Mission Peak UU Congregation
M i s s i o n     P e a k     U n i t a r i a n     U n i v e r s a l i s t     C o n g r e g a t i o n
"A Spiritual Community of Caring Hearts and Open Minds"

 


Mission Peak's Spiritual Portrait		 Rev

Rev. Barbara Meyers' Ministry

Quarterly Report to MPUUC Board of Trustees

December 2006

 

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 endorsed community ministry.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

 

Yours in faith,

 

 

 

Rev. Barbara Meyers

 

Education

Caring Congregation Program

There are a number of activities with regard to the Caring Congregation curriculum:

  • Developed a workshop for ministers about mental health issues. Submitted a proposal to have this be one of the workshops available for UU ministers associations to offer. Developed an anticipated training path that I see for ministers and congregations. It is given in the diagram below:
  • Grant Status
    • Original plan to have trainings in other districts did not work.
    • UUA Grant office approved an extension in my grant until March of 2008. I will get no more money, but have longer to spend it
  • Taught the curriculum again at SKSM (see below).

Classes and Seminars Given

  • Spoke to instructors at Chabot College in Livermore as part of a Alameda Country Anti-Stigma Speakers Bureau.
  • Taught class on Mental Health and Religion at SKSM. I had 15 students from 3 seminaries and the outside community, all of whom were wonderful. The highlight was a chapel service for other SKSM students on the subject of mental health. Received excellent evaluations.
  • Proposal to teach an intensive weekend class at SKSM in Spring 2008 was approved. The idea is that maybe more students from other seminaries will be able to attend if the class only takes a weekend, rather than a full semester.
  • Prepared lessons to teach class on "Understanding the New Testament" starting in January.
  • Spoke about mental health recovery as guest speaker at a SKSM class on "Health and Healing"
  • Will make a podcast describing my ministry to be placed on SKSM website.

Classes and Seminars Taken

  • Attended PCD Leadership Development Day in Sacramento and attended sessions on "Change the Story, Change the Future."
  • Read materials from an on-line conference call on Art to Counter Stigma sponsored by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Books Read

  • Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis.
  • Everyday Spiritual Practice - Simple Pathways for Enriching Your Life, edited by Scott W. Alexander.
  • An Introduction to Jewish Ethics by Louis E. Newman.

Healing

Pastoral Support

  • Completed giving pastoral support to congregation during parish minister's absence.
  • Acted as volunteer chaplain at Ministerial Fellowship Committee meeting in December in Berkeley.

Reaching Across

  • Continue working about quarter time at Reaching Across organization.

Support Groups

  • Continued co-leading new interfaith support group for people with depression and sadness.
  • Continued to recommend support group for families of those with mental illness. Have gotten feedback that this has been helpful

Pastoral Associates

  • Will continue being chair of Pastoral Associates until new replacement(s) identified. Recruited and trained three new associates.
  • Will continue to give training to Pastoral Associates and be compensated for this.

Priestly

  • Worship Associate for November 4 service with worship leader Rev. Chris Schriner. The children's story was on the "Day of the Dead" during which an altar was created by the children.
  • Prepared for January 7 service on "Humility"

Social Justice

MPUUC Social Justice Area

  • Holiday Gift Wrapping Program at John George Mental Hospital will be held on December 14 with about 10 people from Mission Peak attending.

Community Awareness

  • Mental Health pages on MPUUC web site continue to be widely accessed.

"Not in Our Town - Fremont" Mental Health Subcommittee

  • The focus of this effort is to obtain Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) for police officers in Fremont and Newark. The police department will train their hostage negotiation team. Critical priorities keep them from being able to train others at this point.

Anti Stigma Effort

  • Spoke to instructors at Chabot College as part of a Alameda Country Anti-Stigma Speakers Bureau.
  • Looked into the possibility of putting anti-stigma programming on community access television. Made a proposal to the Alameda County Behavioral Healthcare Public Awareness Committee and it was decided to proceed with these plans.

UUA Accessibility Committee

  • UUA Board voted to name me to the UUA Accessibility Committee. My focus will be on accessibility for people with psychiatric disabilities.

UU Mental Health Chat forum

  • In the process of setting up a UU email list for people interested in a UU mental health ministry.

Other

  • Submitted paperwork to the UUA for approval of my second year of primary fellowship as a UU minister. This must be done for the first 3 years of a ministry.
  • Met with Community Ministry Advisory Committee every quarter
  • Chaired MPUUC Mental Health Committee which meets about every quarter
  • Met with Committee on Ministry from MPUUC monthly
  • Met with mentor Rev. Dave Sammons every month
  • Attended a UU minister association retreat at St. Dorothy's Rest
  • Took one week of vacation in November