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.
Thanks to everyone who attended and helped make the Sunday, March 24 service a success. WUUC has many caring community committees we hoped everyone got to learn more about in the service. The leads of each team that presented in the service have explained what their group does below for review.
Written by Liz Ligon SCRT: As a congregation and a community, we strive at WUUC to be a safe space, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and to promote a culture of consent and accountability for our actions. We want people to be able to let down their guards while they are here, and be their full, authentic selves without fear of judgment, harassment, or sexual harm. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to guarantee 100% safety in any community, and the Safer Congregations Response Team is here to respond promptly and meaningfully if someone is no longer able to feel safe in this space because of someone else’s behavior toward them, whether because of harassment, sexual overtures, being touched without consent, or even sexual assault. We will provide you with the support you need, talk with the offending party, and craft a response with the goal of restoring your and the community’s sense of safety.
Written by Susan McBain, Cares and Concerns: The Cares and Concerns Team is here to provide you with help and support when you most need it. If you’re having surgery, are ill, need transportation, or just need an occasional visit until you’re up and around again, we can help. We can arrange transportation to and from your medical appointments and assist with meals while you are recuperating. We can even visit you if you’re in rehab or when you get home from the hospital if you would like. You will talk to me, Susan McBain as Team Leader, and I will find out what help you need. Then I will coordinate with other team members to support you. If you would like meals delivered, we can accommodate your dietary preferences and needs. We will keep your situation confidential, and we’ll be careful to respect your needs without intruding on your privacy. The easiest way to reach me is by sending an email to cares@wuuc.org. Please reach out to the Cares and Concerns team at any time if there is something we can do to support you. And you can also use that email to join the team! We can always use more members. Team members sign up only for what they want to do, usually just a few times a year. It’s tremendously rewarding to offer help directly to someone in your community.
Written by Lori McConnell – R&R: “What is the purpose of the Relationships & Resolution (R&R) group? Is it a conflict resolution team? Or a group of Mediators? R & R team members have training that allows them to work in teams of 2 to help people improve communication with others, with a focus on strengthening our covenanted community. Team members have no training in conflict mediation– in fact to do the work they don’t really need to know the details of a conflict. The work of R&R is to get people past the details of the conflict, away from trying to prove who is right and wrong, and move their relationship toward one of empathy and a desire to understand the other people in our covenanted community. Their work is to get people past “shunning” someone they disagree with and to move back into community with that person. R&R works with one person at a time, intentionally, until those involved can move out of the “Right/Wrong” dichotomy and into understanding and empathy. Only once people are able to empathize with and understand one another are they invited into communication with each other. R&R is then available to facilitate that conversation– but not as long as it stays in a “conflict” mode.”
LPA written by Marian Johnson: Lay Pastoral Associates (LPAs) offer emotional and spiritual support by providing a listening ear without judgment. Our conversations will be confidential. Although we can’t “fix” the situation, sometimes a compassionate presence in times of need can ease the burden. We all need that sometimes. Send an email to lpa@wuuc.org and one of us will get in touch with you as soon as possible. Also, you can talk to one of the LPAs during our Compassionate Connection Circle after the Sunday worship service. One of us will be over in the choir area if you would like to talk. The LPAs are here for you at any time when you need someone to listen. If you would like more information about pastoral care and our Care Team, please visit the WUUC website, select “Resources” and then “Need Help?” or follow this link: wuuc.org/pastoral-care/. Our minister, Rev. Dan Lillie, is also available for pastoral care if you’d like to talk with him. You can request an appointment by emailing revdan@wuuc.org.
In June 2024 the General Assembly (GA) of the UUA will vote on final approval of the Article II proposal. It will require a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the 2024 GA delegates to adopt the revision as the new Article II of the UUA bylaws. If the vote fails, the process ends and a similar proposal cannot be considered for two years.
WUUC Racial Justice Task Force offers the statement below in support of the proposed revisions to Article II.
Our faith is a Living Tradition, which has evolved over the years to meet the needs of our changing world and it’s been almost 40 years since the last significant revision to Article II. After careful consideration, the WUUC Racial Justice Task Force is endorsing the final proposed revision to Article II, and additional amendments, with confidence for the following reasons:
The updates reflect WUUC’s mission to support racial justice efforts, as clearly stated in the statement on the WUUC website. “WUUC reaffirms our commitment to eradicating racial injustice.”
The revised Article II also explicitly calls out Justice and Equity as core values, which is essential for promoting a fair and just society. In addition, we especially support the amendment that adds the following to the Equity value: Equity calls us to listen, understand, respect, and respond to one another.
We believe that these changes continue to be timely, given the ongoing systemic injustice and violence that disproportionately affects marginalized communities.
We also recognize that underrepresented UU groups have expressed concerns and called for changes to make our faith communities more welcoming. By incorporating the spirit of the 8th principle and revisiting our practices of diversity and inclusion, we are taking concrete steps towards dismantling racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions, including our faith communities.
We acknowledge that language is never perfect. The UUA has solicited feedback from many UUs to refine the proposed changes. We believe that modernizing the language will speak more clearly to a younger, broader audience, including the specific values (interdependence, pluralism, justice, transformation, generosity, equity, peace, and reason.)
Regarding the additional two values proposed in the amendments: We support the addition of Peace with the expectation that it won’t be used to push back on healthy discussions and action when there is conflict. We support the addition of Reason with the expectation that it won’t be used to discredit people’s stories and lived experiences.
Change can be challenging, at the same time we firmly believe that social justice requires us to evolve and adapt to new ways of thinking and speaking. We are confident that these changes will help us create a more just and inclusive community.
WUUC has successfully completed the UUA recertification process required to renew our status as a Welcoming Congregation. This is a public declaration of our ongoing commitment to LGBTQ+ welcome and inclusion in and beyond Woodinville.
Congratulations to our WUUC Welcoming Congregations team, Jean Fowler (fernhaven@comcast.net) and Jane Flood (matterofwills@gmail.com)! This took significant investment of thought and time over the past year to make it happen.
The Welcoming team:
· Helps everyone feel like they belong
· Extends a warm welcome to LGBTQ+ visitors
· Models and promotes allyship
· Bring’s LGBTQ+ people fully into our community
· Dispels myths and stereotypes
· Supports straight families of LGBTQ+ people
Learn more by joining the welcoming@wuuc.org email alias or contacting Jean or Jane.
At a time when prices for basic living expenses like food and shelter continue to rise, many people in our broader community face hunger. Food Lifeline, a Community Food sovereignty fund, is a grantmaking initiative centering communities most impacted by hunger and food insecurity. Grantees designate solutions meeting the unique needs of their neighborhoods, from building hoop houses, to installing edible landscaping in migrant housing communities, and procurement of culturally relevant foods for distribution on tribal land.
The ASJ Committee thanks WUUC members and friends for their generous support of our monthly special collections, which take place during services on the third Sunday of every month (April 21st). Instructions for giving are posted during the service, and you can also donate anytime at https://onrealm.org/wuuc/-/give/now, or by sending a check to WUUC at P.O. Box 111, Woodinville, WA 98072. Please make checks out to WUUC and write “ASJ Special Collection” in the notes.
Spring is here and we’re about ¾ of the way through the school year. Totes has been doing very well, filling our basic list and adding a few extras the school has requested. Serving 15 kids who are at risk of missing meals on weekends takes a large part of our community and we are grateful to everyone who has supported program. A couple of requests and a new way to support Totes: we need a new “sponsor” for the granola bars. We need some of the heavy-duty plastic grocery bags you may get when you forget to bring your re-usables. And if you hate shopping but would like to support Totes, you can now donate money – just mark your check to WUUC ‘Totes’ on the memo line or mark an envelope with cash.
Thanks so much for your support of Totes to Go. Questions and comments? Contact Grace Simons or John Hartman, co-coordinators.
