This has been an eventful year for our church and your UUCB Board of Trustees. As we shared at the welcoming of new members on April 21, “Our community of memory and hope embraces past, present and future. We will always need tradition and innovation. We will always need roots and wings and the best effort of each and every one of us in this our religious community.”
Because of this important commitment your Board of Trustees established a Task Force, GROW
Give our faith room to grow,
Retain our ministries through integration,
Outreach to more people who need us,
Widen our vision to embrace change.
Members of the Task Force were: Janet Kern, Chair, Fred Cole, Jim Rowe, Jennifer Skiendzielewski, Ted Burnham and Justin Butterworth.
With an awareness that our church membership is growing, and with a focus on being a welcoming community, GROW made recommendations for short term, medium term, and long term changes. Input came from the Sunday Service attendance count as registered in the Office Attendance Log; the membership count from the Membership Committee; input from Appreciative Inquiry and Building and Grounds; research into the experiences of other UU churches; and observations made by the GROW task force.
SHORT TERM
The attendance numbers do not yet support major Sunday Service changes or facility changes. However, the numbers are high enough that, without an efficient flow of people, a sense of disorganization and crowdedness can easily be experienced. With this in mind, GROW made recommendations in the following areas: Hospitality, Building & Grounds, Worship Leaders, Administration, Lifespan Faith Development and Board of Trustees.
MEDIUM TERM
For the medium term GROW made recommendations in the following areas: Building & Grounds and Hospitality.
LONG TERM
When the Board has determined that Sunday Service attendance in the Earth Room has reached the critical 80% capacity, GROW Task Force 1.0 expects that major changes to the present building, or holding two services a week, will be required. It is expected that GROW Task Force 2.0 will hold many congregational informational meetings so that all members feel they have been a part of whatever decision is made.
This is just the beginning. Our Congregational Meeting on May 19, noon; will be another opportunity for you to participate in the democratic process of our church. I invite every member to participate, hear about the accomplishments of the past year and together dream and plan our future. Our congregation will continue to grow and prosper as we live our mission—Deepening Faith, Living Well and Enacting Justice.
To review the complete report prepared by GROW and presented to your UUCB Board of Trustees, click here.