by Admin | Dec 4, 2018 | Justice Actions
As I write this month’s column the November election results are known to us all. My own level of anxiousness concerning politics has been somewhat reduced. Time once again to move forward even though there will be continued drama in Washington. At least this time around I have a sense of Hope that the moral arc of the universe is again bending towards justice. Hope for a better, more peaceful world is what I believe the promise of the holiday season is about.
At the UUCV we save lives. We do that every day of the year with our Lift Up Your Voice Advocacy, with our Safe Sleep overnight parking, and with our Inreach Outreach sharing of the Sunday Plate to other non-profits. Unitarian Universalism offers Hope to people through the ministry of liberal religion. Holding up as our first principal that we “affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person.” That is a message for all seasons.
And then the county experienced the shooting in Thousand Oaks followed by terrible fires. Memories of last December are still fresh in my mind when fires swept through our county only to be followed by devasting flooding in Santa Barbara. So much suffering has happened in twelve months. Yet I still hold onto hope. The “audacity” of hope, as stated by Barack Obama. It is reflected in the stories of the bright star in the eastern sky, of the burning flame for the
Maccabees, and in the little light that shines within each of us. A metaphor for UU’s is the Lighthouse shining its beacon of light on darkness, giving aid to those in most need. Amen.
Following up on the September Congregational Conversation we discerned a list of 26 questions. Paraphrased, and in no particular order, they consolidated into six specific questions.
- How can I learn more about our deficit and the projected budget?
- Do we need to hire another staff person or can volunteers do the work?
- What can we do to be a more diverse congregation?
- Instead of giving away the Sunday Plate, can some of it be used to help the congregation?
- What are money making activities?
- How can I help more?
The first question is easy to answer. Attend the next Congregational Conversation on January 27. You can also read the Newsletter for information from the Finance Committee, attend a Finance Committee meeting, or talk to David Smith who is the Chair of the committee. The rest of the questions require deeper thought and conversation. Please take time to reflect upon them.
Finally, on behalf of the Board of Trustee’s, Happy Holidays to Everyone! Thank you especially to our Staff, to Rev. Dana Worsnop, Office Administrator Jennifer Luce, Music Director Carolyn Bjerke, A/V Technician Brian Fortune, DRE Emily Carroll, and all of the RE Aides for all that you do in support of the UUCV. We have much for which to be grateful. May peace and joy be yours this season.
Living in Paradise,
Bryan Buck, UUCV Board President
by Admin | Nov 4, 2018 | Minister
Back in 2006 at a retreat, Board of Trustees did a visioning exercise asking: If the church were a person, how old would s/he be? What kind of person, what stage of life? They gave the church-as-person the gender neutral name Robin.
Twelve years ago, they thought Robin was a teenager on the cusp of becoming an adult, poised to do great things, but not yet launched.
S/he is:
- A kid, just moved out of the house. (The church had just moved down the hill from the Terry House.)
- On a journey, full of inquiry, authentic, caring, vulnerable.
- Someone who had a good upbringing, yet was at a bit of an awkward stage. Still asking, “What’s my place in the world? What’s my work? Who’s in charge and what are the limits?”
- Someone with lots of friends to bring home and many choices.
- Going in 15 directions at once.
- Dynamic, like unset Jello, (my personal favorite).
In 2013, Robin was resurrected at a Board and Congregation visioning session. Now Robin is a bit older, “about to be booted out of young adult camp.”
S/he is:
- Healthy, self-aware, still well-adjusted, focused, realistic, competent.
- Perhaps a little weary of growth, still dreaming but realizing some dreams are harder to achieve and are different than expected.
- Yet also rewarded by risks taken and ready to risk more.
- Has fewer authority issues, becoming a better team member.
- Knows more what s/he knows and how much s/he doesn’t know.
- Ready to lead from a place of greater experience.
We brought Robin back for Big Vision Saturday in October. The 30-plus people in Berg Hall realized Robin’s pronoun has become the singular “they” per our deeper understanding of the gender continuum. Most thought Robin is older, though still in transition. And Robin is busier than ever as a program-style church.
They are:
- More mature and stable, even gray at the temples, yet still with youthful energy.
- Experiencing some internal and external conflict.
- Values-driven and re-evaluating priorities. On the brink of a renaissance? A mid-life crisis?
- More nurturing, making more connections.
- Still going in 15 directions at once (both positively and negatively), feeling compartmentalized/stratified.
- Maybe bored or complacent, yet enough energy to make a shift.
- Seeking a sense of sanctuary.
- Becoming an extended family with children and grandchildren.
The world is a different place than it was 12 or even 5 years ago and we are a different church. There is both a sense we know who we are and we want to be more. We can be a strongly connected group caring for each other (even not knowing everyone). We can still bring our experienced-still-learning voice to the world.
I invite everyone to continue this visioning journey with the Five- Four-Five team and me over the next year.
Blessings and love, Rev. Dana
by Admin | Nov 4, 2018 | Justice Actions
In September, the Board held a congregational conversation on the issue of our long-term financial stability. This initial meeting was not intended to provide solutions. What we did was ask some questions. The Board wanted to learn the thoughts of our members to our challenge. Over 75 people attended the conversation and there were 129 out of 264 replies (49%) to the Survey Monkey that was emailed to the congregation. The Board has begun to discern the feelings and ideas from the responses which range from “scary” to “no problem” for our church.
At the September conversation we reported our membership as 239. That is what we certified with the UUA last February. We should have said that our current roll is 244. What gets lost in these numbers is that these are gains after making up for losses in membership most often due to folks moving or passing away. The issue is one of Static versus Dynamic growth. Ours is an upward trending graph that has seen us go from 184 members in 2004 to where we are today. Our first membership class of the year is in process and may bring 10-15 new members. It is important to know that we also have 28 pledging friends that help support this congregation.
Last year we learned as hard as it is to talk about money, the congregation wanted more opportunities to learn about our financial condition. In addition to the monthly Finance Committee meetings that are open to everyone, and the Finance articles in the newsletter, the next discussion with the congregation will be on January 27. That’s when we will have a first ever mid-year budget review. In January we will be a little more than halfway through the year. More will be known about the effect on the UUCV of not having a Congregational Life Coordinator. We will know the results of our Auction and there will be updated information on our membership growth and pledging as of December 31, 2018.
In January we will talk about the open staff position, cost of living adjustments (COLA), the Sunday Plate, pledging options, and volunteering. In early March we have plans for a Stewardship “Celebration Sunday” event. On March 31 there will be a presentation by the budget sub-committee on the proposed budget. Please attend, ask questions, and provide your input to the process. These events will inform the Finance Committee and Budget Sub-Committee on a recommendation to the Board for the 2019-2020 year. All to be completed and approved by the Board in time for your vote at our Annual meeting on June 9!
These discussions are about listening to the membership of the UUCV. They are about gathering information so that when it comes time to make recommendations and finalize decisions we will have the best sense of how to move forward in “right sizing” our congregation. We have been staffing a position from special funding for 6 years to support growth in size and in spirit. Transitioning to something less, or growing into something more, is the challenge for a church that seeks to share our love, joy and optimism about the future with as many people as we can.
Living in Paradise,
Bryan Buck, UUCV Board President
by Admin | Oct 4, 2018 | Minister
A Word About Applause
This is a question that cycles around again and again:
When is it appropriate to applaud the music in a worship service?
At UUCV applause is becoming more routine. Some people do wave their hands in the American Sign Language sign for applause (though others also find that distracting). Applause is problematic when it becomes routine as for most performances and is not an authentic response to the music itself.
Music in worship is not a performance, it is a spiritual offering, a meditation, a gift of holy sound. For some it feels awkward not to applaud. Yet for others applause intrudes jarringly into a meditative experience.
There is yet another layer of cultural expectations in this discussion. An expectation of silence comes, at least in part, from a Eurocentric Western ethos. In many cultures, music in worship is almost a conversation between musician and congregation, a shared holy experience. This is a consideration for us as we speak of being a community welcoming of many cultures, races and backgrounds.
There is no right or wrong here, no hard and fast rule. Here are a few things to consider.
Often the most appropriate response to music is a hushed, reverent silence, especially if it is quiet and tender.
Remember for some, applause after music that is heart-rendingly beautiful can be a shock to the system.
Alternatives include:
- Smiling gratefully at the musicians,
- Clasping your hands over your hearts,
- Thanking the musicians after the service.
Please do applaud when a piece of music is so uplifting and inspiring, it joyously carries your energy up and out your hands before you think about it.
Remember that for some, a dead silence after music is played can feel oppressive and constrained.
When we have musicians singing a familiar folk or rock song, or the choir sings a rollicking, foot-stomping gospel number, the impulse to applaud is wonderfully spontaneous.
Sometimes it is completely appropriate to:
- Sing along,
- Clap in time (though try to clap on beats 2 and 4, not 1 and 3),
- Call out a joyous answer to a question the lyrics pose.
Applause is worse when it is polite and perfunctory.
When in doubt, you can follow the lead of the Music Director or the Minister.
There is no clear bright line about when to applaud or not. (We can almost rest assured that our favorite response to music will drive someone else crazy.)
This is one of the places we may need to be uncomfortable some of the time as we work at embracing a wider realm of human and cultural expression.
It is an area to practice kindness and curiosity with one another.
Loving the conversation and all of you,
Rev. Dana
by Admin | Oct 4, 2018 | Justice Actions
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the history of the UUCV and our record of accomplishments since we began 60 years ago on November 2, 1958. Over the years we have overcome many obstacles to achieve the forward motion that has brought us to where we are today. A handful of people had a vision for liberal religion in Ventura. They met in homes and worked together to provide a meaningful spiritual experience with other like-minded folks. They rented small commercial spaces to hold services. After many years a home, the Terry House, was purchased which became a permanent place to worship. Time passed, new members joined, families grew, friends passed away. When the time came a new home on Ralston was acquired. The cycle continues with new families joining and old friends saying goodbye. Between the bookends is the thread of what it means to experience a fully lived life as part of a religious/spiritual community. You can get a measure of that experience on Sunday mornings during coffee hour. Berg Hall just seems to be alive following the service. There is a buzz in the room that is electric and affirming of the journey that has seen the growth of the UUCV.
And why shouldn’t there be? We have grown into a vital home of people in community with each other, each on their own spiritual path. Our website www.uuventura.org has a section on our history at https://www.uuventura.org/about-us/our-stories/church-history/ and is worth a review by everyone. You will learn just how far we’ve come and how it is that we stand on the shoulders of others. Folks largely unknown to most of us made a place at the table for people they would never meet. They were paying it forward. The generational charge being to “pass it on.” I think that by “it” is meant the generosity that comes in the form of acceptance, friendship, sharing, and journeying together as we each seek our way. For me, the result is a deep feeling of gratitude for those who came before and for those who are here now.
This year we are to be engaged in the serious business of discerning who we are and what we want for ourselves and future generations. In September, the Board held a Congregational Conversation around the issue of our long-term financial stability. This was not intended as a meeting to provide solutions. That will come later in the year. What we did was ask some questions. It’s in the revelations from the answers that we find our way. One of those questions was: How is the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura my legacy? This work we are doing together involves deep sharing with one another. It is about the longings of our hearts and what we want for ourselves and others. However we do it, the time has arrived for each of us to decide how we shall move the UUCV forward and what the legacy will be for those who are yet to come.
Living in Paradise,
Bryan Buck, UUCV Board President
