Our Weekend on the Prairie

Last weekend the District Board, Program Council, and staff met for a retreat at Shalom Hill Farm, near Windom, MN. This time is one of sharing new ideas about ways to serve our UU congregations. The Board discussed the results from the district-wide evaluation we conducted last spring and set priorities. The Program Council and staff talked about ways to work on those priorities. In addition, the staff presented their goals for the year, and those were affirmed by the Board.

The setting is rural Minnesota, with rolling hills and a dome-like, wonderful sky. If it’s clear, the stars are fantastic in the night sky. This year we had bracing winds from the south and a few Monarch butterflies in the trees as they start wending their way south for the winter.

We came away with some plans in place and more work to do to flesh out new ways to serve our congregations.

Hello and Welcome!

Hello and welcome to those of you who might be checking out this blog for the first time! Here is where I write about topics of interest to leaders of UU congregations. If you haven’t read postings here before, be sure to check out my series Just Treading Water Isn’t Enough — parts 1 - 4, plus another on a comment I heard at General Assembly, “We’re proud of what we do, but we’re not satisfied.” In addition, I’ve written to recommend a new book on Congregational Leadership in Anxious Times, as well as a posting on Getting Ready for the Coming Wave, which asks questions about our congregations’ readiness for the social change coming when the Baby Boomers retire.

I hope you’ll read on, and Enjoy! And then please leave a comment, using the Comments section at the end of each posting.

Thanks, and stay in touch!

Camp Planning is now underway!

We had a great time in Kansas, as you can tell by checking out the photos in the sidebar. Planning is now underway for a new UU camp experience in the summer of 2009. We are currently looking at camps in Nebraska, to serve UU households in the southern part of Prairie Star District. We’re planning to rent a camp for a week. Contact me if you’re interested in getting involved!