The Consultation on Ministry to and with Youth began in 2005 with a convocation that included YRUU youth, non-YRUU youth, DRUUMM, LREDA, ministers, district staff, youth advisors, parents, UUA staff and trustees. This work evolved into the creation of a process to include all key stakeholders, beginning with a nation-wide survey, followed by a process for holding congregational conversations, then holding district meetings to discuss the results of that work, followed by a Youth Summit to respond to the concerns and ideas that came from the district meetings. That Summit was held in July, 2007.

By January of this year, the future of continental YRUU seemed to be in doubt. A premature announcement went out saying that the UUA would no longer be funding YRUU when, in fact, that was a decision for the UUA Board to make. There is a conversation going on about whether the current structure needs to be changed to best support our congregations in their youth ministries.

It is pretty clear that some change will be coming, something that will lead to a more inclusive youth ministry, but the nature of that change is still being worked out. In February, 2008 a new Youth Ministry Working Group was created to move forward on the recommendations of the Youth Summit. They deliberately held their first meeting at the same time and place as the YRUU Steering Committee, in order to ensure their in-person input. In addition, this group (as has been true of all previous groups along the way) is made up of representatives from all key stakeholder groups, including YRUU.

This group held its second meeting earlier this month, and their update is now online. I encourage everyone to read this. They spell out their mission, three core values, and four key organizing principles for UU youth ministry. They also ask for an Interim year to allow for the time to develop the framework for this new approach. Their proposal went to the UUA Board who is meeting this very weekend.

1. There are the obvious issues about fallout from performance evaluations discoloring the relationships between congregation members, and about what to do if you have a performance problem and the employee is a member. Congregations have split in two over a member being fired.
   
2. As a member, the employee would vote on his or her salary line in the budget? Would the employee participate in a vote to call a minister when that minister will become the employee's boss. If not, would the member be required to give up voting rights all other members are entitled to? What then do you do about the obvious conflict of interest issues?
   
3. How would being an employee change the relationship the member had with his or her minister? When employees report to the minister, can they still use the minister when there is a need for pastoral care?
   
4. There are some very important issues connected to the recruitment and selection process itself. Was recruitment open? If not, are we favoring hiring people just like us, and risking our status as Equal Opportunity Employers? There is something sticky about taking in tax-free dollars and then redistributing them to our friends.
   
5. Another sticky one: are we willing then to hire other members when they need the work? How will we explain hiring Pat and not hiring Chris? And what if two members both apply for the same job, are we willing to risk the ill will?
   
6. Our members are expected to volunteer their time to the congregation outside of their work hours. Will our employee-member have that same expectation? If not, they must be in some special class of "member." If so, how to you avoid becoming the most exploitative employer since WalMart?
   
7. How will you decide which members will get paid for service and which will not? If Sam gets paid to work in the office, will Sharon get paid for the landscaping work she does? If we pay Jan for editing the newsletter, will we pay Robin for singing in the choir and will Leslie get paid for teaching RE? Who do you "need to know" in order to get paid?
   
8. How will being on the staff affect the member's relationship with other members? Members often get irritated with staff (and vice versa)-- it's bad enough to have trouble on the job without having the loss of your faith community at stake. Further, some staff positions give the member access to information that would normally be considered confidential, again, changing the person's relationship with the other members.

On the other side of the coin, congregations that have allowed this sometimes tell me that it increases the likelihood of finding someone who (a) is really committed to the congregation, (b) understands our congregations/UUism, and (c) is a known quality whom people like to work with. But, at best, it's complicated, and the member-employee probably can't be a member in the same sense others are. They may not be permitted to vote on some things, or to serve on the Board, or even on a committee, and will certainly have a different kind of relationship with the minister.

Republican UUs are members of many of our congregations, somehow holding on in what can be an unsupportive environment. Their viewpoints serve to inform our thinking every bit as much as the views of our UU Democrats, Greens, and others. As the political season continues to heat up, it's good to know that we don't have to think alike to love alike.

Have you heard? Our three UU congregations in New Orleans still need our help, and have started a national fundraising campaign to raise $2.7 million dollars to complete their recovery from the devastation attributed to Hurricane Katrina. UUs across the country contributed $3.5 million dollars to earlier efforts, a third of which went to these congregations, and those dollars made a real difference! Now we can finish the job, along with the congregations' own efforts to raise another $700,000. Their membership has dropped by 40%, so the burden is not something they can support without the help of the rest of us. To read more, see the article in UU World.

Enjoy a Mendocino weekend with UUs on from all over the district at Spring Volunteer Work Weekend at Mendocino Woodlands State Park near the town of Mendocino, sponsored by Northern California UU Camps and Conferences. Camps and Conferences is now its own, independent organization, no longer governed by the PCD safety or other policies, but still a part of the national C&C group. In exchange for helping to open the State Park for the summer season, you'll enjoy delicious meals, sleeping in historic redwood cabins and good UU company at a very low cost.

The next meeting of our still-new Peninsula Cluster Group will take place on May 4, at 7:00 p.m. in our UU Fellowship of Los Gatos. Leaders from Los Gatos, Monterey, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Jose, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Sunnyvale are invited to join the Peninsula Cluster group, dedicated to discovering how we can support one another as congregations. The May 4 program topic is New Member Integration. Contact Ann Campbell for more information.

Another Early Bird registration deadline not to be missed - save $50 by registering for Leadership School before April 30. They will be meeting in a wonderful new facility this year, fully accessible and with air conditioning! For more information contact Julie Springer.