Please visit the new website at ummas.org for the most current info.
UMMAS Policies and Practices
Who may participate in UMMAS? The Spiritual Leader of a Unity ministry in GA, NC, SC, and TN, which includes:
Who may participate in UMMAS? The Spiritual Leader of a Unity ministry in GA, NC, SC, and TN, which includes:
- Ministers, Associate Ministers, Co-ministers, retired Unity ministers, inactive Unity ministers, and Unity ministers leading "alternative" forms of ministry. (Unity ministers in nearby states are also welcome.)
- Spiritual Leader or retired minister of a church (including a Unity Licensed Teacher who is serving as the spiritual leader of their church.)
- Spouses/Partners of ministers/spiritual leaders. Spouses are full voting members and may hold office.
Minister Meetings
Usual format of our Feb/May Minister Meetings:
- February & May at various UMMAS churches. Changing locations allows us to become acquainted with each other's church facilities, community, and practices. We also enjoy the renewal of a short vacation "get-away." Sometimes we extend the February or May meeting by a day or two for a special training experience or a ministers' retreat. Usually held on the 1st Monday in Februrary and the 1st Monday in May.
- September at the annual UMMAS Retreat in Hendersonville NC (ministers arrive a day early to Retreat - on Monday - for this meeting).
Usual format of our Feb/May Minister Meetings:
- Monday:
- Gather at noon for lunch (often at the host church)
- 1 or 2pm: "Heart-Check" - a time for personal support. Each person shares a few minutes of update about what's happening in your life, especially your personal life. This non-judgmental personal support is the heart of UMMAS, the process by which we bond and grow.
- Dinner on our own / informal fellowship
- Tuesday
- Continue/Finish "Heart-Check" as needed
- Business meeting - financial report, tithe decisions, planning our events, etc.
- Share ideas and "how to" of what works in our church
- Dinner together (paid by UMMAS)
- Wednesday
- Continue/Finish Business meet needed
Travel Voucher policy (adopted May 2010, amended Feb 2014)
- We offer up to five (5), $200 travel vouchers to UMMAS ministers/spiritual leaders who want to come to UMMAS meetings, based on the following criteria:
- Distance from site meeting
- Availability
- Deadline is 6 weeks prior to meeting
- To welcome you into UMMAS, a minister/spiritual leader is invited to attend your first UMMAS meeting for free... UMMAS will pay for your lodging.
- You will be granted "active" status for purposes of Retreat registration for the first Retreat that occurs after you move into the UMMAS area.
Definition of Active Membership: (from Grant & Scholarship Guidelines; revised Feb 2012).
Active UMMAS membership is established after one year of
Active UMMAS membership is established after one year of
- Attending at least one regular UMMAS business meeting and/or
- Supporting UMMAS through gifts and tithes.
- attending at least one regular UMMAS business meeting a year and/or
- supporting UMMAS during each active year through gifts or tithes, either personally or through their ministry.
About the Retreat
UMMAS pays most of the cost for all active UMMAS Ministers & Spiritual Leaders and their spouses to attend. Each UMMAS active member pays a small portion of the fee. All are expected to assist in various ways at the retreat... some of the opportunities for service include:
UMMAS members arrive at retreat a day early. We meet at 2:00 for Heart-Check and last-minute details of the retreat, then have a wine & cheese social at 5pm, and dinner together at 6pm. We continue with a short meeting the next morning and/or a presentation by the keynote to the UMMAS members only. (Per usual meeting participation policy, non-UMMAS members who may be traveling to Retreat with you are NOT invited to any of these meetings.)
A short meeting is held on Friday immediately after the close of the retreat (10:30am-noon), for business and de-briefing about the retreat (suggestions while they're still fresh in our minds).
Retreat Registration policy, amended Feb. 7, 2012:
Any ACTIVE member of UMMAS may pay $200 for his/herself and $200 for their spouse/partner, (amount amended) to attend the Kanuga retreat.
Unity ministers/spiritual leaders who are NOT active in UMMAS, but who live in the UMMAS geographical region, may attend the Retreat at our current "cost" (the amount that UMMAS pays for lodging & meals. Contact the Registrar for the amount.)
Retreat Presenter policy, amended Feb. 2008: The requirement for an UMMAS member to teach a workshop at the Kanuga retreat is that the prospective presenter must attend either the February or May business meeting of said year.
UMMAS pays most of the cost for all active UMMAS Ministers & Spiritual Leaders and their spouses to attend. Each UMMAS active member pays a small portion of the fee. All are expected to assist in various ways at the retreat... some of the opportunities for service include:
- Lead a Vespers service or Morning Meditation
- Give a workshop
- Program Directors - coordinate speakers/schedule, do introductions
- Registration
- Publicity - prepare Flyer and Schedule
- Help at Registration/Check-in table
- Retreat "Chaplains" - available for informal counseling, answering questions for retreat participants
- Lead/Organize "extra" programs: some ideas: Evening Fellowship in the lobby, Sing-a-long in the lobby, Talent Show, Nature Walk/Hike, pre-retreat whitewater raft trip, Twelve Step meeting, golf or tennis match, jog together, yoga, etc.
UMMAS members arrive at retreat a day early. We meet at 2:00 for Heart-Check and last-minute details of the retreat, then have a wine & cheese social at 5pm, and dinner together at 6pm. We continue with a short meeting the next morning and/or a presentation by the keynote to the UMMAS members only. (Per usual meeting participation policy, non-UMMAS members who may be traveling to Retreat with you are NOT invited to any of these meetings.)
A short meeting is held on Friday immediately after the close of the retreat (10:30am-noon), for business and de-briefing about the retreat (suggestions while they're still fresh in our minds).
Retreat Registration policy, amended Feb. 7, 2012:
Any ACTIVE member of UMMAS may pay $200 for his/herself and $200 for their spouse/partner, (amount amended) to attend the Kanuga retreat.
Unity ministers/spiritual leaders who are NOT active in UMMAS, but who live in the UMMAS geographical region, may attend the Retreat at our current "cost" (the amount that UMMAS pays for lodging & meals. Contact the Registrar for the amount.)
Retreat Presenter policy, amended Feb. 2008: The requirement for an UMMAS member to teach a workshop at the Kanuga retreat is that the prospective presenter must attend either the February or May business meeting of said year.
Grant & Scholarship Guidelines - Policy (revised Feb. 2006) for UMMAS expenditures for grants and scholarships. Includes grants for financial assistance to Licensed Unity Teachers, Field Licensing Program, new building for an UMMAS ministry, retreats & leadership trainings, and other needs that arise for active UMMAS members.www.ummas.org/grants.html