by Admin | Aug 15, 2019 | Justice Actions
NOTES FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
by Admin | May 25, 2019 | Justice Actions
by Kitty Merrill | Apr 1, 2019 | Justice Actions
I am writing to you a day after a wonderful Celebration Sunday. There was laughter and spirit and commitment flowing through the sanctuary and Berg Hall. It was a fabulous kick-off to a successful stewardship drive for our 2019-2020 fiscal year. I am so grateful for the multi-faceted generosity of this amazing congregation.
If you have not yet made your pledge for the year, your pledge increases can still be matched by the $30,000 fund which we received (from UUA funds matching legacy gifts from our members).
I am continually amazed that all of us together essentially create this church out of nothing – nothing but goodwill, love, and commitment. You make this church come into being through your service – through your time, talent, and treasure, your wisdom, work, and wealth.
We often talk about all of the volunteer time and work it takes to bring this community into being. Yet this blog post (from Rev. Erin Wathen, a Christian colleague) has a different taking on volunteering that really resonated with me. She says it is essentially impossible to be a volunteer at church.
“You cannot volunteer at your own church, in the same way you cannot babysit your own [children].
Because the church belongs to you in the same way your family does. It’s your own place, your own people. So of course you help take care of it.
Of course you do yard work and make coffee and teach the kids and sing in the choir and whatever all else it is you do for the home and the people you love.
A volunteer, in most cases, is just visiting. A fly-by. [It may be helpful], but it’s not the same as belonging to something. It’s not the same as contributing to something bigger than you, something that’s part of who you are.”
Rev. Erin Wathen
We volunteer, she goes on, for outside organizations in need, “a place that is important to you, but not in a place that belongs to you.”
What we do at our church is serve. “We bring our gifts of love and service to the altar of humanity,” as the famously wise author anonymous tells us. This makes me all the more grateful for all the gifts – of time, talent, and treasure, of love and service – that our dear members and friends bring forth all the time.
We are creating a Beloved Community every day with every breath. It takes all our gifts, our strengths, our foibles, our dreams, our clear heads, our open hearts, our fullest presence.
So thank you, thank you, thank you
Rev. Dana
by Kitty Merrill | Apr 1, 2019 | Justice Actions
With three months left in this church year it seems like a good time for a reminder and some thanks. First, coming up on Sunday, June 9 we will hold our Annual Meeting following the church service. We have a “Slate” of candidates for positions on the Board, Leadership Committee, and the Endowment and Memorial Fund Committees to vote upon. We will also be voting to approve our budget for the 2019-2020 church year. Please be sure to save this date. Your participation in the process reflects our living out the 5th Principle: “The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.”
The Slate of Candidates will be posted in advance for everyone’s review. Like the other committees and teams that the church has, these positions are filled by volunteers. The difference is that our By-Laws require a vote of the congregation to approve these folks as representatives on our behalf. That’s because the positions on the Slate involve granting our highest level of trust to members who will be looking out for the interests of the UUCV. A big Thank You goes to the Leadership Development Committee for presenting this Slate of Candidates to the congregation.
I have always seen Volunteerism as a spiritual practice, a kind of ministry, that makes a difference in the world or in someone’s life. Here, at the UUCV, no matter what your contribution please know that every effort creates a ripple that inspires. The sharing of one’s time and talent is a gift asked of all members. We do these things because we want to help make the church a better place for all. So, whether you see yourself as one or not, everyone at the UUCV is a leader because you choose to be a positive force for the common good. Amen!
This column is being written before the final results of Celebration Sunday are known. As we close in on creating the budget for 2019-20, committing to the financial support of the church is the last piece that the budget sub-committee needs to complete their work. What I can say about the event is that the sermon by Rev. Greg Ward was deeply meaningful and highlighted the importance of supporting liberal religion in our communities. A special thank you goes to Rev. Dana for bringing it all together, and to Erica Duffy and her team for the wonderful party that followed.
Which brings me to a last word of thanks to you, our members and friends, who support the UUCV with your treasure of a monthly pledge. All of us, with our hopes and our dreams make possible the beloved community that is the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura. On behalf of the Board of Trustee’s, for continuing the legacy given to us by those who came before, for sharing today with those who are here now, and for providing to those unknown to us a spiritual beacon, Thank You!
Living in Paradise,
Bryan Buck, UUCV Board President
by Kitty Merrill | Mar 4, 2019 | Justice Actions
On January 27th the Board held a Congregational
Conversation about our finances. It was the first ever mid-year presentation of
a UUCV budget and included a discussion of the beginning baseline for the
2019-2020 budget. There were 94 people in attendance which was fantastic!
We learned some things from the meeting. One is that financial
statements are important, and people want to see them, but that they can be
difficult and confusing to understand. Going forward we will include a
reference sheet as a summary listing the important points of the budget to make
it easier for you to understand our financial picture. Here is what you need to
know if you missed the meeting. It looks like we will have a surplus this year
when we had expected a small deficit. And next year we will have a deficit that
will be less than anticipated. The primary reason is because we no longer have
a Membership Manager with the salary that position required. Even though our
financial picture has improved there may still be some difficult choices to
make to our budget as we continue our progress toward “right sizing” our
church.
We also learned
a lot from the discussion of two “white” papers. There were four we wanted to
talk about. Unfortunately, there was only time to discuss Cost of Living
Adjustments (COLA’s) and Giving Away the Sunday Plate. The other two
covered Pledging and Fundraising and were included in the etree announcement
that everyone received. These were very important conversations. Folks spoke
movingly about the importance of being economically fair to our paid staff.
They spoke of the pride that they have in belonging to a church that gives away
the plate every Sunday. These two topics brought out how strongly we UUs feel
about and identify with being a generous people. AMEN!
Generosity – That’s really important to understand as the above
topics are examples of how we make a difference in the world. It is through
generosity of time, talent, and treasure that we demonstrate our commitment to
building a beloved community. That’s part of being a member of the UUCV.
Ever since
last year when we became aware of our budget challenge I have spoken and
written extensively about what it takes to fund our vision. March 17 is
Celebration Sunday. In this appeal to increase your pledge please consider how
the UUCV has made a difference in your life and in the lives of people you have
met since joining this spiritual community. Think about the places that
generosity has taken us and the places yet to be imagined that we can go.
Then there is Gratitude. Everyone, past and present, all of you
who support this congregation and the ministry that is the Unitarian
Universalist Church of Ventura, deserves recognition and thanks for making our
community a Beacon of Light and Hope. On behalf of the Board of Trustee’s we
thank you, our members and friends, for all for that you do for the UUCV.
Living in Paradise,
Bryan
Buck, UUCV Board President
by Kitty Merrill | Mar 4, 2019 | Justice Actions
A few
Sundays ago I taught y’all to sing Narrow Bridge, with lyrics adapted from
Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, an 18th century Jewish sage, mystic, storyteller. His
words inspired Jews in the Holocaust, and someone put them to music.
He wrote: All the world is just a narrow bridge, And
above all is not to fear, not to fear at all.
I have
found I cannot live (or lead) from fear.
It’s
been true for a while, though in recent years it has become clearer to me –
clearer and more of an imperative.
There
are forces in the world that are trying to make us afraid because when we are
afraid we are easier to manipulate. That makes me angry, yet I cannot live from
fear because it makes me feel icky inside. (Yes, ick is a theological term in
my lexicon.)
Rather
I want to live from integrity, intentionally and authentically, from a sense of
abundance, trusting and trustworthy, generously noticing the goodness and
beauty all about me. Living that way opens my heart, makes me want to reach out
and connect, helps me find the strength to speak out against injustice and for
love and possibility.
And if
people facing holocaust can speak of walking the narrow bridge of life without
fear, then so can I. So, I encourage you also to fear not. To live in abundance
and possibility. To see clearly and act fiercely. Yet not to fear.
I urge
you to take up a practice of generosity – toward yourself and the world. And, yes,
this is stewardship season, so I am now speaking of your generosity toward the
church.
And,
yes, Celebration Sunday – when we make our pledges for the next year in the
Sunday service – is March 17.
So yes,
part of what I mean is being generous with our financial resources.
Yet,
bringing a spirit of generosity to our lives is about far more than that. It is
a form of resistance to forces that would make you afraid. (If you have read
this far, please email me for a prize.) Generosity is a strategy for both
resistance and resilience.
The
next two years are an important time in the life of the church.
Look
for a letter from Board President Bryan Buck (if you have not already received
it) about a unique matching opportunity for your gift to the church this year
in which increases in your pledge will be matched up to three times.
We’ve
been talking for a full year (and longer) about becoming financially
sustainable. There are several ways that can happen, though raising more in
annual pledges will carry over best. We know not everyone can increase their
giving, and I ask that you consider this request. If you can increase your
annual giving, I hope that it can also give you a sense of joy and abundance.
I see
such an abundant, generous, and joyful spirit alive at UUVentura.
Let us
continue to grow that spirit.
With
Love, Rev. Dana
