Here's a note from Tandi Koerger, PNWD Program Specialist, to all PNWD-ers at GA:
I recommend you check out the "Breakthrough Congregation" workshops:
For smaller congregtions
Saturday, 5:15 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Breakthrough Congregation - UU Congregation of South County, RI
Salt Palace Ballroom J
Chartered in 1993 with 31 members and today has officially 123 members plus several dozen "friends."
For larger congregations
Sunday, 11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Breakthrough Congregation - First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque Salt Palace Ballroom J
Membership in 2008 is 715 with 168 children and youth. In 2003 it was 564
This blog is for members of Unitarian Universalist congregations in the UUA Pacific Northwest District to share their experiences of UUA General Assembly 2010 (Minneapolis). Click the "Follow" link above to receive update notifications. If you're attending GA and would like to join our Blog Team, request an invitation from the blog moderators, Tandi Rogers (trogers@uua.org) or Janine Larsen (jlarsen@uua.org) - we'd love to have you on our reporting crew!
As a member and leader of the small congregation of in Yakima, I appreciated the sharing from Breakthrough congregations as well as others who feel they are succeeding and/or struggling (most of us, I believe, are doing both!). The key message I heard about growth is that it is not as important or useful to set out to "grow" as to concern yourself and your church about being a religious community for members and the wider community. When a church welcomes, inspires, and challenges themselves and others to explore and live our great ethical, moral, spiritual principals... then people have a reason and experience a calling to join the religious community. Rather than asking, "How can we grow?", I will be asking, "How can we do do church well and be an ever more vital community of faith."
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