MFN Mini Retreat: From Burden to Blessing: Practicing Trauma Informed Ministry
Saturday, February 15, 2025
1-4:00 pm ET/ 12-3:00 pm CT/ 11-2:00 pm MT/10-1:00 pm PT
This mini-retreat will offer participants theological grounding and collegial connections as we explore topics of trauma in religious leadership. The Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Stevens is a lifelong UU currently serving as minister of the UU Church of the Palouse in Moscow, Idaho and as a spiritual director. Leading with attention to the way that life's most difficult experiences transform our personal and professional practice of ministry, she will share wisdom and hope in this three hour program on Zoom. Her doctoral thesis, "Ministry During the Rolling Apocalypse: Managing Trauma in Unitarian Universalist Congregations" grounds her work. Together we'll explore:
- What trauma is and how it impacts both individuals and communities
- How to work with trauma personally and in ministry
- How and when to acknowledge trauma in worship, and the crucial first steps in times of crisis
- The importance of personal and community care on the sustainability of ministry
Our gathering will include presentation, small group discernment and opportunities to reflect on how ministers make meaning and help others to respond to the unthinkable.
