Editor: Margaret Batschelet, typea45@swbell.net
Nosotros, las congregaciones miembros de la Asociación UU, convenimos en afirmar y formentar el valor y la dignidad propria de cada persona.
The church's annual meeting is scheduled for 12:30 PM on Sunday, May 18. This year's meeting is a critical one. If you made a pledge, you can vote, and you should attend.
The meeting will address three issues.
1. The election of new board members and committee chairs. The nominating committee has chosen the following individuals.
President: June Katchik
Treasurer: John Bradshaw
Operations and Maintenance: Sue Minton
Member Services: Henry Halff
Programs: Steve Boyd
2. A proposal to hire a consulting minister. The Reverend Barbara Coeyman has been working with the board to develop a proposal for her to serve as a part-time minister to the church. The board, based on formal and informal input from the congregation, has decided to put this proposal to the congregation. The proposal, in summary, calls for her to devote a quarter of her time to the ministry of this church for nine months starting this September, with a possible renewal next year.
3. The budget. The board has constructed a budget for next year based on the results of the pledge drive and your input to previous drafts. The largest change from last year is the inclusion of a consulting minister. The cost of this ministry is $10,125. The budget calls for paying this cost from the operating budget, our existing Ministerial Fund, and a campaign to raise an additional $4,000.
Because Items 2 and 3 are so closely intertwined, the board will put them to the congregation in the form of a single resolution. That resolution, along with the budget and details of the proposed part-time ministry can be found at http://www.cuucsa.org/annualmeeting2003/. These same materials will be available in print form at the annual meeting.
As mentioned in the Annual Meeting announcement, the board has been developing a proposal to engage Reverend Barbara Coeyman as a consulting minister to the church. We've had ministers and consultants in the past, but this is a new venture for us.
As part of the project, we distributed a Ministerial Services Survey that you could use to tell us how you feel about the project. Sixteen people responded to the survey, and the results have been tabulated. If you're getting your newsletter electronically, you can peruse these results at http://www.cuucsa.org/surveyresults.pdf. Paper subscribers will find the results in their newsletters.
The survey results are revealing in a number of respects.
First, there is broad support for engaging Rev. Coeyman in a role that would preserve the lay-led nature of the congregation. Respondents on the whole see her in the pulpit once a month. Half of them see her contribution to be at least a major one.
Second, the respondent's expectations of Rev. Coeyman's role extend far beyond worship alone. In fact, they, in general, see her work on community outreach, social action, and denominational affairs to be slightly more important than her role in worship.
On the basis of these results, the board hopes to negotiate a consulting ministry agreement with Rev. Coeyman. The essential features of this proposed agreement are available at http://www.cuucsa.org/annualmeeting2003. If approved, the agreement will be funded from next year's operating budget, from our existing Ministerial Fund, and from a campaign to augment that fund.
During the summer, our church provided short services on alternate Sundays, followed with a brunch. We need two coordinators for each brunch to make sure that we have not only sufficient food but hopefully a reasonably balanced diet for all. A sign-up sheet is placed inside the entrance to the coffee area for coordinators to the Sunday brunches. The first brunch will take place on June 1. If you have any questions about the responsibilities of the coordinators, please ask anyone who have done it in the past and they will be happy to share their definition with you. These brunches often provide us with excellent opportunities for fellowship during the more leisurely paced summer time.
May 18 - Coordinators: Board of Trustees
May 25 - "Religion and War," Speaker: Steve Botts
June 1 - Speaker: Mary Grace Ketner, Summer Sunday Brunch
June 15 - Father's Day Service, Summer Sunday Brunch
June 22 - "UU Lit Lite," Coordinator: Steve Boyd
June 29 - "The Cowboy UU Principles," Speaker: Margaret Batschelet, Summer Sunday Brunch
The Women's Support Group will meet at 7:00 p.m. at the church on May 19 and June 2.
The Remarkable Film Series will be featuring one of the films by Woody Allen. The film will be shown at 6:00 PM on Sunday, June 8.
A CUUC Potluck Dinner has been scheduled at Bob and Catherine McKee's home on Saturday, June 7. This is a family event, and children are encouraged to bring their favorite videos for viewing in the McKee family theatre room should the adult company becomes tedious. Beverages are provided, the evening to begin at 7:00 p.m. Mark your calendar for a special, fun-filled evening. Maps and reminders to follow at a later date.
Summer RE will start on Sunday, May 25. All children will be under parental supervision unless someone volunteers to conduct a child-related activity. Regular, all-ages classes will commence again in September when we will implement the Curricular Action Theme lesson plans. For the summer, in the past volunteers supervised arts and craft projects or oversaw the swimming pool. If you are interested in volunteering for these activities, please post your intentions on the new pink and blue bulletin board provided for this purpose so that families can know ahead of time whether or not to bring swim suits and towels. It is time for REnewal and REcreation. REgards joan coordinator
The CUUC Men's Group meets from 5:00PM to 7:00PM at the church on the second and fourth Sundays of every month. The next two meetings are on May 25 and June 8. All men in the church are invited to attend. Meetings feature beer and soda, guy food, and occasional conversation. Contact Henry Halff (210-493-7501, henry@quiensabe.com) for more information. Send an email to cuuc-men-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to subscribe to the group's secret mailing list. Magic decoder rings coming soon.
Do you need a little extra help or do you know someone who does? To contact the pastoral care sub-committee, please call any of the following individuals: Joan Bradshaw at 341-8506, Sue Minton at 679-7598, Catherine McKee at 681-4197 or Sally Wiesen at 256-9732.
The UUA's General Assembly, our denomination's annual gathering of the clans, will take place in Boston on June 26-30. It's important that our church be represented, and we're looking for volunteers to make the trip. An information folder can be found on the literature table in the coffee room. Information is also available at http://www.uua.org/ga/reg.html. If you are interested in attending please let the board know (cuuc-board@yahoogroups.com or Henry Halff, 210-493-7501). Scholarships are available. We would like to hear from you before May 1 since registrations are cheaper before that date.
The State of the Church
Coming to an end this month is my second term of a two-term presidency. I spent the first year learning where the bathroom and the pencil sharpener are. (Actually, I still don't know where the pencil sharpener is.) But I had a few modest goals for my second term. I've tried to keep these quiet, but I thought that maybe a little scorekeeping might be in order.
The budget business. One of my goals was to get the budget before the congregation before the pledge drive. This, the board was able to do, and it worked out well. Many changes were made to the budget and those that pledged had a pretty good idea of what was expected. Most of us raised our pledges. Some people left the church, however, leaving us short of our goal. In spite of this, the church is still willing to commit to getting bigger and better.
Succession. Another of my ambitions was to arrange for a more orderly succession in leadership. Yearly transitions would be far easier if the church had, at least informally, a president-elect on the board. I tried to do a little recruiting for my replacement, but none of the board members were interested. It still strikes me that we should , by tradition look to this year's board for next year's president.
Leadership. Finally, I wanted to turn the leadership of the leadership of the church over to people who joined after I did. It's dangerous for a church to entrench its leadership, but that is what has happened at our church. Even though we have term limits, the same folk keep swapping positions. We have made some progress in this area; three board members have joined the church since I have, but the presidency, for some reason, seems to elude those of you in the post-Henry generations. If you are a post-Henry, you need to think seriously about taking over the church, because, if you don't, the church will not thrive and may not survive. The founding parents have begun to leave the church and will continue to do so. You need to learn how to run a church while they are still around. You also need to make the church your own. In addition, prospective members are prone to take a close look at church membership. If all they see at the top are old farts, they'll wonder, quite rightly, whether the church has any future.
Membership. Last year at about this time, I had no clear idea of how membership records were kept and used to make sure that we kept in touch with both members and prospective members. Regrettably, I now have a clearer idea of these matters. Even more regrettably, I have done nothing to improve the situation and may even have exacerbated its problems. I guess that I'll just have to turn the problem over to the Member Services committee, of which I am, most regrettably, to become the coordinator.
Overall, the church is to be congratulated for having survived my presidency. Our church is nothing more than its congregation, and I'd like to thank each of you that kept me from screwing things up too badly. I would name names but Margaret is pressing me for this column, and I need to get it off to her.
May 18 - "Changes," Coordinators: Board of Trustees
May 18 - Annual Congregational Meeting
May 19 - Women's Group, 7:00 p.m.
May 25 - "Different Aspects of War," Speaker: Steve Botts
May 25 - Men's Group, 5:00 p.m.
June 1 - Speaker: Mary Grace Ketner, Summer Sunday Brunch
June 2 - women's Group 7:00 p.m.
June 7 - Potluck Dinner, Bob and Catherine McKee
June 8 - Remarkable Films Series, 7:00 p.m.
June 8 - Men's Group, 5:00 p.m.
June 15 - Father's Day Service, Summer Sunday Brunch
June 22 - "UU Lit Lite," Coordinator: Steve Boyd
June 26-30 - UU General Assembly, Boston, MA
June 29 - "The Cowboy UU Principles," Speaker: Margaret Batschelet, Summer Sunday Brunch
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