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UMMAS Policies and Practices
The Spiritual Leader of a Unity ministry in GA, NC, SC, and TN, which
includes:
- Ministers, Associate Ministers, Co-ministers, retired Unity ministers,
inactive Unity ministers, and Unity ministers leading "alternative" forms of
ministry. (Unity ministers in nearby states are also welcome.)
- Spiritual Leader of a church (including a Unity Licensed Teacher who
is serving as the spiritual leader of their church.)
- Spouses/Partners of ministers/spiritual leaders. Spouses are
full voting members and may hold office.
Quarterly Meetings
- October during the SouthEast Conference
- February & May at various UMMAS churches (Changing
locations allows us to become acquainted with each other's church
facilities, community, and practices. We also enjoy the renewal of
a short vacation "get-away".)
- September at the annual UMMAS Retreat in Hendersonville NC (ministers arrive a day
early to Retreat for this meeting).
Sometimes we extend the February or May meeting by a day or two for a
special training experience or a ministers' retreat.
Usual format of our Feb/May Quarterly Meetings:
- Monday:
- Gather at noon for lunch (often at the host church)
- 1 or 2pm: "Heart-Check" - a time for personal support. Each person
shares a few minutes of update about what's happening in your life,
especially your personal life. This non-judgmental personal
support is the heart of UMMAS, the process by which we bond and grow.
- Dinner on our own / informal fellowship
- Tuesday
- Continue/Finish "Heart-Check" as needed
- Business meeting - financial report, tithe decisions, planning our
events, etc.
- Share ideas and "how to" of what works in our church
- Dinner together (paid by UMMAS)
- Wednesday
- Continue/Finish Business meet needed
Distant
ministers policy (adopted May 2010)
- We offer up to five (5), $200 travel vouchers to UMMAS ministers/spiritual leaders who want
to come to UMMAS meetings, based on the following criteria:
- Distance from site meeting
- Availability
- Deadline is 6 weeks prior to meeting
New ministers policy (affirmed Feb 2012)
- To welcome you into UMMAS, a minister/spiritual leader is invited to
attend your first UMMAS meeting for free... UMMAS will pay for your
lodging.
- You will be granted "active" status for purposes of Retreat
registration for the first Retreat that occurs after you move into the UMMAS
area.
Definition
of Active Membership:
(from Grant & Scholarship Guidelines; revised Feb 2012).
Active UMMAS membership is established after one year of
- Attending at least one regular UMMAS business meeting and/or
- Supporting UMMAS through gifts and tithes.
Active UMMAS membership is maintained
by
- attending at least one regular UMMAS business meeting a year and/or
- supporting UMMAS during each active year through gifts or tithes, either personally or through their ministry.
About the Retreat
UMMAS pays
most of the cost for all
active UMMAS Ministers & Spiritual Leaders and
their spouses to attend. Each UMMAS active member pays a small portion of the
fee. All are expected to assist in various ways
at the retreat... some of the opportunities for service include:
- Lead a Vespers service or Morning Meditation
- Give a workshop
- Program Directors - coordinate speakers/schedule, do introductions
- Registration
- Publicity - prepare Flyer and Schedule
- Help at Registration/Check-in table
- Retreat "Chaplains" - available for informal counseling, answering
questions for retreat participants
- Lead/Organize "extra" programs: some ideas: Evening Fellowship in
the lobby, Sing-a-long in the lobby, Talent Show, Nature Walk/Hike,
pre-retreat whitewater raft trip, Twelve Step meeting, golf or tennis match, jog together, yoga, etc.
UMMAS members arrive at retreat a day early. We meet at 2:00 for Heart-Check and last-minute details of the retreat, then have
a wine & cheese social at 5pm, and dinner together at 6pm. We
continue with a short meeting the next morning and/or a presentation by
the keynote to the UMMAS members only. (Per usual meeting
participation policy, non-UMMAS members who may be traveling to Retreat
with you are NOT invited to any of these meetings.)
A short meeting is held on Friday immediately after the close of the
retreat (10:30am-noon), for
business and de-briefing about the retreat (suggestions while they're
still fresh in our minds).
Retreat Registration policy, amended Feb. 7, 2012:
Any ACTIVE member of UMMAS may pay $150 for his/herself and
$150
for their spouse/partner,
(amount amended May 2010)
to attend the Kanuga retreat.
Unity ministers/spiritual leaders who are NOT active in UMMAS, but who
live in the UMMAS geographical region, may attend the Retreat at our
"cost" (the amount that UMMAS pays for lodging & meals. Contact
the Registrar for the amount.)
Retreat Presenter policy, amended Feb. 2008: The requirement
for an UMMAS member to teach a workshop at the Kanuga retreat is that the
prospective presenter must attend either the February or May
business meeting of said year.
Grant & Scholarship Guidelines
- Policy (revised Feb. 2006) for UMMAS expenditures for grants and
scholarships. Includes grants for financial assistance to Licensed
Unity Teachers, Field Licensing Program, new building for an UMMAS
ministry, retreats & leadership trainings, and other needs that arise
for active UMMAS members. www.ummas.org/grants.html
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