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Pat Kahn: There we go.

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There we go.

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Great.

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So in that case, we will
go ahead and get started.

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And I think other people
will join us as we go along.

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But welcome to all of
you from North America,

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since we have Canadians joining
us as well as coast to coast.

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I'm Pat Kahn.

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I'm the Children
and Family Programs

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Director for the Faith
Development Office at the UUA.

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And I am very
excited to be helping

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to host Pat Infante, who
is the Faith Development

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Director for the CERG,
Central East Regional Group.

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And also on your
screen, you will

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see Susan Lawrence
who's the Managing

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Editor in the Faith Development
Office and our webinar guru.

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So we're glad that you're here.

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And we will get started
with some notes from Susan.

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Susan Lawrence: OK.

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Here we are.

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OK, well, we've been
working on this for you.

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It will be best if you
can mute your microphone.

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And the way to do
that depends on

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whether you're using
the red kind of FUZE

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or the blue kind of FUZE.

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And I think you probably
would get some help

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by typing in the chat
box if you along the way

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would like to do it.

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But we are more than happy
to do the muting for you

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so that the
presenters can do what

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they're doing without a
lot of noises from outside.

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When it's time to ask
questions, you or we

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can then unmute you so
you won't lose the ability

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to participate if you mute
during the presentation.

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We would like you
to stop your cameras

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so there are few screens
of people being looked at.

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So Stella, I can actually help
you a little dialog typing

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if you're aren't sure how
to turn off your camera.

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Oh, thank you.

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That was good.

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Easy enough.

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OK.

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So if you are
unable to hear well

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or there's something going
on with the muting that's

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annoying, you can call in.

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And that's the number we
were discussing earlier.

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And this here is the
correct call-in information.

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It's a New Jersey phone number.

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And put in the meeting code.

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And the only thing we ask
is that you please turn off

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any audio going on
on your computer

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before you call in
so that we don't get

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double sounds from your house.

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And if you want to catch
this webinar after,

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there will be a recording posted
at this website that is here.

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And I'll put that into the
box when I'm done talking.

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And that's also where we list
all the upcoming webinars.

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So we're doing the monthly
for the foreseeable future.

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And we hope you'll join
us for another one.

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OK, the chat box.

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This is important.

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it looks like everyone's
picking up on this already.

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There is a box either to your
left that says meeting chat

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or to your right
that says group chat.

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And in there, you can
either write to everyone

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or you can write
to an individual.

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But it's probably
best if you just

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do the everyone
so that you don't

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get-- I've had this happen.

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It can be very embarrassing
when you make a mistake.

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So you want to put
any questions there

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and we'll be watching
them during the webinar,

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so that we can raise them as
they are appropriate to what

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Trish is talking about.

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And you will also see some
links there as we go through.

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And if resources are
being talked about,

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we will try to type in the
URL that you need to find them

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into the chat box as well.

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And you can cut and
paste from there

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to a Word document or
an email or something

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on your own computer.

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And I think we've
got all this stuff.

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And I'm going to
give you to Pat Kahn.

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Pat Kahn: OK.

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This beautiful
chalice came to us

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via Karen Bellavance-Grace,
who did last month's webinar.

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And you can just
read along with me.

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"We light the
flame of knowledge.

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May understanding be with us.

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We light the flame of love.

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May caring be among us.

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We light the flame of holiness.

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May the unifying
spirit be within us."

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And I'm going to turn
it over to-- now,

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I was going to say Pat Infante.

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But since there's Pat
Kahn and Pat Infante.

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And sometimes, there's a third
Pat when we've had meetings.

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We have decided that I am
Pat and Pat Infante is Trish.

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So take it away, Trish.

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Patricia Infante: Whoops.

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Thank you.

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Hi, everybody.

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Good afternoon.

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I'm so glad that
you're able to join us

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for the new DRE webinar.

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Welcome to your new position.

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And I'm hopeful that you're
finding your self-- that you're

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getting situated and getting
yourself grounded in your work.

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It's a very exciting
time of year.

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And I appreciate
that you found time

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to spend an hour with
us this afternoon.

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What we're going to
do is we're going

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to spend a little bit of time.

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We have about 40 to 45 minutes.

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And so we're just dipping
our toe into these topics.

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We won't be able to
cover them exhaustively

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in the time we have.

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But I hope that you'll use
this opportunity to write down

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questions and make notes
so that you have language

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and ideas about questions
that you can ask

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when you have an opportunity.

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We're going to just spend
a few minutes talking

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about kind of what it means to
be a leader in a congregation.

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The important work of
building a network,

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building a professional network.

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We're going to go
over some resources.

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And I'm going to offer up a
brief plan for the first 90

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days.

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So that's what we're about.

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And let us go.

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So yay, congratulations.

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You are a religious
educator in a congregation.

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What wonderful,
beautiful, exciting

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work you are embarking upon.

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And it's really
important as you start

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the work to really think about
what your expectations are.

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Your expectations for the
program, your expectations

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of the lay leaders
and the volunteers

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that you're working with.

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And just spend a little
bit of time reflecting on,

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what are my expectations
about the coming year?

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Or if this is a career choice
for you, a career opportunity,

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what are my expectations
for the coming days

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as I build my portfolio
as a religious educator?

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And if you are in a congregation
where you have been a member,

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it's really important to keep in
mind that things are changing.

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You have a different role.

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You have perhaps
been a volunteer.

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I know I have been doing this
work for almost 20 years.

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And I started out as
a volunteer, and then

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an RE chair, and there it goes.

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When you have been a
member of the congregation

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or been in relationship with
others in the congregation

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in one way, when you become paid
staff the relationship changes.

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And we'll talk a
little bit about that.

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The boundaries need
to change for you.

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The work of a religious
educator is varied.

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And you may already be
discovering that you're

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called upon to be many things.

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And sometimes, all at once.

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So it's important that you
think about your own gifts

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and your own strengths.

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And one of the ways
that you can do that

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is using some kind of
a personality test.

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And there are plenty
that you can do.

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We often use the
Keirsey-Bates Personality Test

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which is available for--
there's a free version.

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And it just kind of
helps you to identify

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a couple of things--
your leadership style,

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your own kind of
personality gifts.

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And that can help
you as you go forward

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in the work to identify,
well, gosh, where do I really

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need support?

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Where do I need to delegate?

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Where am I running
into-- bumping up

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against different
leadership styles or maybe

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different decision-making
styles when I'm

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working with my congregation?

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So knowing yourself is a
really important first step

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in this work.

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Your responsibilities may or may
not include all of these things

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on this list.

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I know that on
the phone, we have

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folks who have very
part-time positions, to folks

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who are in full-time
positions, possibly

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even with additional staff.

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So not everybody is going to
be doing all of these things,

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but this is just
sort of the map,

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the landscape of what the
work of a religious educator

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may include.

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And again, this is a place
where you need to think about,

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where are my passions?

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What work do I feel
really called to do?

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What work is it possible for
me to maybe seek-- to delegate

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or to work with a volunteer
to develop their gifts?

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It's important to remember
in a congregation we often

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use this terminology.

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We say we're part of a
congregational system.

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So you are in the RE
department, but you

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are connected to other staff.

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You're connected to most
often your minister.

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Perhaps your minister
is your supervisor.

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You're connected to lay leaders.

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And you're connected to, of
course, parents and youth.

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So what happens in one part of
the system can impact another.

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So you need to just keep
in mind that a system is

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an interconnected web.

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And of course,
sometimes a system

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is-- there's a balance
that's required to keep

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the system running smoothly.

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And you'll need to learn
what that balance is

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in your own organization.

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But it's great to be
just sort of looking

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and listening and thinking about
how the interactions happen.

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Where do I see folks with
maybe informal power?

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What do I observe about
this congregational system?

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It's really
important when you're

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part of the system
to figure out,

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how do I play my
part most effectively

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in that interconnected group?

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And one of the ways we do that
is through an understanding

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of our relationships,
our close relationships,

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within the congregation
as being covenantal.

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That means that we have
expectations of one another.

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We make promises to one another.

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And we have an understanding
of our boundaries.

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So you might have a
covenant within your staff.

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You might have a covenant
with the RE committee

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if you're working with a
committee or a council.

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There might be a
covenant between you

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and your minister specifically.

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And the covenant just helps
to guide you in conversation.

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It helps to guide you when the
inevitable conflict arises.

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Conflict is not all bad.

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And it's important to
understand kind of how we

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can be in healthy conversation.

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And when we are out
of covenant, what's

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the process for getting back
into covenant with one another?

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It's important to understand
what your authority is.

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And that can range from
who gets to sign-off

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on the reimbursements to
what my authority is in terms

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of supervising other
staff or my authority when

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it comes to budget decisions or
facility management decisions.

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So understanding
what your authority

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is, what the expectations
are, how you're accountable,

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knowing who your supervisor is.

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And I hope that
those kinds of things

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are covered in your
job description.

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Your job description should
tell you who you work for.

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And it may also
have some language

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around kind of what
your authority is,

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00:12:48,770 --> 00:12:53,210
what the limitations of
your authority might be.

254
00:12:53,210 --> 00:12:56,060
It's really important to--
and this is something,

255
00:12:56,060 --> 00:12:58,910
particularly if
you have been hired

256
00:12:58,910 --> 00:13:03,450
from within the congregation,
this idea of confidentiality.

257
00:13:03,450 --> 00:13:08,710
And how we handle information
as congregational staff.

258
00:13:08,710 --> 00:13:11,780
If you were a member
of the congregation,

259
00:13:11,780 --> 00:13:15,750
certainly you have friends and
you have relationships, perhaps

260
00:13:15,750 --> 00:13:18,720
of longstanding with
folks in the congregation.

261
00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:23,490
And now that you're staff, that
boundary has really shifted.

262
00:13:23,490 --> 00:13:27,240
So it's really important
for you to understand

263
00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:29,071
what the expectations are.

264
00:13:29,071 --> 00:13:30,570
And I would start
with the minister,

265
00:13:30,570 --> 00:13:32,850
if there's a minister
in your congregation.

266
00:13:32,850 --> 00:13:36,820
What are the expectations
around confidentiality?

267
00:13:36,820 --> 00:13:39,360
And what things can I share?

268
00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:42,270
In our work-- we're not
going to touch on this today,

269
00:13:42,270 --> 00:13:45,090
but there's a great
deal of pastoral care

270
00:13:45,090 --> 00:13:49,610
that happens in our work
informally, incidentally

271
00:13:49,610 --> 00:13:51,180
as we're talking with people.

272
00:13:51,180 --> 00:13:54,930
And how do we hold
that information

273
00:13:54,930 --> 00:13:57,630
in a way that's appropriate?

274
00:13:57,630 --> 00:14:01,670
So you'll need to understand
what the expectations are

275
00:14:01,670 --> 00:14:04,240
around confidentiality.

276
00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:06,490
And when working
with committees,

277
00:14:06,490 --> 00:14:11,130
it's also important to
know when to step up

278
00:14:11,130 --> 00:14:13,650
and really set a vision.

279
00:14:13,650 --> 00:14:19,340
Or when is it a good time to
step back and maybe give others

280
00:14:19,340 --> 00:14:26,200
the opportunity to step
forward and be leaders?

281
00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:30,980
Another part of, really, I think
an important part of this work

282
00:14:30,980 --> 00:14:33,260
and being successful
in this work

283
00:14:33,260 --> 00:14:36,040
is taking care of ourselves.

284
00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:41,160
How do we find the right
balance between work,

285
00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:45,350
between family life,
between our work

286
00:14:45,350 --> 00:14:49,740
as a religious educator versus
our work as a volunteer?

287
00:14:49,740 --> 00:14:54,700
Just always seeking
to find balance.

288
00:14:54,700 --> 00:14:57,460
It's important as a
religious educator

289
00:14:57,460 --> 00:15:00,620
to take care of your
own spiritual needs.

290
00:15:00,620 --> 00:15:04,790
And well, I'm in church
four or five days a week.

291
00:15:04,790 --> 00:15:08,110
I'm in the congregation
several days a week.

292
00:15:08,110 --> 00:15:12,220
So I should be getting
my spiritual needs met.

293
00:15:12,220 --> 00:15:16,310
But the fact is when you
are in the congregation

294
00:15:16,310 --> 00:15:20,370
and you're wearing that
religious educator hat,

295
00:15:20,370 --> 00:15:23,220
you're definitely in
a different space.

296
00:15:23,220 --> 00:15:25,840
Different space
as a staff person.

297
00:15:25,840 --> 00:15:29,750
So it's great to develop
some outside ways,

298
00:15:29,750 --> 00:15:33,020
whether it's in personal
spiritual practice

299
00:15:33,020 --> 00:15:36,790
or whether it is membership
in another congregation

300
00:15:36,790 --> 00:15:43,820
or membership in our online CLF.

301
00:15:43,820 --> 00:15:46,410
Church of the Larger
Fellowship we'll

302
00:15:46,410 --> 00:15:49,170
introduce a little bit later.

303
00:15:49,170 --> 00:15:53,310
So that's important to be
intentional about finding ways

304
00:15:53,310 --> 00:15:57,160
to meet your own
spiritual needs.

305
00:15:57,160 --> 00:16:00,640
And also, finding that
family and work balance.

306
00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:03,400
And I know it's really
hard at this time of year

307
00:16:03,400 --> 00:16:07,810
as we're all gearing up for
that first week of classes

308
00:16:07,810 --> 00:16:09,420
and doing teacher training.

309
00:16:09,420 --> 00:16:11,900
And there's just
so much that seems

310
00:16:11,900 --> 00:16:13,900
to need to get done right now.

311
00:16:13,900 --> 00:16:17,010
So this job sometimes is
kind of-- it's a little bit

312
00:16:17,010 --> 00:16:18,020
like a roller coaster.

313
00:16:18,020 --> 00:16:19,950
Sometimes, we feel
like we're really

314
00:16:19,950 --> 00:16:21,070
putting in a lot of time.

315
00:16:21,070 --> 00:16:22,820
And you have to
make sure that you

316
00:16:22,820 --> 00:16:25,950
are intentional about
finding the downtime

317
00:16:25,950 --> 00:16:27,490
and balancing that.

318
00:16:27,490 --> 00:16:30,820
It's just one of those
things we can't really

319
00:16:30,820 --> 00:16:33,630
change the fact that
it's very cyclical,

320
00:16:33,630 --> 00:16:36,090
but we can be intentional
about making sure

321
00:16:36,090 --> 00:16:40,690
that we care for ourselves
and find those downtimes

322
00:16:40,690 --> 00:16:42,795
when we can open
space for thinking

323
00:16:42,795 --> 00:16:51,250
and for creativity as
opposed to always doing.

324
00:16:51,250 --> 00:16:56,300
I hope that this is
just some strategies

325
00:16:56,300 --> 00:16:59,420
for taking care of yourself.

326
00:16:59,420 --> 00:17:02,220
And one of the ways that I
think it's really important

327
00:17:02,220 --> 00:17:06,920
is to really seek
clarity about your role

328
00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:10,609
and what your
responsibilities are.

329
00:17:10,609 --> 00:17:14,220
Again, that should be enumerated
in your job description.

330
00:17:14,220 --> 00:17:19,040
But sometimes what is in the
job description is perhaps

331
00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:20,369
the ideal.

332
00:17:20,369 --> 00:17:24,579
And then on this side,
we have the reality.

333
00:17:24,579 --> 00:17:30,910
And so the clarifying work
is shortening that distance

334
00:17:30,910 --> 00:17:34,000
between the reality of
what you're actually doing

335
00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:39,280
and the ideal of what the job
description might lay out.

336
00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:42,180
So you want to be
as clear as you can.

337
00:17:42,180 --> 00:17:45,080
It's also really important
for your own self-care

338
00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:48,610
and for your own
success to delegate.

339
00:17:48,610 --> 00:17:53,040
And sometimes,
delegation is hard.

340
00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:56,270
Because boy, we know
how we want it done

341
00:17:56,270 --> 00:17:57,900
and we don't want to give it up.

342
00:17:57,900 --> 00:18:00,840
And well, somebody
else might not

343
00:18:00,840 --> 00:18:02,790
do it exactly the way we want.

344
00:18:02,790 --> 00:18:06,420
But it's a really important
key to success in this work.

345
00:18:06,420 --> 00:18:13,320
And it's a way of giving people
space and room to be creative

346
00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:17,190
and to fulfill some of
their own spiritual needs

347
00:18:17,190 --> 00:18:21,000
by sharing the work with them.

348
00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:23,620
Remember that if
you are a director

349
00:18:23,620 --> 00:18:28,880
of religious education, the D
is for Director and not Doer.

350
00:18:28,880 --> 00:18:32,300
And sometimes we get into
that over-functioning mode.

351
00:18:32,300 --> 00:18:38,370
I've seen it happen with other
folks who shall go unnamed.

352
00:18:38,370 --> 00:18:43,490
But we want to just
try to manage that,

353
00:18:43,490 --> 00:18:46,460
to step away
sometimes and get up

354
00:18:46,460 --> 00:18:49,090
on what we like to call
balcony and sort of look

355
00:18:49,090 --> 00:18:50,560
down at the work.

356
00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:54,980
And am I doing things
that a volunteer could do?

357
00:18:54,980 --> 00:18:59,220
Am I doing things that one
of the RE committee folk

358
00:18:59,220 --> 00:19:00,410
should be doing?

359
00:19:00,410 --> 00:19:03,620
And make sure that you're
stepping up and stepping back

360
00:19:03,620 --> 00:19:08,980
in ways that are
appropriate for everybody.

361
00:19:08,980 --> 00:19:11,900
The congregation has
responsibilities too.

362
00:19:11,900 --> 00:19:16,400
And I'll let you just sort
of read down this list.

363
00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:19,760
I think the ones, of course,
that are most important

364
00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:23,670
are that they're taking care
of you administratively.

365
00:19:23,670 --> 00:19:28,320
That you have a job description,
that you're fairly compensated.

366
00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:30,220
That they allow
you opportunities

367
00:19:30,220 --> 00:19:33,780
for professional development
and for attending meetings.

368
00:19:33,780 --> 00:19:37,800
And we'll talk a little
bit about that shortly.

369
00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:42,890
And also, shared leadership
is a really important way

370
00:19:42,890 --> 00:19:45,825
the congregation
helps to nurture you

371
00:19:45,825 --> 00:19:49,190
and helps you to be
successful in your position.

372
00:19:49,190 --> 00:19:52,560
By understanding that this
is a shared ministry, that

373
00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:55,050
we're partners in this work.

374
00:19:55,050 --> 00:19:57,740
And even though
we've hired somebody,

375
00:19:57,740 --> 00:20:00,780
the congregation really
owns the program.

376
00:20:00,780 --> 00:20:03,040
And they need to be
invested and they

377
00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:09,010
need to be active partners.

378
00:20:09,010 --> 00:20:13,170
So finding balance is
really important to success

379
00:20:13,170 --> 00:20:14,580
in this work.

380
00:20:14,580 --> 00:20:16,770
And Ralph Waldo
Emerson says people

381
00:20:16,770 --> 00:20:19,890
with great gifts are easy
to find, but symmetrical

382
00:20:19,890 --> 00:20:22,530
and balanced ones, never.

383
00:20:22,530 --> 00:20:30,610
So let us strive to be balanced.

384
00:20:30,610 --> 00:20:33,920
So now I want to just share
with you some thoughts

385
00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:36,130
on the key relationships.

386
00:20:36,130 --> 00:20:40,550
It's really important if you do
nothing else in the early days

387
00:20:40,550 --> 00:20:44,200
of your work, I
strongly recommend

388
00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:47,600
that you reach out and
build relationships.

389
00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:50,090
Build as many
relationships as you can,

390
00:20:50,090 --> 00:20:54,600
because those people
will be resources to you

391
00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:57,490
and will help you be more
effective in your work,

392
00:20:57,490 --> 00:20:59,380
and will help you
answer questions.

393
00:20:59,380 --> 00:21:04,030
And they may even help you when
you're in a moment of struggle

394
00:21:04,030 --> 00:21:05,380
or a moment of challenge.

395
00:21:05,380 --> 00:21:07,990
So it's really important to
build those relationships

396
00:21:07,990 --> 00:21:09,900
as early as possible.

397
00:21:09,900 --> 00:21:11,450
Key relationships.

398
00:21:11,450 --> 00:21:12,660
Of course, the minister.

399
00:21:12,660 --> 00:21:16,810
The minister is a key
ally, a key colleague.

400
00:21:16,810 --> 00:21:19,460
The minister is
often your partner

401
00:21:19,460 --> 00:21:22,040
if you have worship
responsibilities.

402
00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:24,700
The minister may be your
partner in that work.

403
00:21:24,700 --> 00:21:28,540
The minister and other staff--
music director, administrator.

404
00:21:28,540 --> 00:21:32,350
You want to build relationship
because you're all in it

405
00:21:32,350 --> 00:21:33,090
together.

406
00:21:33,090 --> 00:21:35,460
And remember I said,
you're part of a system.

407
00:21:35,460 --> 00:21:37,840
So what happens in
one part of a system

408
00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:39,470
is kind of like the rubber band.

409
00:21:39,470 --> 00:21:41,770
If I pull on this
rubber band over here,

410
00:21:41,770 --> 00:21:43,810
you're going to feel
it on the other side.

411
00:21:43,810 --> 00:21:46,540
And so everybody in the
system is connected.

412
00:21:46,540 --> 00:21:50,430
So as many positive
working relationships

413
00:21:50,430 --> 00:21:56,210
as you can build early on,
that will be helpful for you.

414
00:21:56,210 --> 00:22:00,040
It's wonderful if you can reach
out and build relationship

415
00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:02,950
with colleagues outside
of your own congregation.

416
00:22:02,950 --> 00:22:04,840
Of course, there's
important relationships

417
00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:07,410
inside-- parents and
children and youth.

418
00:22:07,410 --> 00:22:10,740
But also going
beyond-- colleagues.

419
00:22:10,740 --> 00:22:16,830
Folks may be at a local RE
cluster or a local chapter

420
00:22:16,830 --> 00:22:21,070
meeting of our religious
professionals organization,

421
00:22:21,070 --> 00:22:22,850
LREDA.

422
00:22:22,850 --> 00:22:28,230
Maybe RE folk that you
hook up with via some event

423
00:22:28,230 --> 00:22:30,640
through your district
or your region.

424
00:22:30,640 --> 00:22:33,720
But it's really important
to find colleagues.

425
00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:37,150
It may even be that
you pick up the phone.

426
00:22:37,150 --> 00:22:40,230
Use the old-fashioned way
and just call a neighboring

427
00:22:40,230 --> 00:22:42,510
congregation and strike
up a conversation

428
00:22:42,510 --> 00:22:45,420
and try to build relationship
with a neighboring religious

429
00:22:45,420 --> 00:22:46,740
educator.

430
00:22:46,740 --> 00:22:48,000
It's useful for many things.

431
00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:49,330
You can borrow curriculum.

432
00:22:49,330 --> 00:22:52,510
You can drive together
to a district event.

433
00:22:52,510 --> 00:22:54,800
You can go take a
training together.

434
00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:56,860
Building relationship
is really important

435
00:22:56,860 --> 00:22:58,990
because this work
can be isolating.

436
00:22:58,990 --> 00:23:03,540
When we're sitting in the
congregational office like me

437
00:23:03,540 --> 00:23:09,530
or many of us, if you're
sitting in a home office,

438
00:23:09,530 --> 00:23:12,910
there aren't two other DREs on
the other side of a cubicle.

439
00:23:12,910 --> 00:23:15,840
So it can be very
isolating work.

440
00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:24,220
So it's really important to
build those relationships.

441
00:23:24,220 --> 00:23:26,310
I'm sure that I'm guilty.

442
00:23:26,310 --> 00:23:29,670
I've been around a while,
so I'm guilty sometimes

443
00:23:29,670 --> 00:23:32,660
of falling back on
insider language.

444
00:23:32,660 --> 00:23:36,300
So another really
important thing to do

445
00:23:36,300 --> 00:23:41,310
is try to learn as many of these
acronyms and ask questions.

446
00:23:41,310 --> 00:23:44,670
And if you're at
a cluster meeting

447
00:23:44,670 --> 00:23:47,300
or even in a staff
meeting with your minister

448
00:23:47,300 --> 00:23:49,940
and they use an
acronym or a term

449
00:23:49,940 --> 00:23:52,250
that you don't understand,
say, excuse me.

450
00:23:52,250 --> 00:23:52,930
What is that?

451
00:23:52,930 --> 00:23:54,610
I'm not sure what that means.

452
00:23:54,610 --> 00:24:00,500
So be curious and ask questions.

453
00:24:00,500 --> 00:24:03,910
Some of the ones that
you will often hear,

454
00:24:03,910 --> 00:24:07,560
UUA is our Unitarian
Universalist Association.

455
00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:12,040
LREDA is the Liberal Religious
Educators Association, which

456
00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:14,755
is a partner organization.

457
00:24:14,755 --> 00:24:17,090
It is the professional
organization

458
00:24:17,090 --> 00:24:23,110
for religious educators across
the country and up into Canada.

459
00:24:23,110 --> 00:24:25,170
You may hear the term GA.

460
00:24:25,170 --> 00:24:29,520
That's our annual
associational meeting.

461
00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:33,070
This coming year it's
happening in Portland, Oregon.

462
00:24:33,070 --> 00:24:35,580
You may hear the term
district and region.

463
00:24:35,580 --> 00:24:41,090
And those are geographic
governance organizations.

464
00:24:41,090 --> 00:24:43,420
I'm part of the
Central East Region.

465
00:24:43,420 --> 00:24:45,360
There's a Southern Region.

466
00:24:45,360 --> 00:24:51,250
There are 5 regions and 19
districts across this country.

467
00:24:51,250 --> 00:24:52,510
So again, ask questions.

468
00:24:52,510 --> 00:24:56,870
Learn what those terms mean.

469
00:24:56,870 --> 00:24:59,840
In terms of
professional connection,

470
00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:02,930
it's really, really
wonderful to get

471
00:25:02,930 --> 00:25:05,320
connected with the Liberal
Religious Educators

472
00:25:05,320 --> 00:25:06,520
Association.

473
00:25:06,520 --> 00:25:10,870
If you are lucky enough
to be in an area, perhaps

474
00:25:10,870 --> 00:25:13,770
that has a cluster
meeting nearby,

475
00:25:13,770 --> 00:25:17,350
I strongly recommend
that you try

476
00:25:17,350 --> 00:25:20,420
to find out when the
next cluster meeting is.

477
00:25:20,420 --> 00:25:25,220
You can go onto
lreda.org, and that

478
00:25:25,220 --> 00:25:27,880
will tell you where all
the different chapters are.

479
00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:32,090
And it has a directory of the
chapter presidents and email

480
00:25:32,090 --> 00:25:32,760
addresses.

481
00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:36,120
So you can directly contact
the chapter president

482
00:25:36,120 --> 00:25:40,640
and say, hey, I'm a new DRE and
I'm interested in connecting.

483
00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:42,690
And are there any
meetings coming up?

484
00:25:42,690 --> 00:25:46,780
And hopefully, they can
give you that information.

485
00:25:46,780 --> 00:25:50,050
LREDA provides a really
important service for us

486
00:25:50,050 --> 00:25:52,040
in a couple of ways.

487
00:25:52,040 --> 00:25:56,580
One is there's a published
Code of Professional Practices.

488
00:25:56,580 --> 00:25:59,990
And if you are a member
of LREDA-- and by the way,

489
00:25:59,990 --> 00:26:02,650
it is a membership
organization, but they have

490
00:26:02,650 --> 00:26:05,390
a discount if you're a new DRE.

491
00:26:05,390 --> 00:26:10,000
So be sure and look for that.

492
00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:12,250
So they have a Code of
Professional Practice.

493
00:26:12,250 --> 00:26:13,810
And they also have guidelines.

494
00:26:13,810 --> 00:26:17,540
So the guidelines are a
little bit more administrative

495
00:26:17,540 --> 00:26:20,100
and the code is a little
bit more covenantal.

496
00:26:20,100 --> 00:26:24,010
It's about, what are the
expectations and promises

497
00:26:24,010 --> 00:26:26,840
that we hold for this work?

498
00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:31,910
So I strongly recommend that
you take a moment to print those

499
00:26:31,910 --> 00:26:35,380
out and stick them--
stick them in a folder

500
00:26:35,380 --> 00:26:36,520
and keep them nearby.

501
00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:39,910
And spend some time looking at
them and thinking about them.

502
00:26:39,910 --> 00:26:42,980
And thinking about this work
that you're embarking on.

503
00:26:42,980 --> 00:26:45,340
They also have something
called the Good Offices

504
00:26:45,340 --> 00:26:52,140
Program, which provides sort
of a collegial ombudsmen.

505
00:26:52,140 --> 00:26:56,730
Someone that you can
contact if you're having

506
00:26:56,730 --> 00:26:59,590
a challenge in your work.

507
00:26:59,590 --> 00:27:05,650
Generally, things like
conflict, compensation concerns.

508
00:27:05,650 --> 00:27:08,820
They can provide some
advocacy and just kind of

509
00:27:08,820 --> 00:27:12,150
give you a little bit
of guidance and advice.

510
00:27:12,150 --> 00:27:14,300
And it never hurts
to just find out

511
00:27:14,300 --> 00:27:18,540
who the good officer near
you is and contact them

512
00:27:18,540 --> 00:27:20,410
and say, hi, I'm a new DRE.

513
00:27:20,410 --> 00:27:24,240
I'm not having any issues,
but I wanted to know you.

514
00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:26,590
I wanted to just
introduce myself.

515
00:27:26,590 --> 00:27:30,720
And that's a great person to
just sort of touch base with.

516
00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:32,770
There are some other
wonderful ways to connect,

517
00:27:32,770 --> 00:27:34,910
and perhaps some
of you have already

518
00:27:34,910 --> 00:27:37,730
connected with the REACH list.

519
00:27:37,730 --> 00:27:41,240
This is an amazing
clearinghouse of information

520
00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:44,820
that's open to religious
educators, religious education

521
00:27:44,820 --> 00:27:50,220
volunteers, ministers, anybody
who's interested in gathering

522
00:27:50,220 --> 00:27:54,590
and sharing information
about religious education

523
00:27:54,590 --> 00:27:58,480
ideas, curriculum,
program practices.

524
00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:00,580
I need a book for Sunday.

525
00:28:00,580 --> 00:28:04,170
So REACH is a great resource.

526
00:28:04,170 --> 00:28:06,360
There's also a
Listserve for LREDA.

527
00:28:06,360 --> 00:28:08,490
And that's membership-driven.

528
00:28:08,490 --> 00:28:13,640
So if you are a member of the
Liberal Religious Educators

529
00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:17,150
Association, you can
join that listserve.

530
00:28:17,150 --> 00:28:19,680
And there are also
other lists depending

531
00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:25,370
on what kind of programming
you may be offering.

532
00:28:25,370 --> 00:28:29,590
So this slide's a little small,
but hopefully you can see.

533
00:28:29,590 --> 00:28:32,910
This is why we can't have
too many video screens up,

534
00:28:32,910 --> 00:28:36,643
because the slides get
smaller and smaller

535
00:28:36,643 --> 00:28:39,010
as there are more photos.

536
00:28:39,010 --> 00:28:41,900
So there's lots
of folks that are

537
00:28:41,900 --> 00:28:45,450
doing this work
around the country

538
00:28:45,450 --> 00:28:49,830
in different areas, different
organizational places.

539
00:28:49,830 --> 00:28:52,470
Of course, there
are district staff,

540
00:28:52,470 --> 00:28:55,120
one of those 19
geographical districts.

541
00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:56,230
There are regional staff.

542
00:28:56,230 --> 00:28:57,780
We have five regions.

543
00:28:57,780 --> 00:29:00,620
And generally
speaking, we have folks

544
00:29:00,620 --> 00:29:05,530
who have a portfolio or who
have some specific expertise

545
00:29:05,530 --> 00:29:08,970
or experience with religious
education and faith

546
00:29:08,970 --> 00:29:09,950
development.

547
00:29:09,950 --> 00:29:13,070
And so that person may
be a resource to you.

548
00:29:13,070 --> 00:29:17,010
That person may also be
helping to plan trainings

549
00:29:17,010 --> 00:29:21,970
or working with a
local LREDA chapter

550
00:29:21,970 --> 00:29:26,870
to schedule different
kinds of learning events.

551
00:29:26,870 --> 00:29:30,210
There's also UUA staff,
denominational staff.

552
00:29:30,210 --> 00:29:33,370
Pat and Susan are part of
the denominational staff.

553
00:29:33,370 --> 00:29:37,790
And they do amazing
work with curriculum

554
00:29:37,790 --> 00:29:40,280
and some other resource
development stuff.

555
00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:44,520
And Pat will share a
little bit shortly on that.

556
00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:47,640
There also can be cluster
meetings and different ways

557
00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:48,460
of connecting.

558
00:29:48,460 --> 00:29:50,720
We have a General
Assembly every year.

559
00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:52,200
Of course, it's in Portland.

560
00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:54,130
Most of us can only
get there kind of

561
00:29:54,130 --> 00:29:57,120
if it's relatively
close because there's

562
00:29:57,120 --> 00:29:59,460
a little bit of a cost
associated with it.

563
00:29:59,460 --> 00:30:02,435
But if you have an opportunity
to get to General Assembly

564
00:30:02,435 --> 00:30:05,770
or to get to your
district assembly,

565
00:30:05,770 --> 00:30:07,580
I highly recommend it.

566
00:30:07,580 --> 00:30:09,862
They're great opportunities
for networking.

567
00:30:09,862 --> 00:30:11,695
And not just with other
religious educators,

568
00:30:11,695 --> 00:30:16,000
but with ministers and
with lay leaders and folks

569
00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:18,310
who are really
passionate and committed

570
00:30:18,310 --> 00:30:24,430
to the work of growing
Unitarian Universalism.

571
00:30:24,430 --> 00:30:29,570
There is also a training
program for religious educators.

572
00:30:29,570 --> 00:30:31,410
We call it the
Renaissance Program.

573
00:30:31,410 --> 00:30:36,270
And Pat Kahn is a big part
of the Renaissance Program.

574
00:30:36,270 --> 00:30:39,680
And you will find these
trainings sprinkled

575
00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:41,130
around the country.

576
00:30:41,130 --> 00:30:47,180
They are not available on a
particular scheme or schedule.

577
00:30:47,180 --> 00:30:50,130
Individual districts or
regions will decide what

578
00:30:50,130 --> 00:30:52,130
trainings they want to offer.

579
00:30:52,130 --> 00:30:55,370
But they're wonderful
foundational trainings.

580
00:30:55,370 --> 00:30:58,010
And again, they're amazing
professional networking

581
00:30:58,010 --> 00:30:59,500
opportunities.

582
00:30:59,500 --> 00:31:02,310
So many times when you
go to this, you come away

583
00:31:02,310 --> 00:31:05,560
and you have this great binder
and this great information.

584
00:31:05,560 --> 00:31:07,830
But the most important
thing about it

585
00:31:07,830 --> 00:31:09,970
was the friends that you
made and the connections

586
00:31:09,970 --> 00:31:10,620
that you made.

587
00:31:10,620 --> 00:31:14,850
And I know that for myself
being in this work 18 years,

588
00:31:14,850 --> 00:31:16,560
I can still remember
I still have

589
00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:19,120
friendships with people I met
at my very first Renaissance

590
00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:19,930
Module.

591
00:31:19,930 --> 00:31:22,680
So they're really wonderful
bonding experiences

592
00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:30,450
as well as being really
filled with great information.

593
00:31:30,450 --> 00:31:33,090
I'm in the Central
East Regional group,

594
00:31:33,090 --> 00:31:35,720
and we have a great
on-demand learning center.

595
00:31:35,720 --> 00:31:39,190
We have been doing
webinars for-- I've

596
00:31:39,190 --> 00:31:43,190
been doing webinars for a
long time, six or more years.

597
00:31:43,190 --> 00:31:47,214
And we video record
many of these.

598
00:31:47,214 --> 00:31:47,963
And they are open.

599
00:31:47,963 --> 00:31:48,900
They are available.

600
00:31:48,900 --> 00:31:51,150
Anywhere in the
country, you can go in,

601
00:31:51,150 --> 00:31:52,890
whatever time zone you're in.

602
00:31:52,890 --> 00:31:53,890
You can go in.

603
00:31:53,890 --> 00:31:56,780
We have hour and
90-minute webinars

604
00:31:56,780 --> 00:32:00,110
that are broken up
into 15-minute pieces

605
00:32:00,110 --> 00:32:02,110
so that you don't have
to watch the whole thing.

606
00:32:02,110 --> 00:32:05,460
There are webinars on an
effective RE committee.

607
00:32:05,460 --> 00:32:08,980
Webinars on working
with volunteers.

608
00:32:08,980 --> 00:32:12,150
Webinars on safety, basic
safety in the congregation.

609
00:32:12,150 --> 00:32:14,960
So lots of good topics
if you're looking

610
00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:17,440
to just sort of
get yourself sort

611
00:32:17,440 --> 00:32:20,170
of grounded in a
particular topic.

612
00:32:20,170 --> 00:32:22,630
There may be one that
is useful to you.

613
00:32:22,630 --> 00:32:28,270
So that's CERG, cerguua.org.

614
00:32:28,270 --> 00:32:32,020
And that is open to anyone.

615
00:32:32,020 --> 00:32:35,150
And of course, back to
building relationship.

616
00:32:35,150 --> 00:32:39,390
Volunteers are just a really
important part of your success.

617
00:32:39,390 --> 00:32:45,760
And there's an on-demand webinar
that I recommend that you take

618
00:32:45,760 --> 00:32:47,320
a look at if you have time.

619
00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:48,485
We talk about recruitment.

620
00:32:48,485 --> 00:32:51,800
We talk about some of
the important strategies

621
00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:57,150
for caring for-- for recruiting,
for nurturing, and supporting

622
00:32:57,150 --> 00:32:59,590
and keeping volunteers.

623
00:32:59,590 --> 00:33:05,540
And I recommend that
you take a look at that.

624
00:33:05,540 --> 00:33:08,150
Another really important
relationship, of course,

625
00:33:08,150 --> 00:33:10,110
is the parents.

626
00:33:10,110 --> 00:33:13,670
They are the primary religious
educators of their children.

627
00:33:13,670 --> 00:33:16,110
And you need to
think of yourself

628
00:33:16,110 --> 00:33:17,990
as a partner with them.

629
00:33:17,990 --> 00:33:23,740
And I hope that some
of you-- last month,

630
00:33:23,740 --> 00:33:27,370
the Karen Bellavance-Grace
talked about Full Faith Week.

631
00:33:27,370 --> 00:33:30,950
And if you didn't see that
one, check that one out

632
00:33:30,950 --> 00:33:32,500
in the archive.

633
00:33:32,500 --> 00:33:35,630
Because that's really
what we are about.

634
00:33:35,630 --> 00:33:37,790
We focus a lot on Sunday.

635
00:33:37,790 --> 00:33:40,840
It's a very important gathering
time for the community.

636
00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:44,370
But this work of growing
young Unitarian Universalists

637
00:33:44,370 --> 00:33:46,970
is a seven day a
week proposition.

638
00:33:46,970 --> 00:33:50,000
And so we need to
be educating parents

639
00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:52,330
as much as we're
educating our children.

640
00:33:52,330 --> 00:33:56,000
And so we need to develop
relationship with parents.

641
00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:59,460
And we also need to be
supportive of parents

642
00:33:59,460 --> 00:34:02,370
whose children maybe have
some learning differences

643
00:34:02,370 --> 00:34:03,890
or some special needs.

644
00:34:03,890 --> 00:34:06,570
We need to be in
conversation with them.

645
00:34:06,570 --> 00:34:11,340
There's an on-demand webinar
about RE with special needs

646
00:34:11,340 --> 00:34:13,969
on the CERG on-demand center.

647
00:34:13,969 --> 00:34:16,940
But it's just we need
to be in conversation.

648
00:34:16,940 --> 00:34:20,580
And sometimes we can't
meet all of the needs,

649
00:34:20,580 --> 00:34:24,280
but it's wonderful when we can.

650
00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:26,659
Another important
thing to keep in mind

651
00:34:26,659 --> 00:34:28,719
is the need for confidentiality.

652
00:34:28,719 --> 00:34:30,899
Again, this is pastoral care.

653
00:34:30,899 --> 00:34:35,989
Sometimes we have this
incidental pastoral care.

654
00:34:35,989 --> 00:34:38,330
Somebody just comes and
starts talking to you

655
00:34:38,330 --> 00:34:41,739
and tells you all
about grandma's who

656
00:34:41,739 --> 00:34:43,840
has just passed away.

657
00:34:43,840 --> 00:34:46,040
And these are all moments
for pastoral care.

658
00:34:46,040 --> 00:34:48,020
But they are also
moments where we

659
00:34:48,020 --> 00:34:50,560
have to be clear about
our responsibility

660
00:34:50,560 --> 00:34:52,489
about confidentiality.

661
00:34:52,489 --> 00:34:54,449
So when we're talking
with parents about what's

662
00:34:54,449 --> 00:34:56,670
going on in their
families in the home

663
00:34:56,670 --> 00:34:58,960
or with their
children, always have

664
00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:04,880
to keep in mind that
confidentiality piece.

665
00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:10,390
Another piece of
confidentiality is online,

666
00:35:10,390 --> 00:35:12,380
things like online photos.

667
00:35:12,380 --> 00:35:13,960
Safety of our children.

668
00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:19,940
So you want to have some--
do some thinking about that.

669
00:35:19,940 --> 00:35:21,880
Is there a policy
in my congregation?

670
00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:24,870
If I'm taking pictures of kids,
can I put it up on the website?

671
00:35:24,870 --> 00:35:28,680
And we actually have a form
that we recommend that you

672
00:35:28,680 --> 00:35:30,520
use if you are doing that.

673
00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:33,000
But that's part of
protecting our families

674
00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:42,620
and honoring that
confidentiality.

675
00:35:42,620 --> 00:35:44,660
So important part
of your success

676
00:35:44,660 --> 00:35:48,480
can also be engaging in
healthy communication.

677
00:35:48,480 --> 00:35:52,790
And I'm not going to spend
a lot of time on this,

678
00:35:52,790 --> 00:35:58,010
but just know that
staying connected

679
00:35:58,010 --> 00:36:00,290
with folks in
difficult conversations

680
00:36:00,290 --> 00:36:03,950
is a learned skill.

681
00:36:03,950 --> 00:36:07,170
And it is something that can
be a really important part

682
00:36:07,170 --> 00:36:09,780
of the work that you do
as a religious educator.

683
00:36:09,780 --> 00:36:15,430
Because a lot of times
people are bringing concerns

684
00:36:15,430 --> 00:36:25,330
or they're coming to the
Sunday meeting with issues

685
00:36:25,330 --> 00:36:30,030
or brokenness or things
happening in their life.

686
00:36:30,030 --> 00:36:35,896
And so we always have to be
aware of how we're behaving

687
00:36:35,896 --> 00:36:37,896
and the boundaries that
we're keeping when we're

688
00:36:37,896 --> 00:36:39,970
in conversation with people.

689
00:36:39,970 --> 00:36:42,790
So as much as you can learn
about healthy communication

690
00:36:42,790 --> 00:36:46,500
practices-- and this
actually comes up again

691
00:36:46,500 --> 00:36:52,990
in an on-demand webinar, the
one on effective RE committee.

692
00:36:52,990 --> 00:36:55,660
So if you're interested in
learning more about that,

693
00:36:55,660 --> 00:37:01,210
that's another possible
place for you to learn more.

694
00:37:01,210 --> 00:37:02,660
Communication strategies.

695
00:37:02,660 --> 00:37:06,830
It's really important not only
to communicate in healthy ways,

696
00:37:06,830 --> 00:37:10,080
but to communicate effectively.

697
00:37:10,080 --> 00:37:12,940
And one of the things
that we recommend

698
00:37:12,940 --> 00:37:17,430
is figure out what the
primary communication

699
00:37:17,430 --> 00:37:22,310
mode is in your congregation, or
the primary communication mode

700
00:37:22,310 --> 00:37:24,310
that you're comfortable with.

701
00:37:24,310 --> 00:37:27,940
It may be that you want to
send out an email newsletter,

702
00:37:27,940 --> 00:37:30,960
but you're also tweeting or
you also have a Facebook.

703
00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:34,610
So if email is
your primary mode,

704
00:37:34,610 --> 00:37:37,515
then tweet, hey, the email
newsletter just came out.

705
00:37:37,515 --> 00:37:40,630
Or post on Facebook, here's a
link to the email newsletter.

706
00:37:40,630 --> 00:37:43,470
Keep pointing people
back to the place

707
00:37:43,470 --> 00:37:46,220
where you want to put
the most information.

708
00:37:46,220 --> 00:37:50,030
Communication in
congregations is always hard.

709
00:37:50,030 --> 00:37:51,970
It's so funny when you
work with congregations

710
00:37:51,970 --> 00:37:53,761
and you ask them what
the biggest challenge

711
00:37:53,761 --> 00:37:56,702
is, communication
comes up every time.

712
00:37:56,702 --> 00:38:00,684
So you'll have
experience with that.

713
00:38:00,684 --> 00:38:02,100
Another great way
of communicating

714
00:38:02,100 --> 00:38:04,310
is a Facebook page.

715
00:38:04,310 --> 00:38:07,320
Some folks are doing that.

716
00:38:07,320 --> 00:38:08,920
Some folks are tweeting.

717
00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:14,270
And if you're not
familiar with this,

718
00:38:14,270 --> 00:38:20,330
I bet you we've got an on-demand
webinar for this very thing.

719
00:38:20,330 --> 00:38:23,850
I love this, a DRE in Toledo.

720
00:38:23,850 --> 00:38:26,690
She created a wonderful
Pinterest board.

721
00:38:26,690 --> 00:38:30,030
And it's a great way of just
sharing links and sharing

722
00:38:30,030 --> 00:38:31,090
craft ideas.

723
00:38:31,090 --> 00:38:34,580
And it kind of, I think, is
connected with the Full Faith

724
00:38:34,580 --> 00:38:35,510
Week.

725
00:38:35,510 --> 00:38:37,290
Finding that
bulletin board where

726
00:38:37,290 --> 00:38:40,730
you can put up
ideas for families

727
00:38:40,730 --> 00:38:44,310
to just continue to
connect with Unitarian

728
00:38:44,310 --> 00:38:46,690
Universalism every day.

729
00:38:46,690 --> 00:38:50,900
So a Pinterest board is
another fun thing to do.

730
00:38:50,900 --> 00:38:56,272
But we're going to talk about
some other useful resources.

731
00:38:56,272 --> 00:38:57,110
Pat Kahn.

732
00:38:57,110 --> 00:38:57,960
Great.

733
00:38:57,960 --> 00:39:00,700
And I am going to
go through these

734
00:39:00,700 --> 00:39:03,562
fairly quickly because we have
a lot of people on the call.

735
00:39:03,562 --> 00:39:05,270
And we know that there
will probably also

736
00:39:05,270 --> 00:39:09,480
be a lot of questions,
which we'll have time for.

737
00:39:09,480 --> 00:39:10,750
And just a reminder.

738
00:39:10,750 --> 00:39:15,550
I put in the chat box earlier
that we will, in fact,

739
00:39:15,550 --> 00:39:19,190
post these slides.

740
00:39:19,190 --> 00:39:25,910
And I'm trying to figure out why
all of a sudden-- there we go.

741
00:39:25,910 --> 00:39:29,210
I'm not able to advance
the slides now, pat.

742
00:39:29,210 --> 00:39:30,170
Oh, wait a minute.

743
00:39:30,170 --> 00:39:30,719
Yes, I am.

744
00:39:30,719 --> 00:39:32,260
Patricia Infante:
I think I did that.

745
00:39:32,260 --> 00:39:35,400
Pat Kahn: OK, there we go.

746
00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:38,390
So at any rate, you will
get the PowerPoint slides.

747
00:39:38,390 --> 00:39:41,915
So a lot of the URLs, et cetera,
that are on here, don't worry.

748
00:39:41,915 --> 00:39:44,990
You'll get those.

749
00:39:44,990 --> 00:39:48,100
Probably the biggest
resource for curriculum,

750
00:39:48,100 --> 00:39:50,830
if you're not already
familiar with it,

751
00:39:50,830 --> 00:39:57,770
is the collection of curricula
for children, youth, adults,

752
00:39:57,770 --> 00:40:01,100
and multi-generational groups
called Tapestry of Faith.

753
00:40:01,100 --> 00:40:04,790
And we're going to see a
couple of slides in a second,

754
00:40:04,790 --> 00:40:10,950
but that is the comprehensive
free online curricula

755
00:40:10,950 --> 00:40:16,530
that you can then download and
adjust for your congregation.

756
00:40:16,530 --> 00:40:19,160
Lots of different
ways to use it.

757
00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:21,590
There are also curricula
available still

758
00:40:21,590 --> 00:40:25,050
from the UUA Bookstore
or independent curriculum

759
00:40:25,050 --> 00:40:26,230
developers.

760
00:40:26,230 --> 00:40:29,890
UUCARDS, CARDS stands for
Curriculum and Resource

761
00:40:29,890 --> 00:40:31,460
Developers.

762
00:40:31,460 --> 00:40:34,030
There is a Renaissance
Module specifically

763
00:40:34,030 --> 00:40:36,010
on curriculum planning.

764
00:40:36,010 --> 00:40:40,330
And not all but many
districts or regions

765
00:40:40,330 --> 00:40:46,580
have libraries in terms of
you can borrow things from.

766
00:40:46,580 --> 00:40:48,700
This is just the
screen print of what's

767
00:40:48,700 --> 00:40:51,820
available in terms
of Tapestry of Faith.

768
00:40:51,820 --> 00:40:54,420
There are programs.

769
00:40:54,420 --> 00:40:56,100
There are resources.

770
00:40:56,100 --> 00:40:58,400
You can search Tapestry
of Faith if you're looking

771
00:40:58,400 --> 00:41:01,655
to find a story or an activity.

772
00:41:01,655 --> 00:41:03,280
And actually, we're
also in the process

773
00:41:03,280 --> 00:41:06,910
of tagging all of the
Tapestry of Faith programs

774
00:41:06,910 --> 00:41:12,550
with themes so that those of you
who may do theme-based ministry

775
00:41:12,550 --> 00:41:18,410
will be able to look up
for resources by theme.

776
00:41:18,410 --> 00:41:23,660
There are activities,
stey-by-step instructions.

777
00:41:23,660 --> 00:41:27,060
And there's a story
in practically

778
00:41:27,060 --> 00:41:29,490
every single
program, whether it's

779
00:41:29,490 --> 00:41:31,690
children, youth, or adults.

780
00:41:31,690 --> 00:41:34,290
And that are easily,
again, searchable.

781
00:41:34,290 --> 00:41:37,220
And you can use them
for time for all ages

782
00:41:37,220 --> 00:41:40,020
or all different
kinds of things.

783
00:41:40,020 --> 00:41:44,460
And this is one of the key
pieces, the taking it home,

784
00:41:44,460 --> 00:41:47,780
for every program.

785
00:41:47,780 --> 00:41:50,120
You can email this to parents.

786
00:41:50,120 --> 00:41:51,630
You can print it out.

787
00:41:51,630 --> 00:41:53,150
Parents can access
it themselves.

788
00:41:53,150 --> 00:41:55,320
You could just give them a link.

789
00:41:55,320 --> 00:41:59,130
But it covers what went on
in that particular session

790
00:41:59,130 --> 00:42:02,860
that day so that it's
also customizable.

791
00:42:02,860 --> 00:42:08,260
You can customize it for
your own congregation.

792
00:42:08,260 --> 00:42:10,850
Handouts, stories,
all of those things

793
00:42:10,850 --> 00:42:16,070
are all available right there
at your fingertips online.

794
00:42:16,070 --> 00:42:19,120
And there are additional
leader resources.

795
00:42:19,120 --> 00:42:22,790
And there's also a piece
for the volunteers called

796
00:42:22,790 --> 00:42:26,190
Spiritual Preparation
at the start each lesson

797
00:42:26,190 --> 00:42:29,250
that is helpful in
reminding volunteers

798
00:42:29,250 --> 00:42:34,770
that some of their spiritual
growth comes from teaching.

799
00:42:34,770 --> 00:42:38,630
It's just another
great resource.

800
00:42:38,630 --> 00:42:41,310
These are just a couple
of worship resources.

801
00:42:41,310 --> 00:42:45,420
These are available
through the UUA Bookstore.

802
00:42:45,420 --> 00:42:52,030
And I keep losing my
little thing here.

803
00:42:52,030 --> 00:42:53,140
There we go.

804
00:42:53,140 --> 00:42:57,270
Another online
resource is WorshipWeb.

805
00:42:57,270 --> 00:43:02,070
And that, again, you can search
this for chalice lightings,

806
00:43:02,070 --> 00:43:04,830
for benedictions.

807
00:43:04,830 --> 00:43:07,120
There are some stories
in here as well.

808
00:43:07,120 --> 00:43:10,240
There are opening words.

809
00:43:10,240 --> 00:43:14,250
In some cases, there are
complete services or sermons,

810
00:43:14,250 --> 00:43:15,364
lots of different things.

811
00:43:15,364 --> 00:43:17,030
And there's different
ways to search it.

812
00:43:17,030 --> 00:43:19,940
You can either do a keyword
search and ultimately

813
00:43:19,940 --> 00:43:25,350
a theme search, or there is
a whole calendar listing.

814
00:43:25,350 --> 00:43:26,830
So you can look
through the year.

815
00:43:26,830 --> 00:43:29,960
And for example, if
you start off the year

816
00:43:29,960 --> 00:43:34,270
with a water communion,
there's a whole section

817
00:43:34,270 --> 00:43:35,870
on water communion.

818
00:43:35,870 --> 00:43:38,970
And we always encourage people
to submit to WorshipWeb.

819
00:43:38,970 --> 00:43:40,580
So if you've done
something that is

820
00:43:40,580 --> 00:43:45,450
particularly wonderful, by
all means please do submit it

821
00:43:45,450 --> 00:43:51,360
And Pat mentioned the Church of
the Larger Fellowship before.

822
00:43:51,360 --> 00:43:53,840
Quest for Meaning
is the new website

823
00:43:53,840 --> 00:43:55,530
for Church of the
Larger Fellowship.

824
00:43:55,530 --> 00:43:59,300
So there are great
RE resources on there

825
00:43:59,300 --> 00:44:01,170
and resources for families.

826
00:44:01,170 --> 00:44:02,810
But the other piece
is that they do

827
00:44:02,810 --> 00:44:06,080
several different
online worship services.

828
00:44:06,080 --> 00:44:09,810
So for religious
educators, and especially

829
00:44:09,810 --> 00:44:12,710
if you don't have
another congregation

830
00:44:12,710 --> 00:44:16,480
close by that you could
attend, you can attend online.

831
00:44:16,480 --> 00:44:21,430
And they are wonderful,
wonderful worship services.

832
00:44:21,430 --> 00:44:23,610
UU World Family Pages.

833
00:44:23,610 --> 00:44:26,290
Hopefully you know about
the UU World Magazine,

834
00:44:26,290 --> 00:44:29,440
which gets sent to--
the print magazine

835
00:44:29,440 --> 00:44:33,970
gets sent to anyone who is
a member of a congregation.

836
00:44:33,970 --> 00:44:37,460
And just recently, they
started a digital edition.

837
00:44:37,460 --> 00:44:39,530
So you can now sign
up for it to read it

838
00:44:39,530 --> 00:44:42,060
on your iPad, or
Kindle, or whatever.

839
00:44:42,060 --> 00:44:48,750
And in each one, four times
a year, is the Family Pages.

840
00:44:48,750 --> 00:44:53,560
And if you look at the UU
world as just coming out now,

841
00:44:53,560 --> 00:44:55,630
the Family Pages
are all about rocks.

842
00:44:55,630 --> 00:44:57,540
And it's wonderful.

843
00:44:57,540 --> 00:45:01,150
So I highly recommend
that as a resource.

844
00:45:01,150 --> 00:45:04,590
And the Faith Development
Office has a blog

845
00:45:04,590 --> 00:45:08,320
called "Call and Response."

846
00:45:08,320 --> 00:45:13,200
And we post usually about three
times a month during September

847
00:45:13,200 --> 00:45:14,550
through, let's say, May.

848
00:45:14,550 --> 00:45:17,270
And then twice a month
during the summer.

849
00:45:17,270 --> 00:45:19,800
This was a recent
posting, a guest

850
00:45:19,800 --> 00:45:21,700
posting by Karen
Bellavance-Grace,

851
00:45:21,700 --> 00:45:23,970
talking about Full Week
Faith, which Pat had

852
00:45:23,970 --> 00:45:25,600
mentioned a couple of times.

853
00:45:25,600 --> 00:45:27,380
And the most recent
one that was just up

854
00:45:27,380 --> 00:45:29,050
is all about
theme-based ministry.

855
00:45:29,050 --> 00:45:34,050
So definitely suggest that
you go take a look at that.

856
00:45:34,050 --> 00:45:38,460
And there is also
a UU parenting blog

857
00:45:38,460 --> 00:45:40,530
that Michelle Richards does.

858
00:45:40,530 --> 00:45:43,190
She's the author of
several curricula

859
00:45:43,190 --> 00:45:47,400
and is also the
author of the book

860
00:45:47,400 --> 00:45:50,270
Tending the Flame about
being a UU parent,

861
00:45:50,270 --> 00:46:10,650
as well as Come
into the Circle--

862
00:46:10,650 --> 00:46:22,520
Susan Lawrence: Pat,
we cannot hear you.

863
00:46:22,520 --> 00:46:24,000
Can't hear you.

864
00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:31,450
Can you hear us?

865
00:46:31,450 --> 00:46:32,630
This is a problem.

866
00:46:32,630 --> 00:46:33,520
Patricia Infante: OK.

867
00:46:33,520 --> 00:46:39,860
Well, Pat was just about
done, so I can pick up.

868
00:46:39,860 --> 00:46:41,210
Yeah, I'll just pick up.

869
00:46:41,210 --> 00:46:44,266
There's only two more
slides left in this section.

870
00:46:44,266 --> 00:46:46,390
So there are a number of
different Facebook groups.

871
00:46:46,390 --> 00:46:49,340
I think LREDA has a
Facebook group as well.

872
00:46:49,340 --> 00:46:52,170
This is Liberal Educators.

873
00:46:52,170 --> 00:46:56,890
So you can just search in
the search box on Facebook

874
00:46:56,890 --> 00:47:00,910
for a variety of different
kinds of UU associated groups.

875
00:47:00,910 --> 00:47:04,430
Or you can ask in the
Liberal Educators Group

876
00:47:04,430 --> 00:47:07,050
what other groups folks are in.

877
00:47:07,050 --> 00:47:11,450
And finally, there's a wonderful
media collaborative group

878
00:47:11,450 --> 00:47:12,300
on Facebook.

879
00:47:12,300 --> 00:47:15,180
And what's fun about this
is these are visual images.

880
00:47:15,180 --> 00:47:16,840
You can use them
for your newsletter.

881
00:47:16,840 --> 00:47:17,590
You can use them.

882
00:47:17,590 --> 00:47:19,380
You can make
posters out of them.

883
00:47:19,380 --> 00:47:23,660
Many of them have Unitarian
Universalist quotes.

884
00:47:23,660 --> 00:47:26,950
So quotes from either
historic figures

885
00:47:26,950 --> 00:47:28,470
or contemporary ministers.

886
00:47:28,470 --> 00:47:32,880
And all kinds of
contemporary UUs

887
00:47:32,880 --> 00:47:36,800
paired with some really
beautiful and compelling images

888
00:47:36,800 --> 00:47:38,570
that you can use.

889
00:47:38,570 --> 00:47:45,042
So you can see there are a
lot of resources out there.

890
00:47:45,042 --> 00:47:47,510
Sometimes, it's almost too much.

891
00:47:47,510 --> 00:47:51,513
But it's wonderful to know
that these resources are

892
00:47:51,513 --> 00:47:53,680
available to you.

893
00:47:53,680 --> 00:47:58,090
And I hope you will use them.

894
00:47:58,090 --> 00:48:05,380
So we're going to close now.

895
00:48:05,380 --> 00:48:08,260
Creating kind of a plan.

896
00:48:08,260 --> 00:48:10,925
Think really intentionally
about the early days

897
00:48:10,925 --> 00:48:14,680
of your work as religious
educator in the congregation.

898
00:48:14,680 --> 00:48:17,530
Whether you're an experienced
religious educator

899
00:48:17,530 --> 00:48:22,590
in a new settlement or
whether you're a brand

900
00:48:22,590 --> 00:48:26,910
new religious educator just
starting out in the field.

901
00:48:26,910 --> 00:48:29,950
It's great to just be
intentional about saying,

902
00:48:29,950 --> 00:48:33,990
what am I going to do with this
first few months of my time

903
00:48:33,990 --> 00:48:35,800
in this congregation?

904
00:48:35,800 --> 00:48:39,490
One of the things I strongly
recommend is listening.

905
00:48:39,490 --> 00:48:43,450
Listening and observing
and just figuring out,

906
00:48:43,450 --> 00:48:48,780
who's got some power and
who's got some history?

907
00:48:48,780 --> 00:48:52,720
And figuring out what people's
strengths and gifts are.

908
00:48:52,720 --> 00:48:56,590
Who your allies are and just
how things work around here.

909
00:48:56,590 --> 00:48:59,720
Figuring out how the
organization operates

910
00:48:59,720 --> 00:49:04,070
can be a really
important piece for you.

911
00:49:04,070 --> 00:49:06,620
Building relationship
is important.

912
00:49:06,620 --> 00:49:12,300
And connecting collegially
is really a key strategy,

913
00:49:12,300 --> 00:49:15,910
getting connected with
colleagues around.

914
00:49:15,910 --> 00:49:22,140
And also, figuring out where
your expectations line up

915
00:49:22,140 --> 00:49:25,990
with what the expectations
of the folks that you're

916
00:49:25,990 --> 00:49:26,720
working with.

917
00:49:26,720 --> 00:49:30,260
So when we start, we start
with a job description.

918
00:49:30,260 --> 00:49:31,950
And sometimes, the
job description

919
00:49:31,950 --> 00:49:33,800
is kind of an ideal.

920
00:49:33,800 --> 00:49:37,030
And then we begin to do the
work and there's a reality.

921
00:49:37,030 --> 00:49:40,410
And we try to bring
those two into alignment

922
00:49:40,410 --> 00:49:41,990
as much as possible.

923
00:49:41,990 --> 00:49:52,610
So I think we're moving on
to questions and answers.

924
00:49:52,610 --> 00:49:54,660
Questions and answers.

925
00:49:54,660 --> 00:49:56,090
Susan, are you still with us?

926
00:49:56,090 --> 00:49:58,000
Susan Lawrence: I am.

927
00:49:58,000 --> 00:50:00,780
Why don't I-- I'll
be the voice and Pat

928
00:50:00,780 --> 00:50:03,820
will be the brain and
the lovely picture.

929
00:50:03,820 --> 00:50:06,469
Patricia Infante: Yes.

930
00:50:06,469 --> 00:50:08,760
Susan Lawrence: Pat could
answer us actually by typing.

931
00:50:08,760 --> 00:50:10,300
She's an incredibly fast typist.

932
00:50:10,300 --> 00:50:12,390
And that's not going
to be a problem.

933
00:50:12,390 --> 00:50:17,740
So I'm looking back to see if
we missed a question earlier on.

934
00:50:17,740 --> 00:50:19,550
And I did notice that
someone wanted us

935
00:50:19,550 --> 00:50:25,800
to back up a few slides because
the audio was kicking out.

936
00:50:25,800 --> 00:50:26,950
And that is Kate.

937
00:50:26,950 --> 00:50:31,160
Kate, if you can type
a-- well, you know what?

938
00:50:31,160 --> 00:50:34,529
It's so inelegant,
but-- OK, never mind.

939
00:50:34,529 --> 00:50:35,820
Let's answer Austin's question.

940
00:50:35,820 --> 00:50:38,930
It's much classier to answer
Austin's question, which

941
00:50:38,930 --> 00:50:41,620
is, "Have you used beeswax
as a fidget item for kids?

942
00:50:41,620 --> 00:50:44,550
Or have you found something
else that works well?

943
00:50:44,550 --> 00:50:45,740
Patricia Infante: Beeswax?

944
00:50:45,740 --> 00:50:47,780
Wow, we love fidget items.

945
00:50:47,780 --> 00:50:54,410
And if you just got-- if you're
on the Liberal Educators List,

946
00:50:54,410 --> 00:50:57,390
one of our religious educators
in Ashville, Joy Berry,

947
00:50:57,390 --> 00:51:00,300
just posted a great
thing about these soul

948
00:51:00,300 --> 00:51:03,570
work little sewing
things that she does.

949
00:51:03,570 --> 00:51:04,700
And that's a great thing.

950
00:51:04,700 --> 00:51:07,470
It's just great to have
something for kids and adults

951
00:51:07,470 --> 00:51:10,640
to have in their hand during
the worship experience.

952
00:51:10,640 --> 00:51:14,180
It helps for some folks who
are kinesthetic learners.

953
00:51:14,180 --> 00:51:16,780
It really helps them
to focus and to be

954
00:51:16,780 --> 00:51:19,860
able to listen in
a different way.

955
00:51:19,860 --> 00:51:20,700
Beeswax.

956
00:51:20,700 --> 00:51:22,180
There are the sticks.

957
00:51:22,180 --> 00:51:26,140
I haven't used blobs of
beeswax, but I've seen--

958
00:51:26,140 --> 00:51:27,120
is it Wikki Stix?

959
00:51:27,120 --> 00:51:30,490
Or there are some things.

960
00:51:30,490 --> 00:51:32,910
I don't know if anybody
else is using them.

961
00:51:32,910 --> 00:51:40,577
But chenille stems, the
Wikki Stix, soul work.

962
00:51:40,577 --> 00:51:42,160
Susan Lawrence:
Things that are quiet.

963
00:51:42,160 --> 00:51:46,405
Patricia Infante: Things that
are quiet and occupy the hands.

964
00:51:46,405 --> 00:51:47,780
Susan Lawrence:
I have a question

965
00:51:47,780 --> 00:51:50,220
from Deb, which is only to me.

966
00:51:50,220 --> 00:51:51,532
So I'm going to repeat it.

967
00:51:51,532 --> 00:51:53,240
And it has to do with
the thinking around

968
00:51:53,240 --> 00:51:56,860
whether fees may be charged
for families enrolling

969
00:51:56,860 --> 00:51:58,590
children in youth and RE.

970
00:51:58,590 --> 00:52:01,860
And what's the thinking
about parents nowadays,

971
00:52:01,860 --> 00:52:03,660
about requiring
parents to participate

972
00:52:03,660 --> 00:52:11,820
in RE teaching as part of their
arrangement for enrollment?

973
00:52:11,820 --> 00:52:14,860
Patricia Infante: So this
is a challenging one.

974
00:52:14,860 --> 00:52:17,260
And this is one
that really depends

975
00:52:17,260 --> 00:52:21,930
a lot on understanding the
culture in your congregation.

976
00:52:21,930 --> 00:52:27,200
I think that many of the
longtime professional religious

977
00:52:27,200 --> 00:52:31,890
educators I know
would lean towards it

978
00:52:31,890 --> 00:52:37,160
being part of the foundational
ministry of the congregation.

979
00:52:37,160 --> 00:52:40,280
What we do is we provide
worship experience

980
00:52:40,280 --> 00:52:41,450
for children and adults.

981
00:52:41,450 --> 00:52:43,780
And we provide
learning opportunities

982
00:52:43,780 --> 00:52:45,740
for children and adults.

983
00:52:45,740 --> 00:52:50,740
And if adults aren't
paying, then the children

984
00:52:50,740 --> 00:52:51,860
aren't going to pay.

985
00:52:51,860 --> 00:52:54,490
But every congregation
has their own history

986
00:52:54,490 --> 00:53:01,610
and their own understanding
of that value.

987
00:53:01,610 --> 00:53:03,490
There's a value there.

988
00:53:03,490 --> 00:53:07,140
So it's hard to give a
general answer to that.

989
00:53:07,140 --> 00:53:12,510
I'd say many congregations will
move towards maybe a supply

990
00:53:12,510 --> 00:53:16,410
fee because there are often
supplies for the crafts

991
00:53:16,410 --> 00:53:17,950
and things like that.

992
00:53:17,950 --> 00:53:20,780
Some will move towards
a cooperative program

993
00:53:20,780 --> 00:53:24,405
where there are expectations
for folks to volunteer.

994
00:53:24,405 --> 00:53:26,030
But that's something
that-- again, this

995
00:53:26,030 --> 00:53:29,680
is a place to listen and
learn in your early days.

996
00:53:29,680 --> 00:53:33,110
Because if you have a program
that is based on the co-op

997
00:53:33,110 --> 00:53:37,390
model, one of the things you
may observe is, oh my god,

998
00:53:37,390 --> 00:53:39,200
why is that person
in a classroom?

999
00:53:39,200 --> 00:53:43,680
That person should not be
teaching children of this age.

1000
00:53:43,680 --> 00:53:48,720
And so having sort of
general rules about everybody

1001
00:53:48,720 --> 00:53:53,680
having to do something, to do
their part in a certain way,

1002
00:53:53,680 --> 00:53:57,260
may not be in the best
interest of the children.

1003
00:53:57,260 --> 00:54:02,528
So that's a place
to listen and learn.

1004
00:54:02,528 --> 00:54:03,903
Susan Lawrence:
Deb, I don't know

1005
00:54:03,903 --> 00:54:05,319
if your question
has been answered

1006
00:54:05,319 --> 00:54:09,090
about requiring parents to
teach or mentor as being

1007
00:54:09,090 --> 00:54:10,530
a condition of enrollment.

1008
00:54:10,530 --> 00:54:14,251
Is that ever done?

1009
00:54:14,251 --> 00:54:16,375
Patricia Infante: Yeah,
same thing as like a co-op,

1010
00:54:16,375 --> 00:54:17,550
cooperative program.

1011
00:54:17,550 --> 00:54:19,300
Susan Lawrence: Yeah, OK.

1012
00:54:19,300 --> 00:54:21,570
Thank you.

1013
00:54:21,570 --> 00:54:24,410
Up higher here we see
that Jen was asking

1014
00:54:24,410 --> 00:54:26,510
about workshop rotation model.

1015
00:54:26,510 --> 00:54:28,340
And what's the experience like?

1016
00:54:28,340 --> 00:54:30,950
What are the challenges?

1017
00:54:30,950 --> 00:54:32,970
Patricia Infante: Wow.

1018
00:54:32,970 --> 00:54:35,950
Workshop rotation has
been around for some time.

1019
00:54:35,950 --> 00:54:41,930
And just about everybody I
know that has done it really

1020
00:54:41,930 --> 00:54:43,760
has a lot of success with it.

1021
00:54:43,760 --> 00:54:47,050
There's a lot of
preparation required.

1022
00:54:47,050 --> 00:54:49,970
And depending on how
you implement it,

1023
00:54:49,970 --> 00:54:54,010
there can be-- it
can be a little bit

1024
00:54:54,010 --> 00:54:56,640
more administrative
management because you

1025
00:54:56,640 --> 00:54:58,200
may have more volunteers.

1026
00:54:58,200 --> 00:55:00,430
You're having a variety
of different volunteers

1027
00:55:00,430 --> 00:55:05,634
rather than one teaching team
for a longer period of time.

1028
00:55:05,634 --> 00:55:07,050
But it holds the
interest of kids.

1029
00:55:07,050 --> 00:55:10,840
And it's connected in some
ways to Spirit Play, which

1030
00:55:10,840 --> 00:55:13,010
many of our congregations
are using Spirit

1031
00:55:13,010 --> 00:55:15,200
Play for the younger children.

1032
00:55:15,200 --> 00:55:19,090
And if you don't know
about Spirit Play,

1033
00:55:19,090 --> 00:55:22,720
Pat is going to post info
about workshop rotation.

1034
00:55:22,720 --> 00:55:25,910
And there is also
some information

1035
00:55:25,910 --> 00:55:28,182
I think on the
Spirit Play website

1036
00:55:28,182 --> 00:55:29,390
if you don't know about that.

1037
00:55:29,390 --> 00:55:32,385
But that's a Montessori
story-based curriculum

1038
00:55:32,385 --> 00:55:34,367
for the younger ages.

1039
00:55:34,367 --> 00:55:35,950
Susan Lawrence: Pat,
let me direct you

1040
00:55:35,950 --> 00:55:38,910
to a question from Rowan,
which is about confidentiality

1041
00:55:38,910 --> 00:55:42,705
in the context of a staff team.

1042
00:55:42,705 --> 00:55:43,580
Patricia Infante: OK.

1043
00:55:43,580 --> 00:55:45,590
Let's see if I can
find that question.

1044
00:55:45,590 --> 00:55:46,010
Susan Lawrence: Oh, I'm sorry.

1045
00:55:46,010 --> 00:55:47,280
I thought you had read it.

1046
00:55:47,280 --> 00:55:49,010
I apologize.

1047
00:55:49,010 --> 00:55:50,800
I got it.

1048
00:55:50,800 --> 00:55:55,410
"When do folks tend to
share things with ministers?

1049
00:55:55,410 --> 00:56:00,710
How does that fit in within the
boundaries of confidentiality?"

1050
00:56:00,710 --> 00:56:02,840
Patricia Infante:
So this is a place

1051
00:56:02,840 --> 00:56:05,090
where you want to
have a conversation

1052
00:56:05,090 --> 00:56:07,780
as soon as possible
with your minister

1053
00:56:07,780 --> 00:56:11,360
and create a covenant between
you about what kinds of things

1054
00:56:11,360 --> 00:56:15,990
that you will share.

1055
00:56:15,990 --> 00:56:18,780
I can't say that there
is a blanket answer,

1056
00:56:18,780 --> 00:56:20,720
but I would say
in many situations

1057
00:56:20,720 --> 00:56:22,610
that I have personally
been involved in

1058
00:56:22,610 --> 00:56:28,450
or that I have had
some part in, there

1059
00:56:28,450 --> 00:56:31,910
is a pretty transparent
relationship

1060
00:56:31,910 --> 00:56:34,050
between the minister and
the religious educator.

1061
00:56:34,050 --> 00:56:36,300
And there's a lot
of sharing that

1062
00:56:36,300 --> 00:56:39,490
happens because
there's deep caring

1063
00:56:39,490 --> 00:56:43,090
on both parts for the pastoral
care of the congregation.

1064
00:56:43,090 --> 00:56:46,280
And for a religious
educator, again,

1065
00:56:46,280 --> 00:56:48,280
understanding what
my boundary is

1066
00:56:48,280 --> 00:56:51,550
and knowing when
something that starts out

1067
00:56:51,550 --> 00:56:56,360
as a conversation with somebody
really moves into something

1068
00:56:56,360 --> 00:57:00,320
that requires a more practice
or a more experienced kind

1069
00:57:00,320 --> 00:57:02,620
of pastoral care.

1070
00:57:02,620 --> 00:57:05,262
I need to be in conversation
with the minister around where

1071
00:57:05,262 --> 00:57:05,970
that boundary is.

1072
00:57:05,970 --> 00:57:07,803
And it's going to be
different for all of us

1073
00:57:07,803 --> 00:57:09,950
because we all bring
different experience.

1074
00:57:09,950 --> 00:57:14,820
So I'd say as much
transparency between the staff

1075
00:57:14,820 --> 00:57:22,070
and the minister as is
practicable, possible.

1076
00:57:22,070 --> 00:57:24,450
Susan Lawrence: I notice
there's interest in more

1077
00:57:24,450 --> 00:57:25,930
about the rotation model.

1078
00:57:25,930 --> 00:57:27,780
And someone has said,
can we get a webinar?

1079
00:57:27,780 --> 00:57:29,590
Which reminds me
to ask this group,

1080
00:57:29,590 --> 00:57:33,220
are there other webinar topics
that are of interest to you

1081
00:57:33,220 --> 00:57:35,260
that we ought to know about?

1082
00:57:35,260 --> 00:57:37,880
Patricia Infante: Which
is probably a great cue

1083
00:57:37,880 --> 00:57:40,080
to move to the next slide.

1084
00:57:40,080 --> 00:57:43,780
Do we want to move
forward to the next month?

1085
00:57:43,780 --> 00:57:46,930
Susan Lawrence: Absolutely.

1086
00:57:46,930 --> 00:57:47,900
Oh, no.

1087
00:57:47,900 --> 00:57:51,110
We must stop here because-- Pat,
would you take this, please?

1088
00:57:51,110 --> 00:57:53,360
Trish, I mean.

1089
00:57:53,360 --> 00:57:56,720
Patricia Infante: So obviously,
we're just dipping our toe in.

1090
00:57:56,720 --> 00:57:58,014
This is a big topic.

1091
00:57:58,014 --> 00:57:59,680
And we hope that you
will take advantage

1092
00:57:59,680 --> 00:58:01,220
of the other resources.

1093
00:58:01,220 --> 00:58:03,390
But we want to just
bless you in this work.

1094
00:58:03,390 --> 00:58:05,340
Start as you mean to continue.

1095
00:58:05,340 --> 00:58:08,523
And we wish you a
great deal of success

1096
00:58:08,523 --> 00:58:14,610
in your religious
education ministry.

1097
00:58:14,610 --> 00:58:17,280
Susan Lawrence:
Pat, are you mute?

1098
00:58:17,280 --> 00:58:17,930
You can't talk.

1099
00:58:17,930 --> 00:58:19,450
I'm going to talk.

1100
00:58:19,450 --> 00:58:20,090
I'm sorry.

1101
00:58:20,090 --> 00:58:21,426
OK, I'm going to do it.

1102
00:58:21,426 --> 00:58:22,800
This is what we've
got coming up.

1103
00:58:22,800 --> 00:58:27,320
In September, we are
introducing our second edition

1104
00:58:27,320 --> 00:58:30,640
of the OWL program, which is
the UUA sexuality education

1105
00:58:30,640 --> 00:58:31,570
program.

1106
00:58:31,570 --> 00:58:33,530
And it's a lifespan program.

1107
00:58:33,530 --> 00:58:36,800
And the book for grades seven
through nine has a new edition.

1108
00:58:36,800 --> 00:58:39,610
So that webinar is for people
in positions like yours

1109
00:58:39,610 --> 00:58:41,820
who are possibly
going to bring OWL in,

1110
00:58:41,820 --> 00:58:44,390
even if you aren't necessarily
the person teaching it.

1111
00:58:44,390 --> 00:58:46,320
As well as people in
the congregation who

1112
00:58:46,320 --> 00:58:49,219
have been trained to facilitate
OWL or any lay leaders

1113
00:58:49,219 --> 00:58:51,510
that you suspect are interested
in bringing the program

1114
00:58:51,510 --> 00:58:53,300
into your congregation.

1115
00:58:53,300 --> 00:58:56,760
And October-- I don't know
what that's going to be.

1116
00:58:56,760 --> 00:58:59,550
We have some met some folks
by doing other webinars who

1117
00:58:59,550 --> 00:59:01,260
have been invited to present.

1118
00:59:01,260 --> 00:59:04,910
And the topic is body/spirit
family spiritual practices.

1119
00:59:04,910 --> 00:59:06,427
And I know it's
going to be great.

1120
00:59:06,427 --> 00:59:08,260
And I don't know what
it's going to be like.

1121
00:59:08,260 --> 00:59:11,390
So please join for that as well.

1122
00:59:11,390 --> 00:59:13,450
In November, we are
going to do something

1123
00:59:13,450 --> 00:59:16,220
about military ministry
in congregations.

1124
00:59:16,220 --> 00:59:18,110
We have a new tool
kit, which is basically

1125
00:59:18,110 --> 00:59:21,530
a program for adults
to study and practice

1126
00:59:21,530 --> 00:59:23,570
welcoming of military families.

1127
00:59:23,570 --> 00:59:25,470
And it opens some
authentic dialog,

1128
00:59:25,470 --> 00:59:28,590
which is something that has
maybe not happened enough

1129
00:59:28,590 --> 00:59:29,780
in our congregations.

1130
00:59:29,780 --> 00:59:32,180
And that's November.

1131
00:59:32,180 --> 00:59:34,800
And from there,
I'm not quite sure.

1132
00:59:34,800 --> 00:59:37,990
But you can get the exact
times and increasingly better

1133
00:59:37,990 --> 00:59:41,340
detailed descriptions on
the web link you see below,

1134
00:59:41,340 --> 00:59:47,120
which is the UUA website,
re/teachers/webinars.

1135
00:59:47,120 --> 00:59:49,820
Which is also where you'll find
a recording of this webinar

1136
00:59:49,820 --> 00:59:51,403
and slides within a few days.

1137
00:59:51,403 --> 00:59:52,319
Patricia Infante: Yay.

1138
00:59:52,319 --> 00:59:59,510
Cool.

1139
00:59:59,510 --> 01:00:02,027
I think we're done.

1140
01:00:02,027 --> 01:00:02,610
Thank you all.

1141
01:00:02,610 --> 01:00:03,526
Susan Lawrence: Great.

1142
01:00:03,526 --> 01:00:04,820
Thank you all very much.

1143
01:00:04,820 --> 01:00:06,780
And welcome to the club.

1144
01:00:06,780 --> 01:00:08,630
Patricia Infante: Yes, indeed.

1145
01:00:08,630 --> 01:01:40,467