We often speak of the need for greater collaboration between ministers and musicians, but how might such a relationship actually work? In this workshop we'll explore the roles of the parish minister and musician, looking honestly at areas of potential conflict between the two as well as celebrating the rich, rewarding partnership that is possible when they engage in a truly shared ministry.
Topics covered include: ego and worship leadership; full integration of music into the worship planning process; theological development for church musicians (and the minister's role in making it happen); and music, worship and anti-racist, multicultural identity. And rest assured, there will be quite a bit of singing, too!Chapters are encouraged to invite musicians to attend and participate.

Unitarian Universalist congregations and clergy can be proud of our leadership in sexual health and sexual justice issues. But we can do more. Rev. Debra Haffner will tailor a workshop for your chapter on creating sexually healthy faith communities. Three six hour workshops are available: increasing one’s effectiveness as a sexually healthy religious professional, assessing and improving the sexual health of the faith community, and keeping children and youth safe in congregations, including how to include a sex offender in the congregation. The workshop will include tools to help participants assess their needs and effective strategies for implementing programs and procedures.The workshops are appropriate for joint UUMA/LREDA. Participants in Rev. Haffner’s workshops have called them “Fun, informative, engaging, challenging, and inspirational.”

Ministers are called upon to model many things in their congregations and communities, but none is more important than clergy modeling healthy, balanced, active and joyful lives. Ministry can be very demanding care-giving work, that requires its practitioners to pay regular and systematic attention to self-care. But recent studies reveal that clergy from a wide variety of faith traditions (including Unitarian Universalism) have rather poorly develop self-care practices, which lead to chronic illnesses, clergy burn-out, and shorter life spans.

This interactive workshop is designed to help clergy (at all stages of their lives and careers) to identify and adopt realistic physical, emotional and spiritual self-care practices which will enable and empower them to find balance and health in their lives. Topics to be explored in the workshop include: managing time, work, stress and professional expectations; creating balance between our personal and professional lives; taking regular care of mind, body and soul; and maintaining self-esteem and mental health for the long haul. Participants will work in small and large groups, and also have time for personal reflection.

The purpose of this presentation is to encourage and equip colleagues to address their own financial wellbeing as well as that of our congregations and, through socially responsible finances, the world. A member of the Minister's Financial Integrity and Wellbeing Committee will be joined by a fully funded member of UURMAPA to provide inspiration and praxis for ALL levels of financial acumen.

What happens when a community minister enters into a relationship with a congregation? How does this affect the dynamics of the ministry and the congregation? A panel will present several different arrangements between community ministers and congregations, leading into a discussion of ways our diverse ministries can come together to enhance and expand the presence of our congregations in our communities.
Now that the MFC is requiring all community ministers to be in relationship with congregations (or districts or associate organizations), there is an increase in community ministers seeking congregations with whom to be in relationship.
These relationships are being formalized in endorsement agreements with congregational leadership and covenants with entire congregations. Some congregations are installing their community ministers in rituals similar to those for parish ministers.
Parish-based ministers need to know what the options are when a community minister comes to them seeking a relationship. This workshop will explore several different options and allow time for questions, discussion, and creative exploration, to help us develop this new way of doing ministry together.

People with mental disorders and their families fill our pews, our streets, our jails and, I should add, our pulpits. Frequently, a minister is the first person contacted by a person or a family undergoing mental health problems. But, unfortunately and sometimes tragically many ministers don't know how to handle these problems. This workshop is designed for ministers and will give an overview of mental health, consequences of mental disorder, treatment, the recovery model and pastoral care. Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of religion and spirituality in mental health and the particular role that a minister as pastoral care giver can play. It also addresses the question of self-care for ministers who themselves have mental health needs.

A minister is a pastor, a prophet, a theologian, a colleague…and a vulnerable human being. What does it mean to operate in these many, and often overlapping modes? And how much of her/his humanity and vulnerability does a minister expose in his/her ministry?
These are the challenges examined in Steve's book: Troubadour and Poet—The Magical Ministry of Ric Masten. This workshop is an outgrowth of conversations between Steve and the Rev. Ric Marsten as it looks at how Ric’s alternative, troubadour ministry informs those of us who minister in the more traditional settings of congregation and community.
Using some of the books chapters as backdrop, this workshop offers structured and personally focused opportunities for colleagues to examine the many meanings of ministry.

What do you do when disaster—natural or human made—strikes? How do you handle the situation, what can you do before hand to mitigate the difficulties, and where can you turn locally and nationally in a crisis? Members of the UU Trauma Response Ministry will present what you can do now, and what you can do when crises strike. Disaster preparedness, death notification, spiritual crisis care models, and other trauma ministry related skills will be presented in this interactive workshop.