News – January 28, 2022
Dear Beloved Community,
Just like that, we are almost through January! Holidays
passed, cold weather arrived (about a month late), Omicron sent us back inside,
soup was made. Despite the irregularities, we have carried on apace, and plans
for February promise a month that is anything but boring. Some upcoming events
include the first annual Board planning retreat, the services auction, and the
start of negotiations regarding the Clayhead Road property. Keep your eye on
the newsletter and calendar for sure!
Facilities Update
It has been determined that the cost of repairing the
refrigerator and freezer would be as much as replacing them and would possibly
take longer due to supply chain delays, so Tawanna is now looking for replacements.
Developmental Ministry Updates
Identity – Mission/Vision/Covenant
The Mission, Vision, and Covenant Team met with Rev. Colin
and continue their work in preparation for beginning conversations with the
congregation, which they will present at the February Board meeting.
Governance, Ministry and Administration
Board members recently completed the first version of an
annual Board self-evaluation form, which the Governance Committee created for
us to continue our progress towards operating fully within the new Principles
of Governance. The committee will compile the responses and present them at the
Board’s February 19th planning retreat. Rev. Dr. Bossen also
completed an informal self-evaluation, which he shared with the Board.
The Governance Committee will be assisting the Board in
completing the other annual work products listed in Section 1.1.1 of the
Principles of Governance at the February retreat. They include a short list of
open questions concerning the church’s future, a vision of ministry for the
upcoming year, and a review of the previous year’s vision of ministry.
This will be the first time the Board has undertaken this type of planning
retreat, so we expect a learning curve, but we are committed to making progress.
Multiculturalism, Anti-racism, and Inclusion
The Spanish language group continues to meet monthly,
usually on the third Thursday at 6:30 pm. Some participate in person and others
join online. Attendance is growing, as new Spanish speakers join the church.
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Jolie Rocke as Acting
Director of Music. Among other experiences, Dr. Rocke has directed
Spanish-language choirs and written about working for racial justice through
music. She has already begun thinking of ways in which we can reach out to our
neighboring communities through special events and collaborations with other
music programs to build community and work for justice together. We look
forward to increasing the diversity of our musical offerings, as well as those
who participate in our music programs, under her able direction.
Growth and Membership Engagement
The Omicron onslaught may have been fierce, but FUUCH is
undaunted. We are offering in-person services while putting a hold on
congregational singing and have found that attendance does not appear to be
affected.
Due to popular demand, the Ministers' Forum will soon be returning. While it was originally conceived as a means of maintaining engagement
during the pandemic closure, it was so successful that it is being brought
back, in the 2nd and 4th weeks of each month. One
session will be only online and the other one will be in-person and livestreamed. The broad topics
planned for exploration are Religion and Science, Social Justice and Science,
and Aesthetics and Spiritual Growth. Watch the newsletter for upcoming dates
and topics.
Update on Negotiations with the new Thoreau Congregation
The three town hall conversations that we scheduled earlier
in the month were well-attended. We greatly appreciate the time and effort of
all those who joined and those who communicated with us via other means. There
was a great deal of information to communicate about a complicated situation,
and we were grateful for the opportunity to present and explain as much of that
as we could and hear responses and ideas from members.
What we heard from the congregation was essentially this:
the situation is complicated, there are several ways to look at it, we want to
act in ways that are consistent with our UU values, we hope that the new
Thoreau Congregation is successful.
We had a preliminary meeting with Rev. Dan King and the
negotiating team from the new Thoreau Congregation on January 13th,
and a joint statement co-written by Betty Johnson (President of the new Thoreau
Board) and I was sent out to the email list on Saturday, the 22nd.
The mediation is currently set for February 11 with Rev. Dr. Bossen, Ron
Cookston, and I on the mediating team from First UU, with Connie Acosta as
alternate. It is our sincere hope that we will be able to complete the
negotiations in a single day, and then return on the 18th to
finalize the agreement. Betty and I will continue to communicate updates after
each stage of the process via joint written statements to be shared with our
congregations.
As is standard practice in negotiations, only the final
outcome will be shared with those outside the negotiating teams. While there
may be some consultation with the respective Boards, all such discussions will
also be held in strict confidence. This practice is necessary to ensure that
the negotiators have the freedom to work as creatively as possible and explore
all possibilities throughout the process. Unfortunately, this means that
whatever the results, there will not be an opportunity for the congregation to
discuss the process by which the outcome was reached, and this may
understandably feel less than satisfying to some members.
We ask that you continue to hold all of those involved in
this complex and challenging task in compassion and hope. It is never easy to
negotiate a separation of any sort, particularly when so many are invested in
the outcome. It is even more challenging to do so while also asking ourselves “How
do we proceed in a way that is consistent with our commitment to our UU
values?” I assure you that all involved have been asking this question at every
step along the way, and we will continue to do so.
As we continue to move forward as a faith community, with the myriad challenges and opportunities we face together, we are blessed to be able to have faith in things seen, as Rev. Colin reminded us. One of the ways we live our values is by continuing to gather in whatever ways we are able, to encourage, listen to, and inspire one another. In this community, we have seen again and again that “this is a place where good people are good to you even on bad days,” to paraphrase the description told to our guest preacher, Kye Flannery. I certainly have faith in things seen here. I hope you do, too.
In Community,Ruth Hoffman-Lach
President of the Board of Directors