Whitney Wheeless
This past spring, the Board worked with our congregation to evaluate and expand upon our developmental ministry goals. Together, we created five-year goals for our church. Although these goals are included as part of Howell’s recently renewed contract, they are our shared goals. These goals are our church goals that we, as a congregation, are responsible for working toward with our ministry team.
Our church goals are divided into five major areas: church community, worship, lifespan faith development, social justice, and strategic planning. These goals build upon the dream report from 2007, the visioning work of the board over the past few years, and input from committees and members. If you haven’t seen the goals, I would encourage you take a look at them in the member’s only section. These are some of the ways we are fulfilling our church’s mission.
From a Board standpoint, this is a year of planning. An important piece of work for the Board of Trustees is to work on our strategic plan. Our intent is to define the work we need to do now and in the next few years, so that we can achieve these 5-year goals. In this plan, we will identify which committees or task forces are responsible for that effort. We’re looking at some important areas for our church including rental/lease and building use, audio/visual needs for the Earth and Sky Rooms, and marketing communications.
I think the most important aspect of our planning this year and moving into the future is that every one of us plays a part in helping our church become all it can be. Each of us is responsible for achieving these goals. This could be through committee work, our ministries, leading a special event, or efforts as an individual member.
This month, I want to highlight our Church Community goals. We want to be a welcoming place for all—our members, visitors, and our staff. We want everyone who comes through our doors to feel cared for. One way we achieve this is by living our covenant (the affirmation) spoken on Sundays and following our Covenant of Respectful Relationships. Our other shared goals around community are much of the reason that UUCB means so much to us: to have a caring and supportive community around us and the opportunity to develop and deepen connections.
Each of us can help us achieve our church community goals every time we come into church. We can make a point to welcome a new visitor (we have many each Sunday) and learn about her spiritual journey. We can listen carefully to others and think before we speak to ensure that we are constructively presenting our views. We can be generous with our praise and well wishes for others. We can participate in or lead efforts to get to know members in a deeper way, especially reaching out to other generations and people outside our normal circles.
We have so many blessings in our church and amongst our members. I thank each one of you for all that you do to make UUCB the special place that it is.