PSWD Frequently Asked Questions

ASSOCIATION DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVES (ADR):

The leadership of each congregation is asked to appoint a person to be the ADR for the congregation. This individual is responsible for sharing a wide range of PSWD and UUA information with the appropriate individuals in the congregation as well with the whole congregation. We stay in touch with ADRs primarily through the internet.

CHALICE LIGHTERS:

The Chalice Lighters Program of the Pacific Southwest District exists to help fund the growth of the member congregations of this District. The program is designed to make grants to applicant congregations for: Facility improvements, such as buying land, building, rebuilding, furnishing or enlarging facilities or one-time professional leadership expenses, such as the costs of the congregation’s first Minister, Religious Educator, or Music Director. The Mission of the program is: To support and encourage the excellence and growth of Unitarian Universalism in the Pacific Southwest District by providing resources to new and existing congregations through the distribution of Chalice Lighter grant funds. In order to receive a grant you must be PSWD and UUA Fair Share and have a minimum number of Chalice Lighter members in your congregation.
View the Chalice Lighter's Page Here

COMPENSATION CONSULTANTS:

These consultants assist congregations in establishing multi-year plans to bring compensation for ministers and all professional staff into compliance with UUA fair compensation guidelines. The consultant for the PSWD is currently: JoAnne Smith, 480-838-5724, uujsmith@aol.com.

CONGREGATIONAL CONSULTANTS:

The Executive Team of the PSWD works with a wide range of consultants who provide leadership in congregations by facilitating board and committee retreats, staff and congregational covenants, religious education training, youth advisor training, various congregational workshops including music program development, and congregational assessments. These are people who have been recommended to us for particular skills in leading the above sessions. The consultants we use also commit to attend at least one session every other year of training on various aspects of church consultation.

Given our Congregational Polity a congregation is of course free to use any consultant. The PSWD does offer to work with congregational leaders in order to find the best consultant for the needed purpose. When congregational leaders contact a member of the Executive Team in looking for a consultant we will suggest consultants that fit their needs. When they use one of the consultants we suggest and the congregation has been Fair Share with the UUA and PSWD for at least the last two years we will cover the travel expenses for the consultant. In most cases we will provide this financial help only one time per year.

DISTRICT ASSEMBLY:

Our District Assembly is held each year in late April or early May at a different hotel conference center each year. We try to move around to different locales in the District. The Executive Team works with a DA Planning Committee to create each DA. It includes time for celebration, for leadership development, for worship and a business meeting for the District and the Camp. UUMA and LREDA gather a day or two ahead of the Assembly for their own meetings. The Assembly starts after dinner on Friday and goes through a worship service on Sunday morning. The UUMA chapter is responsible for worship on Saturday morning and the host congregation and minister are responsible for the Sunday worship. We also hold a Soulful Sundown worship service on Friday night.

DISTRICT GATHERING ON YOUTH MINISTRY:

The District piece of the 2-year UUA Consultation on Ministry to and with Youth is taking place this year at District Assembly in Riverside. This is the time to come and share YOUR hopes and dreams and needs about how the PSWD can best support YOUR local youth ministry efforts.

DEBENNEVILLE PINES CAMP:

This camp has been owned by the PSWD since 1961; the Camp incorporated as a separate non-profit a number of years ago but is still owned by the congregations of the PSWD. It is in the San Bernardino Mountains at about 7,000’. We hold a wide range of weekend and week long programs for youth at the Camp. It is also a great place for congregations to hold all-church camps, a number of congregations hold such camps either alone or with other congregations each year. There are also a wide range of adult weekends on personal growth, political issues, and spiritual exploration.

DISTRICT GOVERNANCE:

The PSWD is governed by an elected Board of seven people, plus a youth representative and the PSWD UUA Trustee. The Board adapted a form of policy style governance in 2001. This process has Ken, Tera, and Mary work with various volunteers to develop the Means for carrying out the Ends that the board sets. The current Ends are on the website, as well as the PSWD By-laws.

E-MAIL LISTS:

The District has a number of e-mail chat lists that are hosted by the UUA. These lists include the UUMA Chat is a closed list for PSWD UUMA members, YRUU Chat for YRUU members, and a Worship Chat is an open list for exchanging ideas about worship services and speakers, ADR list is how we share information with ADRs, and the PSWD-L is an open list for sharing of District and congregational information and events. Ken and Tera also try to keep up to date groups in our address books that include congregational presidents, newsletter editors, and RE contacts.

EXECUTIVE TEAM:

Under the PSWD policy style governance Ken and Tera are the Executive Team and responsible for all District programming.

GA RESPONSIVE RESOLUTION ON RACISM AND CLASSISM:

At the GA in St. Louis, the following responsive resolution was passed during the last plenary session: "Resolved, that the Delegates to General Assembly are charged to work with their congregations to hold at least one program over the next year to address racism or classism, and to report on that program at next year's General Assembly." Since this was directed to GA delegates and their congregations the District has no direct role. Yet we will work with any congregation or group of congregations that want help in responding to this resolution. Our Long Beach Congregation is planning a Jubilee I event in March and Ken is willing to help train congregational leaders in an experiential six session program he developed in 1992 with an Episcopal priest friend. It is called “Intercultural Dialogue Program.” UUA resources can be found at http://www.uua.org/actions/responsive/06racism/

LEADERSHIP RESOURCES COUNCIL:

The PSWD offers a wealth of resources to support the development of congregational leadership and to plan programming for the growth of Unitarian Universalism. The Leadership Resources Council is the primary planning group for leadership training and workshops. Working with the District Staff, the Council will plan events for clusters and regions as well as District-wide events. The LRC is committed to strengthening the capacity of our leaders to achieve the individual mission and vision of their congregations. Currently the Council includes: Rev. Jay Atkinson, Kevin Drewery, Nancy Edmundson, John Faust, Rhonda Scott, Rev. Betty Stapleford, & Rev. Karen Stoyanoff.

LEADERSHIP SCHOOL:

Four years ago we created a new model for District Leadership School. We have four different Leadership School Weekends that we rotate over a three year time period. The schools start on Friday night and go through Sunday late afternoon. This allows us to keep the cost down, to go in depth in particular areas, and attract a wider range of leaders and potential leaders unwilling to give up longer time periods for such training. The four schools areas of focus are 1) Intro to Leadership; 2) Advanced Leadership; 3) Current Worship Styles: 4) Articulating Our Faith.

THE NETWUURK:

This is the PSWD newsletter that comes out four times year. It can be found on the website. It is also mailed to current congregational leaders and a number of copies are sent to each congregation for distribution to interested people.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST LEGISLATIVE MINISTRY:

A statewide justice ministry that serves to empower the moral voice of UU values in the public arena, it can be found at www.uulmca.org. It is supported by the PSWD, the PCD, individual congregations and individual UUs across the state of California. The Ministry seeks to develop the skills of civic engagement that we may educate, organize, and advocate to change policies and structures that inhibit human development, harm the environment, and destroy communities. The Executive Director is the Rev. Lindi Ramsden, her contact info is lramsden@uulmca.org or 916-441-0018. The PSWD co-sponsors a number of events with the UULM each year.

WEBSITE:

Currently our website is found at www.pswd.uua.org. This will change not later than early October 2006 to www.pswduua.org. The new website will allow staff to make regular changes and updates to the site. It will also be easier to navigate and we plan to have online registration for most events. It is the place to go for information about what is happening in the District as well as our updated calendar.

YOUTH CAMPS:

Six youth camps are sponsored by the District - three in summer and three in winter, for elementary, middle school, and high school campers. The six camps are overseen by the Youth Camps Ministry Team and are coordinated by Tera Little. An ordained ministerial chaplain (or two!) on our staffs greatly enhance the camp experience for all.
View the Youth Camps Page Here

YRUU:

Why are you you? Young Religious Unitarian Universalists is a district group of youth ages 14-20 and their advisors that build community through conferences, events and camps. There is a PSWD YRUU Board comprised of youth and adults that is elected once a year. This group sets procedures and plans events.

September 2006