Regional Relations

Beginning

The Regional Relationships Task Team (RRTT) was created during the June 2014 convention to support the strengthening of regional relationships as part of the UWM vision that Donna Johnson, CEO, presented to the convention body.

Photo: Winter Meetings, Phoenix, Ariz., February 2015

Summit

Our Winter Meetings (formerly known as January Meetings and Mid-Year Meetings) were held February 4-6, 2015, in Phoenix, Arizona. The summit took place February 4-5, 2015, followed by the ministry team meetings on Feb 6. The summit focused on clarifying, integrating and strengthening our regional relationships, one to another, and with the central office staff of UWM. Having strong, collaborative regional relationships is key to accomplishing our collective mission of “advancing the movement of spiritual awakening and transformation through Unity, a positive path for spiritual living.”

 

Exploration of History

The Regional Relationships Task Team, in order to understand more about our regional structure, researched the history of how the regions and the association were created, and prepared a PowerPoint presentation to illustrate the history of how the regions and association were formed. (Thank you, Rich Broderhausen!)

In addition, a comprehensive menu of the services that each region, as well as the central office, provides was presented by team members to illustrate the similarities as well as the diversity of services. (Synopsis of services)

Many ideas and desires of those in attendance were captured; those with implications for our larger organization are being fielded by Donna Johnson into existing or new ministry teams or task teams, or explored by the central office staff.

The ideas and questions that arose concerning the function of our regions, sub-regions and larger organization are being fielded by the Regional Relationships Task Team. Those issues include: how our regions function in coordination with the central office; how smaller regions may serve as models for greater efficiency and high touch as sub-regions of larger regions; how regional representatives and ministry consultants interact from region to region, and what functions of these roles are working the best in the regions.

 

Seeking Ideas and Visions

Dialogue calls were held with the regional boards of the 7 domestic regions.

The Regional Relationships Task Team reached out to regional board leadership, updated the regional board members on the summit meeting presentations and discussions. The team has asked them to advise the team as to what issues and solutions they see in creating more structure to support stronger relationships among regions, sub-regions and the central office, in order to provide greater support to all ministers and ministries of our Unity organization.

Read the Regional Relationships Task Team report  (Word version) (PowerPoint version) that was shared at Unity People's Convention 2015. You can also see Rev Karen Tudor’s presentation of the report to the convention body on YouTube. (Start at 2:47:30.)