My 3-year Board term and past year as your Board President will be completed on 6/30/24. The next few months promise to be busy with the Men’s and Women’s Retreats, Rev. Dan’s Installation, a Congregational Town Hall and Meeting, June school transitions, and wrapping up the 2023-2024 church year.
I just want to tell you what an honor it has been to be on this year’s Board of Trustees and work with Rev. Dan and our amazing WUUC staff in doing the governance work that continues to create the environment and culture so that our ministries can flourish. Governance work is like the work of creating a garden which will produce the fruits that sustain us. Governance work is enriching the soil, bringing in the water and sunshine, creating the rows, planting the seeds or seedlings, pulling the weeds, providing the labor and money to sustain our garden of ministries over time. When we eat the fruits (and vegetables) of ministry, we do so because the garden environment is healthy.
I see so many signs of health in our congregation. The Worship services have been consistently engaging and inspiring. Ditzler Hall was finally dedicated in January. The choir has sustained its size and regularly provides beautiful music for our services. We had our first Lunar New Year celebration in February which was graced by the presence of many community members who were visiting WUUC for the first time. We are enjoying the many social events and gatherings offered at the November 2023 auction. The Annual Budget Drive is wrapping up and our congregation is very close to achieving the budget drive goals. Planning is underway for Rev. Dan’s Installation on May 19th. There are many social connection groups meeting regularly. The RE program is being rebuilt and we are consistently seeing more children in our services and at church events. Our Caring Community support teams were highlighted and described through a skit at our 3/24 service. A New Member Ceremony was held on 4/28 and where we welcomed many new members into our community. Most of the Committee/Team charters are completed, and the Board is working diligently to approve new and revised policies. Our voting members voted on Bylaws amendments and selected our WUUC delegates to virtual GA2024 at the April Congregational Meeting. I could share many more examples, but suffice it to say, all our efforts are contributing to the health of our congregation.
I just attended in-person the UUA Pacific Western 2024 Regional Assembly held at the First Universalist Church of Denver, Colorado on 4/19-4/20/24. The Assembly theme was: Threads that Connect, Stories that Inspire. I also met with members of the host church’s Mission and Vision Renewal Team to learn about their processes and work with their congregational members in defining a mission and vision that reflects their congregation’s values, embraces inclusivity, and inspires meaningful change. I will bring back and share what I learned through the many interactions I had with UU’s from all over the Pacific Western Region as well as the First Universalist Church’s Mission and Vision Renewal Team.
As we transition into the last 2 months of this church year, I want you to know that your Board of Trustees is fully committed to the governance work we are doing to support the health of our beloved community. We look forward to your attendance and participation in the coming Congregational Town Hall and Meeting in June where you will have the opportunity to discuss and vote on the budget for the coming church year and nominees for elected positions in the church. This is the “garden work” that keeps the fruits of our ministries flourishing.