Dear UCM Members and Friends,
We, the UCM Governing Board, hope you all had as good a summer as could be expected in these difficult and tumultuous times. We are very excited to start the new church year and get back to connecting through our online Sunday services and virtual coffee hours! In case you haven’t yet heard, the Board and the Executive Team (ET), with the guidance of the Covid-19 Task Force, have formally decided that we will not have any in-person services until at least January 2021.
The Board held its annual retreat on August 15. It was a productive day of discussion and connection. The Board has articulated three goals and priorities for the upcoming church year. We are still working on finalizing the language and will share it with you all soon. Here are the big picture ideas we agreed to. The first goal and priority is “Holding our UCM Community Together.” This is about supporting spiritual and cultural growth through human connection during the Covid-19 pandemic and after. The second goal and priority is “Widening the Circle of Concern” to address pressing and urgent issues of racial and economic justice, climate change, and the upcoming election (UU the Vote!). The final goal and priority is “Deepening our Service.” By this we intended to focus on continuing to find ways to serve our community during the pandemic and after. These are the three things the Board intends to be the focus of the upcoming church year.
The Board has been following the hiring process for the Interim Music Director. We thank the ET and the hiring committee for their dedicated work in setting out and following a process to fill this important position. We look forward to the fulfillment of that process and the recommendation of the ET.
Finally, the Board is looking for volunteers! As we mentioned at the end of last church year, the Board is putting together a task force to look at revisiting and updating the 2020 Vision Statement and Strategic Plan. The Board recognizes that much of our work and focus this year will be on addressing the uncertain times we are in. But, there is also hope in planning the future and envisioning what we want our congregation to look like in the years to come. If you’re interested in helping with this work, please reach out to Board President Vic Guadagno or Secretary Ryan Kane.
There is also a vacancy on the Governing Board. First and foremost, the Board thanks Maria Parr for her service on the Board. Maria was a great asset to the Board over the past year and we are sad to announce that she has moved away from the area and will no longer be able to serve on the Governing Board. We are very happy for Maria and wish her all the best in her new house! If you have interest in serving on the Governing Board, contact any Board member who can get you more information.
These are difficult and uncertain times in nearly every way imaginable. There is fear and anxiety about a global pandemic, heartache and horror at continued injustice and oppression, and a political system that seems to be on the very brink of disaster with no clear sign of whether it will endure as we know it. Yet, such times can also shine a light on what matters most in our lives, illuminating things we may otherwise take for granted, and bring us together in new ways. It is times like these when a spiritual community is most needed. We look forward to being in community with you all in the coming year and are so grateful for each of you.
Sincerely,
The UCM Governing Board – 2020-2021 Church Year:
Vic Guadagno, President
Paul Hartmann, Vice-President
Charlotte Root, Financial Officer
Ryan Kane, Secretary
Sue Stukey, Member-at-Large
Hugo Liepmann, Member-at-Large
Rev. Joan Javier-Duval (Ex-officio member)