support’for’your’congregation’with’your ... · pdf...

UUPCC ! PO Box 88 ! Bedford, MA 01730-‐0088 ! 781-‐275-‐1710 ! Email: [email protected]

Support for your congregation with your international UU Partnership!

What’s inside:

Partnership Inspirations

! Benefits of Partnership – Inspirational Stories ! Thoughts to Ponder ! Suggested Worship Service Thoughts, Readings and Hymns ! Travel Reflections Guide ! Sermon: Rev. Gary Smith ! Sermon: Rev. Scott Prinster ! Transylvanian Unitarianism Bibliography, compiled by Harold Babcock ! A Balkan/Central/Eastern Europe Reading List, compiled by H Babcock ! The Edict of Torda ! Unitarianism in the Khasi Hills of India, H.H. Mohrmen ! Philippines Bibliography

The How of Partnership

! Introducing Yourselves ! Communicating With Your Partners ! Money and Partnership ! The Steering Committee ! Covenant writing process

UUPCC Support Services

! UUPCC Communications Offerings ! Travel Grant Program and Application ! UUPCC Money Transfer Service and Form ! Pilgrimages Resources ! Religious Education Resources ! Community Capacity Building ! Frequently Asked Questions

UnitarianUniversalistPartnerChurchCouncil POBox88 Bedford,MA01730‐0088 781‐275‐1710 Email:[email protected]

INTRODUCINGYOURSELVESTOONEANOTHEROfcourse,face‐to‐faceintroductionsarethebestway,andwedoencourageyoutovisitasoften,andasmanyofyou,aspossible.UUPCCisalwaysreadytohelpwiththelogisticsofvisitstoandfromyourpartners.Letusknowwhenyouaretraveling.Butthereisanotherwaytodointroductionsthathasbeendoneinvariouscongregationswithsuccess.Ittakessomeplanningandcanbeaneffectivewaytogettoknowoneanotherandputahumanfaceonthepartnership.Onepartneredcongregation,inHopedaleMassachusetts,celebratestheirpartnershipeachyearwithaspecialserviceanddoes“introductions”aspartoftheservice.Weencouragetheministerstodotheirownintroductionsbothindividuallywitheachother,andtotheothercongregation.AnideaforPartnershipIntroductions

Rev.TimHousewrites:“ForPartnershipSundaythisyear,mywifeAnnGarycameupwithagoodideaI’dliketoshare.TheministerofourpartnerchurchandherhusbandhadvisitedhereinHopedalelastFall,andthegoalnowwastofindsome“ritual”wayofintroducingourparishionerstotheirparishionersinCsekefalva.Here’swhatwedid:Weaskedabouteightindividualsfromourcongregationtowriteashortbiographicalsketchofthemselvesinthefirstpersontense,andtoincludewhatwasimportanttothemaboutourpartnership.Thegroupwaschosentorepresentasbroadacrosssectionofourcongregationaspossible.Wethensentthese“personalstatements”viaemailtoourpartnerchurchministerinCsekefalva,NoémiSzeredai.Shehadsomemembersofhercongregationdothesamething,andshesentthemtous.OnPartnershipSunday,themembersofourcongregationwhohadsentprofilestoCsekefalva,stoodupinchurchanddeliveredtheirownbiographytoourparishioners,thenwenttoanotherpersoninourcongregationwhowaspretendingtobesomeonefromCsekefalva.Theygreetedoneanother,andthenthatpersonreadthebiographyofthepersontheyrepresented.Theythenwenttoanotherpersoninchurchwho,afteragreeting,deliveredtheirownprofile,andsoonuntilallofourcongregantshadsharedagreetingwithalloftheircongregants.InCsekefalva,theydidasimilarthingduringtheirworshipservice.“Parallelintroductions.”Thiswasagreatsuccess,andhadsomeunexpectedbenefits.BesidesprovidinganintroductiontosomeofourpartnersinTransylvania–andbringingthemtolifeforus–we

UUPCC POBox88 Bedford,MA01730‐0088 781‐275‐1710 [email protected] www.uupcc.org

alsolearnedsomethingsaboutourfellow‐parishionersthatwemightnothaveknownbefore.Our‘IntroductionsExercise’createdawonderfulatmosphereofsharingandsupportedmybeliefthatthePartnerChurchprogramwillnotonlybringustogetherwithfriendsfromfaroffplaces,butitwillalsobringusclosertothosewithwhomweshareworship,fellowshipandserviceprojectsrighthereathomeintheHopedaleUnitarianParish.”

Hereareacoupleofexamplesoftheprofiles:(Readbyawomaninourcongregation)I am Zsofia Rafai. I am 18 year old girl. I live in Csekefalva with my Parents. My older sister is in college in Kolozsvár. I learn in Szekelykeresztur in the Orban Balazs High School in 12th grade. In this year I have the finale exam I have a lot to learn and I have just a little spare time. When I have time I like to hang out with my friends and Sunday afternoon my program is the Youth meeting. I like to meet different people. I am very happy for this partnership this gives me good feeling. I was very happy for your Christmas wish and present and I am grateful for your scholarship sent in 2001. (ShethenwenttoRachelandgreetedher.Rachelreadherownprofile)I am Rachel Newman and I am a senior at Hopedale High School who is turning eighteen in two weeks. I will be going to Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York in the fall. My primary study will be in English Literature, with secondary study in Theater. I love singing, acting, and my life's ambition is to become a professor of English Literature. I'd love to one day see our sister church in Csekefalva. (RachelwenttoamaninourcongregationwhoreadElek’sprofile.)I am Elek. I was born in 1955 n Székelykeresztúr, the nearby town. My wife is from Csekefalva so we moved here. We have two children, a boy 21 in college, and my daughter 19 also in college. I am working in Székelykeresztúr at a reused material center. I moved from city to village but I am happy. I am proud about my Unitarian ancestors. My grandfather’s brother was a Unitarian bishop in the 60s. (HewenttoPegandgreetedher.Pegreadherownprofile.)My name is Peg. I have 3 daughters and two sons. I have 10 grandchildren who bring a lot of joy to my life. I certainly wish that I had more time to spend with them. I enjoy the ocean, walks, museums, time with friends and family. I was born in New York City, raised in Maine and have lived most of my life in Massachusetts. I was married and am now divorced.



COMMUNICATINGWITHYOURPARTNERSTheimportanceofcontactinyourpartnershipisobvioustoeveryone–inordertohavearelationshiptherehastobecontact.Soeachpartnershipneedstoconsider–andanswerforthemselves–thebasicquestions:How?Who?When?What?The“How”ofCommunicationsThisis,ofcourse,thefirstquestiontobeanswered.Iflanguageisabarrier,youwillneedatranslator.IdentifythoseinyourpartnerchurchwhocanspeakEnglish.Ifyouneedhelpwithtranslation,checkyourcongregationtoseeiftherearenativespeakers.Sometimesthisisthemostsurprisingpart–someoneinyourcongregationmayhavetiestothecountryofyourpartnerandcanhelp.Ifnot,contacttheUUPCCforsupport.Thebiggerquestionisoftenthetechnology.Noteveryonewillhavereadyaccesstotheinternet.Isitavailable?Manypartnersinthepastboughtcomputerstohelpwiththis.Nowsmartphonesandtabletsmightbealessandmoreefficientsolution.Iftheyhavethetechnology,howaretheymostcomfortableusingit?Facebook?Email?SkypeorZOOM?Inremoteareas,textingacellphonemaybethebestmethodandleastcostly.UsingaSkypeaccounttocallacellphoneisveryinexpensiveforusintheUSandisprobablythemostaccessiblemeansofcommunicationinremoteareas.TheUSorCanadianpartnercanhelpbypayingforthecellphoneorsmartphoneandanyongoingcharges.Inmostcountries,cellphonesarenotmonthlycontracts.Rather,youpurchase“minutes”ofconnecttimeandwhenyourunout,youpurchasemoreminutes.Workwithyourpartnertofindthebestway.UUPCCcanhelpwithspecificsuggestions,socallifyouneedhelp.The“WhoandWhen”ofCommunicationsInthebeginningofthepartnership,itisbesttomakethisadeliberateconnectionwitharegularschedule–sayonceamonthorso.Determinewhothe“officialcontact”willbe.HavethisbearesponsibilityofthePartnerChurchCommitteeandrotatethepositiontoincludenewpeopleinthepartnership.Askyourpartnertoalsodesignateapersonwhowillbetheprimarycontactpersontoreceivemessagesandtoreplytothem.Itmightbetheministerifhe/sheistheonlyonewithemail.Butaslongasthecontactissharingmessageswiththeministeronaregularbasisitcouldalsobesomeoneelsewhohasameansofcommunication


Thebestcaseofcourseistodeveloplotsandlotsofinformalconnectionsandcommunicatingbetweenthemembersofthetwocommunities.Considerthisalong‐termgoalforthecommunity.Thishappenswhentherearevisitsandfriendshipsareformed.Peoplemeetandthenkeepintouchwithoneanother.Thisisgreat!Oftenthoughthatispersonalinnatureandnotnecessarilysharedwiththewholechurch.Special“Who”Minister‐to‐ministerconnectionsareavitalpartofthepartnership.Theseoftendevelopaspeer‐to‐peerormentor–menteerelationshipsoneoftheministersisnewtoministryorhashadlittleopportunityfortheologicaleducation,assooftenisthecaseinlessdevelopedcountries.Thisrelationshipisspecialandshouldbeencouraged.Helpingyourministertounderstandthatroleandassuringthemthattheydonothavetodothenitty‐grittycommunicationsworkmakesthiseasiertoestablish.Considersuggestingthattheystartbyexchangingmessagestoeachother’scongregationatholidays(whicheveronesareimportantineachchurch).Thesecanbepublishedintheorderofserviceorreadfromthepulpitorprintedinthenewsletter.Itisagreatwaytoincludeyourpartnerinthelifeofyourcongregation.The“What”ofCommunicationsTheywanttoknowaboutyourlife,yourchurchlifeandactivitiesandspecialeventsandholidays.Youprobablywanttoknowthesamethings.Thinkaboutconversationsyouhavewithnewfriendsinyourlifeandmodelthesameinyourcommunicationswithyourpartners.Whileitmayseemalittlestrangeinthebeginning,soonyouwillhavelotstochatabout.SeethesuggestionintheStart‐upNotebookonIntroductions.IfyoudohaveaSkypeorZOOMconnection,thinkaboutsettingupameetingbetweenyourpartnerchurchcommitteeandafewpeopleinyourpartnerchurch.Howabutayouth‐to‐youthconversation?Thereareendlesspossibilitiestoexplore.Onceyouhavesomeprojectstogether–likeintroducingmembersofyourcongregationstoeachother–communicationswillfeelmorenatural.Andasfriendshipsdevelop,hopefullythoughvisits,moreconnectionswillbemade.Enjoyyournewpartners!


MONEYANDPARTNERSHIPTherolethatmoneyplaysinanypartnershipisprobablyoneofthemostuncomfortable,andmostimportant,topicspartnersface.Yourpartnershipismorelikelytobesuccessfulwhenyoudiscusstheroleofmoneyopenly.Thefirststepistohavethisconversationinyourownpartnerchurchcommitteeandwithyourownchurchsothatyoucanbeclearaboutyourmotives,yourvisionandhowusemoneytobeofservicetoeachotherinsteadof“helping”or“fixing.”ThisquotefromRachelRemen,authorofKitchenTableWisdom,StoriesthatHeal,capturesthisconceptwell.

Service is not the same as helping. Helping is based on inequality, it’s not a relationship between equals. When you help, you use your own strength to help someone with less strength. It's a one up, one down relationship, and people feel this inequality. When we help, we may inadvertently take away more than we give, diminishing the person's sense of self-worth and self-esteem… Serving is also different to fixing. We fix broken pipes; we don't fix people. When I set about fixing another person, it's because I see them as broken. Fixing is a form of judgment that separates us from one another; it creates a distance. So fundamentally, helping, fixing and serving are ways of seeing life. When you help, you see life as weak; when you fix, you see life as broken; and when you serve, you see life as whole. When we serve in this way, we understand that this person's suffering is also my suffering, that their joy is also my joy… We may help or fix many things in our lives, but when we serve, we are always in the service of wholeness.

TheUUPCCpublishedawhitepapertitledFairnessandAwarenessGuidelinesin2005.Weareawarethatthisremainsoneofthehardestissuesinmostpartnerships.In2006,weintroducedtheCommunityCapacityBuilding(CCB)processasonemethodofidentifyinglocally‐controlledandlocally‐definedprojectsthatpartnerscouldworkontogether.YoucanreadtheGuidelinesandtheCCBdescriptionsandcasestudiesatwww.uupcc.orgThispaperwillsummarizethebestoftheadvicewehavegleanedfrompartnershipsovertheyears.LEADWITHRELATIONSHIPFIRST–SUPPORTEDWITHACOMMUNICATIONSTRATEGYANDTRAVEL

Anypartnershipneedsastrongfoundationoftrustfirst.Thisdoesnothappenovernightanditdoesnothappenjustbecauseyouhavebecomepartners.Itcomesfrombeingincontact–sometimesbumpingintoeachother–andthenrecoveringfromthosebumps.Theperiodofdiscoveryoftheotherisoneofthemostexcitingandtime‐consumingaspectsofthepartnership.Taketimetogettoknowwhoyourpartnersare:spiritually,culturally,historically.Someofthiscanbedonethroughresearch,butmuchofitrequiresknowingeachother’sstories–andthatrequirescommunication.Ifyoucanvisitanewpartnerwithinthefirstyear,itwillopenthedoorsofcommunicatingmoreeffectively.Ifyoucannot,thereareotherthingsthatyourpartnerchurchcommitteecandotobeginfacilitatingeffectivecommunication.


UUPCCadvisesallnewpartnerstoonlyspendmoneyinthefirsttwoyearsto:1.Improvecommunicationaccesssothatthepartnerscancommunicateeasily.2.Supporttravelinbothdirections.

Oftenourpartnersareeconomicallychallenged–especiallybecausecommunicationstools(phones,tablets,etc.)andconnectivitycanbecostlyindevelopingcountries,relativetoincome.Accesstotheinternetin2013tendstocostabout$30‐$40USDpermonthregardlessofthecountry.Asmartphone,tabletorcomputerisnecessarytouseSkypeorZOOMoranyofthemeetingsoftwarethatallowsvideo.AllofthesearepricedaboutthesameastheyareintheUS.IftheUScongregationdecidestofinancethisfortheirpartner,intheinterestofservicetotheirpartner,itwillhavetodeterminewhogetstheinternetconnection?Thetablet/computer/smartphone?Andwhodecides?Ah,thefirstgoodconversationhasbegun.Thepartnersneedtodecidetheanswerstothesequestionstogether.Butiftheirpartneredcommunitydoesnothavetheexperienceofsharedresources,orevenadecision‐makingprocessitmightnotbeaneasydecision.Sothisprocessoftenbecomesthefirstlearningopportunityforbothpartners.Theotherrolemoneyshouldplayinthefirsttwoyearsisfortravel.ThemodelformanyUSandCanadiancongregationsisforindividualchurchmemberstopaytheirownwayonvisitstopartners.Butiftheonlyoneswhocangotovisitarethosethathavethepersonalresourcestotravelinternationally,yourchurchislimitingwhocanfullyparticipateinthispartnership.Doyouwanttoincludeyouth?Doyouwanttoincluderetirees?Staff?Youngfamilies?Doyouwanttosendoneortwopeopleatfirsttoactasambassadorsofthechurch,makefirstface‐to‐facecontactwithyourpartnerandbringbackinformationaboutyourpartners?Ifso,doyouwanttolimitwhoyouconsiderasambassadorsbytheirabilitytopersonallyfinancethetrip?Therearemanylogicalreasonstoraisecommunityfundstoatleastpartiallysubsidizethecostofsuchatriptoyourpartners.Thisisagreatopportunityforanycongregationtohaveaconversationaboutthetalentsandtreasuresthatallofusbringtoourchurchcommunities.Asfortravelfromtheretohere,inmanyinstancesitwillnotbepossiblewithoutsomesubsidy.US/Canadiancongregationsareusuallyprettygenerousingivingtobringoneorseveralpeoplefromyourpartnercongregation.Heretoo,issuesmightarise.Whodecideswhocomes?Isittheministerwhoalwayscomes?Canyouaffordtobringacongregationmemberormembers?Again,theotherpartnershouldselect,butifyouhavepreferencesforyouth/olderperson/male/female/etc.letthosepreferencesbeknownsothatyouarenotdisappointedwhentheyselect.Thisisaharddecision.Ashortstorywillillustrate:EarlyinPartnership,USChurchXtoldtheirpartnertheywantedtobringtheminister,hiswife(nottheirchildren)andthreepeoplefromthepartnercongregation.ChurchXrequestedthatoneofthe3beayoungperson.Thepartnershipwasyoungandeachwantedtopleasetheother.ChurchXsuggestedtheirpartnerchoose.Howwouldyourchurchresolvethis?Nowimaginethatyourcountryhasjustcomeoutof40yearsofCommunism.Decisionmakingasacommunitywasnotaskillanyonehad.Theyallsaidtotheminister“Youdecide.”Andsoheasked,“Whoiswillingtogo?”Hesortedthembymen,womenandyouthage18–30.Therewerenotsomanywillingtocome,actually.Thiswasquiteadaringthingtodo,especiallyifyou


onlyspeakHungarian.Andthenheputthenamesinthreehatsandpulledonenamefromeachhat.ChurchXdidnotknowuntilmanyyearslaterhowthosepeoplewereselected.BUILDINGCAPACITY

Oncetherelationshipisestablishedeveryonewillbegintogetideasabouthowtobeofservicetooneanother.Sharingtraditionsandcustomsinyourcongregationhelpseveryonefeelconnected.ExploringhowtheUnitarianUniversalistfaiththatispracticedinthepartnercommunityenrichesthefaithofeachcommunity.Ifyouarereadytothinkaboutprojects,letyourpartnerlead.Anotherstory:Intheearly1990’s,manyUSUUsvisitedTransylvaniafarmingvillagesintheearlysummer.Theyweresurprisedtoseealmostallthefieldworkbeingdonebyhand.Theydecidedwhattheirpartnerneededwasatractor.About10differentUSandCanadianpartnersboughttractors.TheTransylvaniancommunitieswerethenfacedwithdeciding:Whoownsthetractor?Whodecideshowandwhenitisused?AfterhavingcollectivefarmingforcedonthemunderCommunism,fewifanyvillageswerereadytotrycollectivepropertyownershipagain.Also,becausethelandhadbeendividedagainandagainoverthegenerationstheyhadbeenhandeddown,manyoftheplotsweresmallandnarrow.Tractorswerenotreallyveryuseful.ThisiswhatwecalltheUSAIDsyndrome:“WEhavethesolutionwhetherornotYOUhavetheproblem.”AdifferentperspectiveformsthebasisoftheCommunityCapacityBuildingprocess.TheCCBprocessisbasedonrecognizingthatthelocalcommunityknowsbestwhatitsstrengthsandneedsare.Whattheymightneedhelpwithisorganizingtheirknowledge,buildingconsensusaboutthepriorityoftheirneeds,designinganactionplan,andidentifyingtheresourcestheyneedtoimplementthatplan.TheCCBworkshophelpsdevelopandteachtheseskillsallowingthelocalcommunitytoownthepriority,theplanandthesolution.Partnersplayalargeroleasfundingsourceforthetraining,witnesstotheprocess,supporterandadvocateand,insomecases,partnersfundallorpartoffinancesfortheproject.YoucanreadactualcasestudiesofCCBworkshopsincommunitiesaroundtheworldonourwebsiteatwww.uupcc.org/partnerships/ccbUUPCCispleasedtoarrangeapresentationatyourchurchtoexploretheCCBprocessandtoolsandtalkwithyouabouthowthiscanworkforyourpartnership.SIMPLEGIFTS

Rev.DavidKeyesquotessome“unknownprophet”inMostLikeanArch,“Wecannotembraceifarearmsarefullofgifts.”Ifitisyourfirstvisittoyourpartnerweknowyouwillwanttotakegifts.Thebestadviceistokeepitsimple.Bringagiftthatyoucanpresentduringachurchservice–aflamingchalice,abannerthatincludesyourchurchandtheirs,cardsfromyourcongregationmemberswhodidnotcome–simply“Hello,wearegladthatwearefriends.”SomethingfromyourREclasses–abook,apostertheysign,cardsetc.Don’tforgetaphotodirectoryifyourchurchhasone.Bringaphotobookofthecitywhereyoulive.Bringafewbagsofchocolatekisses–enoughforeveryoneinthecongregation.Bringasimplecameraforthechurchsotheycansendyouphotos.


Therewillbetimeinfutureyearsforothergiftssodon’ttrytodoeverythingatonce.Thebasicguidanceismakethempersonal,meaningfulandsomethingthateveryonecanshare.UUPCCdiscouragesexpensive,individual‐to‐individualgifts.Ifyouarestayinginpeople’shomesitisrighttobringahostessgift,butbeingoverlygenerouscreatespressureonothertravelerstocompeteandcreatesjealousiesamongthepartnercongregants.Italsocreatespressureonhostfamiliestoreciprocate.Takesometimebeforeyoutraveltotalkwiththetravelersonyourtripaboutgift‐givingandgivinggiftsofmoneytoindividuals.DiscusswhetherornottodoacommunalgifttothePartnerinsteadof,orinadditiontoindividualgifts.Discusshowtorespondifanindividualasksoneofthetravelersformoney–forcollege,orlivingexpensesormedicalexpenses,forexample.Whentheeconomicsituationissounequal,andtheemotionsofbeingpartnersisrunninghigh,itisveryeasytopromisesomethingthatwillcausedifficultiesinfutureyears.Intheflushofexcitementofface‐to‐facevisits,itissometimesdifficulttorememberthatyouarebuildingacommunalrelationship,forthelongterm,whichmeansthatyoumustgoslow.Beingpreparedforthis“ask,”willmeanthatyouarebetterpreparedtoanswer.WORKINGTOGETHER

Ifyouandyourpartnerdecidetodosomekindofprojecttogether,hopefullyafteraCCBworkshop,spendsometimeatthebeginningtogetasmuchinformationaspossible.Itisimportanttounderstandthetotalcostofaprojectinmoney,timeandeffort.Youwillalsoneedtounderstandthesourcesofsupport–financialandotherwise:fromyourpartnersthemselves,local,national,andregionalgovernment,NGO’s,otherchurchesandorganizationsinthecommunity.Manyofusarenotfamiliarwithfundingsourcesandgrantwritingandthisisagoodlearningopportunityforall.

WhentheUUFellowshipofFoxValley,AppletonWIdecidedtohelptheDevaUnitariansinTransylvaniabuildanewbuildingtheyexploreeveryoption.TherewerenofundingsourcesavailableatthetimeinRomaniasoFoxValleylookedaround.Theyfoundfinancialsupportfromanon‐Unitarianchurchintheirtownthatcontributedasizableportionofthemoneyneededtocompletethebuilding.TheUUCongregationofFairfaxandtheirpartnerinSzentgericedecidedtobuildamedicalclinic.TogethertheypartneredwiththeReformChurchinSzentgericeandtheirpartnerfromTheNetherlands.Thelocalcongregationssuppliedmuchofthelaborwhilethepartnerspaidformostofthematerials.TheRomaniangovernmentagreedtopaythedoctor’ssalary.Theclinichasbeenoperatingandself‐sustainingfornearly15years.TheUUChurchinNagbinlodheldaCCBworkshopandinvitedeveryoneinthevillagetoparticipate.Thecommunityprioritizedbringinginanewsourceofwaterastheirtoppriority.Thelocalgovernmentsuppliedthetankandthepump,USPartnersboughtthepipe,and


communitymembersprovidedthelabor.Thatcommunityhasgoneon–workingtogether–tobuildaschool,managethewaterdistributionsystemandattractagriculturaldemonstrationprojectsthathavebenefitedtheentirecommunity.

Noteveryprojecthassuchagreatoutcome.Therearemanythingstoconsider.Whatwillhappenafterthewatersystem,clinic,newchurchbuilding,schoolisbuilt?Howwilloperationalcostsbecovered?Howwillitbemaintained?Helpingpartnerstalkthroughtheseissuesisagreatwaytobuildcapacityinthelocalcommunity.Partnersneedtobethoughtfulaboutpayingon‐goingoperationalcosts.Payingon‐goingoperationalcostcreatesaninherentlyunequaldependencyrelationshipwithyourpartnerANDobligatesyourcongregationtoraisefundsyearafteryearafteryear.REALISTICREPORTINGEXPECTATIONS

Discussyourexpectationsregardingfinancialreportinginyourownpartnerchurchcommitteefirst.Whatinformationdoyouwantthemtoreport:

…ifyougiveagifttothechurchandtellthemtheycandeterminehowtospendthemoney?…ifyouarefinancingawaterprojectoraconstructionproject?…ifyouaresupportingschoolexpensesforstudents?

Areyourexpectationsrealistic?ManagingabudgetandfiscalreportingisroutineformostofusintheUSandCanada.ItisNOTformanyofourpartners.Keepwhatinformationyouaskfortotheminimumneededandkeepitsimple.Weoftenhearfrompeoplewhocomplainthattheyhavenotheardhowagiftordonationwasspent.Manytimesitturnsoutthattheyneveraskedforareportorhaveaskedformorethantheirpartnersareabletoprovide.Beveryclearandspecificaboutwhatyourexpectationsare.AND,thendetermineifyourPartnershavetheskillsneededtoreportinawaythatyouexpect.Ifnot,providethemwithsimpleformsandsamplereports.Thisisanopportunitytobeofservicebyhavingsomeoneinyourchurchwithknowledgeofsimpleaccountingtodeveloptheformsandteachthebasicconceptsofaspreadsheet,abudget,andincome/expensereporting.AsimpleRevenueandExpensestatementisprobablysufficientformostprojectsandyet,yourPartnersmightbestymiedbytheconcept.Reportingandaccountabilitycanbeverystickyissues.ConsideredthoughtfullyandcommunicatedwellitbecomesonemorewaytobeofserviceandstrengthenthePartnership.


THESTEERINGCOMMITTEEPuttingTogetheraPartnerChurchCommittee–or–Re‐energizingOneThatExists

“Youwantmetojoinanothercommittee?”Everyonehasbusylivesbuttheytaketimeforthethingsthataremeaningfulandfulfillingtothem.Theyneedtoseeareasontojoinandneedtofeeltheycanbehelpful.Herearesomeideas:1.Asksomeoneartsytohelpmaintainthedisplay/bulletinboardaboutyourpartnershipand/ortowritearticlesforthenewsletter.Thematerialcancomefromoldphotos/newphotos,lettersincludingemails,giftsovertheyearsetc.Therightpersonmighthaveagoodtimegoingthroughthehistoryofyourpartnershipandcreatingatimelineofvisitsandeventsetc.thatcouldthenbedisplayedorpublished.2.Asksomeonewhoworkswiththeseniorteensinyourchurchiftheyareinterestedincreatingnewconnectionswiththeyouthinyourpartnerchurch.UUPCCisbusyatworkcreatingnewresourcesforyouthconnections.Wewillhavesomematerialsoutsoonforon‐linediscussiongroupswithpartnerchurchyouth.Maybeyourgroupwouldliketopilottesttheprogram?Hasthereeverbeenayouthtripfromyourcongregationtoyourpartner?Istheresomeonewhowouldliketoexplorethisideaandtakesometeensovertomeetteensthere?Hereisalinktoaresourceforplanningayouthtrip.http://www.uupcc.org/pilgrimages/planning‐pilgrimageThenCLICKonYOUTHTRIPSanddownloadtheGUIDE3.AsktheministertowritetoyourministerandexchangegreetingsforChristmas,Easteretc.Iknowofseveralministerswhoexchangeprayerstobereadduringtheservice.Thenaskyourministertoreadthoseinchurch.4.Doyoudoanannualevent?Ifso,invitesomenewfolkstohelp.Itdoesnothavetobean“allchurch”fundraisingevent.JustasimplesoupandbreadlunchafterchurchonaSundayhelpsspreadtheword.5.Asksomeonewhoiscomputerknowledgabletocreateapowerpointpresentationofyourpartnerchurchhistorytoshowatthechurchlunch.6.Findthefolkswho“liketotravel”andorganizeanothertrip.Orjointogetherwithchurchesinyourareaanddoajointpilgrimage.TripsarethebestconnectorsandUUPCCcanhelpcustomdesignonethatwillincludealltheUnitarianhistoricsites.ItcanbeeyeopeningformanyUUs.Ourwebsitehaslotsofideasaswell.Checkouttheselinks.http://www.uupcc.org/healthy‐suggestionshttp://www.uupcc.org/partnerships/resources‐partnersThenClickonWELCOMETOPARTNERSHIPStart‐upNotebook


UUPCC POBox88 Bedford,MA01730‐0088 781‐275‐1710 Email:[email protected]

MUTUALUNDERSTANDINGSTHROUGHCOVENANT

Theword“covenant”translatesinHungarianasszövetség(su–vet–sheg).Ifthereseemstobeconfusionwithyourpartneraboutthewordcovenant—usesomeofthesynonyms:undertake,contract,guarantee,pledge,promise,agree,engage,warrant,commitoneself,bindoneself.Talkaboutwhatyoumeanbycovenanttobesureyourpartnerunderstands.Theideaisthatpartnershipsneedtoagreehowtobepartners.Andtheagreementneedstobemutual–thatis,bothpartiesworktogethertocometoagreementonwhatpartnershipmeanstothem.Manyofourpartnershipsthinkthereisagreement,butfewhavereallyworkedtogethertocheckassumptions.Andthiscanleadtomisunderstandingsandcanevendamagerelationships.Deliberateconversationsareanimportantpieceofworkforpartners.Hereisasimpleexercisethatcanhaveprofoundresults:Dividethegroupupsothatyouhavegroupsof4‐5peoplesittingcloseenoughtotalktoeachother.Ifyouaredoingthiswithyourpartner,youwillneedatranslatorateachtable.

Step1.(5minutes)Giveeachpersona3x5inchcard.Ononeside,askthemtowrite“3thingswewantedtopromiseourpartner,”—withouttalkingtoanyoneelseatthetable.Ontheotherside,eachpersonwrites“3thingswewantedourpartnertopromiseus.”Again,thishappenswithoutdiscussion.

Step2.(15minutes)Nowaskthesmallgroupsof4–5peopletosharewhateachpersonatthetablehaswritten.Decidetogetherhowtocombinethestatementsintoonecommonlist.

Step3.(15minutes)Combine2groupstogetherandrepeatedthecombiningstatementsprocess.The2groupswillnowhave1list.Ifthereistimeanddependingonhowmanypeoplearepresent,repeatthisprocess.

Step4.Attheend,sharethecommonlistsinafullgroup.Therewillbemanycommonelements.Solicitevolunteers–thewordsmithsofthegroup–tocombinedlistsandturneditintoamoreformalstatement.Thevolunteerscangooffsomewheretocompletethisworkandlaterinthedayorevenafewdayslatercanreturntheformalcovenanttothefullgroup/congregation/partnershipsothatagreementcanbereachedonaformalcovenant.

Thefirst3stepscanbecompletedinlessthantwohours.Theprocessoftheconversationfocusestheworkoncommonbeliefsandvaluesandhelpsclarifyideasaboutpartnership.Muchofvalueofthisexerciseisintheconversation,butitisgoodtohaveadocument–evenifitisaroughdraft–thatcanbereferredtointhefuture.Thisprocessishelpfulevenifonlyoneofthepartnerscompletestheprocessbecauseitcanprovidea“vision”ofpartnershipthatcanhelpguideyouractionsandcommunications.Itcanbesharedwithyourpartnerssothattheytoocanrespondwiththeirvisionofpartnership.

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