Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Elkhart, IN

Margot's keynote address will have the same title. She'll ask:
How do we use our power for good?
How do we relate to people who have more or less power, status or resources than we do?
How do we negotiate the power in our own lives?
How do we use our power to preserve and protect the Earth?
How do we build a sturdy spirituality in the face of these issues?

Join us to explore the answers in this retreat's sacred circle! Women's wonderings, wanderings, workshops and more...tentative workshop themes: Tai Chi, Yoga, Chanting (with Margot Adler), an insight into the current vampire craze (with Margot Adler), Chakras, Drumming, Nutrition, Bach Flower Remedies...

Many people think there are two different Margot Adlers. One is a 40-year veteran of public broadcasting, who is currently the New York correspondent for National Public Radio and a frequent voice on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition. The other is a chronicler and spokesperson for the contemporary Wiccan and Pagan movements, the author of Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today, and a Wiccan priestess who gives workshops in ritual and song. Shush! Don’t tell anyone. It’s the same person!

Adler started in radio in 1968 as a newscaster, reporter, and later the host of three talk shows in the 1970s and 1980s. She pioneered live, free-form talk shows that dealt with spirituality, feminism, ecology, and the interface between politics, religion, and culture. She came to NPR in 1978, and her favorite stories are those that turn the world upside down and make you question everything you thought you knew. She has covered everything from the Winter Olympics to the homeless, and from human stories of 9/11 to technology and education. From 1999 to 2008, Adler hosted Justice Talking, a national radio show about law, the Constitution, and American life. Adler is also the author of Heretic’s Heart: A Journey through Spirit and Revolution, which deals with her experiences as a student at Berkeley, a participant in the Free Speech Movement, a civil rights worker in Mississippi, and an activist and journalist during the Vietnam War.

A longtime Unitarian Universalist, Margot keynoted WomanSpirit 2000 in Milwaukee Wisconsin, has led and participated in panels and rituals at the UUA General Assembly, for the Continental UU Women and Religion and Covenant of UU Pagans, and was one of the keynote speakers at the International Convocation of UU Women in February 2009. Adler resides in New York.

Workshop Applications are due October 1, 2010.

Consensus decision-making is a group decision making process that not only seeks the agreement of most participants, but also the resolution or mitigation of minority objections.  This strategy involves everyone playing a role in the decision making of the group.  In order for this to be successful it is important to be open to compromise!

Consensus is usually defined as meaning both general agreement, and the process of getting to such agreement. Consensus decision-making is thus concerned primarily with that process.

The Mission of the Unitarian Universalist Association's Central Midwest District Women and Religion Committee is to support women in their search for the Inner Feminine Divine in an atmosphere of connectedness, safety, and joy.

We have all worked hard to make 2009 a successful and productive year. We recruited and nurtured planning committees for our winter and summer retreats, which had more than 150 women in attendance. We presented workshops, information tables and Sunday services to UU audiences. We continued efforts to upgrade our website, maximizing our ability to publicize events; communicate with one another and provide easily accessible document archives. Significantly, we took initial steps towards more fully integrating the Women & Religion committee into the district operations.