“Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth that around every circle another can be drawn; that there is no end in nature, but every end is a beginning, and under every deep a lower deep opens.”—Ralph Waldo Emerson

As I begin to write my last column for the Voice I feel a sense of relief and sadness. At the beginning of the church year writing for the Voice was one of my most difficult tasks. I often didn’t know what to say and I would forget that the submission deadline comes as early in the month as it does and end up feeling pressured to get something written by the deadline. But at some point I started to write from my heart and people started to comment to me that they actually READ what I was writing. So now that I am beginning to feel like I have the “hang of it” my obligation is almost over. To those of you who read the Voice, I say thank you. Time is required for the publication of our newsletter and reading it is a way of connecting with one another and what is happening in our congregation.

A few months ago the Committee On Ministry (COM) held a congregational round table meeting to discuss issues pertinent to “volunteerism” in our congregation. The COM has made four suggestions to the Board of possible remedies for volunteer burnout and options to facilitate recruitment of committee members. The Board discussed the recommendations and the consensus is that the recommendations may also be addressed through the Council. We will continue to work together to look at ways to address these issues.

For those of you who attended the Annual Congregational Meeting on May 16, you saw the beautiful stole woven by Ann Shafer to be given by the congregation to Sonya Sukalski in celebration of her ordainment as a UU Minister earlier this year. The stole has been mailed to Sonya along with our continued best wishes.

At the congregational meeting concern was expressed over the fact that there are no line item amounts contributing to our reserve funds. These funds have received contributions through fundraisers during the past few years, but this has not been a yearly occurrence. I agree that it is unwise to not contribute regularly to these funds. The past two years have been difficult financially. Last year the Board was faced with the unpleasant task of reducing many line items to zero. This year we gave no raises to our staff, but decided to refund some of the programs that we drastically cut in last year’s budget. Neither situation is ideal. We do need to look at ways to contribute to our reserve/contingency funds, and as our incoming Vice-President suggested, members are encouraged to take an active part in the budgeting process. The Board wants to plan strategically and practice looking forward. However there are many tasks charged to the Board and input from a finance committee that is actively meeting throughout the year would be helpful. If you have an interest in this process, please speak to me, Dean Carstens, or Larry Schultz. We have an excellent incoming Board taking office on July 1 with Dean Carstens as our president and the Board vice-president, Larry Schultz, will be our new Council chair.

The outgoing and incoming Boards met together at the May Board meeting and we plan to meet together again in June. There is still plenty of work ahead as we continue to look toward and plan for our future.

I wrote in my annual report that I believe we should not put the work of the church on the back burner for the summer. I realize however, that we all need to take a break at times and summer seems to be the traditional season for that to happen.

I hope you all have a chance for some rest and relaxation and that you come back recharged in August with ideas on where you are ready to serve our congregation.

If you have not picked up your copy of the new Membership Directory or 2010 Annual Report, please find them in the church office.

It was a pleasure and an honor to serve as your President. Keeping track of the goings and comings and the pulse of the congregation was made easier with so many dedicated and talented volunteers. Thank you for your contributions in helping to make our church community so vital and interesting. Have a safe and wonderful summer!

Rebecca Howard
2009-2010 Church President

“Everyone can be great because anyone can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t even have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve… You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love…” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A heart full of grace… I love that sentiment. I understand that grace is a word that some UU’s are uncomfortable with, but I cannot think of a better word to describe the feeling that all is right with the decisions I make and the actions I take.

This column is generally one of looking forward, but I want to give you a recap so that I can give you an insight to some of the changes you might see as the board continues to discuss how we function as your leadership. Early in the year we repeatedly discussed whether the makeup of the board could be better. The Religious Education Committee and Building and Grounds Committee are two large parts of the overall health of our congregation.  Being the chair of either of these two committees requires a significant investment of time and attention. The RE chair is also a Council member (translation here, another monthly meeting). Would the church be better served by replacing these two positions with trustees at large whose focus would be solely board business, leaving the RE and B&G chairs more energy to focus on their respective tasks?

Another topic of discussion has been how will we continue to meet our fiduciary responsibility? The manual states a finance committee, consisting of the steward, assistant steward, the treasurer, and may include additional members, exists to prepare the budget, conduct the stewardship campaign and canvass, and monitor pledges. The board is aware that we have not had an official assistant steward for some years, and recently the Finance Committee has consisted only of a few members. Should the assistant steward be an elected position? The board understands that a finance committee functioning most optimally should be populated with people who are detail-oriented, have an interest in finance, and also who have a larger view of the mission of the church and why we do what we do and what is the best way to be stewards of our resources. Would having an assistant steward always in place help us with continuity?

A third repeating theme for the board is the acknowledgement that for several years, the Hospitality Committee has not functioned as described in the church manual and it has been hard to recruit and maintain a chair for this committee. Is hospitality an outdated word? What do we want and need from the Hospitality Committee? Should the description of the Hospitality Committee be changed in the constitution?

It was hoped and expected that some guidance toward the answers to these questions would come from the Searching for the Future workshop and I believe we are still working toward that goal. The answers need to be considered carefully and the decisions should not be made lightly, but the questions should be considered. While it is tempting to put church business on hold for the summer, I don’t believe we should do that. This year has taught me many things and one of them is that being prepared and looking ahead helps us to be proactive rather than reactive to the things that come our way. Certainly sometimes we must react to the things we don’t expect, but being ready helps us react in the best way possible.

The above questions relate to the stewardship of our volunteer resources and to a request I am making. I realize that time is a resource for which there is competition. Just as we do not have unlimited funds, volunteer hours are also finite. Our volunteers are one of our most valuable assets. Please talk to any board member, committee chair, Reverend John, our DRE, or anyone you feel comfortable speaking with and offer your service to the church. From the “Small Ways to Serve” to being a church leader, I find that being an active part of this church community fulfills me in ways I could never have imagined. You all have given me the opportunity to stretch my wings and be a leader. It is a role I am not totally comfortable with, but one I see that I can assume and I thank you for allowing me the opportunity.

Finally, I want to say that we have an excellent, dedicated board of trustees who work hard and care deeply about the well-being of our church.  Thank you for your support of the board and the congregation as we work to fulfill our vision and mission.

With love in my soul, I wish you a heart full of grace,

Rebecca Howard
2009-2010 Church President

“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.” — Henry David Thoreau

Last month I wrote about “End Statements” (a condensed version of the goals identified at our January workshop) and the formation of a strategic plan to guide us through the next five years. Thinking about this prompted me to return to the Long Range Plan (LRP) that was adopted by our congregation in January 2007. It is a very comprehensive document that is still pertinent, but is in need of an update. There are a number of goals cited in that document that have been accomplished (remodeling the kitchen, hiring a music director, hiring additional RE staff, and more), but there are some items identified in that document that have not been accomplished. Our new end statements, which have been adopted by the board and will be placed on the web site, will help us refocus and redefine our priorities regarding any unfulfilled goals from the LRP and spotlight newly identified goals. In order to do that I believe we need a standing Long Range Planning Committee to create that strategic plan and continually evaluate and revise the plan as needed. This committee will communicate with the congregation and the various committees and people responsible for carrying out our stated goals. The information generated will also be helpful as our new building plan continues to take shape. If you have an interest and/or experience with long range planning and would like to contribute your expertise, please contact me.

…

Currently, the Nominating Committee is hard at work looking for people who would like to serve our congregation. There are a few vacant board and elected committee positions available. If you haven’t already, please contact a Nominating Committee member (George or Mary Hrbek, David Bouquin, and Theresa Cull) and talk to them about the positions that are waiting to be filled and whether you are ready for a church leadership role.

…

The Annual Congregational Meeting will be held April 25. We will vote on the FY 2011 budget, the slate of officers for next year, and any proposed changes to the constitution or other business that needs to be addressed. Once the agenda is set a call to meeting letter will go out. If you haven’t already done so, please send in your pledge form so that we can accurately direct our resources as we plan to put foundation under our vision and mission

…

Join thousands of Unitarian Universalists from across the United States for the 2010 General Assembly in Minneapolis, June 23-27. Pre-registration is available through June 11. Early registration goes through April 30. After that date, there is a fee increase. Please contact Mike McNaughton or Reverend John if you are interested in serving as a delegate.

Rebecca Howard
2009-2010 Church President

“Love life, engage in it, give it all you’ve got. Love it with a passion because life truly does give back, many times over what you put into it.”—Maya Angelou

On January 29 almost 90 people came together to create vision and mission statements for our congregation. Everyone was engaged, giving all they’ve got, and in my opinion, loving life. The fruits of their labor are reflected in our vision:

We celebrate diversity of belief and seek unity in action. We are an inclusive, caring community that nourishes and challenges the heart and mind. People of all ages find a haven for spiritual and intellectual exploration and artistic expression. Living our Seven Principles, we bring justice and compassion to our congregation, the community, and the world. We are a beacon of hope.

And again in our mission statement:

At the Unitarian Church of Los Alamos, Our minds, hearts and doors are open. Enter a community of compassion and inquiry. Venture out to shape a just, sustainable world.

As a follow up to the workshop, a task force has been established to write a condensed version of objectives and goals (end statements) from the goals that were expressed by the whole group present that day. Kathy Gursky, Rohan Loveland, TJ Ulrich, Cathy Wiget, and Andrea Determan are working on this phase of creating a strategic plan that will guide us in all that we do over the next few years. Once that plan is created we will begin to work to allocate our resources to carrying out our mission and vision. In the meantime, we want to carry on all the good work we already do.

Resources come in many forms—our time, our talents, and our dollars. The month of March is dedicated to helping us determine how we want to contribute our dollars. It takes dollars to keep our doors open as well as funding any “extras.” I hope that you have signed up for one of the small Cottage “Dinners” being held during the month of March. I always enjoy these get-togethers, as they are an opportunity to discuss our thoughts and hopes for our church as well as a time to renew our financial commitment to the future of our congregation. I find that in deciding how much to pledge, asking myself why I support the church helps me define its importance in my life and how much I can give. I support the church because when I come in the doors, I find compassionate hearts that are open to me and offer comfort and solace when needed. I am also challenged to live a responsible life, which includes asking questions the answers to which can help in making the sometimes hard decisions that life requires. Finally, I am encouraged to venture out into the world and live my principles. I can do this as boldly or subtly as I choose, but I think however I choose, I can be an example to others who may notice. I support the church to educate our children to do the same. Giving them a lasting foundation of how to live a responsible life is invaluable and whether it comes back to me personally, I believe it will give back to the world “many times over.”

On April 25,we will hold our Annual Meeting where we will vote on the budget and the new slate of officers for next year. Very soon the Nominating Committee members will contact some of you to be leaders and officers starting in July. Time is a resource for which there is competition just as our lives compete for our financial resources. We do not have unlimited funds, and similarly, volunteer hours are finite. One of our most valuable assets is our volunteers. Just as we cannot overspend our dollars, we cannot afford to over tax our volunteers. If we all do at least a small part, we can continue to maintain a balance. Please think about which position(s) you’d especially like to take, and then see if you and the committee can make a satisfactory match with your spiritual temperament. Please plan to attend the annual meeting. An agenda will go out with the call to meeting so you will know what additional decisions we need to make.

…

If you plan to attend General Assembly, June 23-27 in Minneapolis, early registration begins March 1. It is a good idea to make hotel reservations as early as possible. Please contact Mike McNaughton or Reverend John if you are interested in serving as a delegate.

Rebecca Howard
2009-2010 Church President