The excitement has been building. You’ve been traveling. And now—we arrive. Tonight, there is nothing to solve, fix, or lead. Your only invitation is to show up and be open. We’ll provide light bites, drinks, and space to exhale. Reconnect with familiar faces. Meet new collaborators. Let your shoulders drop. Let the room fill with possibility.

This is more than registration—it’s the beginning of community. Welcome to SOUUL.

Already a cherished part of SOUUL Summit, this opening ritual gathers the body of leaders in shared presence and purpose. Together, we center ourselves, establish covenant, and name the intention each of us carries into this sacred work. Through guided reflection and communal practice, we mark the threshold from arrival to alignment—shifting from travel and preparation into grounded connection. Come ready to be seen, steadied, and blessed. Your personal blessing awaits for a summit of possibility.

We begin our first full day together in our small group Basecamps. After picking up your grab-and-go breakfast, head to your assigned Basecamp location to meet your fellow climbers. These small groups will serve as your anchor point throughout the Summit—a place to process, reflect, and deepen connection.

This morning, we’ll engage in guided introductions, name our hopes for the days ahead, and orient ourselves to our first worship experience together. It’s a gentle but intentional beginning—grounding us in relationship before we step into the wider work. You are not ascending alone.

We undertake the healing journey again and again in a time of unholy oppression. What are the healing forces in our lives and how can we harness them for ourselves and others? Together we point ourselves toward the healing path—the way of peace—resourcing body, spirit, and community for the work ahead.

Living and Leading with Purpose

Clarity fuels courage. Purpose sustains passion.

This workshop invites leaders to reconnect with the deeper “why” that animates their ministry and mission. Through guided reflection and practical tools, participants will assess strengths, identify growth edges, and develop strategies for aligning personal calling with congregational leadership.

Designed for those navigating transition, fatigue, or new responsibility, this session helps leaders move from reactive management to intentional, purpose-driven impact.

Dr. Glenn Wagner holds both a Ph.D. and a Doctor of Ministry, and brings decades of experience in leadership development and congregational strategy. He specializes in helping faith communities clarify purpose, design pathways for belonging, and align mission with practice. His work equips leaders to move from reactive management to intentional impact.

Ethical and Effective Decision-Making: Mental Models for Congregational Leaders

Strong decisions require more than good intentions.

This interactive session explores practical and ethical decision-making frameworks that help congregations act with clarity and integrity. Participants will examine common mental models, test them in small-group exercises, and explore how shared frameworks improve transparency and trust.

Ideal for boards and committees, this workshop strengthens consensus-building and deepens collective responsibility.

Derek Bambach is a congregational leader and systems thinker with a passion for ethical clarity and strategic decision-making. Drawing from experience in governance, finance, and organizational leadership, he equips congregational boards and committees with practical mental models that strengthen trust, transparency, and shared responsibility. His work helps leaders move from good intentions to wise action.

Resilience Hubs: Faith Communities in Times of Crisis - Panel Discussion

In uncertain times, congregations can become anchors.

This panel explores the emerging concept of resilience hubs and the role faith communities can play in climate response, community safety, and neighborhood organizing. Presenters will define resilience in congregational contexts and offer models for mobilizing volunteers and resources effectively.

Participants will leave with a broader vision for how their congregation can serve as a center of stability, care, and coordinated action.

Dr. Erica Holloman-Hill, widely recognized as Dr. E, is the Chief Scientific Officer at Ayika Solutions, Inc. which is a woman- owned and family-operated consulting and research firm. Dr. E’s professional expertise encompasses marine and climate science, environmental risk assessments for human and ecological health, community-based participatory research (CBPR), participatory action research (PAR), and environmental justice.

Dr. Jennifer Hirsch is Senior Director of the Center for Sustainable Communities Research and Education at the Georgia Institute of Technology and co-founder of the United Nations-affiliated RCE Greater Atlanta network. As an applied cultural anthropologist, her work focuses on multi-sectoral and equity-centered partnerships for sustainability and climate action.

Hannah Shultz has an M.Div. from Candler School of Theology and serves as Program Director for Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, which mobilizes faith communities around climate justice and sustainability. She brings expertise in resilience planning and interfaith organizing

Jon Reese is a community organizer and resilience advocate focused on strengthening partnerships between faith communities and local networks during times of crisis.

Relieving the Burden of Leadership: Moving from Judgment to Love

Leadership is heavy when it is fueled by “should.”

We all carry an internal list of expectations—how we should lead, how our congregation should behave, how change should unfold. While these beliefs can motivate us, they can also quietly generate guilt, resentment, anxiety, and burnout.

In this practical and deeply reflective workshop, therapists Cheryl Delaney and LJ Davis invite leaders to examine the “shoulds” shaping their inner lives and leadership relationships. Participants will explore what makes these internal narratives helpful or harmful and practice two concrete tools for transforming them.

Leaders will leave with immediately applicable practices for reducing judgment, softening obligation, and cultivating healthier emotional patterns within congregational systems.

Cheryl Delaney is a therapist and congregational leader specializing in emotional health, leadership resilience, and transforming internal narratives that contribute to burnout.

LJ Davis is a therapist and facilitator who works at the intersection of psychology and congregational life, helping leaders cultivate compassion, curiosity, and healthier relational patterns.

Sustainable Leadership Systems: Building Congregations That Last

Sustainability is not accidental—it is designed.

This workshop introduces a practical framework for sustaining congregational vitality through three complementary leadership roles: Servant, Visionary, and Operational. Participants will explore how these roles interact to prevent burnout, strengthen coordination, and advance mission with clarity.

A.B. Coleman is a leadership strategist and organizational thinker who helps congregations design sustainable systems that balance vision, service, and operational clarity.

Denise Coleman is a leadership consultant with expertise in governance and long-term organizational health. She partners with faith communities to strengthen coordination and mission alignment.

After a full morning of worship and learning, we return to our Basecamps to pause, refuel, and reflect.

Pick up your grab-and-go lunch and gather with your small group to process what has stirred in you—healing questions, leadership insights, unexpected challenges, or sparks of courage. This is time to make meaning together. What resonated? What stretched you? What are you carrying forward into the afternoon?

Basecamps are where ideas become insight and strangers become companions. As we continue exploring healing in a time of unholy oppression, this midday gathering invites us to resource one another—body, mind, and spirit—before stepping into the next movement of the Summit.

Emotionally Mature Congregations: Leadership, Accountability, and Spiritual Practice

Panelists:

• • Rev. Dr. Qiyamah A. Rahman (Abundant LUUV)
  • Rev. Christina Branum-Martin (Emerson UU)
  • Gary McDaniel (Spiritual Assembly of West Cobb County)
  • Rev. Nancy Palmer Jones (UU Congregation of Gwinnett)

Healthy congregations don’t avoid tension—they grow through it.

This panel-based workshop explores how congregations develop emotional maturity through accountability, compassion, and shared spiritual grounding. Presenters will examine how leaders navigate anxiety, manage conflict constructively, and build cultures rooted in clarity and responsibility.

Participants will gain practical frameworks for strengthening emotional intelligence within congregational systems and cultivating resilient, mission-centered communities.

All Ages, All Souls: Trauma-Informed Worship for Every Body

What if worship was beautiful, embodied, participatory—and truly accessible across ages and neurotypes?

Rooted in trauma-informed wisdom, this experiential workshop explores practices that create meaningful spiritual experience for children, youth, and adults alike. Participants will engage the practices firsthand and develop practical tools for creating worship environments that hold both joy and pain with care.

Leaders will leave with renewed imagination and concrete strategies for nurturing multigenerational, spiritually resilient communities.

Rev. Sadie Lansdale serves the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greensboro and is known for innovative, trauma-informed worship that engages all ages. Her ministry emphasizes embodiment, accessibility, and shared ritual.

Cindy Dillard is a congregational leader and worship collaborator focused on multigenerational engagement and trauma-tending practices within faith communities.

Covenant and Conflict: Transforming Tension into Growth – Part I

Conflict tests covenant—and refines it.

This workshop explores how Unitarian Universalist disciplines of covenant and pluralism can transform how congregations navigate disagreement and change. Participants will examine how perception shapes reaction and how deeper listening creates possibility.

Part I focuses on Covenant and Pluralism.

Connie Goodbread is a nationally recognized consultant and Director of HOPE for Us, specializing in conflict transformation, covenantal practice, and leadership development within Unitarian Universalist congregations. Her work equips leaders to navigate tension with courage and creativity.

Weave & Spin: Communities of Resilience

Resilience is not built alone. It is woven.

In troubling times, sustaining courageous leadership requires more than strategy. It calls us into deeper interdependence, embodied practice, and covenantal care. In this interactive workshop, Rev. Sarah Osborne invites participants to explore resilience as a shared spiritual discipline—one that strengthens right relationship within congregations, among religious professionals, and across our wider Unitarian Universalist community.

Through song, reflection, embodied ritual, and guided conversation, participants will examine how curiosity, compassion, and mindful stewardship create communities that can withstand strain without losing tenderness. Together, we will practice weaving the threads of connection that sustain us when the work grows heavy.

Participants will leave with practical tools and spiritual practices to nurture resilience—not as endurance alone, but as faithful interdependence.

Rev. Sarah Osborne serves as the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Oxford, Mississippi, and Director of Religious Exploration at Neshoba Church in Tennessee. A longtime religious educator, ritual artist, and trainer for UU professional organizations, she brings extensive experience in leadership development, peer support, and spiritual formation. Rev. Sarah is known for her embodied teaching style, her grounding presence, and her belief that mirth and reverence belong in the same sacred space.

Dinner is part of the formation. Come hungry. Come curious. Come ready for the kind of table conversation that turns colleagues into co-conspirators.

It’s going to be a vibe, y’all.

After a full day of worship, learning, and courageous conversation, we gather again—this time to relax, laugh, and let the music carry us. Enjoy live music, wine, beer, and non-alcoholic options, along with plenty of space to connect in a casual, laid-back setting.

This is your time to deepen new friendships, reconnect with old ones, and remember that joy is part of the resistance.

Come as you are. Stay as long as you like. Let the good trouble include good company.

We begin Saturday by returning to Basecamp, re-grounding in community, and making room for anyone joining us for the day. Grab your breakfast and head to your assigned Basecamp location for guided check-in, fresh introductions, and a moment to name what you need for the hours ahead. From here, we move together into worship and the day’s deeper work. You are not ascending alone.

Our narratives center heroes and heroines of history. But when ordinary people join a movement, the ordinary day becomes an extraordinary act of love. Together, we explore how vision transforms the world—and how staying human in the process is itself revolutionary.

Far too late at night, and long after the building is empty, another leader stands alone—testing a sentence out loud, listening for whether their voice can hold what tomorrow will bring.

Drawing from decades of work alongside ministers and leaders across the country, Glen Thomas Rideout invites us into the honest labor of leadership—where breath, voice, and attention become ways of staying human, open, and in relationship, even as the strain of this moment keeps asking more.

Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout is a musician, worship leader, and theologian whose work integrates music, ritual, and leadership formation. A respected voice in Unitarian Universalist worship and public theology, he helps leaders cultivate practices that steady the body and clarify the voice in anxious times. His keynote invites leaders to stay human when the moment asks too much.

After worship and keynote, we return to Basecamp to reflect on what’s been stirred: what ordinary courage looks like, what vision asks of us, and what it means to stay human in a time that asks too much. Grab your lunch and come back to your small group for guided conversation and shared meaning-making. This is where insight becomes intention, and where we remember that leadership is never solo work.

This is not a presentation. It is a practice.

In three movements, participants will move from the keynote's argument into its proof. First: breath and body, reconnecting with the instrument and the original encounter with the divine that called you to this work. Second: voice and witness, exercising the intuitive, unmanaged voice in improvisational worship leadership with colleagues. Third: ensemble and song, discovering what a room full of leaders sounds like when everyone decides to stop performing and make music together.

No musical experience required. A body and a willingness to believe what it can do is more than enough.

Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout is a musician, worship leader, and theologian whose work integrates music, ritual, and leadership formation. A respected voice in Unitarian Universalist worship and public theology, he helps leaders cultivate practices that steady the body and clarify the voice in anxious times. His keynote invites leaders to stay human when the moment asks too much.

Pleasure Activism for Liberated Leadership

“Feeling good is not frivolous; it is a measure of freedom.” — adrienne maree brown

What if joy is not a distraction from leadership—but its foundation?

In a time marked by urgency, polarization, and fatigue, sustainable change requires more than strategy. It requires embodied resilience, grounded satisfaction, and spiritual vitality. In alignment with SOUUL Summit’s theme, this interactive workshop invites participants to explore pleasure not as indulgence, but as infrastructure for courageous leadership.

Through storytelling, communal reflection, music, and embodied ritual, leaders will reconnect to practices that sustain clarity, creativity, and courage. Participants will leave with a personalized, liberation-centered wellness framework—practical, adaptable, and immediately usable in congregational life.

Rev. E.N. Hill serves as Associate Minister at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta. A gifted preacher, storyteller, and worship innovator, Rev. E.N. is passionate about embodied spirituality, pleasure activism, and cultivating resilient communities. Their ministry invites leaders to root liberation in joy, creativity, and sacred imagination.

Covenant and Conflict: Transforming Tension into Growth – Part II

Building on Part I, this session explores change as a spiritual practice—examining how transformation and liberation emerge when communities remain grounded in covenant during seasons of uncertainty.

Part II focuses on Change, Transformation, and Liberation.

Participants are encouraged to attend both sessions for the full arc, though each may be attended independently.

Connie Goodbread is a nationally recognized consultant and Director of HOPE for Us, specializing in conflict transformation, covenantal practice, and leadership development within Unitarian Universalist congregations. Her work equips leaders to navigate tension with courage and creativity.

Honoring Elderhood: Designing Meaningful Senior Ministry

Elderhood is not an ending—it is a sacred stage of becoming.

Using UUCA’s Sacred SoUUL Senior Ministry as a case study, this workshop explores how congregations can cultivate belonging, purpose, and spiritual vitality for older adults. Participants will leave with adaptable strategies to strengthen intergenerational connection and elder ministry.

Barbara Begner is the founder of UUCA’s Sacred SoUUL Senior Ministry and a passionate advocate for honoring elderhood as a vital stage of spiritual and communal life.

Becoming Trustworthy: Lay Leadership and the Slow Work of Beloved Community

Beloved community is built quietly—and deliberately.

Drawing from long-term lay leadership at UUCA, this session explores how congregational culture evolves through consistent practice, shared language, and courageous leadership. Participants will examine how worship norms, governance systems, and practices of welcome shape trust over time.

Dr. Jason Delaney is a lay leader at UUCA with extensive experience in governance, cultural development, and cultivating trust-based congregational systems.

Sonya Tinsley-Hook is a long-time congregational leader focused on relational leadership, emotional intelligence, and building beloved community through consistent practice.

From First Visit to Deep Belonging

People are showing up—but are they connecting?

Attendance is not the same as belonging. In this practical and strategy-focused workshop, participants will explore how congregations can design intentional ministry pathways that offer multiple entry points and guide people toward deeper relationships and meaningful involvement.

Together, we will examine how clarity of purpose, relational leadership, and thoughtful system design create a coherent journey—from newcomer curiosity to sustained connection and shared ministry. Leaders will leave with concrete tools to evaluate their current pathways, identify gaps, and build structures that foster belonging rather than accidental participation.

Dr. Glenn Wagner holds both a Ph.D. and a Doctor of Ministry, and brings decades of experience in leadership development and congregational strategy. He specializes in helping faith communities clarify purpose, design pathways for belonging, and align mission with practice. His work equips leaders to move from reactive management to intentional impact.

We close our formal programming on Saturday with a powerful offering from Out of Hand Theater.

Through their emerging series, We Hold These Truths, Out of Hand Theater presents one or two short original pieces exploring what it means to be an American—told from the perspective of immigrants and descendants of immigrants. Each piece invites us into story, complexity, and shared humanity.

This is not theater for entertainment alone. It is story as moral mirror. Story as civic invitation. Story as spiritual practice.

The performance will be brief and potent—opening space for reflection as we move into dinner and dialogue together.

Following the performance, we gather for dinner—this time guided by the facilitators of Out of Hand Theater.

At the heart of their work is conversation. Over a shared meal, trained moderators will lead table discussions inspired by the themes of We Hold These Truths: identity, belonging, citizenship, and moral courage.

We believe something powerful happens when story meets supper. When difficult questions are held with care. When strangers become conversation partners.

As we consider what it means to live liberation and lead change, this dinner invites us to practice the kind of dialogue our communities need—grounded, curious, and courageous.

This is no time to settle for anything less than full justice, full accountability, and full-throated vision for the world we are called to build. We are living in a moment that demands courage—not someday, but now. Not from someone else—but from us.

On Sunday morning, we gather at the mountaintop.

Rev. Taryn Strauss and Rev. E.N. Hill will co-preach alongside guest leaders from across our region, weaving together story, challenge, and hope. Our Director of Music, Nicholas Johnson, will be joined by Dr. Glen Thomas Rideout to lead music that lifts, grounds, and sends us forward changed.

This will not be a quiet conclusion.

It will be a commissioning.

Together, we will name the world we are dreaming into being. Together, we will claim the practices that sustain it. Together, we will be sent back to our congregations and communities with clarity and conviction.

Some will travel home Saturday night. But for those who remain, Sunday morning will be the summit’s crown—the moment where vision becomes vow.

Join us at 9:30am or 11:15am (or both!)

May your daily practices and actions fulfill the highest calling of your heart.