Living UU Values Beyond the Walls of our
Congregations
Standing on the Side of Leadership 2013First Unitarian Church of Dallas ● 4015 Normandy Avenue ● June 1
Room 212 – 10:00 am – 11:30 am
Presenters: Alan Lummus & David Overton
YES! Theme Year
YES! Year of Engagement and
ServiceFirst Unitarian Church of Dallas –
2012-2013Presenter: Alan Lummus
YES! Theme Year Time Line•Planning Began June, 2012 (72/61/14/9/3)•Implementation began September 9, 2012•Concluded April 28, 2013
YES! Measurables• 413 of approximately 1,100 members joined one or more
tracks in September, 2012 (37%)• By the closing event on April 28, 2013, 819 members had
participated in one or more YES! Activities. (74%)• As of April, 2013, the most often cited reason new
members and visitors sought out First Unitarian was the church’s growing reputation for being active and engaged in the community.
YES! Budget• Leaders were told upfront “-0-” budget. By the
end of the year, about $950 had been authorized and expended, with most going to equipment rental and supplies purchased for the picnic and the ice cream social.
• Everything else throughout the year was self-financing, although there was free use of the church’s copy machines.
YES! Key Elements• Strong lay leadership throughout the year,
including primary, secondary and tertiary leaders• Strong clergy support from the pulpit all year• Strong clergy coordination by meeting monthly
with Lay Leaders• Staff support in programming and facilities
YES! Communication Channels• Articles in Church print and electronic publications, website, and
Facebook• Service Bulletin Inserts• Pulpit Announcements• Social Media developed by lay leaders• One to One and small group meetings throughout the year• Email• Text Messaging• Phone Trees• Online Collaboration Tools like Skype, Google Docs, & Office Live
YES! Theme Year Tracks
YES! NEIGHBORHOOD Goals• To be more confident and comfortable with our neighbors in
the pews
• To come away with practical skills and ideas on being a better neighbor that we can continue to take back out into our neighborhoods and wider communities
• To deepen our spiritual practice through connecting with and serving others within our neighborhoods and communities
• To deepen our spiritual practice by really seeing those around us
• To have fun along the way!
YES! NEIGHBORHOOD Focus• Congregant Neighbors: How well do we know each
other and how could we be better neighbors to one another?
• Religious Neighbors: How can we better know our immediate congregational neighbors of differing faith traditions?
• Our individual neighbors: How can we be better neighbors to those living next door or across the street or alleyway?
YES! NEIGHBORHOOD Activities• Community Involvement Survey• Church-wide picnic• Book Study: “A Good Neighbor: Benedict’s Guide to
Community” by Robert Benson• Developing individualized UU Elevator Speech• Ambassador visits to nearby Church of Christ, United
Methodist and Catholic congregations• ZIP-code socials• Multi-church Ice Cream Social
YES! COMMUNITY FocusYES! COMMUNITY Focus
YES! COMMUNITY
YES! COMMUNITY
YES! COMMUNITY
YES! COMMUNITY
YES! COMMUNITY
YES! COMMUNITY
YES! COMMUNITY
The Launch CollaborativeMentoring Students at a Local Elementary School
YES! COMMUNITY
YES! COMMUNITY
YES! COMMUNITY
Religious & Cultural Diversity
• Learning About Islam
• Visits to Mosques
• Interfaith Dialogue
• Intergenerational Dinner
YES! GLOBAL Focus
Immigration•Immigration Seminar
• Necessities Collection Drive with MOSAIC
YES! GLOBAL Focus
YES! GLOBAL Focus and Book Study
Economic Justice
•PBS Documentary & Book Study: “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity For Women Worldwide” by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn
•KERA Focus Group Participation
What We Learned Organizationally• Significant congregational success depends upon
strong coordination between clergy and lay leadership.• Theme Year may be too short. Many activities are
being carried forward, both by clergy and by lay leaders.
• Starting planning earlier would be helpful.• Many primary lay leaders wished for more staff
support with communication.• More photographs and videos would be helpful.
YES! Year of Engagement and
ServiceFirst Unitarian Church of Dallas –
2012-2013Presenter: Alan Lummus
214-926-4148 – [email protected]
