Lead Minister’s Report to the Board of Trustees December 13, 2007
My goals are: (1) Assure worship services are meaningful and challenging; (2) Administer Chapel business (including staff); (3) regular social & pastoral contact.
Worship Services
I think we had our largest attendance ever for our Christmas Pageant service.
I am continuing the discernment process of adding a 3rd service.
I met with Leon, Jan, and our intern to plan Christmas Eve and Canvass Sunday services.
Administer Chapel business.
We announced Joy’s 65th birthday at the three Bread Communion services, and we printed an article about her retirement date of September 1, 2008.
Bill Miller continues to interview church staff on succession planning and on gathering input for the new job description. Once we have that, we will begin to advertise. I hope to begin advertising for the position late next month.
I’ve been meeting weekly with Jennifer Kirkton-Foss, our new membership coordinator. I will have some handouts for you about her work at the board meeting.
I will be on study leave from Monday January 7th through Monday January 21st. During that time, I will take a two day intensive class at Meadville Lombard in Chicago on “Minister as Fundraiser” led by the school’s president.
We are looking into MyChurchCalendar.com as a way of having a single calendar for printed newsletter, web site, and in house calendar.
I would like to make sure that our Business Administrator meets with the Treasurer to give him a copy of the general ledger password, and show him the basics of our ACS system. I know they have met a couple times but not what the substance of their meetings have been.
I had a special meeting with the new co-chairs of the Social Action committee about our split collection schedule and how I and the staff can better support, sustain, and recruit for their efforts.
Regular social & pastoral contact.
I made a home visit in Kirkwood and two evening phone calls of significance. We have several folks who have serious cancer, or are recently institutionalized.
The above is in addition to the regularly scheduled meetings, visits, and calls requested by parishioners.
I did the dinner blessing at the Singletarians dinner / auction, where our intern, David Breeden distinguished himself as auctioneer. They raised more than expected, some $250 for charity that night.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Friday, November 16, 2007
Lead Minister’s Report to the Board of Trustees November 16, 2007
My goals are: (1) Assure worship services are meaningful and challenging; (2) Oversee financial stewardship; (3) Administer Chapel business (including staff); (4) regular social & pastoral contact.
The Personnel Committee and I have come up with the specifics for this year’s implementation.
Worship Services.
Although the Personnel Committee and I didn’t discuss this, I am meeting monthly with Jan and Leon to more thoroughly integrate musical coherence with sermon and service content.
As you know, I am in with the Senior High youth most Sundays for the first part of the second service, and they are in with me once per month. Although attendance was light a couple weeks ago, last Sunday there were more than 30 youth, plus the 3 advisors, plus me– and we are getting too big for the room. A couple other Sundays have been similarly full. I made a variety of suggestions about the Youth Program over the summer, most of which the advisors and youth accepted, but splitting up into multiple groups was politely declined. I think we have a great program. I am concerned that we will lose some kids due to overcrowding.
Our sanctuary attendance has been down a little this fall as compared to last year. Also, the service attendance is much more balanced than previously– I attribute this to the changed service times.
I found at the Fall district ministers meeting, that FUS Milwaukee (711 members) has added a 3rd service (8:30, 11, 5 pm) with a 7 sermon series in the fall asking big questions (“what do you believe,” “what is the meaning of life,” etc). Also, Appleton, WI (513 listed, but now larger than our 550), has added a 4th service (4:30 Saturday, 3 on Sunday). Both ministers report increased attendance of 20-40 right away at the new service. The new services are expected to generate increase attendance, membership, and pledging. So, I will be in the discernment process (and I’m reading a book on the subject) of adding a 3rd service. A 3rd service would probably have a different format or feel to it than the 2 we have now. Again, a discernment process is needed. Ideally, we’d have this figured out for roll out in September 2008, but that may be overly ambitious.
Oversee financial stewardship
Establish a legacy gifts and bequests program to help ensure Eliot's financial future. I am have asked Bill Miller (who has been brought on as a contractor at $5 per month), to get us moving in this direction.
By January 2, 2008, provide more complete detail to the Personnel Committee regarding all compensation and benefits, current and proposed, so they are fully informed and can counsel the board and congregation at large. I am asking JoAnn Stephan, our business administrator to prepare for board presentation, the spreadsheet she and I usually use in preparing the budget.
Develop a written procedure (including a possible board policy) for responding to member inquiries concerning salaries, contracts, and other sensitive financial matters, in order to provide more transparency while retaining a degree of confidentiality. I have asked Ian Evison, our Central Midwest District Services Director, to get me copies of board and congregational budget documents from several large churches so we can see what others are using, and get some ideas for ourselves.
Provide quarterly budget updates for the next fiscal year, so the board is more fully informed of likely directions of the discretionary portion of the budget. I hope to have a rough, draft budget for the November board meeting. JoAnn has prepared something but I have yet to get to it.
I attended a “generosity” meeting arranged by our Canvass Co-Chairs, Mary Quinn & Jan Erdman. There were some interesting ideas, and I think there may be another focus group to generate more. I and most of the rest of the staff will be working with them more on Celebration Sunday, our big canvass event.
Administer Chapel business.
We will announce Joy’s 65th birthday at the three Bread Communion services, along with her projected retirement date of September 1, 2008. Through private fund-raising– mostly consisting of donors who are no longer affiliated with the church– we have raised a rather large sum of money. This money will be used to hire Joy’s replacement sooner rather than later, and to pay for some of her medical costs, and add to an annuity set up for her. Joy was not in a pension plan until a few years ago, and we want to do what we can to help. We may provide an opportunity for congregational members and friends to make a parting financial gift for Joy at a convenient time in the spring of 2008. We will need special accounting for the money raised and spent in order to be able to show the donors the money was spent in a manner consistent to which it was received.
Complete the employee succession project (this is rather large, and some of it is confidential) to more fully comply with the governance policies. I have asked Bill Miller to help with this. He is interviewing all of us to ask two questions, and then suggest procedures based on how the answers turn out: (1) If you were going to be gone for a few days or weeks, how would we ‘cover’ for you? (2) If you were to be gone for months or to be gone altogether, what would the rest of the staff do to compensate?
Update, post, and provide to the board, a complete employee and church procedures manual. This would include converting all job descriptions to a standardized Position Description and Memorandum of Understanding to ensure equitable treatment to more fully comply with the governance policies. The target date for this is May 1, 2008. I probably won’t really get started on this until early March.
Improve church communications and outreach by an updated and more functional church web site, calendar, and electronic communications. While we have a volunteer working on moving us to a content management system, I am concerned we are not moving fast enough to make measurable progress. I will put a call in to the district web master to discuss our overall site and plan. If it seems right, I may engage her on a contract basis to move us forward.
Continue to implement KEB recommendations regarding financial administration, and report progress to the board. JoAnn reported last month, and I believe has an updated report this month on progress or comment.
Assist the Treasurer and Business Administrator in improving financial administration by development of a "dashboard financials" document or procedures as determined by the Treasurer to show the congregation that the church finances are in order and are being well managed. Our Treasurer is taking the lead on this. He has met with JoAnn to (among other things) get the information flow set up.
We are considering another photo directory. The business has changed a little. Now some companies are offering to do the shoot without the extensive volunteer help that was previously required.
Regular social & pastoral contact.
A monthly visit (e.g., lunch) with a large donor, or past or current lay leader, in order to more fully cover some pastoral needs. This last month, I met with a couple in their home in Chesterfield.
Two pastoral outreach calls per week. I made a hospital visit to St. Luke’s and an evening phone call of significance.
The above is in addition to the regularly scheduled meetings, visits, and calls requested by parishioners.
Other
I presented a paper entitled “What is Commonly Believed Among Us Today” to the Prairie Group, a ministers study group I belong to. I am leading the District Board Meeting at the First Unitarian Church of Alton, IL Friday 11-16-07 through Saturday.
The 2008 UUA directory is out, and our flag (with 14 others) is on the cover.
The Personnel Committee and I have come up with the specifics for this year’s implementation.
Worship Services.
Although the Personnel Committee and I didn’t discuss this, I am meeting monthly with Jan and Leon to more thoroughly integrate musical coherence with sermon and service content.
As you know, I am in with the Senior High youth most Sundays for the first part of the second service, and they are in with me once per month. Although attendance was light a couple weeks ago, last Sunday there were more than 30 youth, plus the 3 advisors, plus me– and we are getting too big for the room. A couple other Sundays have been similarly full. I made a variety of suggestions about the Youth Program over the summer, most of which the advisors and youth accepted, but splitting up into multiple groups was politely declined. I think we have a great program. I am concerned that we will lose some kids due to overcrowding.
Our sanctuary attendance has been down a little this fall as compared to last year. Also, the service attendance is much more balanced than previously– I attribute this to the changed service times.
I found at the Fall district ministers meeting, that FUS Milwaukee (711 members) has added a 3rd service (8:30, 11, 5 pm) with a 7 sermon series in the fall asking big questions (“what do you believe,” “what is the meaning of life,” etc). Also, Appleton, WI (513 listed, but now larger than our 550), has added a 4th service (4:30 Saturday, 3 on Sunday). Both ministers report increased attendance of 20-40 right away at the new service. The new services are expected to generate increase attendance, membership, and pledging. So, I will be in the discernment process (and I’m reading a book on the subject) of adding a 3rd service. A 3rd service would probably have a different format or feel to it than the 2 we have now. Again, a discernment process is needed. Ideally, we’d have this figured out for roll out in September 2008, but that may be overly ambitious.
Oversee financial stewardship
Establish a legacy gifts and bequests program to help ensure Eliot's financial future. I am have asked Bill Miller (who has been brought on as a contractor at $5 per month), to get us moving in this direction.
By January 2, 2008, provide more complete detail to the Personnel Committee regarding all compensation and benefits, current and proposed, so they are fully informed and can counsel the board and congregation at large. I am asking JoAnn Stephan, our business administrator to prepare for board presentation, the spreadsheet she and I usually use in preparing the budget.
Develop a written procedure (including a possible board policy) for responding to member inquiries concerning salaries, contracts, and other sensitive financial matters, in order to provide more transparency while retaining a degree of confidentiality. I have asked Ian Evison, our Central Midwest District Services Director, to get me copies of board and congregational budget documents from several large churches so we can see what others are using, and get some ideas for ourselves.
Provide quarterly budget updates for the next fiscal year, so the board is more fully informed of likely directions of the discretionary portion of the budget. I hope to have a rough, draft budget for the November board meeting. JoAnn has prepared something but I have yet to get to it.
I attended a “generosity” meeting arranged by our Canvass Co-Chairs, Mary Quinn & Jan Erdman. There were some interesting ideas, and I think there may be another focus group to generate more. I and most of the rest of the staff will be working with them more on Celebration Sunday, our big canvass event.
Administer Chapel business.
We will announce Joy’s 65th birthday at the three Bread Communion services, along with her projected retirement date of September 1, 2008. Through private fund-raising– mostly consisting of donors who are no longer affiliated with the church– we have raised a rather large sum of money. This money will be used to hire Joy’s replacement sooner rather than later, and to pay for some of her medical costs, and add to an annuity set up for her. Joy was not in a pension plan until a few years ago, and we want to do what we can to help. We may provide an opportunity for congregational members and friends to make a parting financial gift for Joy at a convenient time in the spring of 2008. We will need special accounting for the money raised and spent in order to be able to show the donors the money was spent in a manner consistent to which it was received.
Complete the employee succession project (this is rather large, and some of it is confidential) to more fully comply with the governance policies. I have asked Bill Miller to help with this. He is interviewing all of us to ask two questions, and then suggest procedures based on how the answers turn out: (1) If you were going to be gone for a few days or weeks, how would we ‘cover’ for you? (2) If you were to be gone for months or to be gone altogether, what would the rest of the staff do to compensate?
Update, post, and provide to the board, a complete employee and church procedures manual. This would include converting all job descriptions to a standardized Position Description and Memorandum of Understanding to ensure equitable treatment to more fully comply with the governance policies. The target date for this is May 1, 2008. I probably won’t really get started on this until early March.
Improve church communications and outreach by an updated and more functional church web site, calendar, and electronic communications. While we have a volunteer working on moving us to a content management system, I am concerned we are not moving fast enough to make measurable progress. I will put a call in to the district web master to discuss our overall site and plan. If it seems right, I may engage her on a contract basis to move us forward.
Continue to implement KEB recommendations regarding financial administration, and report progress to the board. JoAnn reported last month, and I believe has an updated report this month on progress or comment.
Assist the Treasurer and Business Administrator in improving financial administration by development of a "dashboard financials" document or procedures as determined by the Treasurer to show the congregation that the church finances are in order and are being well managed. Our Treasurer is taking the lead on this. He has met with JoAnn to (among other things) get the information flow set up.
We are considering another photo directory. The business has changed a little. Now some companies are offering to do the shoot without the extensive volunteer help that was previously required.
Regular social & pastoral contact.
A monthly visit (e.g., lunch) with a large donor, or past or current lay leader, in order to more fully cover some pastoral needs. This last month, I met with a couple in their home in Chesterfield.
Two pastoral outreach calls per week. I made a hospital visit to St. Luke’s and an evening phone call of significance.
The above is in addition to the regularly scheduled meetings, visits, and calls requested by parishioners.
Other
I presented a paper entitled “What is Commonly Believed Among Us Today” to the Prairie Group, a ministers study group I belong to. I am leading the District Board Meeting at the First Unitarian Church of Alton, IL Friday 11-16-07 through Saturday.
The 2008 UUA directory is out, and our flag (with 14 others) is on the cover.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
A Time of Remembrance
The first quarter has ended in some schools, and all the schedules– church, school, work– seem to be speeding up toward the end of the calendar year and the quiet of winter. Even the leaves of trees move through their colors and cycles at a quickened pace.
Despite our speeded up schedules, November is the time to remember to be thankful. We take a moment to celebrate the abundance around us. This time of celebration can help us to enter winter’s chill with a feeling of warmth and fullness.
We come to church and see people we know, people we care about. We meet newcomers, greet old-timers, we are acknowledged by our co-religionists in return. We feast together on Sunday mornings and discuss our dreams on a weekday evening. We gather to meet and plan and do good works.
Part of celebrating abundance comes through sharing it. We remember children and women and men at risk because of poverty, abuse, and neglect. We are reminded that though there is food to feed the world, that’s not the way it gets distributed.
At Eliot, some of us will drive, cook, launder, and host the homeless right in our church through the Room At The Inn program. We will collect for the St Louis Area Food Bank and for our Partner Church this month in order to live out our values and in order to celebrate our abundance through generosity.
This month, let us set aside some special time to be thankful for the community we have, to appreciate the abundance of love and support we feel at church. Perhaps you could tell someone you're really glad they are here at Eliot. Let us remember to extend this feeling of abundance to the new people and visitors who come to be part of us.
The end of November brings the beginning of our annual Madrigal– a renaissance dinner theater with fabulous singing and food and the efforts of dozens and dozens of volunteers working in an enormous variety of capacities. Hint: if you're looking to make a friend or two or five, volunteering to work on the Madrigal is a sure fire bet.
May your November be a time of appreciation.
Despite our speeded up schedules, November is the time to remember to be thankful. We take a moment to celebrate the abundance around us. This time of celebration can help us to enter winter’s chill with a feeling of warmth and fullness.
We come to church and see people we know, people we care about. We meet newcomers, greet old-timers, we are acknowledged by our co-religionists in return. We feast together on Sunday mornings and discuss our dreams on a weekday evening. We gather to meet and plan and do good works.
Part of celebrating abundance comes through sharing it. We remember children and women and men at risk because of poverty, abuse, and neglect. We are reminded that though there is food to feed the world, that’s not the way it gets distributed.
At Eliot, some of us will drive, cook, launder, and host the homeless right in our church through the Room At The Inn program. We will collect for the St Louis Area Food Bank and for our Partner Church this month in order to live out our values and in order to celebrate our abundance through generosity.
This month, let us set aside some special time to be thankful for the community we have, to appreciate the abundance of love and support we feel at church. Perhaps you could tell someone you're really glad they are here at Eliot. Let us remember to extend this feeling of abundance to the new people and visitors who come to be part of us.
The end of November brings the beginning of our annual Madrigal– a renaissance dinner theater with fabulous singing and food and the efforts of dozens and dozens of volunteers working in an enormous variety of capacities. Hint: if you're looking to make a friend or two or five, volunteering to work on the Madrigal is a sure fire bet.
May your November be a time of appreciation.
Friday, October 12, 2007
October 2007 Board Report
Lead Minister’s Report to the Board of Trustees
October 10, 2007
Last year's goals were: (1) Assure worship services are meaningful and challenging; (2) Oversee financial stewardship; (3) Supervise and develop staff; (4) Administer Chapel business; (5) regular social & pastoral contact.
The Personnel Committee and I are working on specifics for implementing this year's goals. If the primary goals, 1-5 above don't change, then in working with lay and paid staff, I would plan on offering the following ideas to be completed by or before the end of the program year (June 2008):
In the area of overseeing financial stewardship:
In the area of staff development:
In the area of administering Chapel business:
In the area of regular social & pastoral contact:
Here is this month's board report–
Worship Services.
Oversee financial stewardship .
Staff.
I continue to meet with staff in a variety of configurations. Rev. Bonnie and I met with John Robinson. I am working on succession planning. I can talk more about this in executive session.
Administer Chapel business.
Social and Pastoral Contact.
I continue to meet with people informally. I am arranging for lunch or other kinds of meetings with large donors and with "sidelined" members (members formerly active, who have moved off to the sidelines to some degree). I am coordinating this effort with our Membership Coordinator, Jennifer Kirkton.
Other
October 10, 2007
Last year's goals were: (1) Assure worship services are meaningful and challenging; (2) Oversee financial stewardship; (3) Supervise and develop staff; (4) Administer Chapel business; (5) regular social & pastoral contact.
The Personnel Committee and I are working on specifics for implementing this year's goals. If the primary goals, 1-5 above don't change, then in working with lay and paid staff, I would plan on offering the following ideas to be completed by or before the end of the program year (June 2008):
In the area of overseeing financial stewardship:
- Establish a legacy gifts and bequests program to help ensure Eliot's financial future.
- Provide more complete detail to the Personnel Committee regarding all compensation and benefits, current and proposed, so they are fully informed and can counsel the board and congregation at large.
- Develop a written procedure (including a possible board policy) for responding to member inquiries concerning salaries, contracts, and other sensitive financial matters, in order to provide more transparency while retaining a degree of confidentiality.
- Provide quarterly budget updates for the next fiscal year, so the board is more fully informed of likely directions of the discretionary portion of the budget.
In the area of staff development:
- Complete the employee succession project (this is rather large, and some of it is confidential) to more fully comply with the governance policies.
- Convert all job descriptions to a standardized Position Description and Memorandum of Understanding to ensure equitable treatment to more fully comply with the governance policies.
In the area of administering Chapel business:
- Improve church communications and outreach by an updated and more functional church web site, calendar, and electronic communications.
- Continue to implement KEB recommendations regarding financial administration, and report progress to the board.
- Assist the Treasurer and Business Administrator in improving financial administration by development of a "dashboard financials" document or procedures as determined by the Treasurer to show the congregation that the church finances are in order and are being well managed.
- Update, post, and provide to the board, a complete employee and church procedures manual.
In the area of regular social & pastoral contact:
- A monthly visit (e.g., lunch) with a large donor, or past or current lay leader, in order to more fully cover some pastoral needs.
- Two pastoral outreach calls per week.
- The above is in addition to the regularly scheduled meetings, visits, and calls requested by parishioners.
Here is this month's board report–
Worship Services.
- The Senior High youth participated in the Sunday service twice so far, with good results. I have met with them twice also. I plan on continuing the practice where most Sundays I preach, I will be in with the Senior High for the first half of the service, then come in to the sanctuary to lead the second half of the service. Senior High attendance usually begins to drop off by this time in the program year, but it hasn't yet.
- Our Founder's Day service was well received.
- I will be doing a Family Worship Service this Sunday (10/14) at both services in Adams' Hall.
- I will be doing a pulpit exchange with Rev. Suzanne Meyer the following Sunday (10/21) for the UUA's Association Sunday. We will take a collection for the UUA's Capital Campaign at that time. We will be draping a huge banner across the back of the sanctuary. I will be pledging $100 to the effort.
Oversee financial stewardship .
- I met with Brian Krippner to discuss the dashboard design process and KEB involvement. We discussed the previous KEB process, the general financial health of the Chapel, possible board goals for me, and how he and I and JoAnn can work together to increase financial transparency. I understand Brian will take the lead in designing and implementing the "dashboard financials" process with JoAnn (and I) providing the support he needs. We talked in general terms about what level of information should be supplied to various groups. It is my understanding that he will do some more investigation with individuals or groups on his own, and come up with some protocols. He will also decide on whether to advise us to use KEB again or not.
- I think our board retreat (9/22) went very well. I am pleased we got board goals out of it, and look forward to the board's reporting on goals and increasing its communications with the congregation.
Staff.
I continue to meet with staff in a variety of configurations. Rev. Bonnie and I met with John Robinson. I am working on succession planning. I can talk more about this in executive session.
Administer Chapel business.
- I met with the president of the Women's Alliance to discuss space use issues.
- I worked on responding (again) to last year's Lead Minister Review (I had already done this in May), and then discovered a mis-communication. So, now I will be giving a draft of this year's goals to the Personnel Committee by the end of this week. It is essentially included above. They will review my draft and make suggested emendations.
- I met again with Bill Miller, and will be bringing him on as a contractor / consultant, specifically to advise me on administrative management, succession planning, and legacy gifts. This will be a revenue neutral change to the budget. Bill and I will likely meet weekly for ½ hour to an hour. I prepared a Position Description and a Memorandum of Understanding.
- The Social Action Committee has decided not to continue with the Christmas Bazaar. So, the office will coordinate a 2 Sunday event. It will be first come, first served on a coffee table sized place. Vendors (Eliot members or friends) will have two options: 100% of proceeds to a charity of their choice, or a 50-50 split between the vendor and the charity known as Eliot Chapel. This will operate on the honor system, but we will keep track of money raised for charities– to whom, and how much. There will be a blurb in the newsletter explaining everything.
Social and Pastoral Contact.
I continue to meet with people informally. I am arranging for lunch or other kinds of meetings with large donors and with "sidelined" members (members formerly active, who have moved off to the sidelines to some degree). I am coordinating this effort with our Membership Coordinator, Jennifer Kirkton.
Other
- I will be presiding over the monthly meeting of the Bi-statue UU Ministers meeting, on Thursday, hosted at Alton. We will be planning the big opening celebration for District Assembly to be held at the Hilton in Frontenac from Friday, April 25 through Sunday, April 27, 2008. Save the date!
- I am still working on a paper entitled "What is Commonly Believed Among Us" for the Prairie Group, a scholarly ministers group which meets in November at Pere Marquette Lodge in Grafton, IL.
- Bonnie and I are having extensive renovation work done on our house (kitchen & bathroom floors, new shower, new stove).
Thursday, September 20, 2007
New Faces, New Friends
New Faces, New Friends
We have hired a new Membership Coordinator– Jennifer Kirkton-Foss. You can read more about her in her newsletter column.
One of the challenges for a congregation the size of Eliot Unitarian Chapel is how to make friends. Perhaps the most straightforward way is to join a Covenant Group or committee. But even that can be confusing sometimes.
Our membership coordinator has 3 primary areas of work: newcomers (people who have visited us 2 or more times and are interested in the next step); members through their first year of membership; and old timers (everyone else). Jennifer will also be working with our membership database, Membership Committee, and me to work on membership satisfaction information gathering.
You will probably see Jennifer on Sunday mornings greeting at one of the entrances, or soon, introducing herself from the pulpit.
On a broader scale, you can meet UUs from all over the Central Midwest District. The District is comprised of some 11,000 UUs from eastern Missouri, all of Illinois, south east Wisconsin, and slivers of Indiana and Michigan.
This year's District Assembly will be held in St Louis at the Hilton Hotel in Frontenac from Friday night, April 25 through Sunday, April 27, 2008. The St Louis area ministers and musicians will be taking part in the fabulous Friday night kick off, introduced by yours truly.
Friday night has a banner parade, and a big celebration with a half dozen ministers, scores of singers, and it will be a "family friendly event," meaning the content will be pitched such that 11 year olds should be able to be engaged (for most of it).
Saturday will see a keynote speech about the UU church in the 21st century, along with a workshop on innovative worship ideas, plus a lot more.
There are opportunities to– among other things– be greeters at the hotel, staff the bookstore, or provide home hospitality, One thing is for sure, there will be lots of UUs in St Louis that weekend. You can find out more here.
If you haven't done so already, check out our Information Guide in Visitor's Corner, and in our newsletter for a listing of all the programs, events, and classes coming up.
Daniel
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Celebration Sunday Date Set
Hello Everyone:
It looks like we have the Kirkwood Community Center for Canvass Sunday on 2/10/08. We will have a single service at 10 am.We will want as many musical, program, RE, and other groups to participate as possible. I plan on doing a UU revival service. We will take pledge cards at the very end of the service. We want to show off our talents, programs, people, and energy in the most energetic and satisfying way.
So! In the months to come, I'd like the staff to start generating ideas for music, reading, testimonials, etcetera. The lay canvass leadership will likely also contribute ideas and especially the collection coordination, logistics, etcetera. This will be BIG.
Here's the time breakdown:
Theatre for church service at 10:00 a.m., approximately one hour (9:00 a.m. – 12 noon, including one hour before and after for set up and clean up).
Gymnasium for a brunch or potluck at 11:00, approximately two hours (10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., including one hour before and after for set up and clean up).
Daniel
P.S. This changes the February 2008 Sunday Service Schedule. I will email out an update to the OOS List and any board member who wants one.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
2007-2008 Service Topics
Below is the draft list of sermon and service topics for 2007-2008. If you have any ideas you would like considered for a sermon or service, please don't hesitate to contact me and let me know.
Thanks!
Sunday Services 2007-2008
Last Updated: August 23, 2007 (11:10am). These dates & topics will change without notice. For the really up to date list, consult www.eliotchapel.org web site or the printed newsletter.
September 9, 2007. Leading From Strength. Let's say your kid or employee comes to you with 3 As, 2 Bs, and an F. What do you spend the most time talking about? Do we make the most progress fixing our weaknesses or building our strengths? Our annual Ingathering Service. We begin our program year service times of 9 and 11:30 am, led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
September 16, 2007. Longing. Where does our sense of incompleteness lie? Where does it come from? Where does it go? Why do we hate it and yet sometimes yearn to wallow in it? How do we deal with it? Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
September 23, 2007. Mistakes? Me? Why do we dodge responsibility so thoroughly? Or get caught up in endless nit picking about who "is right?" Why can we see hypocrisy in others but not in ourselves? We will look at some recent research in social psychology. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
September 30, 2007. Politics in Process. What would our country look like if all the winners in 2008 were process theologians? Led by the Rev. Dr. Susan Videen.
October 7, 2007. Founder's Day. How did we get here? Who brought us here? Where are we going? We celebrate our 49th year. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
October 14, 2007. TBA. Led by our intern minister, David Breeden. Our 1st of 3 Town Hall meetings is at noon today.
October 21, 2007. Association Sunday. We do not practice Unitarian Universalism in a vacuum. All over the USA today and last week, UU congregations celebrate our commonality. The Rev. Suzanne Meyer will preach here, while I preach from her pulpit at the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis, MO.
October 28, 2007. The End of Democracy. In a rare sermon on politics, I look at the steps between democracy and fascism and consider how far we've moved down that path. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
November 4, 2007. TBA. Led by our intern minister, David Breeden. Daylight Savings Time ends today.
November 11, 2007. TBA. Guest Preacher.
November 18, 2007. Bread Communion. Our annual intergenerational Eliot Thanksgiving. Three services: 9:15, 10:15, and 11:15 am. Reverends Daniel ÓConnell & Bonnie Vegiard, and our intern David Breeden will lead the service.
November 25, 2007. TBA. Rev. Dick Haynes, Eliot Community Minister. Services at 9:30 and 11 am.
December 2, 2007. Highly Unlikely. When certain wildly unpredictable events happen– like 9/11 or the Google phenomenon, we spin a back story to make sense of it all. But if we want to tell the truth to ourselves, we have to tell a different story. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
December 9, 2007. Christmas Pageant. Our annual intergenerational service where our children show us the story of Christmas. Service coordinated by Rev. Bonnie Vegiard, Joan Casey, DRE, and many, many other helpers.
December 16, 2007. Making Peace with Reality. The desire to argue with reality can withstand all sorts of struggle. Sometimes we don't want to let go, forgive, forget, or move on. What to do then? Taoism has some answers. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
December 23, 2007. TBA. Led by the Rev. Bonnie Vegiard.
December 24, 2007. Christmas Eve. Four traditional services: 5, 6:30, 8, and 10 pm.
December 30, 2007. TBA. Led by our intern minister, David Breeden. A single service at 10 am.
January 6, 2008. Circle of Life. Our annual remembrance of births, marriages & unions, and deaths. Service by the Reverends Bonnie Vegiard & Dr. Daniel ÓConnell. Services at 9:30 and 11 am.
January 13, 2008. TBA. Led by the Rev. Bonnie Vegiard.
January 20, 2008. TBA. Human Justice Sunday. Guest Speaker from Social Action Committee.
January 27, 2008. Blink and Miss. It's easy to ignore what we don't want to see. But then we can miss what's most important. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell. Our 2nd of 3 Town Hall meetings is at noon today.
February 3, 2008. Self-Made Man. We explore the construction of gender and reflect on what a woman learned after posing as a man for a year. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
February 10, 2008. Music Sunday. Our 5th annual musical extravaganza. Led by our Music Director, Jan Chamberlin, and our Choir Director, Leon Burke, III..
February 17, 2008. Money for Nothing. How can we be rich and bored? Maybe "The Secret" can help? Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
February 24, 2008. Celebration Sunday. We will be meeting off site to celebrate everything Eliot means to us in ONE big service with all kinds of production values and FOOD. You won't want to miss this! A REVIVAL SERVICE Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell, and many, many others.
March 2, 2008. Youth Service. Our Senior High will lead our service today.
March 9, 2008. Evil. Religious Liberals generally don't talk about this much. But sometimes we have to. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell. Daylight Savings Time starts today.
March 16, 2008. TBA. Led by our intern minister, David Breeden.
March 23, 2008. Easter. Three Easter services at 9:15, 10:15, and 11:15 am. A UU communion ceremony commemorating the life and deeds of Jesus will be offered at the end of the first two services. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
March 30, 2008. Our Common Beliefs. UUs don't have beliefs in common, right? We'll see. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell. Our 3rd of 3 Town Hall meetings is at noon today.
April 6, 2008. TBA. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
April 13, 2008. UUSC Sunday. Special Guest Speaker.
April 20, 2008. Bankers to the Poor. One man began lending small change to poor women in the third world and has lifted thousands out of poverty. Can we help, too? Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
April 27, 2008. TBA. Led by our intern minister, David Breeden.
May 4, 2008. TBA. Led by the Rev. Bonnie Vegiard.
May 11, 2008. Flower Communion. Our annual Mother's Day and Flower Communion Service.
May 18, 2008. The Politically Incorrect Truth. There are certain things we might not like to admit that are nevertheless true. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell. One service at 9 am, followed by our annual meeting at 11 am.
May 25, 2008. Animal Blessing Sunday. Our annual event, led by the Rev. Dr. Susan Videen. One service at 10 am today.
June 1, 2008. Graduation. We honor our junior and senior high students at their time of graduation. Service by the Rev. Bonnie Vegiard, Joan Casey, and others.
June 8, 2008. TBA. A swan song service. Led by our intern minister, David Breeden.
June 15, 2008. Father's Day. Today begins our summer services– a single service at 10 am, through Labor Day. Look for another insert on our summer services.
Thanks!
Sunday Services 2007-2008
Last Updated: August 23, 2007 (11:10am). These dates & topics will change without notice. For the really up to date list, consult www.eliotchapel.org web site or the printed newsletter.
September 9, 2007. Leading From Strength. Let's say your kid or employee comes to you with 3 As, 2 Bs, and an F. What do you spend the most time talking about? Do we make the most progress fixing our weaknesses or building our strengths? Our annual Ingathering Service. We begin our program year service times of 9 and 11:30 am, led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
September 16, 2007. Longing. Where does our sense of incompleteness lie? Where does it come from? Where does it go? Why do we hate it and yet sometimes yearn to wallow in it? How do we deal with it? Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
September 23, 2007. Mistakes? Me? Why do we dodge responsibility so thoroughly? Or get caught up in endless nit picking about who "is right?" Why can we see hypocrisy in others but not in ourselves? We will look at some recent research in social psychology. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
September 30, 2007. Politics in Process. What would our country look like if all the winners in 2008 were process theologians? Led by the Rev. Dr. Susan Videen.
October 7, 2007. Founder's Day. How did we get here? Who brought us here? Where are we going? We celebrate our 49th year. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
October 14, 2007. TBA. Led by our intern minister, David Breeden. Our 1st of 3 Town Hall meetings is at noon today.
October 21, 2007. Association Sunday. We do not practice Unitarian Universalism in a vacuum. All over the USA today and last week, UU congregations celebrate our commonality. The Rev. Suzanne Meyer will preach here, while I preach from her pulpit at the First Unitarian Church of St. Louis, MO.
October 28, 2007. The End of Democracy. In a rare sermon on politics, I look at the steps between democracy and fascism and consider how far we've moved down that path. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
November 4, 2007. TBA. Led by our intern minister, David Breeden. Daylight Savings Time ends today.
November 11, 2007. TBA. Guest Preacher.
November 18, 2007. Bread Communion. Our annual intergenerational Eliot Thanksgiving. Three services: 9:15, 10:15, and 11:15 am. Reverends Daniel ÓConnell & Bonnie Vegiard, and our intern David Breeden will lead the service.
November 25, 2007. TBA. Rev. Dick Haynes, Eliot Community Minister. Services at 9:30 and 11 am.
December 2, 2007. Highly Unlikely. When certain wildly unpredictable events happen– like 9/11 or the Google phenomenon, we spin a back story to make sense of it all. But if we want to tell the truth to ourselves, we have to tell a different story. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
December 9, 2007. Christmas Pageant. Our annual intergenerational service where our children show us the story of Christmas. Service coordinated by Rev. Bonnie Vegiard, Joan Casey, DRE, and many, many other helpers.
December 16, 2007. Making Peace with Reality. The desire to argue with reality can withstand all sorts of struggle. Sometimes we don't want to let go, forgive, forget, or move on. What to do then? Taoism has some answers. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
December 23, 2007. TBA. Led by the Rev. Bonnie Vegiard.
December 24, 2007. Christmas Eve. Four traditional services: 5, 6:30, 8, and 10 pm.
December 30, 2007. TBA. Led by our intern minister, David Breeden. A single service at 10 am.
January 6, 2008. Circle of Life. Our annual remembrance of births, marriages & unions, and deaths. Service by the Reverends Bonnie Vegiard & Dr. Daniel ÓConnell. Services at 9:30 and 11 am.
January 13, 2008. TBA. Led by the Rev. Bonnie Vegiard.
January 20, 2008. TBA. Human Justice Sunday. Guest Speaker from Social Action Committee.
January 27, 2008. Blink and Miss. It's easy to ignore what we don't want to see. But then we can miss what's most important. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell. Our 2nd of 3 Town Hall meetings is at noon today.
February 3, 2008. Self-Made Man. We explore the construction of gender and reflect on what a woman learned after posing as a man for a year. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
February 10, 2008. Music Sunday. Our 5th annual musical extravaganza. Led by our Music Director, Jan Chamberlin, and our Choir Director, Leon Burke, III..
February 17, 2008. Money for Nothing. How can we be rich and bored? Maybe "The Secret" can help? Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
February 24, 2008. Celebration Sunday. We will be meeting off site to celebrate everything Eliot means to us in ONE big service with all kinds of production values and FOOD. You won't want to miss this! A REVIVAL SERVICE Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell, and many, many others.
March 2, 2008. Youth Service. Our Senior High will lead our service today.
March 9, 2008. Evil. Religious Liberals generally don't talk about this much. But sometimes we have to. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell. Daylight Savings Time starts today.
March 16, 2008. TBA. Led by our intern minister, David Breeden.
March 23, 2008. Easter. Three Easter services at 9:15, 10:15, and 11:15 am. A UU communion ceremony commemorating the life and deeds of Jesus will be offered at the end of the first two services. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
March 30, 2008. Our Common Beliefs. UUs don't have beliefs in common, right? We'll see. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell. Our 3rd of 3 Town Hall meetings is at noon today.
April 6, 2008. TBA. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
April 13, 2008. UUSC Sunday. Special Guest Speaker.
April 20, 2008. Bankers to the Poor. One man began lending small change to poor women in the third world and has lifted thousands out of poverty. Can we help, too? Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell.
April 27, 2008. TBA. Led by our intern minister, David Breeden.
May 4, 2008. TBA. Led by the Rev. Bonnie Vegiard.
May 11, 2008. Flower Communion. Our annual Mother's Day and Flower Communion Service.
May 18, 2008. The Politically Incorrect Truth. There are certain things we might not like to admit that are nevertheless true. Led by the Rev. Dr. Daniel ÓConnell. One service at 9 am, followed by our annual meeting at 11 am.
May 25, 2008. Animal Blessing Sunday. Our annual event, led by the Rev. Dr. Susan Videen. One service at 10 am today.
June 1, 2008. Graduation. We honor our junior and senior high students at their time of graduation. Service by the Rev. Bonnie Vegiard, Joan Casey, and others.
June 8, 2008. TBA. A swan song service. Led by our intern minister, David Breeden.
June 15, 2008. Father's Day. Today begins our summer services– a single service at 10 am, through Labor Day. Look for another insert on our summer services.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
2007 Annual Meeting Review
Annual Meeting Review
May 20, 2007
I thought it was a pretty good annual meeting, with a good turn out. We held the annual meeting in place of the 2nd service on Sunday May 20. It felt a little odd to only preach once on a Sunday, but the idea was that we would have 2 RE programs as we normally do. That way parents of children could attend the 9:30 service and the 11:00 am meeting, while their children went to RE classes twice, with 2 different sets of teachers, etc. I don't have hard numbers, but just from looking, I'd say attendance at this year's annual meeting was a little better than last year.
Outgoing President Mary Quinn kept things moving and honored some staff and committee chairs. After some important discussion, the Asset Management Task Force proposal passed easily,.
I heard comments of concern about several key areas: financial transparency, loss of old members, membership numbers, and the Pet Blessing service on Memorial Day weekend.
Transparency about the budget.
It was pointed out that what was shown to the congregation was a summary, and not an in depth report that would show, for example, what we're paying for building or health insurance, and salaries for individual employees.
Another issue was seeing exactly what was spent on say– building and grounds in the last year. Although this wasn't brought up at the meeting, saying what was spent on building and grounds in a particular time period isn't as straightforward as it sounds because we have line items for utilities, contract labor, building repair, and so forth, any one of which, a portion could be considered for buildings and grounds. The "contractor" line item not only pays for building contractors but for our musical accompanists.
It was clear to me that the sense of the meeting is– and was at the last Town Hall meeting– that we need a financial reporting system that better serves what people want than the current system. So, as I understand it, the Congregational Treasurer and the Business Administrator, perhaps along with the Finance Committee, will take some time in the coming program year to develop more financial reporting transparency, and perhaps a "dashboard" which would contain a half dozen to 10 key metrics as to spending and budgeting.
The board of trustees already hears from the Business Administrator as to the monthly budget variances (if any), and while most people in the congregation aren't interested in monthly financial reports, that information should be available to congregational members and to committees who have an interest in a particular budget area.
It was also pointed out that (1) there used to be a budget "hearing" in advance of the annual meeting, so people could ask more in depth questions there rather than at the annual meeting, and (2) such meetings were so poorly attended that it was decided to stop having them. Nevertheless, it seems that bringing back such a meeting will be a good idea. So, I for one, will plan on it, probably a week or so before the annual meeting in May.
There was some confusion as to committee budgets– most committees don't make budget requests anymore (a few do), and the budget has been relatively static. There was some question as to whether committees get monthly budget reports or not. I'll ask our Business Administrator to make sure these get sent monthly.
Loss of old members.
A couple people pointed out that some members of Eliot have left over the last several years. It was also noted that over 50 new members were listed in the Sunday bulletin, but what about the old folks who used to be here?
Rev. John Robinson, the minister who retired before I got here told me that something like 1/3 of the congregation turned over during his first couple of years at Eliot. His personality and style were substantially different from his predecessor, Rev. Webster Kitchell. My personality and style is probably as different from Rev. Robinson's as his was to Rev. Kitchell's.
I've also read that on average about half of a UU congregation will turn over every 8 years, with the number being slightly smaller for larger congregations like ours.
Bonnie and I have been here 5 years now. When one prominent lay person told me she was leaving to go to 1st Church, I asked her if there was anything I could do to change her mind. She told me no, she preferred the minister over there, and that people's personalities are who they are.
I and our Membership Coordinator have made some inquiries, and heard good stories. People mostly make up their minds as to their satisfaction and commitment to church on their own. And we will continue to reach out, but in a more coordinated effort in this coming year. This is something new, it hasn't been done before, and it is an effort to reach out to long time members and to those in their first year of membership to make sure we are doing what we can to help folks fit in and find a place at Eliot.
Of course, if someone is on the verge of leaving because they are upset about something– perhaps they have an issue with a minister or staff member or church program, it is wonderful if they would tell someone. We can't read minds. It's great to approach someone directly, but there is always the Lead Minister's Relations Committee (LMRC) which is composed of Luis Ortiz, Julie Triplett, Rich Vaughn, Kathleen Mead, and Kim Fitzgerald.
With our LMRC and membership coordinator, plus any tips I get at coffee hour, I plan on phone calls and visits and emails to try and keep in touch. If you or someone you know would like to chat over lunch or over the phone or at church, please let me know.
Membership numbers.
Someone wondered aloud if Eliot had not shrunk in membership in the last few years. They recalled hearing a figure of 770 members.
From 1984 to 1994, the number of adults ranged from 402 to 458, and the number of kids from 183 to 295. From 1996 on the number of adults has hovered in the 550 range. Right before Rev. Robinson retired, the membership rolls were scrubbed to remove people who had died, left town, that sort of thing. In February 2002, just before we arrived, the reported membership was 576. In February 2007, the reported membership was 522. As of the annual meeting, membership was at 548.
You can also look at congregational commitment in terms of total expenditures. Other than a blip in 2002, there has been a steady upward progression.
1999 $443,600
2000 $474,820
2001 $488,200
2002 $527,000
2003 $497,000
2004 $497,000
2005 $499,000
2006 $516,500.
Memorial Day Service.
Several people balked at the notion of a Pet Blessing Sunday being held on Memorial Day. That has been the tradition since before I got here. It's probably one of those Sundays– like Easter– where some people come and love it, and others stay away. I have heard it is very meaningful for the people who come. It is also a Bergfried weekend, so it doesn't fit the "regular" Sunday format.
We do pay extra attention to our veterans during the Sunday closest to Veteran's Day, and to our own Eliot folks who have passed on at our Circle of Life service the first Sunday of the calendar year.
I appreciate the thoughtfulness of people at the annual meeting. I especially appreciate the hard work of our board of trustees and lay leaders. Everyone is trying their best to be earnest, authentic, and to do what's best for the congregation's future.
It is a blessing to be together. –Daniel.
May 20, 2007
I thought it was a pretty good annual meeting, with a good turn out. We held the annual meeting in place of the 2nd service on Sunday May 20. It felt a little odd to only preach once on a Sunday, but the idea was that we would have 2 RE programs as we normally do. That way parents of children could attend the 9:30 service and the 11:00 am meeting, while their children went to RE classes twice, with 2 different sets of teachers, etc. I don't have hard numbers, but just from looking, I'd say attendance at this year's annual meeting was a little better than last year.
Outgoing President Mary Quinn kept things moving and honored some staff and committee chairs. After some important discussion, the Asset Management Task Force proposal passed easily,.
I heard comments of concern about several key areas: financial transparency, loss of old members, membership numbers, and the Pet Blessing service on Memorial Day weekend.
Transparency about the budget.
It was pointed out that what was shown to the congregation was a summary, and not an in depth report that would show, for example, what we're paying for building or health insurance, and salaries for individual employees.
Another issue was seeing exactly what was spent on say– building and grounds in the last year. Although this wasn't brought up at the meeting, saying what was spent on building and grounds in a particular time period isn't as straightforward as it sounds because we have line items for utilities, contract labor, building repair, and so forth, any one of which, a portion could be considered for buildings and grounds. The "contractor" line item not only pays for building contractors but for our musical accompanists.
It was clear to me that the sense of the meeting is– and was at the last Town Hall meeting– that we need a financial reporting system that better serves what people want than the current system. So, as I understand it, the Congregational Treasurer and the Business Administrator, perhaps along with the Finance Committee, will take some time in the coming program year to develop more financial reporting transparency, and perhaps a "dashboard" which would contain a half dozen to 10 key metrics as to spending and budgeting.
The board of trustees already hears from the Business Administrator as to the monthly budget variances (if any), and while most people in the congregation aren't interested in monthly financial reports, that information should be available to congregational members and to committees who have an interest in a particular budget area.
It was also pointed out that (1) there used to be a budget "hearing" in advance of the annual meeting, so people could ask more in depth questions there rather than at the annual meeting, and (2) such meetings were so poorly attended that it was decided to stop having them. Nevertheless, it seems that bringing back such a meeting will be a good idea. So, I for one, will plan on it, probably a week or so before the annual meeting in May.
There was some confusion as to committee budgets– most committees don't make budget requests anymore (a few do), and the budget has been relatively static. There was some question as to whether committees get monthly budget reports or not. I'll ask our Business Administrator to make sure these get sent monthly.
Loss of old members.
A couple people pointed out that some members of Eliot have left over the last several years. It was also noted that over 50 new members were listed in the Sunday bulletin, but what about the old folks who used to be here?
Rev. John Robinson, the minister who retired before I got here told me that something like 1/3 of the congregation turned over during his first couple of years at Eliot. His personality and style were substantially different from his predecessor, Rev. Webster Kitchell. My personality and style is probably as different from Rev. Robinson's as his was to Rev. Kitchell's.
I've also read that on average about half of a UU congregation will turn over every 8 years, with the number being slightly smaller for larger congregations like ours.
Bonnie and I have been here 5 years now. When one prominent lay person told me she was leaving to go to 1st Church, I asked her if there was anything I could do to change her mind. She told me no, she preferred the minister over there, and that people's personalities are who they are.
I and our Membership Coordinator have made some inquiries, and heard good stories. People mostly make up their minds as to their satisfaction and commitment to church on their own. And we will continue to reach out, but in a more coordinated effort in this coming year. This is something new, it hasn't been done before, and it is an effort to reach out to long time members and to those in their first year of membership to make sure we are doing what we can to help folks fit in and find a place at Eliot.
Of course, if someone is on the verge of leaving because they are upset about something– perhaps they have an issue with a minister or staff member or church program, it is wonderful if they would tell someone. We can't read minds. It's great to approach someone directly, but there is always the Lead Minister's Relations Committee (LMRC) which is composed of Luis Ortiz, Julie Triplett, Rich Vaughn, Kathleen Mead, and Kim Fitzgerald.
With our LMRC and membership coordinator, plus any tips I get at coffee hour, I plan on phone calls and visits and emails to try and keep in touch. If you or someone you know would like to chat over lunch or over the phone or at church, please let me know.
Membership numbers.
Someone wondered aloud if Eliot had not shrunk in membership in the last few years. They recalled hearing a figure of 770 members.
From 1984 to 1994, the number of adults ranged from 402 to 458, and the number of kids from 183 to 295. From 1996 on the number of adults has hovered in the 550 range. Right before Rev. Robinson retired, the membership rolls were scrubbed to remove people who had died, left town, that sort of thing. In February 2002, just before we arrived, the reported membership was 576. In February 2007, the reported membership was 522. As of the annual meeting, membership was at 548.
You can also look at congregational commitment in terms of total expenditures. Other than a blip in 2002, there has been a steady upward progression.
1999 $443,600
2000 $474,820
2001 $488,200
2002 $527,000
2003 $497,000
2004 $497,000
2005 $499,000
2006 $516,500.
Memorial Day Service.
Several people balked at the notion of a Pet Blessing Sunday being held on Memorial Day. That has been the tradition since before I got here. It's probably one of those Sundays– like Easter– where some people come and love it, and others stay away. I have heard it is very meaningful for the people who come. It is also a Bergfried weekend, so it doesn't fit the "regular" Sunday format.
We do pay extra attention to our veterans during the Sunday closest to Veteran's Day, and to our own Eliot folks who have passed on at our Circle of Life service the first Sunday of the calendar year.
I appreciate the thoughtfulness of people at the annual meeting. I especially appreciate the hard work of our board of trustees and lay leaders. Everyone is trying their best to be earnest, authentic, and to do what's best for the congregation's future.
It is a blessing to be together. –Daniel.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Genius Ignored
Genius Ignored
Earlier this year, a 30-something man, wearing a ball cap, long sleeved tee shirt and jeans played violin in a subway tunnel, at the top of an escalator in Washington, DC next to a trash basket. He had his violin case near him. An occasional passerby would toss him some change.
He had a couple people pause, slow down. Over the course of 45 minutes that morning he played a variety of classical pieces, including Chaconne from Bach's Partita #2 in D minor, considered one of the most difficult violin pieces to master (according to the Washington Post).
The subway violinist, Joshua Bell, routinely fills concert halls around the world, and is considered one of the finest classical musicians in the world. He was playing "some of the most elegant music ever written on a $3.5 million Stradivarius."
What happened? Over 1,000 people simply walked by. At a music hall, Mr. Bell might get upset at a cell phone call. In the subway, he admits he would have been happy with any acknowledgment.
As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm the inherent worth & dignity of every person. But I know that in my rush to get things done– people to visit, promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep– I can miss beauty, I can miss genius, I can miss the ordinary wonderfulness that is all around me.
Are you feeling rushed and overburdened? Do you have time for beauty?
Not all of us are virtuosos, but we each bring something unique and interesting to our religious community. We can each be a witness to beauty as well as truth.
There is one curious thing about the violinist in the subway. There was one class of people who tried to stop and listen, but they were physically pulled away– children. Sometimes our children are our best guide to the opportunity to get out of heads and experience beauty & wonder.
May your actual children or inner child stop for beauty, because if you don't, what else are you missing?
Earlier this year, a 30-something man, wearing a ball cap, long sleeved tee shirt and jeans played violin in a subway tunnel, at the top of an escalator in Washington, DC next to a trash basket. He had his violin case near him. An occasional passerby would toss him some change.
He had a couple people pause, slow down. Over the course of 45 minutes that morning he played a variety of classical pieces, including Chaconne from Bach's Partita #2 in D minor, considered one of the most difficult violin pieces to master (according to the Washington Post).
The subway violinist, Joshua Bell, routinely fills concert halls around the world, and is considered one of the finest classical musicians in the world. He was playing "some of the most elegant music ever written on a $3.5 million Stradivarius."
What happened? Over 1,000 people simply walked by. At a music hall, Mr. Bell might get upset at a cell phone call. In the subway, he admits he would have been happy with any acknowledgment.
As Unitarian Universalists, we affirm the inherent worth & dignity of every person. But I know that in my rush to get things done– people to visit, promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep– I can miss beauty, I can miss genius, I can miss the ordinary wonderfulness that is all around me.
Are you feeling rushed and overburdened? Do you have time for beauty?
Not all of us are virtuosos, but we each bring something unique and interesting to our religious community. We can each be a witness to beauty as well as truth.
There is one curious thing about the violinist in the subway. There was one class of people who tried to stop and listen, but they were physically pulled away– children. Sometimes our children are our best guide to the opportunity to get out of heads and experience beauty & wonder.
May your actual children or inner child stop for beauty, because if you don't, what else are you missing?
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Mens' Advance in Review
Men's Advance in ReviewI think there were something like 30 men at any given time, maybe 40 men total over the weekend. Someone had arrived Tuesday, another arrived Thursday but left before Saturday-- such is the nature of fitting communing with nature into your schedule.
The age range of the men at Mens' Advance was from 10 to 60+. The food was better than ever. The pig was good, and we had asparagus, fruit compote, creamed corn, and 3 different kinds of pie. Not to mention the beverages of all sorts.
A little early for the morel mushrooms, but plenty of box turtles, june bugs, ticks, and taningers.
The weather was quite unusual. No rain. I've been told this has been the case in maybe 5 of the last 17 mens' advances. Plus it was cloudy Sunday morning, which meant the sun wasn't streaming in to the tents and heating them up by 7 am, so one could sleep in a little, if one liked.
The camaraderie was excellent as usual-- that's really the main reason to go. The check-in Saturday night was emotionally significant, and honored each man's story and contributions.
Did I mention the weather was beautiful?
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Town Hall Meeting Reviewed
Town Hall Meeting Reviewed
Held after services on Earth Day, April 22, 2007
Although an 'official' transcript of what was discussed at the Town Hall Meeting is forthcoming, I thought I'd share some thoughts here.
Advance Notice of the Town Hall Meeting's Purpose?
Several people at the meeting said that there was no advance notice of the meeting's content purpose. The reality is that newsletter articles were posted on April 7 and on April 21. Additionally, there was almost a full page article in the March 10 newsletter about the Asset Management Task Force (AMTF).
Fairly regularly, individuals will complain that they haven't been informed about something when the information was printed in their newsletter, in their order of service, on the web site, and occasionally announced from the pulpit. To some degree, communication is a two way street. It won't do us much good to put it in the newsletter if people won't read it.
The AMTF looked at our 1998 Bergfried policy, and how restricted funds are designated. You can read more about their recommendations in the newsletter and on the web site. Basically, it says the 1998 Bergfried policy statement is pretty good, but it doesn't reflect actual practice. So the principles will be the same, but the language will be updated. Also, that there should be a board representative to the Bergfried Committee, that incoming board members should visit the Bergfried property, among other things.
Transparency & Accountability in Financial Matters.
Some folks said they wanted Chapel financial information in an easier to understand format than the monthly balance sheets we currently post on the Trustee section of the bulletin board in between the sanctuary and the fellowship hall. One man noted he's reduced his financial pledge to zero because of his frustration.
I noted that I too was frustrated with our system and that the board and I had engaged a consulting firm (KEB) to document our administrative procedures, and that we had some administrative process issues involved.
Meanwhile, I am asking the congregation's treasurer and our business administrator to get together and see if they can come up with something more in keeping with what will be useful to people.
Building and Capital Advisory Committee.
Board president Mary Quinn noted that a task force was being organized to look at our building usage and repair. She also noted that although we have over $100,000 in the Preservation Fund to patch up the sanctuary, it is likely we will need another capital campaign (the last one ended several years ago) to replenish the funds.
Opportunity for Input.
A long time member was concerned that the attendance did not seem to be high at the town hall meeting, and that there should be more frequent meetings and that younger people should attend.
My sense is that we could schedule more town hall meetings, but I don't know about the attendance. I agree more regular congregational input can be a good thing. Perhaps we could do electronic surveys, or somehow give folks more opportunities to be consulted in ways they would actually take advantage of.
Something to remember is that often times, people won't attend a congregational or town hall meeting when they think things are going well– why bother? They may be more likely to attend when they have a beef or are unhappy about something. When that's the case, it can skew the tenor of a meeting.
Congregational Delegates and Voting.
Eliot Chapel gets more delegate slots for General Assembly (UUA) and District Assembly (DA - for Central Midwest District) than we usually have people willing to attend.
The story is that before Bonnie and I got here, no one acted as a delegate from Eliot Unitarian Chapel to either GA or DA. Occasionally, there is something important to vote on. There is usually a Social Action Initiative or bylaw change or election at the GA or DA.
Who gets to be a delegate? Since there was no process or call for a process before Bonnie and I got here, and since there have always been more delegate slots than actual delegates, the de facto process that evolved was that if someone wanted to be a delegate, they contacted me, and as along as they were a member of Eliot in good standing, they became a delegate.
One criticism of DA & GA delegates is that they tend to vote their individual whim, rather than the considered deliberation of the congregation or the congregation's leadership. This leads to the charge that decisions made at GA (in particular) do not accurately reflect a congregational wishes, and that in fact, congregations are largely in the dark regarding what happens at GA, and therefore GA resolutions and business have little connection to congregational life.
The people who run GA recognize that, which is one reason why they have encouraged congregational presidents to attend GA as delegates by refunding their registration fees.
In the last couple of years, I have asked people to be a delegate for the purpose of an absentee ballot, so we could begin to participate more in the wider denomination. I have laid out what the matter is to be decided, and what my opinion was, then asked them to make their own choice. After tallying up all the choices, the majority opinion was voted on by all absentee ballots. This ensured a democratic decision was reached, and that the congregation spoke "with one voice" rather than the many individual voices of whoever happened to self-select as a delegate.
This approach was challenged at the Town Hall Meeting in the sense that one person in particular thought that those delegates who attended a DA or GA meeting ought to be able to vote their (the delegate's) opinion and not the board or congregation's opinion because the delegate might learn something at the meeting that the congregation could not have known about in advance.
This makes a certain amount of sense to me, and I will discuss it with the particular individual and with our congregation's board of trustees. Ultimately, we'll do a survey via order of service or newsletter or internet survey, to get the congregational opinion.
Want to give input?
Meanwhile, if you have input on the delegate process, transparency in financial matters, or anything else, feel free to contact me at daniel at eliotchapel dot org or (314) 821-0911.
Thanks!
Held after services on Earth Day, April 22, 2007
Although an 'official' transcript of what was discussed at the Town Hall Meeting is forthcoming, I thought I'd share some thoughts here.
Advance Notice of the Town Hall Meeting's Purpose?
Several people at the meeting said that there was no advance notice of the meeting's content purpose. The reality is that newsletter articles were posted on April 7 and on April 21. Additionally, there was almost a full page article in the March 10 newsletter about the Asset Management Task Force (AMTF).
Fairly regularly, individuals will complain that they haven't been informed about something when the information was printed in their newsletter, in their order of service, on the web site, and occasionally announced from the pulpit. To some degree, communication is a two way street. It won't do us much good to put it in the newsletter if people won't read it.
The AMTF looked at our 1998 Bergfried policy, and how restricted funds are designated. You can read more about their recommendations in the newsletter and on the web site. Basically, it says the 1998 Bergfried policy statement is pretty good, but it doesn't reflect actual practice. So the principles will be the same, but the language will be updated. Also, that there should be a board representative to the Bergfried Committee, that incoming board members should visit the Bergfried property, among other things.
Transparency & Accountability in Financial Matters.
Some folks said they wanted Chapel financial information in an easier to understand format than the monthly balance sheets we currently post on the Trustee section of the bulletin board in between the sanctuary and the fellowship hall. One man noted he's reduced his financial pledge to zero because of his frustration.
I noted that I too was frustrated with our system and that the board and I had engaged a consulting firm (KEB) to document our administrative procedures, and that we had some administrative process issues involved.
Meanwhile, I am asking the congregation's treasurer and our business administrator to get together and see if they can come up with something more in keeping with what will be useful to people.
Building and Capital Advisory Committee.
Board president Mary Quinn noted that a task force was being organized to look at our building usage and repair. She also noted that although we have over $100,000 in the Preservation Fund to patch up the sanctuary, it is likely we will need another capital campaign (the last one ended several years ago) to replenish the funds.
Opportunity for Input.
A long time member was concerned that the attendance did not seem to be high at the town hall meeting, and that there should be more frequent meetings and that younger people should attend.
My sense is that we could schedule more town hall meetings, but I don't know about the attendance. I agree more regular congregational input can be a good thing. Perhaps we could do electronic surveys, or somehow give folks more opportunities to be consulted in ways they would actually take advantage of.
Something to remember is that often times, people won't attend a congregational or town hall meeting when they think things are going well– why bother? They may be more likely to attend when they have a beef or are unhappy about something. When that's the case, it can skew the tenor of a meeting.
Congregational Delegates and Voting.
Eliot Chapel gets more delegate slots for General Assembly (UUA) and District Assembly (DA - for Central Midwest District) than we usually have people willing to attend.
The story is that before Bonnie and I got here, no one acted as a delegate from Eliot Unitarian Chapel to either GA or DA. Occasionally, there is something important to vote on. There is usually a Social Action Initiative or bylaw change or election at the GA or DA.
Who gets to be a delegate? Since there was no process or call for a process before Bonnie and I got here, and since there have always been more delegate slots than actual delegates, the de facto process that evolved was that if someone wanted to be a delegate, they contacted me, and as along as they were a member of Eliot in good standing, they became a delegate.
One criticism of DA & GA delegates is that they tend to vote their individual whim, rather than the considered deliberation of the congregation or the congregation's leadership. This leads to the charge that decisions made at GA (in particular) do not accurately reflect a congregational wishes, and that in fact, congregations are largely in the dark regarding what happens at GA, and therefore GA resolutions and business have little connection to congregational life.
The people who run GA recognize that, which is one reason why they have encouraged congregational presidents to attend GA as delegates by refunding their registration fees.
In the last couple of years, I have asked people to be a delegate for the purpose of an absentee ballot, so we could begin to participate more in the wider denomination. I have laid out what the matter is to be decided, and what my opinion was, then asked them to make their own choice. After tallying up all the choices, the majority opinion was voted on by all absentee ballots. This ensured a democratic decision was reached, and that the congregation spoke "with one voice" rather than the many individual voices of whoever happened to self-select as a delegate.
This approach was challenged at the Town Hall Meeting in the sense that one person in particular thought that those delegates who attended a DA or GA meeting ought to be able to vote their (the delegate's) opinion and not the board or congregation's opinion because the delegate might learn something at the meeting that the congregation could not have known about in advance.
This makes a certain amount of sense to me, and I will discuss it with the particular individual and with our congregation's board of trustees. Ultimately, we'll do a survey via order of service or newsletter or internet survey, to get the congregational opinion.
Want to give input?
Meanwhile, if you have input on the delegate process, transparency in financial matters, or anything else, feel free to contact me at daniel at eliotchapel dot org or (314) 821-0911.
Thanks!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
More on the Easter Communion
I received this email recently, and the sender gave me permission to share it here.
I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed the Easter Communion. I thought it was a lovely way to celebrate community and to embrace traditions other than our own (a truly Unitarian concept). I was shocked that anyone had such a "problem" with it.
The truth is, every religion has beautiful elements and as Unitarians, we should have no problem honoring those elements and stepping outside of our notions of what is and isn't Unitarian. I hope that the Unitarian communion will return next year and that perhaps, with a little pre-emptive encouragement and mind-opening sermon, people will see how a long standing christian tradition can take on new meanings for each individual in the congregation.
I was raised Unitarian (at Eliot Chapel no less), and the only thing I've ever wanted more of in my church is more ritual and ceremony because, like paintings or music, I think they can become unique spiritual experiences for each person who opens their heart to it. Isn't that a large part of what Unitarianism is?
Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I loved the Easter service and think that the communion was a wonderful symol of coming together and sharing. Thank you.
I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed the Easter Communion. I thought it was a lovely way to celebrate community and to embrace traditions other than our own (a truly Unitarian concept). I was shocked that anyone had such a "problem" with it.
The truth is, every religion has beautiful elements and as Unitarians, we should have no problem honoring those elements and stepping outside of our notions of what is and isn't Unitarian. I hope that the Unitarian communion will return next year and that perhaps, with a little pre-emptive encouragement and mind-opening sermon, people will see how a long standing christian tradition can take on new meanings for each individual in the congregation.
I was raised Unitarian (at Eliot Chapel no less), and the only thing I've ever wanted more of in my church is more ritual and ceremony because, like paintings or music, I think they can become unique spiritual experiences for each person who opens their heart to it. Isn't that a large part of what Unitarianism is?
Anyway, I just wanted you to know that I loved the Easter service and think that the communion was a wonderful symol of coming together and sharing. Thank you.
Laura L. Hepburn
UU Communion Connection?
UU Communion Connection?
After church on Easter Sunday, someone asked why our Unitarian Universalist church would have communion. After all, wasn’t that Christian?
I think are several fold implications: communion is a Christian activity; UUs, are not by and large, Christian. So why the ceremony?
Of course the reality is that both Unitarianism and Universalism were (and still are), historical Christian doctrines. While it is true that most UUs would not consider themselves, or be considered by others, as traditional Christians, it is true that there are at least 6 sources to our faith, including “Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves.”
The Christian communion service was based on Jesus’ last supper– itself a Jewish Passover meal. Long before Passover, religious people used food and drink to cement their bond, and to recall religious rituals.
Similarly, at Eliot Unitarian Chapel, we use Bread Communion (the Sunday before Thanksgiving) to recall our various cultural heritages, and how they inform who we are in our local and regional areas. We sing ‘America the Beautiful’ even if we’re unhappy with our current political administration, because we find it important to be reminded that despite our diverse backgrounds, we commit to a common ideal.
Similarly, when we celebrate a Universalist Christian communion at Easter, we are reminded that “we need not believe alike to love alike,” in the words of Unitarian martyr, Francis David.
Easter communion is a ritual to remind us of the life and deeds of Jesus. We do not affirm some sort of gnostic “blood and body” theology, and we don’t tend to subscribe to the notion that “Jesus died for our sins.” Instead we remember his amazing ministry in just 3 short years and how it changed history forever. That’s the connection.
–Daniel
After church on Easter Sunday, someone asked why our Unitarian Universalist church would have communion. After all, wasn’t that Christian?
I think are several fold implications: communion is a Christian activity; UUs, are not by and large, Christian. So why the ceremony?
Of course the reality is that both Unitarianism and Universalism were (and still are), historical Christian doctrines. While it is true that most UUs would not consider themselves, or be considered by others, as traditional Christians, it is true that there are at least 6 sources to our faith, including “Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God's love by loving our neighbors as ourselves.”
The Christian communion service was based on Jesus’ last supper– itself a Jewish Passover meal. Long before Passover, religious people used food and drink to cement their bond, and to recall religious rituals.
Similarly, at Eliot Unitarian Chapel, we use Bread Communion (the Sunday before Thanksgiving) to recall our various cultural heritages, and how they inform who we are in our local and regional areas. We sing ‘America the Beautiful’ even if we’re unhappy with our current political administration, because we find it important to be reminded that despite our diverse backgrounds, we commit to a common ideal.
Similarly, when we celebrate a Universalist Christian communion at Easter, we are reminded that “we need not believe alike to love alike,” in the words of Unitarian martyr, Francis David.
Easter communion is a ritual to remind us of the life and deeds of Jesus. We do not affirm some sort of gnostic “blood and body” theology, and we don’t tend to subscribe to the notion that “Jesus died for our sins.” Instead we remember his amazing ministry in just 3 short years and how it changed history forever. That’s the connection.
–Daniel
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