Rev. Barbara Meyers' Ministry

Quarterly Report to MPUUC Board of Trustees

June 2009

 

To the MPUUC Board of Trustees,

 

The following is a list of the activities I have engaged in during the last quarter as part of my affiliated community ministry.  Please let me know if you have any questions, comments or concerns.

 

Yours in faith,

 

 

 

Rev. Barbara Meyers

 

Education

Classes and Seminars Given

• Organized and led a workshop on April 8 at Starr King School for the Ministry on
• Journeying into Community Ministry.
• Prepared extensive handout for class, and organized presentations from 7 community ministers.
• Prepared training for monthly Pastoral Associates meetings.
• Distributed my document Mental Health Information for Ministers to 50 ministers and seminarians. The document has brief descriptions of the major mental disorders with specific suggestions of what a minister can do.
• Presented a paper entitled Mental Health Information for Ministers at the 2009 Northern California Mental Health & Spirituality Conference on June 1-2 in Oakland. Also at this conference, I served on a panel that gave responses to the keynote speech.

Classes, Conferences and Seminars Taken and Planned

• Attended web training from CA Faith for Equality on Truth to Power: Training in Non-Violent Direct Action, on April 2.
• Attended training by Michael Tompkins, Ph.D. sponsored by the Mental Health Association of San Francisco on Digging Out: Helping Your Loved One Manage Clutter, Hoarding, and Compulsive Acquiring, May 26.
• Attended a training by Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services on Motivational Interviewing which is a client-centered counseling style for eliciting behavior change by helping clients to explore and resolve ambivalence on May 28.
• Attended the UUA General Assembly in Salt Lake City as a delegate on June 22-28. It was very inspiring and I got some new ideas for reviewing my ministry. A number of important resolutions were debated, including a change to the principles and sources of the UU faith.
• I plan to attend NAMI's National Convention in San Francisco July 6-9.

Retreats Attended

Attended a retreat workshop on April 30-May 1 by Dr. Marcia McFee on Creating Worship With Deep Soul as part of a continuing education program for Unitarian Universalist ministers in the Pacific Central District. She had many interesting ideas all of which I didn't buy. But some of it was helpful and I will choose to use it when I think it would be appropriate.

Healing

Reaching Across

Continued compensated job at Reaching Across organization, for quarter-time work. Attend Monday support group meetings, two Interfaith Support Groups per month, most Wednesday group activities, and Friday craft days.

Support Groups

• Continued co-leading interfaith support group for people with depression and sadness.
• Continued to recommend support group for families of those with mental illness.

Pastoral Associates

• Continue to prepare training materials for Pastoral Associates at the monthly meetings. Made several calls/visits to congregational members, at home and in hospital.

Mental Health Committee

• The autobiographical play by Gail Marlene Schwartz called Crazy: One Woman's Search for Sanity was shown on April 18 at MPUUC. It was presented on a pro bono basis and was a successful fund raiser.
• NAMI Walk had a group from MPUUC walking. Made a faith endorsement for NAMI Walk.

Priestly

• Worship leader on May 24 at Livermore on the subject of We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For
• Officiated at the wedding of Erin Foret and Brandon Grimes in May 23 in Briones Regional Park.
• Attended monthly Pastoral Associates meetings, and prepared training for each meeting.
• Continued being a mentor to a UU community minister in preliminary fellowship. Monthly meetings.

Social Justice

Community Awareness

• Mental Health Matters Public Access TV Show
  • Taped shows on: Alternative Medicine in April, Latino Mental Health in May and Mental Health in Difficult Economic Times in June.
  • Topics for the next shows are: Holistic Mental Health Care, Famous People with Mental Illness, and Youth.
  • Shows continue to be broadcast throughout Alameda County on Comcast TV as well as being available from anywhere on the internet.
  • Status of Previous Problem: viewership of newer shows is dropping off.
• Made list of contacts in organizations
• Made list of contacts at educational institutions
• Strategy: Contact people I know first. So far,
• NAMI Alameda Co. put an article about the show in their newsletter and will put in monthly blurbs when each show is produced.
• PCD said they didn't want to do anything more often than every 9 months.
• Byron Williams wrote a feature editorial about my TV show for his syndicated column
• Mental Health pages on MPUUC web site continue to be widely accessed.

UUA Accessibility Group

• Maintained the website for the new UU accessibility group Equual Access. Take a look at: www.equualaccess.org
• Mental Health Caucus under the auspices of Equual Access. Status: we have bi-monthly conference calls prioritizing activities and some of us plan to meet at General Assembly.

Books Read

• Ken Wilber, Jack Engler and Daniel Brown, Editors. Transformations of Consciousness - Conventional and Contemplative Perspectives on Development, Boston: New Science Library, 1986. Especially chapters on The Spectrum of Development, The Spectrum of Pathology, and Treatment Modalities. Fascinating discussion on how the self develops in different stages, what can go wrong at each stage, and how to treat each pathology.
• My Lobotomy - A Memoir, by Howard Dully and Charles Fleming, New York: Crown Publishers, 2007. The harrowing story of a boy who was given a lobotomy at the age of 12 by famed lobotomist Dr. Walter Freeman, when his main problem was that he didn't get along with his step mother.
• Outliers - The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell, New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008. A fascinating account of what factors make some people successful and others not. Ex: Most excellent hockey players are born in January, February or March, because the beginning of the year is the birthday cut-off point for starting hockey training for young boys; the oldest, biggest boys born in the first 3 months will do the best.
• The Resilient Spirit - Transforming Suffering into Insight and Renewal, by Polly Young-Eisendrath PhD., Cambridge Mass: Perseus Publishing, 1996. Factors that make people resilient are identified: empathy, flexibility, creativity, humor, and wisdom.
• Resilient Adults - Overcoming a Cruel Past, by Gina O'Connell Higgins, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1994. Looks at the question of why some people are able to overcome a very abusive childhood.
• The Perennial Philosophy, by Aldous Huxley, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1945. A classic introduction to the characteristics central to religious thought throughout the world. Particularly an introduction for the western world to mysticism and Eastern philosophy.
• Cosmic Consciousness - A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind, by Richard Maurice Bucke, M.D., New York: E. P. Dutton and Company, 1901. A classic, pioneering, modern study of the mystical experience. Prompted by his firsthand experience, the author explores the phenomenon of transcendent realization, or illumination.
• Callings - Finding and Following an Authentic Life, by Gregg Levoy. New York: Harmony Books, 1997. Explores the search for authenticity in examining the many kinds of calls we receive - the big vocations that direct our lives but also all the smaller vocations we need to answer to.
• Noticing the Divine - An Introduction to Interfaith Spiritual Guidance by John R. Mabry. This is a text for the spiritual directors certificate program I have enrolled in.

Personal

• Had a week-long wonderful, restful vacation in April to New Mexico with Tom and my father.
• Need to continually work at life balance and stress management.
• Completed a weaving, a complex honey-comb pattern for the Rahmans.
• I have applied and been accepted to a program to get a certificate in Spiritual Direction from the Chaplaincy Institute in Berkeley. It starts in July, and has 4 weeks of classes, 1 week per quarter, for a year, followed by a year of seeing clients under supervision.

Other

• Met with Community Ministry Advisory Committee every quarter
• Chaired MPUUC Mental Health Committee which meets every 6-8 weeks
• Attended MPUUC Board meetings in April and May.
• Served as secretary to the Tri Cities Interfaith Council at its monthly meetings.