A History Service with Readings and Reflections

Opening Celebration

Central Midwest District Annual Assembly

Friday, April 25, 2008
St. Louis Frontenac Hilton Hotel

A reading from Freedom Moves West by Charles Lyttle

In the wake of the wars that agitated the colonies from 1740 to 1783 came an unprecedented undertow of infidelity, licentiousness, intemperance, and profanity, as was to be expected.  But the orthodox leaders, without a trace of justice, seized the opportunity to impute responsibility for such spiritual and moral decadence to the Unitarian liberals. . . . Liberalism was charged with promoting moral indifference or anarchy, with cryptic designs of atheistic and bloody revolution . . .

MINISTERIAL OPPORTUNITIES AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
"The MOD Squad"
2007 - 2008

A program of the Central Midwest District, the CMwD Minister’s Chapter and Meadville/Lombard Theological School

The MOD Squad is a program available to Unitarian Universalist congregations that are working towards a long-range vision of adding a new position of a settled professional minister.  This may either be adding a first ministry position in a congregation without fulltime settled ministry or a new additional position in a congregation that already has one or more ministers.  The sponsors of this program seek partners in the work of extending Unitarian Universalism in the Midwest.  Participating congregations need a vision for growth and leadership development and a willingness to invest in this vision.

Through The MOD Squad, congregations without ministers or moving towards adding new ministry positions can benefit from the assistance of advanced professionals-in-training who visit anywhere from six times a year to once a month or more. Advanced students for the Unitarian Universalist ministry are able to provide professional leadership through preaching, leading workshops or adult religious education classes, and working with committees. Students and congregations are carefully matched by the program sponsors to ensure a high quality experience for all.  The sponsoring institutions provide guidance to students through a once a term seminar and through individual coaching.  At the end of the church year, participating congregations provide written evaluations of the student minister, and each student completes a written evaluation of the congregation.

This program aims to give both congregation and student minister an opportunity to experience intentional ministry.  To insure that all parties understand each other's hopes and expectations, the facilitators of the program require that each congregation and student minister engage in a covenanting workshop at the beginning of the year.  For congregations in the Central Midwest District, the district will provide a facilitator for this workshop, and the congregation is expected to pay $200 to cover a portion of the facilitator's expenses.  Congregations are also urged to make arrangements for housing student ministers in a motel or similar facility.  Both student ministers and congregations are expected to be familiar with the Minister’s Code of Conduct of the UU Ministers Association (UUMA).

Expected rates for services:

Sermon I Worship Service  (UUMA recommended rate)	$200.00**
Adult Religious Education Session/Workshop	$  50.00
Board or Committee meeting	$  30.00
Mileage (car)	0.445/mile**
**This may change

Other costs to congregation:

Overnight lodging
Meals in transit
Round-trip air fare (if less than mileage allowance)

To apply for the MOD Squad, Download a PDF application form. Complete this form and return it to the District Office at the address shown on the form.

Rev 03/07