by Kitty Merrill | Aug 7, 2018 | Justice Actions
My favorite metaphor for the church is a lighthouse. At our best the church is a light sent out into the darkness when seas are rough, guiding us to safe harbor, a place of rest and comfort. Yet it is also a beacon sent forth to proclaim truths the world yet needs to see and hear. The work of the church is finding the balance point(s) between reaching in – for sustenance and depth of spirit, and reaching out – speaking truth to power, learning to love the world and its people ever more expansively, widening the circle of justice, inviting all in.
Creating a vision and plan for the next five years can help us at UUCV manage this dynamic balancing act as beacon and sanctuary. The five members of our visioning task force will be considering all this as we gear up to begin creating our vision for the next five years. We have dubbed ourselves 5-For-5: the Five-Year Vision Task Force, or simply 545. I am so grateful to be working with Kim Prieto, who has agreed to chair the team, Janice Frank, George Owens, and Andy Edgar Beltran.
Not that we are going to write the plan ourselves, that’s where everyone (and we mean everyone) comes in. 545 will facilitate a congregational process to generate ideas and input from members and friends. There will be congregational gatherings, surveys, phone calls, coffee hour conversations, and more. We’ll ask committees and groups to balance dreaming boldly with being practical and strategic. And on the other side of a year or so – after conversing, discussing, wrassling, dreaming, developing the art of the possible – we will have a planning document to guide us through the next five years. We intend it to be a living document to be revisited throughout the years ahead.
The 545 team has already met twice, and you’ll be hearing from us regularly.
First, we ask some questions:
What is your metaphor for the church? My lighthouse is only one among many possibilities. How does the church make a difference in your life and the world? What metaphor captures the energy, inspiration, delight and power of this church community?
And lastly – In service to what? What is the larger purpose of all this visioning and planning? What greater good does the church serve?
We might not yet have answers. I can’t wait to discover the answers we live into.
The journey continues.
With love, Rev. Dana
by Kitty Merrill | Aug 7, 2018 | Justice Actions
Would you like to be part of connecting volunteers with tasks/jobs that will bring them joy? The Volunteer Team will assist both those seeking to volunteer and congregational leaders who are looking for volunteers. Contact Ruth Owens if you are interested in being part of this Team.
To Volunteer:
Check out the opportunities listed on the Volunteer Bulletin Board in Berg Hall.
by Kitty Merrill | Aug 7, 2018 | Justice Actions
Last June we held our Annual Meeting and exercised our 5th Principle concerning democratic process within our congregation. We voted and approved the Slate of Candidates, the 2018-19 Budget, and agreed to move forward with the creating of a permanent RE/Multi-purpose room in Berg Hall. Thank you to everyone who participated in the governance of the beloved community that is the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura!
By all accounts the discussion of the church budget went smoothly. Credit goes to the budget subcommittee of David Smith, David Frank and Rev. Dana Worsnop for giving us a document that supports our children, our staff and our vision for growth. That does not mean that the future is without concern. It was announced at the Annual Meeting that there will be two Congregational Conversations, September 16 and January 27, focusing on our 2019-2020 budget deficit. Those events will be about how to manage our income against expenses incurred in the running of our church. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, resolving the deficit gap is about making choices. Questions such as: “What do we value? What do we want as a community? What can we do?” represent the start of this journey. The information gathered at those meetings will give leadership direction about how to move the UUCV forward. If I have made it seem that our financial situation is dire, that would be the wrong conclusion to reach. Not only do we have time to develop solutions, but we have a history of rising to meet financial challenges. It was not that long ago that we had capital campaigns to put in a new floor in Berg Hall; for funding of the solar panels to reduce energy costs; for the creation of the Outdoor Sanctuary; and of course, for the major efforts that resulted in the buying of our current home and subsequent paying off of the mortgage. We have a history of being bold!
The RE/Multipurpose Room received approval and had a clear request for additional information from the congregation. This is a project that looks easy enough but has some complications. The revised quote came in higher than expected and the contractor did not want any responsibility for “plans and/or permits” that may or may not be needed. The result is that a review of the scope of work is taking place with a visit planned to the Building and Safety department at city hall to discuss the need for a permit. We already have funding of $10,500.00 in place for the room. Getting the project completed will just take a little longer as we work to get it done in a proper and correct manner, aka “getting it right.”
And finally, with a new year and a new Board, comes a reminder for everyone. The Board meets on the third Thursday of every month in the Conference Room at 6:00PM. Like all committee meetings, Board meetings are open to members to attend. There is an opportunity to speak to the Board on any concern you have at the beginning of the meeting. This is just one of the many ways that your voice can be heard at the UUCV.
Living in Paradise,
Bryan Buck, UUCV Board President
by Admin | Aug 7, 2018 | Justice Actions
Dear UUCV Community,
We are so excited for Peace Camp! It’s a weeklong day camp that teaches peacemaking, emotional resilience, and social justice using music, field trips, and cooperative activities. We’ll sing at the Lexington, go to a museum, and enjoy a beach party!
In a new book Testimony about the transformative power of Unitarian Universalism, colleague Aisha Hauser writes about becoming UU: “We visited on Sunday, and when I asked the religious educator if they taught about hell, she answered, ‘Good Lord, no.’ As soon as she took the Lord’s name in vain, I knew this was the place for me and my family.” I would love to hear the moment you knew UUCV was the place for you!
With Love
Emily Carroll, Director of Religious Education
emily@uuventura.org
by Kitty Merrill | Aug 7, 2018 | Justice Actions
The role of Association District Representative was, for many years, coordinated by Pacific Southwest District (PSWD) Administrative staff. It existed to maintain informal and informational communications among the congregations of the district (PSWD) and the Association (UUA). The position was held for several years by the late Kitty McConkie, and then by me, Jim Merrill.
As a result of recent administrative changes, the ADR role ceased to be supported by PSWD/PWR (Pacific Western Region) staff. As a PSWD Trustee for two years and then President of the PSWD Board of Trustees for the last three years, I continued to provide updates and informational columns to this newsletter about district-specific and some associational issues. My term as President concluded June 30, so I no longer have any official connection to the district, region, or association. Hence, this is my last ADR report.
I am aware, however, of topics around our UUCV congregation’s relationship to the PSWD, to Camp de Benneville Pines, and to the Region and Association that I may be able to help explain in occasional columns with the indulgence of our intrepid newsletter editors.
We Merrills have been advocates of and participants in greater involvement in district and associational affairs (PSWD District and PWR Regional Assemblies and UUA General Assemblies) for the sake of trends in our movement beyond our congregation.
The publication UU World – https://www.uuworld.org/ – is one way all of us can keep up. Our congregation’s Leadership Development Committee maintains a budget to support lay members’ participation in broader district, regional, and associational affairs.
I’faith, Jim Merrill
by Kitty Merrill | Jul 3, 2018 | Justice Actions
It has been quite a year, start to finish. My overwhelming memories of 2017-2018 will be about the power of community. We talk about creating the Beloved Community, and we have lived it fully at UUCV this past year.
Truly, I can’t remember all that much before the Thomas Fire swept in, and I watched this congregation rise to the moment. We opened our doors, checked in with each other, supported our families, cared for each other, our children, and our four-legged companions. Since then, I’ve watched as we’ve grown in depth and in the ties that hold us together. Our tapestry of love is more beautiful and strong.
This is a congregation that shows up. Yes, lots of folks come to worship on Sundays. Yet there are so many places to show up – women’s and men’s groups, Open Mic Night, annual meetings, Cluster Camp at deBenneville Pines (this year Sept. 28-30), picnics, Sunday luncheons, city council meetings, covenant groups, committees and teams, Pub Theology with the minister, book groups, movie nights, late services on Christmas Eve, water-coloring, Women’s Marches, Park Outreach, and so much more. Including memorial services.
You all helped create a powerful moment at Cindy Camillucci’s memorial last month. Cindy was taken from us too soon and too quickly. Her death was particularly hard on her son, and this community showed up for him in so many ways. We organized the reception, created the program, rehearsed the music and so much more.
The minister’s main role at a memorial is “holding the space,” creating an open and safe place for grief, laughter, sorrow to arise as they will. It’s harder than it may look. In a particularly emotional moment for Cindy’s son and his father, I was holding that space as mightily as I could. Then, I looked up at you all and realized that you were holding the space with me, just as mightily. I got chills as I thought, “Yes, this is what we do.”
This is how we keep the feeling of a family even as we have grown to more than 300 souls among our members, friends, children and youth. That many people really counts as more than a family. We don’t (and can’t) all know each others’ names. Yet we can create a sense of home. This is a place where there is room at the table for all.
We show up. We pull up a chair, pull out an extra plate, show a newcomer where to wash it (because we try hard to be environmentally sustainable). We listen to stories. We reach out and reach back. We do our level best to create a Beloved Community.
Just wow.
With love, Rev. Dana
