TJD Home

TJ Connection - Summer 2004

Table of Contents

Brown vs. the Board of Education / Little Known Facts

Qiyamah’s Corner 

Lifespan REflections

Ministerial Matters 

Chalice Lighters/Accepting Allies

Resources for your...

Annual Meeting 04 Jamboree

Principles for UU and Me

Retreating with the Eurpoean UUs

Congregational News/UUC Roanoke 50th Anniversary

Pastoral Care in Changing Times

A Day to Remember/Unitarian Church of Norfolk Takes a Stand

Planning for Growth and Vitality in Small Size Congregations

TJD/UUA Fair Share Congregations

Putting a Human Face on Same Sex Marriage

District Calendar/Staff Calendar

Lifespan REflections
by Laurel Amabile, Lifespan RE Program Consultant

My, how time flies!

I know it sounds so cliché, but I am truly finding it hard to believe that I have served the Thomas Jefferson District and the Mountain's Learning Center for Leadership for nearly four years. And now, things will be changing…..

As they always do.

The current co-employment partnership between these two organizations and the Unitarian Universalist Association was a long time in coming, to begin with. It took more than a decade of visioning and planning for the establishment of a lifespan religious education program consultant position and to create this unique partnership with The Mountain. I believe it has been a beneficial and effective partnership overall, allowing each of the organizations to launch new programs and initiatives that may have taken much longer to accomplish on their own. It has been a joy to work with Helen Bishop, the Director of the Learning Center for Leadership, and the many other dedicated Mountain leaders and staff.

A new vision has emerged over the past four years as this lifespan program consultant position has evolved. It has become clear that there are plenty of needs to fill a full-time role in TJD alone, and there are increasing needs in the whole Southeast region. Thinking creatively and building on other regional concepts and programs now being implemented in the Unitarian Universalist Association, our district will now be collaborating with our neighboring districts-MidSouth and Florida-to have my services available throughout the region.

As of July 1st, I will shift my role to serving these three districts, with the approximate breakdown of half-time for TJD, and quarter-time for each of the other two districts. I will miss my work with the Learning Center for Leadership and The Mountain, but I will have many more opportunities to collaborate with them and promote Mountain programs in the months and years to come.
With this change will come the inevitable changes in my relationships within the TJ District. The full scope of the changes can be anticipated but not fully realized until I am functioning in my new regional capacity. I will be traveling farther and more frequently, and this will mean changes in my approach to the work here in TJD. I will outline these in the next section of this newsletter and will regularly update district leaders and congregations on my function.

I look forward to my continued service here in the Thomas Jefferson District,

Laurel
Office phone and voice mail: 828-231-0960
Email: Lamabile@uua.org

From District To Regional Service

As of July 1st, our Lifespan Program Consultant, Laurel Amabile, will expand her service from TJ District and the Mountain's Learning Center for Leadership to serving three UUA districts: TJ District (half-time), MidSouth District (quarter-time), and Florida District (quarter-time).

What will be different?
The service delivery area will expand from all or part of five states to include congregations from the Mississippi River eastward and all of Florida.

The yearly cycle of these three organizations is similar, making for overlapping dates for the various district events.

The Florida and Midsouth Districts will not be "buying" a portion of the TJD Lifespan Program Consultant's time; they will join with the TJD in
being full funding partners for this shared position.

To streamline lines of accountability and travel costs, Laurel will be reporting directly to the UUA Director of District Services and will submit all her travel and professional expenses through the single UUA voucher system.

Due to complex scheduling, the Lifespan Program Consultant may not be represented at as many TJD events as she has been in the past.

What Laurel will be doing more of:
Expanding her home office and operation systems to accommodate the increased administrative tasks for the three districts.

Offering more services and programs at the cluster and regional levels to maximize her reach to more congregations at a time.

Building consulting teams of program specialists (RE visioning, RE covenanting, start-ups for religious educators in new positions, administration, program development, youth, young adult, campus ministry, etc.) to offer more of the direct services to local congregations.

This will expand the new fee-for-service consultation services currently being offered.

Developing more web-based resources for easy access by congregation leaders and religious education volunteers.

Phone and email consultations (could it be possible to do more of them??) to respond to the more immediate, basic needs.

Collaborating, communicating, and coordinating among the leaders of the three districts-finding ways to identify common needs and interests and to share programs and resources wherever appropriate and feasible.