Dear Members and Friends of First Parish,
Heartfelt thanks to all 68 of you who took time to fill out and return the recent questionnaire entitled Towards a More Welcoming Church Building! Your perceptive and thoughtful responses provide a wealth of information for us, as a congregation, to process and use to shape an action plan for the coming weeks and months. Collectively, this work will represent an important step forward in living out our commitment to the 8th principle of Unitarian Universalism, which calls on us to build a diverse, welcoming Beloved Community for all.
You will recall that the survey included questions with several response choices, as well as open ended questions calling for narrative responses. Below you will find a summary of replies to the first kind of question, in which definite choices were offered. In addition to these, we received many pages of narrative responses, which we will be talking more about in future messages. If you’re curious and just can’t wait to read every one of these, we invite you to drop by the church office, where you will find a binder containing the complete survey results to peruse.
What follow-up to the survey is planned?
A great question! First, we will expand the team working on survey follow-up to include those of you who have expressed interest in this work. This “Welcoming Team” will review the survey results and feedback in greater depth, identifying opinion trends and clusters of agreement around certain specific actions. The team will then work with relevant standing committees, as well as the Parish Council and Parish Committee, to implement the changes and improvements that you have recommended. A very important part of the team’s mission will be to communicate regularly with all of you, through newsletter articles, special email messages, and congregational meetings when needed, to be sure that everyone is kept up to date and consensus is built around important decisions. Your input throughout this process will be extremely important and most appreciated by the team. By working together and pooling our creative energies, we will all share in the outcome of this important growth process. Thank you so much for getting us off to a great start!
Sincerely,
Jeri Bayer
Kathy Button,
David Morrison
Rev. Sophia,
Will Twombly
Summary of Towards a More Welcoming Church Building Survey Data
(68 Respondents – Narrative responses not included below)
- Is it difficult to find the main entrance of the church from the parking lot?
NO – 61.8%
YES – 38.2%
- Given the information about the Arbella, I think the model in the lobby should . . .
68.2% – be removed from the church to someplace like the Massachusetts Historical Society, which has expressed interest.
19.7% – be moved to another part of the building.
12.1% – remain where it is.
- Should the First Parish of Watertown continue to use the Arbella as a logo and as the title of our newsletter?
NO – 68.3%
YES – 31.7%
- Given the information provided, I think that the banner should . . .
62.3% – be removed and replaced with something else.
19.7% – remain in the lobby.
18.0% – be removed and not replaced with something else.
- (Referring to the trunk in the upper lobby) I think the box should . . .
62.5% – Remain where it is.
37.5% – Be moved to someplace else in the church to make room for some chairs.
- Should information about being a Welcoming Congregation and a Green Sanctuary be more prominently displayed in the upper lobby?
70.8% – Yes, it should be more prominently displayed in the upper lobby.
20% – No, it doesn’t need to be more prominently displayed.
9.2% – Yes, it should be more prominently displayed, but elsewhere in the church.
- Is there adequate directional signage and information about current church events and activities in the lobby?
NO – 55%
YES – 45%
- Given the information provided about the large plaque, I would like it to . .
37.3% – be removed from the building and to use the space for something else.
22% – remain, but to be tastefully covered with a different message or image.
22% – be removed from the building (there is no space to store it inside) and not fill its space wi…
18.6% – remain as it is.
- Given the information provided about Sir Richard Saltonstall, I would like his portrait to .
40.3% – be sold or donated to someplace unrelated to the c…
34.3% – to be hung occasionally as part of a rotating historical exhibit in another place in the building.
13.4% – be removed from the wall but kept by the church in storage.
10.4% – be moved to another place in the building.
1.6% – remain where it is.
- (Regarding the plaques with ministers’ names) I think these plaques should . . .
48.5% – remain where they are, but adjusted so that they read left to right in chronological order.
26.5% – moved to another location in the church so that the wall space can be used for something else.
25% – remain where they are.
- What would you like to see on the sanctuary walls? (you may check more than one)
53.7% – Artwork by church members
52.2% – Artwork by FPW children and youth
47.8% – A clear welcoming message
47.8% – UU Principles
32.8% – Nothing; I prefer the simplicity of plain walls.
19.4% – Commissioned artwork from a professional artist.
- How is the sound system?
90.2% – It’s fine. I can hear very well in the sanctuary.
9.8% – I struggle to hear clearly. The system needs improvement.
- How would you like to see this wall (outside the conference room) used in the future?
65.6% – I’d like it to continue as an art gallery, with rotating exhibits.
23% – I’d like to see rotating exhibits about significant people or events in the history of the ch…
9.8% – I’d like it to be a showcase for artistic works by FPW children and youth.
1.6% – I’d like to see it used as a community bulletin board.
- Given the information provided about the transcribed covenant, I think the document should . . .
51.6% – remain as is, in its current location.
26.6% – be removed and stored.
21.9% – be displayed in a different location in the church.
- How would you like to see the conference room walls used in the future?
The responses below were selected from a list of given choices:
53.2% – I’d like to see portraits of extraordinary UUs (in addition to ministers),both living and d…
22.6% – I’d like the walls to serve as a contemporary art gallery for works by FPW members and friends.
12.9% – I’d like the ministers’ portraits to continue hanging there.
11.3% – I’d like the walls to be blank.
- How would you like to see the walls of the social hall used in the future? (You may check more than one idea.)
71.9% – Display more information about First Parish, its pe…
46.9% – Temporarily replace the current historical exhibit…
25% – Replace the historical exhibit with more artwork…
23.4% – Replace the historical exhibit with a display abo…
20.3% – Leave things as they are.
3.1% – The walls should be blank.
- Do you find the kitchen clean, accessible, and easy to work in?
YES – 74.6%
NO – 25.4%
- Are the bathrooms clearly and affirmingly marked?
YES – 97%
NO – 3%
- Do they afford adequate privacy?
YES – 92.5%
NO – 7.5%
- Are they kept neat and clean?
YES – 97%
NO – 3%
- Does the lower lobby feel welcoming?
YES – 62.5%
NO – 37.5%
- Is the existing directional signage outside the lower entrance clear and effective?
YES – 75%
NO – 25%
- Do you think this is too much signage (on the lawn facing Church St.)?
NO – 68.8%
YES – 31.3%
- Is the parking lot and the signage regarding parking adequate?
YES – 73.2%
NO – 26.8%
- Is it difficult to locate the accessible entrance if you’re in a wheelchair?
YES – 59.5%
NO 40.5%
- Would you be interested in being part of a small group that would be responsible for facilitating the process of selecting, rotating, and storing what goes on our walls, as a result of the responses to this survey?
NO – 62.3%
Maybe – 27.9%
YES – 9.8%