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 | Sep 18, 2017 | Stewardship Report
Did UU Know?
When you make a donation to the church in memory of a member or friend, these donations will be gratefully added to the church operating fund. However, you may choose to direct these memorial donations to one of the following instead by indicating it on the memo line of your check:
- Endowment Fund
- Inreach/Outreach Fund
- Church Improvements
- An active capital drive (currently it’s the Outdoor Sanctuary).
- Or you can allow the family to choose. An email is sent to the family contact listing the names (but not amounts given) of those who made donations in honor of their loved one. In the email, the family is given the option to direct any undesignated donations to one of the above four options. .
Contact: Maura Raffensperger maurapics@gmail.com
by Kitty Merrill | Jul 12, 2017 | Stewardship Report
by Yukio Okano
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura is happy to announce two of our members, Krista Mendelsohn and Bob Newman, have made most generous donations to the church. Both Krista and Bob have been actively involved in church activities.
Krista’s gift of $20,000 was given in memory of her father, Jack Pease. Krista’s donation will be used towards the rebuilding of the church’s outdoor playground to create an Outdoor Sanctuary. Plans for this wonderful project were approved by the congregation at the annual meeting.
Bob served as a member of the search committee to select a new Director of Religious Education. His gift of $20,000 has been designated to further develop children’s religious education, especially to build programs for teenagers. Bob’s gift will also be used to help the new Director of Religious Education move and settle into her new office.
We thank Krista and Bob for their deep generosity and demonstration of love and support for the values and work of this congregation.
by Kitty Merrill | May 27, 2017 | Stewardship Report
by Yukio Okano
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura is happy to announce two of our members, Krista Mendelsohn and Bob Newman, have made most generous donations to the church. Both Krista and Bob have been actively involved in church activities.
Krista’s gift of $20,000 was given in memory of her father, Jack Pease. Krista’s donation will be used towards the rebuilding of the church’s outdoor playground to create an Outdoor Sanctuary. Plans for this wonderful project will soon be shared with the congregation.
Bob served as a member of the search committee to select a new Director of Religious Education. His gift of $20,000 has been designated to further develop children’s religious education, especially to build programs for teenagers. Bob’s gift will also be used to help the new Director of Religious Education move and settle into her new office.
We thank Krista and Bob for their deep generosity and demonstration of love and support for the values and work of this congregation.
by Kitty Merrill | Aug 1, 2016 | Stewardship Report
Here is a simple test to help measure our attitudes regarding stewardship in our congregation It is a true/false format for easy use:
- I find it very difficult to talk candidly about money with almost everyone.
- It’s easy for me to think about the time and money I invest in church because it’s important for me to commit to what I think is important.
- It makes me defensive when you ask me to volunteer to give more time or money to support the church. We get this way too often during the year.
- I feel lucky and satisfied that my church work and financial contributions help sustain the people who work and donate to support each other and our common goals.
Our success in providing a vibrant social and spiritual gathering place seems like magic, but is evidence of successful behind the scenes work done by individuals connected by faith in each other and our future.
by David Henkel & David Smith, Stewardship Coordinators
by Kitty Merrill | Jul 6, 2016 | Stewardship Report
by David Henkel and David Smith, Stewardship Coordinators
July is an in-between time for stewardship as we savor the successful Celebration Campaign that our generous members responded to, and as we contemplate our stewardship activities for next year. One important initiative that is in process now involves identifying our long term major maintenance projects and listing them for the board of trustees to schedule and fund during the next 5-10 years.
This work is being done by an ad hoc committee on major maintenance that will provide the board with their conclusions. This is an important stewardship activity in that we want to keep things in good shape outside and inside our building and not defer maintenance until there is a crisis.
We have seen a reduction in our SCE bill for the first six months of the operation of our solar energy plant on our new rooftop. This project helps us maintain our property and decrease our carbon footprint in line with our environmental values.
Stewardship is a way of viewing our resources as needing to be available for a very long time. Our mission is important enough to last longer than we do.
