Leadership Programs The Mountain offers a variety of leadership programs which help you build and practice your leadership skills. Whether you’re currently a lay leader, professional clergy, religious educator, administrator, musician or Director of Volunteer Services, The Mountain has a program for you. Click here to listen to an Audio Postcard of personal experiences from past Leadership Programs at The Mountain, produced by Krissa Palmer. For more information on any of our Leadership Programs, call The Mountain Office. 828-526-5838 Leadership Programs scheduled for 2008 July 20 - 26 The Mountain School for Congregational Leadership Focusing on skill-building in order to strengthen overall congregational leadership. Sunday, July 20 – Saturday, July 26, 2008 Expand your leadership skills at The Mountain. The Mountain School for Congregational Leadership provides opportunities to explore your own leadership style, gain interpersonal and organizational skills, deepen your spiritual life, and network with people from small, mid-size and large Unitarian Universalist congregations. Areas of Focus • Temperaments and styles – learn your own preferences, and how to work from strengths to enhance group work. • Small group dynamics – life cycles, group processes, and ways to empower groups through collaborative leadership. • Organizational development for UU congregations – learn more about congregational culture. • Systems thinking – acquire a systems perspective for congregational life. • Size dynamics – how does the size of your congregation affect your role in the church? • Working with staff – make the most of human resources. • Conflict management – learn how to manage conflicts effectively. • UU heritage and values – strengthen your knowledge of Unitarian Universalist history and its meaning in today’s world. • Interreligious Relationships – with ever-increasing religious and cultural diversity in our communities, Unitarian Universalists must embrace our third principle – “acceptance of one another, and encouragement to spiritual growth” – on an interfaith basis. • Worship – join with others in planning and presenting worship. Who should attend? • Leaders in UU congregations and districts – Officers – Board members – Committee chairs • Others with a commitment to leadership and Unitarian Universalism • Send two leaders from your congregation for maximum effect. MSCL is an intensive learning experience demanding your full attention for the week. Why MSCL? • Twenty-five years of excellence in preparing laity for leadership roles in UU congregations • Qualified, dedicated faculty • Development of support networks to access resources and share ideas • The Mountain's spiritual and nature-centered setting Program Details MSCL begins at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 20. Plan to arrive by 3:00 p.m. so that you can check in, get settled, and be fully present for the opening Ingathering Service. The closing ceremony and graduation are completed by noon on Saturday, July 26. Please plan to stay until after the closing to avoid disruption to group process. Accommodations are shared. You will be housed in keeping with the needs of all participants. Bring musical instruments, worship materials, readings, and descriptions of things happening in your congregation—anything that you want to share.   What is the Application Process? To apply for acceptance into The Mountain School for Congregational Leadership, please click here for the 2008 Application Form. Be sure to have the minister or board president at your congregation fill out the appropriate section on the application indicating their recommendation of your participation. A $250 deposit must accompany your application form. The Mountain will hold your deposit until you are accepted into the School; upon acceptance, your deposit will be processed. You will be notified of your status within 5 days of receipt of your application. Cost of The Program: (includes housing/meals) $750 – limited to 40 students – MSCL 2008— Distinguished Faculty Dean: The Reverend Dr. Scott Dillard, is an ordained interfaith minister who serves as a guest preacher in many UU churches in the southeast. He is an associate professor of rhetoric at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, Georgia where he teaches classes in communication and performance studies. He is also an actor who has been touring in his one person show “Breathe With Me.” Starting last summer he assumed the duties of the co-editor of the "Performance in Review" section of the academic journal Text and Performance Quarterly. He has published articles on spirituality, solo performance, and service-learning. Dr. Dillard has been a member of the faculty at MSCL for five years; this is his second year as the Dean. For more information, contact: Dr. Scott Dillard at 478-414-2084 Return to Top of Page Site Map About Us | Programs | Bringing a Group | Calendar | Volunteers | Donate | Contact Us | Site Map | Privacy Policy The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center, Inc. • 3872 Dillard Road • P.O. Box 1299 • Highlands, NC 28741 Phone: 828-526-5838 • Fax: 781-846-1295 • Email © Copyright 2004 The Mountain Retreat & Learning Center, Inc.