From the RE (Religious Education) Scheduling Coordinator: Hi there! I’m Tracye Hirasawa. The RE Council is looking for more adult and youth volunteers. Youth are paid! If you are interested in becoming part of this very important team, please email me! We are hoping to have two RE rooms each Sunday, one for preschoolers and one for elementary-aged children. With a handful more adults, each adult will only need to help one Sunday every couple of months. Passing a background check is required. Training provided. Please let me know if you want to help or if you have any questions. Thank you! My email is tracyehirasawa11@gmail.com.
The Board is looking for WUUC members interested in representing WUUC as a delegate at the Virtual 2024 UUA General Assembly (GA) to be held June 20-23rd, 2024
This year’s GA theme as excerpted from the UUA GA website: “Love Unites, Stories Ignite” celebrates the profound impact of love as a binding force that transcends boundaries and fosters connections within our faith community and beyond. Our faith has always been rooted in the power of storytelling, and this year we’ll explore how our stories can ignite change, inspire compassion, and help us build a more just and equitable world. Through storytelling, we share our experiences, our dreams, our struggles, and our triumphs. It is through these stories that we can find common ground, deepening our understanding of one another and the world around us.
WUUC is eligible to send three delegates. If you are interested in serving as a delegate or have questions about being a delegate, please email the Board at board@wuuc.org. Deadline for submitting your name for consideration as a delegate is March 15th. Delegates will be elected at the Congregational Meeting on 4/21/24.
The responsibilities of a WUUC delegate to General Assembly include the following:
1) Familiarizing yourself with the business items on the GA agenda and staying adequately informed to make a knowledgeable voting decision,
2) Notifying the WUUC congregation of those items that require a delegate vote,
3) Attending GA business meetings and casting your delegate vote.
This year’s GA will be virtual only, held online. Virtual attendees will enjoy robust programming and access to the Delegate Participation platform for participation in the business meetings and voting. The final business agenda is expected to be available to congregations by May, 2024. There will be many opportunities to inform yourself about the business items on the agenda prior to the start of GA. This year, delegates will be voting on adoption of the proposed revisions (and 4 qualified amendments) to Article II of the UUA Bylaws. The 2024 GA Schedule is available here: General Assembly Schedule | General Assembly | UUA.org.
Registration options are available for virtual participation. Full virtual registration includes access to the GA app, as well as workshops, lectures, worship and witness opportunities. For voting delegates, there is also a business-only virtual option. Although a delegate can register for the business-only virtual option, we encourage assigned delegates to register for the full virtual experience. WUUC will reimburse the full $315 registration fee for virtual participation if requested.Complete registration information is available at this link. General Assembly Registration | General Assembly | UUA.org
Virtual participation requires high-speed internet access and a desktop/laptop computer. Smartphones and tablets can be used as supplemental screens for streaming video, voting, or chatting, but they do not accommodate a complete user experience. You will also need a webcam if you want to be seen during Zoom Sessions when speaking. Headphones are recommended.
Further information regarding being a delegate at the General Assembly can be found at Delegate Information for General Assembly | General Assembly | UUA.org. WUUC Board member(s) will be available to help you in any capacity where you may need assistance. Thank you for considering this important opportunity to serve our WUUC community.
Pssst!! Hey!! WUUC!! C’mere. I got something to tell ya.
March is our annual fundraising pledge drive. That’s when members and friends pledge monthly donations to the Woodinville Unitarian Universalist Church. We rely on those donations to run WUUC. So periodically we have to ask for it. Money that is. We need money. March is Pledge Drive Month. So we know what that means! Our goal this year is 330,000 so we gotta get crackin. More information and the pledge form can be found at wuuc/org/letschat.
I know, we don’t like asking for money either but we gotta keep the lights on and pay the piano player.
There’s a link below when you’re ready.
And watch that telephone booth in the foyer, the faster that phone booth fills up with people, the sooner the campaign will end. (I heard a rumor you can pick your own person to stick on the booth after you pledge. I don’t know about that. Maybe someone on Sunday will know?).
By the end of this seemingly endless three weeks of campaigning, we will be remembering why we felt welcomed here. Why we keep coming back. Why we love the people and programs at WUUC.
Members of our LGBTQ+ community face increasing risk to their lives and safety across the country. The Advocates for Social Justice (ASJ) special collection for March will support Camp Ten Trees, the Pacific Northwest’s only residential summer camp programming for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ+) youth and their allies, and for children/youth of LGBTQ+ or non-traditional families.
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 (March 17th). Instructions for giving are posted during the service, and you can also donate anytime the following week 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.
Nex Benedict, non-binary Oklahoma teen who died after beaten in the girls restroom at school.
In early April look for an Announce message regarding a special Congregational Meeting on Sunday, April 21st to vote on proposed Bylaws changes and also to elect 3 WUUC delegates to the UUA virtual General Assembly 2024. WUUC is governed by a set of Bylaws, or rules, agreed to and voted on by the congregation. In reviewing the Bylaws this year, the Board and Rev. Dan have identified parts that are no longer relevant, new content that needs to be added, and the fixing of some wording to bring our Bylaws all up to date. The Board will make the proposed Bylaws changes available to the congregation for review in the early April timeframe and will hold a Town Hall meeting the Sunday before the vote, to provide an opportunity for Q/A on the proposed Bylaws changes. Questions? Contact: Board Members – Trina Roulet, Azure (Blue) Forte or Jan Radoslovich.
The theme for this year’s annual budget drive is “Let’s Chat.” This is a lighthearted reference to the fact that it is through communication that we connect and build community and find hope, love, meaningful relationships, and support. The mutual values, concerns and trust of our community sustain and bolster us. We build and maintain that community with our energy, time, and finances. This financial foundation supports us and enables our impact on the lives of our members and friends as well as a positive impact on the world beyond the church.
2024-2025 Budget Drive
The annual budget drive is the time each year when we reflect on the importance of WUUC to ourselves, our families, and to our greater social mission. We believe it is essential that we have a vibrant Unitarian Universalist Church presence in our local community to provide an open-hearted and open-minded welcome to all who may seek us out. A well-funded, fiscally sound church speaks of the commitment and dedication of its members to the Unitarian Universalist faith and its sustaining principles and beliefs.
The goal for this year’s drive is $330,000. Your generous financial support will help ensure that WUUC can:
Ensure fair compensation for our minister and staff in accord with UUA regional recommendations.
Account for increases in the cost of running our programs.
Be a good steward of our building and grounds.
Attract and retain new members, including those with young families that are vital to the church.
Ensure WUUC financial stability into the future.
Pursue our congregational mission to provide a spiritual home and liberal presence in the broader community.
How We Use the Budget
It takes significant financial resources to support the level of church facilities and staff required to sustain our community. Our budget funds all programs and services, a mortgage, utilities, and ongoing maintenance and upkeep so we have a safe and inviting space to work, play, and worship. Operating expenses fall into these categories: Services and Minister (35%), Religious Education (19%), Building and Grounds (11%), Administration (14%), and mortgage, insurance, committees, UUA dues, and other expenses (21%).
In addition to our full-time minister Dan Lillie, we employ the following staff:
Office Administrator: May Killorin Choir Director: Matt Smith Accompanist: Terry Levitt Bookkeeper: Devrah Bennett DRE Consultant: Margaret Rogers RE Coordinator: Tracye Hirasawa Custodian: Manny Macias
The annual budget is gathered by the finance committee with input from staff, ministerial leads, and program committee chairs. It is then reviewed by the Board and voted on by the congregation. The annual budget drive goal is determined by the annual budget needs of WUUC. The Minister is responsible for managing the staff and the leads and chairs manage their program budgets.
Fair Sharing Giving
Giving is a personal decision based on many factors. As you determine your financial commitment, please consider giving 2-10% of your income as you are able and willing. Many of our pledging members and friends make annual fair share pledges. Nearly 40% of our members self-report that their commitment fits within the “fair share” guideline. If everyone did so we would have an abundance to carry us into the future. We encourage you to review this table to determine which level of commitment is appropriate.
A: We believe that members want to contribute their fair share, but it is often hard to decide what that means in dollars and cents. We recommend you consider 2-10% of your income and offer this broad range because we know that 10% of your income when you’re struggling to make ends meet is much harder than 10% of your income when you have few or no financial difficulties.
Q: What do others pledge?
A: The average annual pledge commitment for fiscal year 2023-2024 was $3,474, with a median pledge of about $2,000.
Q: Are the church’s needs greater or less this year?
A: We are rebounding from the pandemic and expanding our outreach to increase our membership. Additionally, we need to replenish our reserves to ensure a healthy financial future.
Q: What happens if we fall short of our annual goal?
A: We have to make difficult cuts and tradeoffs, including adjustments to expenses and programs.
Q: I’m already giving time and talent, isn’t that enough?
A: The funds needed to run a church are substantial. Without the generous financial support of members and friends, WUUC could not continue to support the services and programs vital to our community.
Q: How much does this pledge drive matter? How much of our annual budget comes from this drive? How much do other sources contribute?
A: The drive makes up 90% of our operating expenses. Other fundraisers and unpledged support contribute, but a successful drive is essential to ensure a healthy financial future.
Q: I already give on Sundays. Is that sufficient?
A: WUUC relies on a sustained monthly income to meet its recurring operating expenses and to cover unexpected events. We cannot make extended agreements such as staff contracts and mortgages without having a guaranteed income.
Thank you!
From your annual budget drive team: Jo Raymond: Stewardship Chair and Treasurer
Kathy Fosnaugh: Kick-off Event Coordinator Mary Alexander: Communications, Art and Graphics David Simons: Brochure Charlotte Benson: Calling Steward Coordinator Holly Beck: Volunteer, Script Program Kermit Sprang: Board Treasurer Marcia Sprang: Ministry Lead
