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News
A Pastoral setting for Pastoral care
The pastoral countryside of Derbyshire was the setting at the Nightingale Centre for a weekend concerning pastoral care organised by the Unitarian Association for Lay Ministry (UALM) 13th-15th November. Listening and empathy were cited as keystones to pastoral work. However, pastoral care was not just one-to-one with people in difficulty, but, as was discovered through the weekend, pastoral work includes searching one’s own difficulties to discover help for others, being sensitive to language used with the congregation, and sharing the joys. A common thread was the pastoral role of members of the congregation. There were many more lessons and ideas as the participants shared their experience and skills in their pastoral care gathering for sessions including Self-awareness in Pastoral Care by Helen Mills, Psychodynamics in Pastoral Care by David Monk and 'Unitarian Reach-out' through pastoral care by David Shaw.
At the UALM AGM a revised constitution was approved and there was consideration of a Code of Practice. Sue Woolley, Secretary of UALM, presented David Monk gifts and a very large card to mark his work for lay ministry since the inception of Unitarian Association of Lay Leaders in 1991.
There was even time between or sometimes amongst showers for a refreshing walk and experiencing the 'pastural care' as well.
UALM slot at GA meetings a success!
Over 40 people crowded into the smallish room for the UALM meeting at the GA meetings in Chester. And this in spite of the fact that we were scheduled against not one but two Receptions, where the wine was flowing freely! Thank you to everyone who attended - both UALM members and interested others. The following report appeared in the next morning's GAZette, courtesy of Angela Maher, of Unitarian New Meeting Church Birmingham, and is reproduced here with her permission."The Unitarian Association of Lay Leaders has changed its name to the Unitarian Association for Lay Ministry (UALM). To allow all those present to appreciate why the change was necessary, first Malcolm Sadler outlined the history of the association from its beginning as a kind of self-help group for lay people in positions of leadership in their congregations, then Chrissie Wilkie explained the reasons that lay behind the change, particularly the idea that congregations die without lay ministry and that ministry for all and by all is the cornerstone of the Unitarians.
Once it was clear why UALM was so called, Sue Woolley gave a quick tour of the new website. It looks pretty good, with a nice logo, and helpful sidebar menu, and has information on the history of the association, the worship studies course, and links to some great worship resources - plus, if like me, you wanted to know the differences between a lay leader and a lay pastor, there are a collection of helpful definitions to explain them. 'New name, new website, new newsletter' was the introduction of the first UALM newsletter by editor Kath Riley. Mostly this was a plea for non-members to buy a copy (very reasonable, 50p each) and for contributions for the next issue which is expected in the Autumn. Also in the Autumn is the UALM conference, whose theme will be Pastoral Care, as explained by David Monk.
The slot ended with questions, which included several comments about the validity, worth and importance of lay ministry, and plugs for some of the excellent training that takes place through district associations, the GA and opportunities that may exist externally. If you want to join UALM, you can find details on the website. Membership fees are £10."
Five UALM members accepted for Lay Pastor / Ministry training.
We are delighted to announce that after successful interviews by the Interview Panel at Oxford in January, the following members have been approved for training: Jim Corrigall - Lay Pastor Training, HMCONicky Jenkins - Lay Pastor Training, UCM
Rob McPherson - Ministry Training, UCM
Kath Riley - Lay Pastor Training, UCM
Sue Woolley - Ministry Training, HMCO
Our congratulations to them all!