In February we celebrated our newly remodeled kitchen, kitchenette, and the people who made them possible with a Kitchen Dedication assisted by the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce. We held an appreciation lunch for the volunteers who worked on or helped finance the projects the following weekend.
During the lunch, some wonderful stories were traded about the old kitchen and memorable food events at the church. Joyce Zaugg told us of the “secret passage” that went from one of the cupboards near the old stove in the kitchen to the closet in Robinson Hall and how the children loved to work their way through it and use it for playing hide-and-seek games. They were very disappointed that the passage was closed when our entryway was remodeled and a closet created under the stairs near the kitchen. Mia McLeod told the tale of the ale on the ceiling when some would-be brewers used Dale Arnink’s recipe for homemade mead for a Medieval-theme event. The ale wasn’t fully fermented and, when the bottles were opened, the corks and contents fountained upwards about twenty feet to the ceiling of Robinson Hall.
Over the years, we used the old kitchen to help us share many wonderful holiday meals, for fund-raising lunches, to serve food for congregational meetings, for coffee for Sunday mornings, and for other events. However, it was a real challenge to work in. The new kitchen is both beautiful and functional and the new kitchenette has made coffee hour much more pleasant as well.
The 2009 Stewardship campaign began with the All-Congregation Dinner on February 28. This dinner is a long-held tradition to help celebrate our congregation as we begin planning for the next year. I hope that you have also signed up for one of the small Cottage “Dinners” to be held during the first two full weekends in March. They should be a lot of fun. These get-togethers will be a chance to discuss your thoughts and hopes for our church as well as a time to renew your financial commitment to the future of our congregation.
On April 19, the proposed budget will be presented and discussed during the Adult Forum time. The following Sunday, April 26, will be the Annual Meeting where we will vote on the budget and the new slate of officers for next year. Please plan to be there!
There has been a recent change in the Nominating Committee. Due to a heavy workload outside church, Kimberly Petersen has resigned as Chair. We are sorry to lose her as the Nominating Chair but we greatly appreciate the excellent job that she and the committee did in building the slate for the Building Project Steering Committee last fall. Current committee member Larry Schultz will step into the remainder of Kimberly’s term as chair. Thank you, Larry! The Board approved Larry as the new Chair at the February Board meeting.
Save-the-Date of Sunday, May 3, when we will hold a celebration for Joyce Zaugg who, after over twenty-three years as our Religious Educator, will be retiring at the end of May. In addition to some of the morning events, there will be a lunch at the Betty Ehart Senior Center after the second service. Invitations will be sent out around late March. In the meantime, if you have any special photos or other memories of the RE program over the past twenty-three years that you would like to share, please contact me, Becky Howard, or a member of the RE committee.
Are you planning to attend General Assembly this summer? The Mountain Desert District will host GA this June 24-28 in Salt Lake City <uua.org/events/generalassembly> This will be a particularly important GA since it will be time to select the next UUA President! In January, our Board voted to nominate Peter Morales and Laurel Hallman as candidates for UUA President.
They are both excellent candidates and have websites where you can learn more about them <moralesforuuapresident.org> and <hallmanforuuapresident.com>. In addition to the next UUA President, the next UUA Moderator and Financial Advisor will also be elected. More information on the UUA Elections can be found at <uua.org/aboutus/governance/elections/index.shtml>. In addition to the business of GA, there will be many workshops, lectures, and worship opportunities. It is an exciting and inspirational five days—an event every UU should experience at least once.
Kersti Rock
2008-2009 Church President
