It's time to pause and offer thanks to our many lay leaders who are rotating off the board, CYRE Steering Committee, and other committees and teams. They have labored for the past year and often for many years – with little recognition and few rewards. While the work may be its own reward, bringing quiet satisfaction and a sense of belonging – our gratitude is well placed and appreciated. 

And, congratulations are in order for newly elected leaders and committee and team leads who are quietly taking the helms for a new program year where leaders are stepping down to take a break or take on a new challenge. 

Do you ever wonder how lay leaders know what to do in their various roles? It seems churches often rely on the sink or swim method of helping new leaders assume their roles. And of course there's lots of OJT (on the job training) aka learning by doing.  Often we relay on the skills and experience lay leaders bring from their life and work experience.
If you're a new leader or someone who would like to hone your organizing skills in the context of congregational work the Unitarian Universalist (UU) Leadership Institute is offering several Summer 2016 courses for only $30 per course per semester.  Two classes look particularly relevant:

• Healthy Leadership 101 is for new and experienced leaders alike and will help you develop an understanding of how your congregation functions as an interconnected organize system of relationships. This class is led by Rev. Renee Ruchotzke.
• Leading Change in Changing Times with Rev. Renee Ruchtozke will help congregational leaders develop the tools to understand the dynamics of change with different change theories and how to apply them.

Courses are online and open on June 1 run through September 15, 2016. For more information, visit the website http://www.uuinstitute.org or contact
info@uuinstitute.org