The Leading Edge:
Training to Strengthen North Texas UU Congregations
Saturday, August 19, 2017
First Unitarian Church of Dallas
4015 Normandy Avenue
Dallas, Texas 75205-1750
(214) 528-3990 Driving Directions
This event is being hosted by First Unitarian Church of Dallas and
is being made possible by generous financial support from NTUUC.
Three programs are being offered this year:
Facilitation 101: How to Lead a Class for Adults
Presenter: Diana Pollard
Open to all of NTUUC
Small Group Ministry Facilitator Training
Presenters: Marcia Niemann and Susan Miller
Open to all of NTUUC
Successful Sundays: Happy Teachers, Happy Kids, Happy Middle Schoolers
Presenters: Tracy McShan, Karen Stanton, and Karen Lewis
Morning open to all of NTUUC, afternoon session for First Church teachers only
Registration Information:
There is no fee for registration or childcare, but class sizes are limited.
Please register early to reserve your seat.
Register by Wednesday, August 9th (11:59pm)
Childcare
Free childcare will be available -
provided that you make online reservations in advance by clicking on this button:
Childcare Request Form
Children will be provided with fresh veggies, cheese pizza and lemonade. If this menu doesn’t meet the needs of your child, please pack a lunch labeled with first & last name. No nut butter of any kind, please.
Dietary Concerns
Let us know on the registration form whether you’re omnivore or vegan. We are unable to accommodate other special dietary needs. If you’re on a restricted diet, we ask that you bring something tasty that you will enjoy.
Questions:
Please contact us at leadingedge @ ntuuc.org
2017 Program Details
8:30am Check-in, Coffee, and Conversation
Please arrive having had a good breakfast, ready for learning and inspiration
9:00am Welcome and Opening Program
Rev. Aaron White
9:30am Morning Tracks:
Three morning tracks. Please specify your choice on the registration form.
A. Facilitation 101: How to Lead a Class for Adults
Presented by Diana Pollard, Master Facilitator and leader of First Church’s UU Learning Community
Interested in leading a Sunday morning class at church?
Want to learn more about how to successfully facilitate a group session? Join us for a morning of fun and learning as we help you understand:
- How to make the job of facilitator much easier.
- How to quickly engage participants in the learning process.
- How to gain poise and confidence as a facilitator.
- The seven fatal mistakes that facilitators make and how to avoid them.
- How to deal positively with challenging behaviors in the classroom.
B. Small Group Ministry
Presented by: Marcia Niemann and Susan Miller
Small group ministry can be a vital part of your congregation's faith formation and community building programs. This workshop will review the small group ministry program, CIRCLES, used at First Unitarian Church of Dallas. Marcia and Susan are two of the founding members of First Dallas' CIRCLES program. They will review the purposes, covenants, format, topics, training an manuals for facilitators, structure for an ongoing program, etc.
The workshop will also include time for members of other NTUUC churches to briefly describe how they currently organize their small group ministries. Participants can expect to learn about group ministry programs and resources and to experience basic facilitator training. Most importantly, the workshop will include a short "sample session" to illustrate the power and energy that can develop in small group ministry.
C. Successful Sundays: Happy Teachers, Happy Kiddos, Happy Middle Schoolers
Presenters: Tracy McShan, Karen Stanton, and Karen Lewis
Regardless of where you teach or whether you teach children or young teens, when you get down to it, teaching is about one thing only. What is that? Come and find out!
Join us for a morning of fun as we learn:
- that there’s only one curriculum, we all share it, and what it is exactly.
- what a covenant is, how to create it, and how to stay in it.
- the developmental stages of learning and faith development.
- how to engage your class in the learning process.
- how to instill self discipline.
- how to deal positively with challenging behaviors in the classroom.
- what components are essential for a meaningful Sunday experience for all.
12:30pm Lunch
1:30pm Blessing of Your Ministry and Work
AFTERNOON PROGRAM:
First Unitarian Church of Dallas Teaching Faculty Only
With Karen Lewis and Martha Norton
If you are on the faculty of First Church and will be attending, PLEASE LET US KNOW on the registration form, so we know how late we need to ask the caregivers to stay and how many caregivers we'll need for the afternoon.
New to Teaching?
Then this session is mandatory for you. Learn all you’ll need to know to get off to a great start.
Got questions? We’ve got answers.
Learn some tips and tricks, procedures specific to First Church and, most importantly, how you’ll be supported in your ministry.
You're welcome to stay and share your wisdom.
Event Registration
Please click on the titles below to select your program choice and submit your registration. Only programs with available seats will be listed.
ALL THREE TRACKS ARE CAPACITY CONTROLLED
- Please register early to make sure you reserve your space.
No events |
The Presenters:


Karen has generously shared her heart and talents with UU kiddos of many ages on Sunday mornings and is currently teaching rising 7th, 8th, and 9th graders. Karen’s leadership does not stop with teaching, she’s also served as Worship Associate, as a member of the Nominating Committee, and on the Chart and Compass 2010 Capital Campaign.

A true believer, Karen knows that our faith saves lives in the here and now and makes the world a better place by inspiring people of all ages to be thoughtful, loving, kind, forgiving and generous. Karen feels blessed to work with compassionate people of all ages who want to heal the world. She says, “I'm working on being a good wife, mother, grandmother, friend, role model, teacher, manager, steward, soul. No wonder I'm so tired!” She and her husband Steve have two adult children, and are grandparents of two kiddos and a third is on the way.


Marcia has been co-facilitating CIRCLE groups, served on the CIRCLE Steering Committee, and trained new CIRCLE Facilitators since the beginning of the program. She also attended the small group ministry track of workshops at General Assembly in Fort Worth.

While a member of the Circles Steering Committee, she and Marcia Niemann collaborated in creating the Facilitator Handbook, now used as a reference for facilitators and a training tool. She and Marcia, along with other members of the Circles Steering Committee, continue to train new facilitators to the present day.