by Kitty Merrill | Oct 4, 2017 | Stewardship Report
Did UU Know?
Our local public radio station just finished their semi-annual pledge drive. One tactic they use to stimulate donations is ‘Matching Minutes,’ where a large donor offers to match all donations in a certain time period. Did you know the UUA has its own brand of matching minutes?
Yes, if you include UUCV in your will or trust, or simply add UUCV as a beneficiary to your IRA or 401k, we (UUCV) will receive $1000 almost immediately! Any amount, large or small, qualifies for the match. Your gift is matched by a generous $5 million grant from the UU Congregation at Shelter Rock. Imagine what an extra $1000 could do to enhance our worship, programs, and outreach/social justice work. Now imagine what could be done if 40 people in our congregation participated.
What’s the catch? The matching challenge runs through 2018, but it is first-come, first-serve; when the matching money runs out, the program ends. There is a very simple (non-binding) form to fill out. For information, call Stewardship team member Maura Raffensperger, 616-2466 or David Smith, 216-9331.
by Kitty Merrill | Oct 4, 2017 | Justice Actions
Dear UUCV Community,
It has been an amazing start to the church year, and we are grateful for your continued participation and involvement in this community! The RE team has a common vision to see engaged children in teeming classrooms who are growing spiritually and learning to think for themselves in a safe, respectful community! We are so excited for what this year and years to come will bring.
For the first time in my 9 years as a DRE, we have a full slate of teaching teams who are committed and collaborative! Naturally, there are many other ways to get involved with the program, from helping behind the scenes, telling stories, and more, so please get in touch with me if you want in on the fun!
As of September 14, we are excited to announce that we’ve made some changes to two classrooms to better accommodate the needs of our growing children. The nursery is now in the corner room 3 nearer the street, and our 3rd-5th graders are in the larger room across from the bathrooms in Berg Hall. Next time you’re here, please take a moment to visit and see some of these changes. We are so excited! I know change can be uncomfortable for some, so please know nothing is written in stone, and I hope we can give this a try and revisit if needed!
We invite your participation in the book drive for the Harry Potter social action project to battle the horcrux of illiteracy in the world! We are holding a book drive to benefit the Friends of the Library. New and gently used books are accepted in this drive. Children and families are encouraged to go through their books at home and bring in any outgrown or unwanted books to encourage another child to read. Adults are encouraged to comb through their own collections and bring in their unwanted titles. Together, we can provide many, many opportunities to encourage others in the greater Ventura area to read, helping to destroy the Horcrux of illiteracy in our community.
With love and light, Emily Carroll
emily@uuventura.org
by Kitty Merrill | Sep 29, 2017 | Justice Actions
Conversations
The following are the primary responsibilities of the UUCV Board of Trustees. Quoting from our Bylaws: “Article Viii. Duties of The Board Of Trustees, Section 1. The Board shall develop written policies necessary to effectively govern the church. The Board shall conduct strategic planning and congregational assessment. It shall develop the mission and vision of the congregation. It shall hold the fiduciary responsibility for the church and shall annually recommend a budget to the congregation at the Annual Meeting.”
Our Bylaws are found on our website along with our Policy Manual.in the Documents Section (located at the very bottom of our uuventura.org webpages.) I recommend that everyone periodically review these important documents and become familiar with the governance of our congregation. You could say that doing so is part of being informed about our 5th Principle: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large. The work of the church doesn’t just happen magically. It takes an informed congregation, planning, and willing hands and hearts.
Last month the Board held a retreat with several goals in mind. First, we needed to get acquainted as there are two new members on the Board, and, Second, we needed to begin charting a course for the year ahead and beyond. Very little happens quickly in a church. Slow and steady is typical. It’s known as getting things done in “Church Time.” That means if you are an action oriented person you may become challenged by the pace of decision making at a church. You might hear someone say; “It’s all a process” as if it should be taken for granted, in a tongue and cheek sort of way, as a fact about how churches operate.
The primary emphasis at the Retreat was on creating a Vision for our congregation. This is a process that will take time to unfold. We developed two “Open Questions” to be considered; 1) What is our Mission? and 2) What are the ways we want to grow? In just looking at the first question, about every five years a congregation might review and update their Mission Statement. Ours is at least 10 years old. Even if you really like our current Mission Statement, change is the reason for a review. Our membership has changed, our demographics have changed, and the social issues of the day have changed. But to change it, if that is what we decide, will take a deliberate process and it will take time.
The second question is equally deep and central to our future. In that light, it makes sense to re-examine foundational questions. Going forward you can expect that the Board will be creating opportunities every two months for conversations where questions (like those above) can be explored and the voices of our congregation can be heard. These are really “Holy” conversations, sacred in the sense that they will be about us, the UUCV, and the aspirations and dreams we each hold for our congregation. You may imagine that this will be thoughtful work for all of us. It will also be extremely rewarding.
Living in Paradise,
Bryan Buck, President
by Kitty Merrill | Sep 29, 2017 | Notes from President's Desk
Conversations
The following are the primary responsibilities of the UUCV Board of Trustees. Quoting from our Bylaws: “Article Viii. Duties of The Board Of Trustees, Section 1. The Board shall develop written policies necessary to effectively govern the church. The Board shall conduct strategic planning and congregational assessment. It shall develop the mission and vision of the congregation. It shall hold the fiduciary responsibility for the church and shall annually recommend a budget to the congregation at the Annual Meeting.”
Our Bylaws are found on our website along with our Policy Manual.in the Documents Section (located at the very bottom of our uuventura.org webpages.) I recommend that everyone periodically review these important documents and become familiar with the governance of our congregation. You could say that doing so is part of being informed about our 5th Principle: The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large. The work of the church doesn’t just happen magically. It takes an informed congregation, planning, and willing hands and hearts.
Last month the Board held a retreat with several goals in mind. First, we needed to get acquainted as there are two new members on the Board, and, Second, we needed to begin charting a course for the year ahead and beyond. Very little happens quickly in a church. Slow and steady is typical. It’s known as getting things done in “Church Time.” That means if you are an action oriented person you may become challenged by the pace of decision making at a church. You might hear someone say; “It’s all a process” as if it should be taken for granted, in a tongue and cheek sort of way, as a fact about how churches operate.
The primary emphasis at the Retreat was on creating a Vision for our congregation. This is a process that will take time to unfold. We developed two “Open Questions” to be considered; 1) What is our Mission? and 2) What are the ways we want to grow? In just looking at the first question, about every five years a congregation might review and update their Mission Statement. Ours is at least 10 years old. Even if you really like our current Mission Statement, change is the reason for a review. Our membership has changed, our demographics have changed, and the social issues of the day have changed. But to change it, if that is what we decide, will take a deliberate process and it will take time.
The second question is equally deep and central to our future. In that light, it makes sense to re-examine foundational questions. Going forward you can expect that the Board will be creating opportunities every two months for conversations where questions (like those above) can be explored and the voices of our congregation can be heard. These are really “Holy” conversations, sacred in the sense that they will be about us, the UUCV, and the aspirations and dreams we each hold for our congregation. You may imagine that this will be thoughtful work for all of us. It will also be extremely rewarding.
Living in Paradise,
Bryan Buck, President
by Kitty Merrill | Sep 29, 2017 | Justice Actions
I just seem to grow more deeply in love with this congregation every day.
I love the way people show up, bringing (almost all the time) your kind hearts and best selves to this endeavor of community.
I loved seeing 15 folks from the church at Bep Hogen-Esch’s memorial at the Ted Mayr Funeral Home. Someone said they wished it had been at the church because it feels more like home, and yet they were there. Often, I see people who didn’t know the person who died well or maybe not at all. They come because the community has lost someone, which means they have. Now that’s what I call church people.
We had 30-40 people show up after church a few Sundays back to share thoughts about whether or not to take down a tree as part of the Outdoor Sanctuary Project. Earlier in our process, concerns about removing a canary pine had not gotten a full enough airing. There was some frustration felt on many sides. So the board decided people needed a time to give full voice to those many sides. The conversation was thoughtful and respectful. People shared their thoughts about the tree and also about the process of getting to this decision point. Folks reported that they felt heard.
By the time you are reading this, a decision about the tree will have been made by the hard-working Outdoor Sanctuary Team. I loved hearing folks express their support for the team’s work and leadership while offering their decided (and undecided) opinions. The work of the church is sometimes slow and a little messy. It is that way because living in covenant can be slow and a little messy.
Y’all show up for all generations services. The Water Communion was joyful and fun. I suspect that most of you missed my favorite part of all because it was happening mostly behind you. As we sang “Blue Boat Home” as our final hymn, a gaggle of girls were dancing – twirling and swinging their arms gracefully – by the west alcove. I loved how much fun they were having, how at home they seemed.
One Saturday in September, only a few UUCV people showed up for a coastal clean-up day. Yet that was also the day of a choir retreat, Open Mic Night, a Building and Grounds work party and Bep’s memorial. We show up, though it seems that five events in one day may more than we can manage.
You are a congregation so very easy to love!
Rev. Dana
P.S. – The next place for people to SHOW UP! is for the auction on October 14. It’s an important fund raiser and a really, really good time for all.
