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PCD Welcomes Dawn
Bateman 
We are all delighted to announce the selection of Dawn Bateman as our new District Compensation Consultant for the Pacific Central District. Dawn is a member of our UU Community of the Mountains congregation in Grass Valley, CA. District Compensation Consultants are volunteers responsible for providing congregations with a broad range of information about fair compensation for clergy and church staff. When I asked Dawn why she was interested in this position, she told me that she really enjoys working with other Unitarian Universalists, and very much wants to contribute to our larger movement. Fair Compensation refers to the compensation guidelines recommended by the UUA Compensation, Benefits, and Pension Committee and adopted by the UUA trustees and the delegates to the General Assembly. These guidelines include recommendations for salary ranges based on a congregation's size and geographic location, and for a basic benefit package that includes insurances, retirement and social security taxes. Congregations that adopt the guidelines may be listed as Fair Compensation Congregations during their search processes, a definite plus. At UUCM, Dawn has served on the Ministerial Search Committee, chaired the congregational pledge drive and is now the chairperson of the Committee on Ministry. In her professional life, Dawn has managed several non-profit organizations and programs. Dawn attended a 4-day training for new Compensation Consultants in January at the UUA Boston office. (Boston in January? Dawn says "Yes, Boston is cold, but also lovely, in January!") She is eager to hear from PCD congregations who have questions about creating salary and benefit packages for new employees or for working with existing employees. Dawn is available for both telephone and in-person consultations. You can reach her at 530-273-6471 or at dawn.bateman@sbcglobal.net | ||||||
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Here's the fourth in our series-I sure hope others will send in jpg photos of their worship spaces, since I'm getting a lot of positive feedback about this series. This one shows our UU Fellowship of Northern Nevada in Reno. It was taken by Mark Bacon who tells me that, several times a year, the Fellowship holds a Jazz Sunday. The worship service welcomes a 17-piece jazz band, made up of representatives from nearly all the jazz bands in the Reno area. Congregation member Lee Warner (shown here on drums) arranges the events and integrates the performances with short pieces about the spirituality of jazz. | ||||||
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Peace Vigil at UU
Society of San Francisco 
Our San Francisco congregation invites you to join them in their Sanctuary at 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 16, to mark the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq. This will be a time to talk with others about the lives, money, and honor expended in this war of choice. Featured speakers include actor Sean Penn, activist Cindy Sheehan, VP candidate Matt Gonzalez, Antiwar.com Editorial Director Justin Raimondo, and the Reverend Greg Stewart. After the ceremony, participants will be invited to walk to the War Memorial auditorium on Van Ness. Additional information is available from Dolores Priem, (415) 387-2287, and at www.iraqmoratorium-sfbay.org | ||||||
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Registration for UU University, June 24-25, is now open. There's no better way to start of the GA experience! The workshops are very different from the ones held during General Assembly primarily in that there is time for doing great work in small groups. The energy that comes from working with congregational leaders from around the country is a special thing. I'm especially excited about the keynote presentation: The Reverend Dr. Nick Carter, President of Andover Newton Theological School will be talking about leading theologically diverse congregations, and will surely teach us all a great deal about embracing diversity of many kinds! Take a look a short video showing what UU University is about, and hear previous participants explain why they so valued the experience. Popular local jazz musician, Jim Lowe, along with his Trio, will perform at a fundraiser for our Community of the Mountains congregation in Grass Valley. The event, open to all, is on Friday, March 28, at 7 p.m. More information is in their current newsletter, available online. Someone you know might be just the right person for one of the jobs currently available in our UUA (a great group to work for!). Recruitment is now open for the Youth and Young Adult Ministries Director in Lifespan Faith Development, and also for the Youth and Young Adult Ministries Office Administrator. The Marketing Coordinator position in the Communications staff group is open, as is the Worship and Music Resources Director in the Ministry and Professional Leadership staff group. Follow the links for all the information, and pass it on! One more job announcement-this one for the Executive Director of Murray Grove, the UU conference and retreat center that preserves the historical site of Thomas Potter and the chapel where John Murray preached. Check out their web site even if you're not interested in the job, just to see this beautiful and historic place. Wouldn't it just be great if all of our readers registered for District Assembly 2008? There are so many wonderful reasons to be there-the great programming, the wonderful entertainment, the truly outstanding and inspiring Keynote and Featured presentations, the chance to worship together, the awards. . . and most of all, the chance to connect with other UU members from all over our fine District. It's guaranteed to be fun for you and really good for your congregation! Get all the rest of the information and register today! Early registrations help us out a lot. | ||||||
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