In order to be an effective organization, we rely on the work of our committees and our staff. Many committees and staff are focused on planning programs and activities to carry out our mission. There are other committees which work with staff to make sure that all runs smoothly and that we care for our finances and buildings in a way that allows for sustainability and congruence with our values and mission. In a time when we hear so much about what is going wrong with our democratic system, we can be proud that we are a community in which each of us can play a significant role in creating a church which is welcoming, sustainable and effective as a force for social justice in the world.
At this time of year, our finance and giving committees are working very hard to make sure that we have the resources to sustain our mission and support our wonderful staff. In March, The Parish Committee will be reviewing next year’s budget and trying hard to make sure that the resources we have enable us to carry out all of our programs and initiatives. We hope you will exercise your power as a member and contribute what you can to our pledge campaign.
In February, the Parish Committee began planning for finances associated with a future ministerial transition. We also reviewed policies which will help us all to enjoy the beauty of our Memorial Garden. We have been working with the Memorial Garden/Capital Campaign committee to discuss guidelines for the use of this new space. We are in the process of deciding how we will add names to the Memorial Wall and what the costs will be. We have also decided to pursue the practice of allowing for the burial of ashes in the garden area. We have talked with other churches which do this and are formulating some procedures around this that we think will work for us.
In the interest of making sure we have good guidelines for how we should operate as an organization, we are reviewing our by-laws. At our February meeting, we decided on a number of items that need updating to reflect our current practices and reality. We will have these ready for our Annual Meeting in April.
We are also in the process of filling out an application to the UUA requesting an Interim Minister for the two years following Mark’s retirement. We will also be making sure our Website reflects who we are and what we currently are doing so that candidates for Interim Ministry can learn more about our church. If you would like to learn more about the Interim Period and the transition to a Settled Minister, we will be holding a discussion after church on March 10.
The Parish Committee –
Sue Twombly, chair
Kristin Bray
Dean Berlin
Nick Haddad
Kate Hanson Plass
Sue Kuder
Jean Merkl-Gorman
Parish Committee
The church is governed by the Parish Committee, made up of seven members elected by the congregation at the Annual Meeting for a term of three years. The Parish Committee sets policy, hires staff, and manages the overall direction and business of the church.