InterConnections Tipsheet

The Church of the Larger Fellowship’s Letter-Writing Ministry is seeking UUs who are willing to correspond with other UUs who are in prison. The Rev. Patty Franz, coordinator of this ministry, says that while UUs of all ages are encouraged to apply, there is a special need for people from 25 to 50. Franz said more than 400 prisoners have joined CLF and about half of them are participating in the letter-writing program. Others are on a waiting list.

The ministry consists of sending and receiving letters on paper rather than email. All letters from prisoners are forwarded through CLF Prison Ministry’s office in Boston. The CLF’s prison ministry staff matches the pen pal pairs and remains available for advice and support. Pen pals are asked to write for at least six months, and may continue longer. Franz noted that prisoners are told only the first name or nickname of those they are paired with. A UUA-sponsored email list, uu-prison-justice is also available, providing a way to connect with other UUs engaged in this ministry and other prison-related social justice issues.

See the CLF’s website, to review the Guidelines and Notes for the CLF’s Letter Writing Ministry and to request information or an application packet, or write to the CLF Prison Ministry, 25 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02108 (PrisMin@clfuu.org).

Lay-led congregations seeking to stretch their budgets might consider a group membership in the Church of the Larger Fellowship’s Church OnLine program.

For an annual fee of $299 a congregation can access worship and religious education resources online. Congregations may enroll at any time.

Worship resources include sermons and a children’s story and suggested discussion questions. RE resources include RE Express Plus, a special program for small RE programs.

CLF also has an email list, CLF Starting Small, for leaders of small congregations. More information is available on the CLF website.

The November issue of Covenant Group News, the monthly newsletter of the UU Small Group Ministry Network, includes an article on using Skype to connect people who can’t attend a meeting because of distance. Skype is software that can be used to connect two computers so that a distant person can be seen as well as heard.

“It was a great experience,” said a facilitator from Hamilton, Ontario. “I believe it has tons of potential applications for all kinds of ministry.”

Another article explores a group at High Plains UU Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., created for parents with small children. The group includes childcare. It has two trained facilitators, who, if enough people attend, hold two sessions. The groups sometimes have a choice of child-centered or spiritual growth topics.

The Church of the Larger Fellowship, a congregation that serves isolated UUs through the Internet and by mail, holds online small group sessions that can last three to four weeks. The facilitator sends out an opening reading and invites members to check in by email over the next few days. Then a topic is posed and more time is allowed for receiving responses. Then a few more days are provided for closing and evaluation and then there’s a final week for informal chatting. The Rev. Lynn Ungar, CLF minister for Lifespan Learning, said these groups work especially well for people who are shy or need time to process.

More information on the UU Small Group Ministry Network, including how to join and sign up for Covenant Group News is here. The network also collects discussion topics and makes them available to members.

Through the UU Church of the Larger Fellowship’s Letter-Writing Ministry, around 140 Unitarian Universalists are writing to other UUs who are in prison. The Rev. Patty Franz, coordinator of this effort, says that prisoners have now been offered the opportunity to have a second pen pal.

That means more pen pals on the “outside” are needed. Being a pen pal for a prisoner-member of the CLF is a social justice project that individuals can take on at their convenience, wherever they live. All letters are sent by U.S. Postal Service. Prisoners are told only the first name or nickname of those they are paired with. CLF staff are available for advice and support. Read the guidelines and notes for CLF’s Letter Writing Ministry and request an application packet at www.clfuu.org/prisonministry, or write to the CLF Prison Ministry, 25 Beacon St, Boston, MA  02108.

A UUA-sponsored email list, uu-prison-justice is also available, providing a way to connect with other UUs engaged in this ministry and other prison-related social justice issues.

The Church of the Larger Fellowship has created a “Make Your Own Sunday” resource where congregations can choose a worship topic, then select opening words, a chalice lighting, meditation, a children’s story, sermon, and closing words, all on that topic.

The cost to subscribe is $129 annually. For more information visit the CLF’s “Make Your Own Sunday” page, email Beth Murray, or call 617-948-6150.

Congregations can get help in presenting themselves to seekers through a new service provided by the Church of the Larger Fellowship.

For $250 the CLF will prepare a five-session “Welcome In” online class explaining Unitarian Universalism, how the congregation works, UU spirituality, the larger world of Unitarian Universalism, and the history of Unitarian Universalism and the congregation.

The CLF will create the class using text, photos, and video specific to the congregation, host the class on its server, provide technical support for three months, and offer resources for promoting the class.

Learn more and view a sample online class here. Contact the Rev. Lynn Ungar, CLF’s minister for Lifespan Learning, at lungar@uua.org.

The Church of the Larger Fellowship has organized an online ministry for military personnel and their families. A website for the ministry debuted in February. It is open to service people, family members, veterans, Department of Defense employees, defense contractors, and others who want to support military families. According to the Church of the Larger Fellowship website, the CLF was founded in 1944 to help isolated religious liberals—including Unitarian soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines serving overseas—connect to their faith.