InterConnections Tipsheet ArchiveResources from the Monthly Newsletter for Leaders of UU Congregations
Wondering if there’s a study guide for that Skinner House book that you’d like to use for a religious education course? Now there’s a page on UUA.org devoted to Companion Resources for Skinner House Books.
In addition to study guides prepared by UUA staff and others, the resources include videos and UU World articles.
People are also invited to suggest other resources or create their own and submit them for posting on the site.
Don Skinner
A discussion guide for The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, selected as the 2012–2013 Unitarian Universalist Association Common Read, is now available. Created by UUA staff, the guide is intended to help groups reflect on the book and consider how to respond to author Michelle Alexander’s call for awareness and action. The discussion guide is adaptable for congregational, cluster, or district programming for adults of all ages. Two formats are offered: A single 90-minute session and three 90-minute sessions. Download a free copy.
The UUA Bookstore is supporting this Common Read with a 10 percent discount on orders of 5–9 books and 20 percent off of orders of 10 or more books. The New Jim Crow is also available online as an e-book and in public libraries.
Don Skinner
Skinner House Books, a Unitarian Universalist Association imprint that publishes titles on UU history, theology, biography, and worship, has a variety of free resources online at uua.org/companionresources. These include discussion questions, small group ministry plans, webinars, videos, related articles, and author interviews—all designed to help congregational leaders deepen their congregation’s engagement with Skinner House books.
Skinner House also invites leaders to share feedback about how these resources are used and suggest ideas for improvement. If your congregation has developed a resource that would be useful to others, share it through Skinner House. Contact Skinner House Editorial Director Mary Benard with comments and suggestions.
Don Skinner
The discussion guide for Acts of Faith, the 2011-12 “Common Read” of the Unitarian Universalist Association, is available now from the Ministries and Faith Development Staff Group as part of its online Tapestry of Faith resources.
In Acts of Faith, author Eboo Patel shares his faith journey as an American Muslim. He discusses how he was called to found the Interfaith Youth Core. Acts of Faith explores the appeal of religious fundamentalism to young people, noting that their spiritual hunger is tied to their desire to make a mark on the world. He encourages support of young people, helping them ground themselves in a faith that fuels their passions and inspires them to work across faiths to create a better world.
The discussion guide, available free online, is suitable for youth, young adult, campus, adult, and cross-generational Common Read groups. It offers materials for a single ninety-minute session or for three ninety-minute sessions, each expandable to two hours. It also provides the option of splitting the single ninety-minute session into two shorter sessions for those congregations that want to use it in a regular Sunday morning forum or discussion group.
Contact Gail Forsyth-Vail, the UUA’s Adult Programs director, for more information. Acts of Faith, published by Beacon Press, is available through the UUA bookstore with discounts for multiple copies.
Don Skinner
Skinner House Books, a publishing arm of the UUA, has a new page on the UUA website called “Companion Resources.” There’s also a link in the left-hand menu on the front page of the Skinner House website.
The page offers links to free and practical resources, including bonus chapters, discussion questions, small group sessions, and webinars that can help readers and congregations get more out of Skinner House titles.
Users of the page are also invited to suggest additional resources, such as videos, sermons, worship readings, and website links, and to tell Skinner House staff how they’re using the existing resources. Contact Editorial Director Mary Benard at mbenard@uua.org. Benard adds, “We’d also love to know about resources that congregations have created themselves.”
Don Skinner