation that's 840 00:43:55,850 --> 00:43:57,760 saying they need it right away, and it's 841 00:43:57,760 --> 00:43:59,380 so not important for your job. 842 00:43:59,380 --> 00:44:03,030 And the goal is to try not to do those things 843 00:44:03,030 --> 00:44:07,500 and to spend time on the not urgent but important tasks, 844 00:44:07,500 --> 00:44:11,007 like forming relationships, that take time, and it's important. 845 00:44:11,007 --> 00:44:12,590 But no one is telling you tat you have 846 00:44:12,590 --> 00:44:16,000 to get that done right now. 847 00:44:16,000 --> 00:44:18,700 OK, the other thing was to keep track of your time. 848 00:44:18,700 --> 00:44:22,550 I use a program called Toggl, T-O-G-G-L, 849 00:44:22,550 --> 00:44:24,530 but there was a lot of other ones. 850 00:44:24,530 --> 00:44:26,350 I just started this in January. 851 00:44:26,350 --> 00:44:28,830 And it has really changed my life 852 00:44:28,830 --> 00:44:32,180 in that I can educate people how long things take. 853 00:44:32,180 --> 00:44:37,720 And I think I've mentioned I think when you get tasks, 854 00:44:37,720 --> 00:44:39,410 no one knows really how long they take. 855 00:44:39,410 --> 00:44:43,220 And they usually take longer than the person expects. 856 00:44:43,220 --> 00:44:48,000 So you can say, no, I spent 15 hours last week doing x. 857 00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:52,880 And that helps you to prioritize how long things take. 858 00:44:52,880 --> 00:44:56,060 What else? 859 00:44:56,060 --> 00:44:57,890 People vote with their feet. 860 00:44:57,890 --> 00:45:00,590 So if you're not getting people to teach, or to attend 861 00:45:00,590 --> 00:45:03,810 parenting workshops, or to be on the RE committee, 862 00:45:03,810 --> 00:45:05,430 you need to change something. 863 00:45:05,430 --> 00:45:06,950 So just think about that. 864 00:45:06,950 --> 00:45:10,600 And try to think about how you can get them 865 00:45:10,600 --> 00:45:14,490 to come to do those things. 866 00:45:14,490 --> 00:45:19,320 I started having RE committee meetings in a webinar. 867 00:45:19,320 --> 00:45:19,990 What is it? 868 00:45:19,990 --> 00:45:25,510 Online every other month, and then in person the other month. 869 00:45:25,510 --> 00:45:28,230 And that really helped. 870 00:45:28,230 --> 00:45:31,700 The other thing is that kids or parents will bring their kids 871 00:45:31,700 --> 00:45:32,970 to special programs. 872 00:45:32,970 --> 00:45:35,230 So they'll almost always come to the hour 873 00:45:35,230 --> 00:45:39,350 classes, the coming of age, maybe even 874 00:45:39,350 --> 00:45:42,050 neighboring faith or the world religions. 875 00:45:42,050 --> 00:45:45,510 So, kind of, your job is to educate them 876 00:45:45,510 --> 00:45:48,120 that we're actually doing important things. 877 00:45:48,120 --> 00:45:52,370 The other curriculum, too. 878 00:45:52,370 --> 00:45:55,570 And I'm going to say this, and people might not agree with me. 879 00:45:55,570 --> 00:45:57,880 But if you have a limited budget. 880 00:45:57,880 --> 00:46:02,120 Say if you only get seven or $800 in professional expenses, 881 00:46:02,120 --> 00:46:05,160 I believe you should go to Fall Con 1. 882 00:46:05,160 --> 00:46:07,810 And then, do Ren modules for a few years. 883 00:46:07,810 --> 00:46:10,360 And then, go back to Fall Con because the biggest 884 00:46:10,360 --> 00:46:16,339 bang for your buck in terms of education are Ren module. 885 00:46:16,339 --> 00:46:16,880 OK, Michelle. 886 00:46:16,880 --> 00:46:18,295 To you. 887 00:46:18,295 --> 00:46:19,770 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: OK, I am 888 00:46:19,770 --> 00:46:22,940 going to go quickly with just a couple of tips 889 00:46:22,940 --> 00:46:24,736 so that we have time for questions. 890 00:46:24,736 --> 00:46:26,360 But the ones I really wanted to lift up 891 00:46:26,360 --> 00:46:30,110 is to build relationships in the creative support network 892 00:46:30,110 --> 00:46:32,020 for yourself with colleagues. 893 00:46:32,020 --> 00:46:35,630 You can do that by attending your local LREDA the cluster 894 00:46:35,630 --> 00:46:36,460 meetings. 895 00:46:36,460 --> 00:46:38,950 I know that there are some clusters in places 896 00:46:38,950 --> 00:46:40,680 that are geographically spread out 897 00:46:40,680 --> 00:46:44,410 and don't have those or either do them online. 898 00:46:44,410 --> 00:46:45,650 But try to get there. 899 00:46:45,650 --> 00:46:47,610 Sometimes you don't feel like going. 900 00:46:47,610 --> 00:46:50,590 But it's worth it once you get there. 901 00:46:50,590 --> 00:46:53,780 And I just going to say, too, that a minister told me 902 00:46:53,780 --> 00:46:56,800 at one of these meetings I didn't feel like coming today, 903 00:46:56,800 --> 00:46:59,800 but I showed up because you never know who needs you. 904 00:46:59,800 --> 00:47:01,280 And I love that. 905 00:47:01,280 --> 00:47:03,470 And I just want to put that out there. 906 00:47:03,470 --> 00:47:07,070 You can also do district or regional events. 907 00:47:07,070 --> 00:47:08,720 You can go to Fall Con. 908 00:47:08,720 --> 00:47:11,390 You can get active on the list serves. 909 00:47:11,390 --> 00:47:14,530 There are a lot of things, like a Unitarian Universalise 910 00:47:14,530 --> 00:47:15,780 religious educators. 911 00:47:15,780 --> 00:47:16,950 It's not a LREDA group. 912 00:47:16,950 --> 00:47:20,240 But it's a really active group of educators 913 00:47:20,240 --> 00:47:22,700 that you can connect with. 914 00:47:22,700 --> 00:47:26,860 Or find somebody in a nearby congregation. 915 00:47:26,860 --> 00:47:27,860 And meet them for lunch. 916 00:47:27,860 --> 00:47:31,890 And just chat, and develop a relationship that way. 917 00:47:31,890 --> 00:47:37,336 Don't say you don't have time because it's so, so important. 918 00:47:37,336 --> 00:47:38,970 I think everybody should continue 919 00:47:38,970 --> 00:47:41,970 learning and looking for professional development 920 00:47:41,970 --> 00:47:44,800 opportunities to seek out. 921 00:47:44,800 --> 00:47:47,470 Renaissance modules are great. 922 00:47:47,470 --> 00:47:50,590 Fall Con, GA, and online workshops. 923 00:47:50,590 --> 00:47:54,260 Some of the Renaissance modules are online now. 924 00:47:54,260 --> 00:47:58,010 There are also great free On Demand webinars. 925 00:47:58,010 --> 00:48:00,340 I'm not sure about other districts. 926 00:48:00,340 --> 00:48:03,570 But the one that Robin and I are in-- Surge Central East 927 00:48:03,570 --> 00:48:08,340 Regional Group-- has lots and lots of free On Demand 928 00:48:08,340 --> 00:48:11,640 webinars on their websites. 929 00:48:11,640 --> 00:48:14,390 And then, there are tons of great books out there. 930 00:48:14,390 --> 00:48:16,910 I want to say don't recreate the wheel. 931 00:48:16,910 --> 00:48:18,840 Your colleagues are out there to help you. 932 00:48:18,840 --> 00:48:20,340 Use the reach list. 933 00:48:20,340 --> 00:48:23,360 Go to that Facebook group that I told you about. 934 00:48:23,360 --> 00:48:28,320 But ask for help before you spend five hours of your time 935 00:48:28,320 --> 00:48:33,170 that 40 other DREs have just done the same thing. 936 00:48:33,170 --> 00:48:35,720 And the last one that I'll throw out there 937 00:48:35,720 --> 00:48:38,760 is volunteer in LREDA. 938 00:48:38,760 --> 00:48:40,660 I mean, it sounds like a plug. 939 00:48:40,660 --> 00:48:46,720 But not until I went on the LREDA board 940 00:48:46,720 --> 00:48:52,430 did I really understand how awesome and valuable 941 00:48:52,430 --> 00:48:56,280 this organization is and the connections that you make. 942 00:48:56,280 --> 00:49:01,820 It's a doorway into a deeper layer of support. 943 00:49:01,820 --> 00:49:04,430 And it's really, really rewarding work 944 00:49:04,430 --> 00:49:07,860 and helps you get outside of the walls of your congregation, 945 00:49:07,860 --> 00:49:10,610 which I think is important. 946 00:49:10,610 --> 00:49:12,760 So that's all I've got for right now. 947 00:49:12,760 --> 00:49:14,440 Robin Pugh: Great. 948 00:49:14,440 --> 00:49:15,700 Pat Khan: Great. 949 00:49:15,700 --> 00:49:21,740 Well we're going to now take questions and get some answers. 950 00:49:21,740 --> 00:49:25,530 If you have a question, you can type it into the chat box. 951 00:49:25,530 --> 00:49:29,050 And I will help facilitate those questions 952 00:49:29,050 --> 00:49:32,389 so that Robin and Michelle can answer. 953 00:49:32,389 --> 00:49:33,930 Robin and Michelle, I'll let you know 954 00:49:33,930 --> 00:49:35,930 that there have been a couple questions as we've 955 00:49:35,930 --> 00:49:36,740 been going along. 956 00:49:36,740 --> 00:49:41,260 But I think we've managed to answer some 957 00:49:41,260 --> 00:49:44,390 of the things that came up. 958 00:49:44,390 --> 00:49:50,640 And just a reminder to everyone that we will also 959 00:49:50,640 --> 00:49:52,820 capture everything that's in the chat box 960 00:49:52,820 --> 00:49:54,360 so that the questions will be there. 961 00:49:54,360 --> 00:50:01,660 And Mia is asking, what is Reach? 962 00:50:01,660 --> 00:50:06,220 Well actually, as one of the list administrators, 963 00:50:06,220 --> 00:50:09,450 I can jump in with that one, if you'd like. 964 00:50:09,450 --> 00:50:13,406 Reach stands for Religious Education Action Clearing 965 00:50:13,406 --> 00:50:14,820 House. 966 00:50:14,820 --> 00:50:16,800 That was from a really long time ago 967 00:50:16,800 --> 00:50:19,450 when a packet used to be sent out 968 00:50:19,450 --> 00:50:22,840 every month to congregations full of different ideas 969 00:50:22,840 --> 00:50:24,800 and things that people had submitted. 970 00:50:24,800 --> 00:50:28,640 Now it is the name of the email list. 971 00:50:28,640 --> 00:50:34,340 And as, I think, both people said but Robin particularly. 972 00:50:34,340 --> 00:50:38,110 There's a difference between the Reach list 973 00:50:38,110 --> 00:50:40,970 is open to absolutely everyone. 974 00:50:40,970 --> 00:50:43,510 And thank you, Alicia, for putting that 975 00:50:43,510 --> 00:50:45,740 in the chat box, that link. 976 00:50:45,740 --> 00:50:48,950 And the LREDA list, you have to be a LREDA member. 977 00:50:48,950 --> 00:50:52,070 And there is somewhat of a difference 978 00:50:52,070 --> 00:50:55,990 based on who the audience is. 979 00:50:55,990 --> 00:51:00,000 But you can get a lot of questions answered that way. 980 00:51:00,000 --> 00:51:04,779 Robin Pugh: And it's good to belong to both. 981 00:51:04,779 --> 00:51:07,070 Pat Khan: Yeah, if you don't want to get a whole bunch, 982 00:51:07,070 --> 00:51:09,090 Robin said that she has a separate email 983 00:51:09,090 --> 00:51:12,200 address for email lists. 984 00:51:12,200 --> 00:51:16,300 You could also sign up to receive it in digest form 985 00:51:16,300 --> 00:51:18,530 where you'll get one email that will 986 00:51:18,530 --> 00:51:27,340 summarise x number of emails that come through. 987 00:51:27,340 --> 00:51:31,890 One of the questions that was asked for you guys on the LREDA 988 00:51:31,890 --> 00:51:35,160 board is does LREDA Fall Con ever 989 00:51:35,160 --> 00:51:37,050 happen in the Pacific Northwest. 990 00:51:37,050 --> 00:51:40,740 And I responded that, yes, it kind of moves here. 991 00:51:40,740 --> 00:51:44,660 And you know, it moves east to west and back again. 992 00:51:44,660 --> 00:51:48,940 But I don't know if you still follow the same-- 993 00:51:48,940 --> 00:51:50,450 how do you decide? 994 00:51:50,450 --> 00:51:52,675 What's your calendar, at this point? 995 00:51:52,675 --> 00:51:55,510 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: We do. 996 00:51:55,510 --> 00:51:58,620 The Fall Con moves around the country somewhere 997 00:51:58,620 --> 00:52:02,450 in the east central part of the country. 998 00:52:02,450 --> 00:52:05,180 We try to go south and north. 999 00:52:05,180 --> 00:52:07,090 And then, on the west coast. 1000 00:52:07,090 --> 00:52:13,410 So I'm not exactly sure what the exact schedule is. 1001 00:52:13,410 --> 00:52:17,200 But let's see, we're on the East Coast this year. 1002 00:52:17,200 --> 00:52:20,570 And we were in Georgia before that. 1003 00:52:20,570 --> 00:52:25,660 So I imagine we'll be moving out to the middle or the West Coast 1004 00:52:25,660 --> 00:52:29,866 soon. 1005 00:52:29,866 --> 00:52:32,180 Pat Khan: There are a couple of questions 1006 00:52:32,180 --> 00:52:36,050 about becoming a LREDA member and how much it costs. 1007 00:52:36,050 --> 00:52:40,640 I would probably refer folks to the LREDA website, 1008 00:52:40,640 --> 00:52:48,259 www.lreda.org, for that information. 1009 00:52:48,259 --> 00:52:50,092 Robin Pugh: Your church should pay for that. 1010 00:52:50,092 --> 00:52:53,320 Pat Khan: Yes, that's a good point to make. 1011 00:52:53,320 --> 00:52:56,760 Susan is asking what's the best way to find quality RE 1012 00:52:56,760 --> 00:52:59,680 materials on Pinterest. 1013 00:52:59,680 --> 00:53:03,660 I know there are a lot of religious educators 1014 00:53:03,660 --> 00:53:06,570 who do post things on Pinterest. 1015 00:53:06,570 --> 00:53:09,200 As far as I know, basically, I would just 1016 00:53:09,200 --> 00:53:12,340 do a search for UU religious education. 1017 00:53:12,340 --> 00:53:14,590 And will probably come up with some. 1018 00:53:14,590 --> 00:53:18,376 Do you guys have any pointers on that? 1019 00:53:18,376 --> 00:53:24,200 Robin Pugh: I don't but the Facebook group often 1020 00:53:24,200 --> 00:53:28,950 puts pictures of cool stuff. 1021 00:53:28,950 --> 00:53:30,620 That's another resource. 1022 00:53:30,620 --> 00:53:32,860 And you could ask on the Facebook group for something 1023 00:53:32,860 --> 00:53:34,082 that you're looking for. 1024 00:53:34,082 --> 00:53:35,340 Pat Khan: Right. 1025 00:53:35,340 --> 00:53:36,780 And that also will be covered. 1026 00:53:36,780 --> 00:53:40,360 That's one of the topics of LREDA Fall Con in October 1027 00:53:40,360 --> 00:53:43,390 is technology and, specifically, many 1028 00:53:43,390 --> 00:53:47,280 of these different platforms. 1029 00:53:47,280 --> 00:53:52,820 And Matthew just shared his Pinterest link on the chat box. 1030 00:53:52,820 --> 00:53:54,340 Robin Pugh: Thank you, Matthew 1031 00:53:54,340 --> 00:53:55,715 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: Yeah, I 1032 00:53:55,715 --> 00:53:58,820 know there's a few religious educators out there that use 1033 00:53:58,820 --> 00:54:02,050 Pinterest and post stuff on it. 1034 00:54:02,050 --> 00:54:04,680 But I think, gosh, I think you just got 1035 00:54:04,680 --> 00:54:07,086 to find them and get connected. 1036 00:54:07,086 --> 00:54:08,260 Pat Khan: Right. 1037 00:54:08,260 --> 00:54:13,791 Robin Pugh: Or find a DRE that uses Pinterest a lot. 1038 00:54:13,791 --> 00:54:15,790 And then, go to her thing, and follow everything 1039 00:54:15,790 --> 00:54:17,045 that she's following. 1040 00:54:17,045 --> 00:54:18,670 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: There you go. 1041 00:54:18,670 --> 00:54:20,840 Pat Khan: That's a good one. 1042 00:54:20,840 --> 00:54:25,680 Michael is asking about credentialing. 1043 00:54:25,680 --> 00:54:27,910 He's wondering how to word the answer when 1044 00:54:27,910 --> 00:54:31,590 it asks for credentialing level if he's only 1045 00:54:31,590 --> 00:54:35,470 begun to contact the UUA ans is just 1046 00:54:35,470 --> 00:54:38,300 interested in finding out more. 1047 00:54:38,300 --> 00:54:42,280 The you'd answer it is NA for not applicable if you're not 1048 00:54:42,280 --> 00:54:43,740 already in the program. 1049 00:54:43,740 --> 00:54:45,320 And then, the best thing to do is 1050 00:54:45,320 --> 00:54:52,450 to contact Jan Gartner who is in the ministry 1051 00:54:52,450 --> 00:54:55,680 and professional development staff group at the UUA. 1052 00:54:55,680 --> 00:54:59,390 And she can help you talk through 1053 00:54:59,390 --> 00:55:01,220 and answer all the questions that you 1054 00:55:01,220 --> 00:55:03,740 might have about credentialing specifically 1055 00:55:03,740 --> 00:55:06,800 in terms of qualifying for exemptions and things 1056 00:55:06,800 --> 00:55:07,300 like that. 1057 00:55:07,300 --> 00:55:10,700 So Jan Gartner is the person to contact. 1058 00:55:10,700 --> 00:55:16,200 And I happen to know her email address by heart 1059 00:55:16,200 --> 00:55:17,700 since we just talked yesterday. 1060 00:55:17,700 --> 00:55:23,340 So I think I just sent it out. 1061 00:55:23,340 --> 00:55:31,070 OK, and remind us of the group sizes for LREDA 1062 00:55:31,070 --> 00:55:33,512 large and LREDA small. 1063 00:55:33,512 --> 00:55:35,360 Robin Pugh: I think Leah did that. 1064 00:55:35,360 --> 00:55:37,590 Pat Khan: OK. 1065 00:55:37,590 --> 00:55:38,994 I'm catching up. 1066 00:55:38,994 --> 00:55:40,410 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: And I'll 1067 00:55:40,410 --> 00:55:44,970 just say because we didn't get a chance to introduce, 1068 00:55:44,970 --> 00:55:47,190 I was on the board for three years. 1069 00:55:47,190 --> 00:55:49,890 And I just rotated off of the portfolio 1070 00:55:49,890 --> 00:55:51,860 with professional development. 1071 00:55:51,860 --> 00:55:56,620 Leah Purcell is on the webinar and has 1072 00:55:56,620 --> 00:56:00,070 been writing in the chat box and answering some questions. 1073 00:56:00,070 --> 00:56:02,200 So Leah just came on to the board 1074 00:56:02,200 --> 00:56:04,490 with portfolio of professional development. 1075 00:56:04,490 --> 00:56:06,050 So thank you, Leah, for helping us 1076 00:56:06,050 --> 00:56:13,036 with the answers in the chat. 1077 00:56:13,036 --> 00:56:14,660 Pat Khan: While we wait to see if there 1078 00:56:14,660 --> 00:56:17,570 are any other questions, I will just, sort of, 1079 00:56:17,570 --> 00:56:21,032 echo what Michelle said before. 1080 00:56:21,032 --> 00:56:25,240 Before I worked for the UUA, I was also on LREDA board. 1081 00:56:25,240 --> 00:56:28,430 And it was a really fabulous experience. 1082 00:56:28,430 --> 00:56:32,180 So I also heartily encourage you to volunteer 1083 00:56:32,180 --> 00:56:34,510 in many different ways as you can. 1084 00:56:34,510 --> 00:56:36,090 Robin Pugh: Or I'll say this. 1085 00:56:36,090 --> 00:56:39,410 I believe that after you've been a religious educator 1086 00:56:39,410 --> 00:56:43,070 for a year, you should do something for your cluster. 1087 00:56:43,070 --> 00:56:44,930 Or this is what I've done. 1088 00:56:44,930 --> 00:56:50,050 Something for the cluster or LREDA every year. 1089 00:56:50,050 --> 00:56:52,760 So it's a way to stretch you a little bit. 1090 00:56:52,760 --> 00:56:57,050 And it's a safe place to lead worship or even 1091 00:56:57,050 --> 00:56:59,030 if you bring the snacks. 1092 00:56:59,030 --> 00:57:01,660 It helps you connect more. 1093 00:57:01,660 --> 00:57:04,742 And then, when you've been in LREDA for a long time, 1094 00:57:04,742 --> 00:57:06,950 you'll be amazed at how many committees you've served 1095 00:57:06,950 --> 00:57:11,362 and how great your resume looks. 1096 00:57:11,362 --> 00:57:12,970 Pat Khan: Good thinking. 1097 00:57:12,970 --> 00:57:14,700 Here's another question. 1098 00:57:14,700 --> 00:57:17,430 How many congregations have children in the first part 1099 00:57:17,430 --> 00:57:19,030 of the Sunday service? 1100 00:57:19,030 --> 00:57:23,120 How do we do that and have enough time for class? 1101 00:57:23,120 --> 00:57:24,506 Robin Pugh: I actually have that. 1102 00:57:24,506 --> 00:57:25,464 Pat Khan: Great. 1103 00:57:25,464 --> 00:57:25,964 Wonderful. 1104 00:57:25,964 --> 00:57:28,950 Robin Pugh: The first 15 minutes, they're in the service 1105 00:57:28,950 --> 00:57:31,900 and I end RE 15 minutes after the service. 1106 00:57:31,900 --> 00:57:34,660 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: We do the same thing. 1107 00:57:34,660 --> 00:57:36,591 Robin Pugh: Yeah. 1108 00:57:36,591 --> 00:57:39,780 Pat Khan: And that's a great question also 1109 00:57:39,780 --> 00:57:42,950 to put out on the list. 1110 00:57:42,950 --> 00:57:47,090 And I mentioned archives in the chat box before. 1111 00:57:47,090 --> 00:57:51,220 That's also a good place to start before you even 1112 00:57:51,220 --> 00:57:53,660 post a question. 1113 00:57:53,660 --> 00:57:56,030 With the LREDA list an the Reach list, 1114 00:57:56,030 --> 00:57:58,070 you can access the archives. 1115 00:57:58,070 --> 00:58:02,860 And they go way, way, way back into the late '90s. 1116 00:58:02,860 --> 00:58:07,410 You can search for a specific topic. 1117 00:58:07,410 --> 00:58:11,440 And you'll get all kinds of answers from over the years. 1118 00:58:11,440 --> 00:58:15,430 And it's kind of interesting to see how topics cycle 1119 00:58:15,430 --> 00:58:19,240 around every other year or so. 1120 00:58:19,240 --> 00:58:20,200 So that's a good one. 1121 00:58:20,200 --> 00:58:22,620 I know you'll find out information from the archives. 1122 00:58:22,620 --> 00:58:28,320 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: I saw a question about someone 1123 00:58:28,320 --> 00:58:30,430 getting different advice about when 1124 00:58:30,430 --> 00:58:33,530 to begin pursuing the credentialing program. 1125 00:58:33,530 --> 00:58:37,550 And I really think that that's a personal individual decision. 1126 00:58:37,550 --> 00:58:40,930 And I think that Jan Gartner at the UUA 1127 00:58:40,930 --> 00:58:46,360 is a great person to talk and to give you some advice, 1128 00:58:46,360 --> 00:58:49,470 especially having a conversation about where you are. 1129 00:58:49,470 --> 00:58:52,070 I've known people who have come into the program 1130 00:58:52,070 --> 00:58:56,360 very early on in their career and some 1131 00:58:56,360 --> 00:58:57,550 who have done it much later. 1132 00:58:57,550 --> 00:59:02,175 So I really think it's a personal decision. 1133 00:59:02,175 --> 00:59:03,490 Pat Khan: Right. 1134 00:59:03,490 --> 00:59:07,570 Well it is 2 o'clock. 1135 00:59:07,570 --> 00:59:12,430 So at this point in time, we will bring the webinar 1136 00:59:12,430 --> 00:59:13,240 to a close. 1137 00:59:13,240 --> 00:59:16,950 And I want to thank, again, Robin and Michelle 1138 00:59:16,950 --> 00:59:19,910 for participating today. 1139 00:59:19,910 --> 00:59:23,610 The recording of this webinar-- and I would also 1140 00:59:23,610 --> 00:59:26,970 like to mention we're now doing transcripts of webinars-- 1141 00:59:26,970 --> 00:59:29,910 will be posted at this link online. 1142 00:59:29,910 --> 00:59:34,280 And there will also be information shortly 1143 00:59:34,280 --> 00:59:36,740 for this September webinar. 1144 00:59:36,740 --> 00:59:39,050 You can already sign up for it. 1145 00:59:39,050 --> 00:59:43,070 It'll be September, Tuesday, the 29th and Wednesday the 30th 1146 00:59:43,070 --> 00:59:47,090 because the Jewish holidays are the week before when we would 1147 00:59:47,090 --> 00:59:49,610 normally be doing the webinars. 1148 00:59:49,610 --> 00:59:53,910 And we still have to nail down the actual presenters. 1149 00:59:53,910 --> 00:59:56,470 But that should be coming shortly. 1150 00:59:56,470 --> 01:00:00,470 So once again, thank you to everybody who participated. 1151 01:00:00,470 --> 01:00:02,680 And thanks again to our presenters. 1152 01:00:02,680 --> 01:00:06,107 And thank you, Alicia, behind the scenes 1153 01:00:06,107 --> 01:00:07,690 there for helping out with everything. 1154 01:00:07,690 --> 01:00:08,610 Robin Pugh: Yeah. 1155 01:00:08,610 --> 01:00:09,135 Pat Khan: Bye, everybody. 1156 01:00:09,135 --> 01:00:10,426 Robin Pugh: Goodbye, everybody. 1157 01:00:10,426 --> 01:00:12,040 Michelle Mckenzie-creech: Bye. 1158 01:00:12,040 --> 01:00:18,634