News: December 26, 2025

Dear Beloved Community,

December seems inevitably busy and bustling, regardless of my efforts to slow it down. But then this liminal time between Christmas and New Year’s Day arrives and everything seems to drop down into low gear for a week. I look forward to it every year. I hope you are enjoying this pause, too.

Here is what the Board was up to before the great slowdown week:

Siding with Love – Speaking Truth to Power

Several members and friends of the congregation involved in immigration justice requested those who were able to join concerned Houstonians at the December 16th City Council meeting to call for an end to HPD’s cooperation with ICE. Neither Rev. Colin nor Rev. Scott were able to go to City Hall, but we put our heads together and wrote a statement which the board presidents and ministers of First UU and Emerson UU signed. Reverend Ed Proulx from Emerson delivered it to City Council himself, on behalf of both congregations.

Electing New Officers

The next evening, at our December 17th meeting, the Board elected new officers. I am happy to announce that I will be serving as president for the remainder of this term, and Carolyn Cleary will serve as vice president. Carolyn was elected to the board in June, but is not new to governance. She brings the experience of serving on the boards of two UU churches in other cities. She has already been instrumental in planning the January 24 workshop, and has proven invaluable as my right hand. I am grateful for her willingness to step in to board leadership at First UU.

Workshop Planning

My November message included a link to the strategic plan and an introduction to the January 24th workshop. As in past years, current team and program leaders are encouraged to attend, but this year, we are hoping that all community members who have ideas to share will join us for a lively and productive day. Lunch and childcare will be provided, so we ask that you register in advance. Everyone who attends will have the opportunity to spend time brainstorming and organizing with others about one of four areas of congregational life and how our work in each of them aligns with the strategic plan:

Social Justice

Social justice has been central to First UU’s story from the beginning. It is at the heart of much of our programming, and is one of the factors that members identify as instrumental

in their decision to move from visitor to member. Planning social justice projects that meet the needs of our neighbors and provide opportunities for congregational involvement ranging from single events to long-term commitments is an ongoing process.

Operations

Who makes the decisions about what happens at First UU and how are they made? What does the budget-making process look like? Do you have to be a member to serve on a committee or team? What is the difference between committees and teams, anyway? These are operations questions. Improving operations and making sure they support the strategic plan is a goal we will continue to pursue.

Outreach

One of the five Developmental Goals we set for ourselves in 2020 was addressing the question “More people should be here with us – How do we engage them?” The word outreach can sound a lot like proselytizing, which is not something UU’s do, but as the strategic plan defines it, outreach is “about telling our story. It is about what we do, and why.” Marketing and advertising are components of outreach, but it must also include becoming more involved in the life of the community in ways that communicate who we are and what we value.

Telling our Story

First UU’s story is compelling, interesting, and inspiring, but most of us don’t think about it very often and would be hard-pressed to name more than one or two specifics, other than names of past senior ministers. Telling our story is central to outreach, but it also reminds us of who we are as a congregation, where we have come from, and where we want to be going. Many UU churches present their stories in all manner of creative ways, from murals to timelines to photo exhibits. How will we tell ours?

Making Engagement Accessible

One of the board’s main goals for this term is to create more opportunities for the congregation to participate in our church’s work in manageable ways. Parents with young children cannot attend meetings during dinner and bedtime routine hours, for example. People who do not drive at night need a Zoom option for meetings that happen after dark. Some people can be on a committee that meets weekly for four months at a time and then no more. The board wants to know what we can do to make participation workable for more people. We hope you will let us know what would work for you by emailing board@firstuu.org.

Finally, as one year closes and we look towards the next, I wish for you a flutter of hope -even a small one. I cannot make predictions or promises about the new year, although I can assure you it will not be boring. But I can promise that whatever it brings, this congregation will be here – in turns holding each other up and being held up, reaching out and reaching in, going forth and returning. Always returning to this place, this faith, each other.