	Ohio-Meadville District of the UUA

Visitor and Membership Resources

Here are links to websites that can provide resources for individuals engaged in congregational membership, growth and working with visitors. If you have suggestions for additional links that have been helpful to you, please contact the webmaster.

If you attended the Secret Seeker Workshop at District Assembly 2008 and would like the assessment tool shown there, please click here for a word version or here for a pdf version.

Voices of a Liberal Faith DVD Resource - A new DVD titled, Voices of a Liberal Faith is being sent to all congregations, learn more about the DVD and how you can use it by clicking here. You can view this video online at You Tube, or by clicking on the file type: Real Player or Windows Media. And there is a new 30 second spot that you can view at You Tube, or by clicking on the file type: Real Player or Windows Media. You can download Real Player or Windows Media Player by clicking on the names.

Need to figure out how to welcome visitors into your congregation? Want some fresh ideas for how to work with visitors? Want to work our your entire membership process? The UUA created a number of resources for this with the "Uncommon Denomination" campaign in Kansas City and additional materials have been created for "Association Sunday". Here are some direct links to pages on the UUA website that might help.

Visitor Resources as part of the Hospitality and Belonging page
An article from Interconnections on How to Greet Visitors Well.
A page from the Interconnections site on All the Documents a Membership Committee Needs. This includes copies of sample budgets and by-laws, visitor cards, sample follow-up letters to send to folks who have visited and more.
An article titled "Greeting Visitors is Easy if you Polish the Skill" from Interconnections.
100+ Ideas for Membership Growth, a list of suggestions of how to grow your congregation from ways to deal with visitors to publicity ideas.
You can also visit the Lay Leaders Library Page and search for "visitor" or "membership" for additional resources.
Association Sunday introduction page and the resource page for Association Sunday.
Membership Committee Ideas from the old Interconnections Archive
Interconnections Article titled: UU Church of Annapolis Puts Emphasis on Welcoming and Integration (Summer 2006)
Interconnections Article titled: Seven Tools Help Church Welcome Newcomers (October 2004)
Interconnections Article titled: How You Welcome Visitors Can Make a Big Difference (Spring 2004)
Interconnections Article titled: Sunday Super-Greeters Keep Visitors Engaged, Returning (Summer 2003)
Interconnections Article titled: Helping Newcomers Find Ways To Get Involved (March 2001)
Interconnections Article titled: To Attract New Visitors Start With The Bathrooms (May/June 1998)
Interconnections Article titled: Greet Visitors Thoughtfully To Build Feeling Of Welcome (Jan/Feb 1998)
The Congregational Handbook - www.uua.org/leaders/leaderslibrary/congregationalhandbook/index.shtml
Materials from a Workshop at GA 2007: "Congregations Count: Evaluating Your Membership Process" by Linda Laskowski

Information from other congregations:

Corvallis, WA - www.uu.corvallis.uua.org/sermons/04_0919--Radical%20Hospitality.htm
Fairhaven, CT - www.uufairhaven.org/2006/Ser2006Oct8.htm.
Golden, Colorado - www.jeffersonunitarian.org/programs/volunteers/documentation.html
A website focused on Hospitality: www.allenavenueuu.org/visitor_info.html
Another website focused on Visitors: home.comcast.net/~ovuuc/information/visitorfaq.htm

Book Resources

Radical Hospitality: Benedict’s Way of Love, by Lonni Pratt Collins and Daniel Homan. Available at the UUA bookstore.

Hospitality Assessments/Check Lists

From the UUA's Hospitality and Belonging page : www.uua.org/leaders/leaderslibrary/hospitalityand/index.shtml
From the UU Congregations in the San Francisco Bay Area (this is a pdf file): www.uucpa.org/hospitality/Hospitality%20Assessment%20PCD.pdf
Secret Seeker Assessment from the Akron/Kent cluster workshop at DA 2008 as a word file; as a pdf file
From the Lutheran church: www.elca.org/evangelism/assessments/hospitality.html
From the Episcopal church: www.episcopalchurch.org/adcollaborative_56908_ENG_HTM.htm
From the Mennonite church (this is a pdf file): www.mennoniteusa.org/pdf/missional_letter/Aug2005.pdf

UUA Resources on Cultural Change:

The Membership Journey - www.uua.org/documents/congservices/membershipjourney.pdf (please note this is a pdf file you will be downloading)

Mystery Visitor/Mystery Guest Programs

A description of the mystery guest program from Church Executive - www.churchexecutive.com/Page.cfm/PageID/3262.
Clara Barton District has a description of their program on the web bcduua.org/contents/mysteryVisitor-description.html.

DVDs to use to help your congregation! Three new DVDs are now available from the UUA bookstore: "Ideas for Worship" - a DVD of stimulating segments taken from the first UUA Conference on Contemporary Worship. This vital resource offers fresh ideas on worship that you can use in your congregation. "UU University 2006" - This DVD presents key sessions held prior to GA 2006. UU University exists to increase UU lay leaders' knowledge and ability to serve. Breakthrough Congregations '07 - Now an annual series, this is the third DVD presenting the successful efforts of thriving UU Congregations both large and small. Visit the UUA bookstore at www.uua.org/bookstore for details.

Lay Leader Library - This site offers information for all lay leaders. If you are interested in trying to find the best books, articles or other resources for someone doing your role in a congregation the size of yours, this site can provide that information for you.

Trying to figure out membership requirements and issues? The Commission on Appraisal's report Belonging looks at the different ways that UU congregations deal with these issues. You can download a copy of the report as a pdf file at the commission's website along with a study guide. Also at the UUA website is a page called "All the Docs" that has all the documents a membership committee might need.