UUCA 2015-2016 Annual Report

UUCA 2015-2016 Annual Report Rev. Anthony Makar Senior Minister March 20, 2016

III D. Assessment of Executive Performance

The Board assesses the Executive’s performance by determining whether (1) progress has been made toward the Ends; (2) organizational operations have been conducted within Executive Limitations.

The standard for assessing the Executive’s performance shall be whether the Executive has used or complied with any reasonable interpretation of the End or Executive Limitation at issue.

I. Introduction

UUCA’s Mission, Ends, and LRP 2016 Priorities

The Mission

UUCA is a community of faith that encourages and supports our individual spiritual quests out of which we act for social justice.

The Ends

UUCA will give to the world:

• A vibrant faith community for spiritual seekers that worship together, embracing lifelong religious learning and respecting different spiritual journeys.

• A loving community that provides support and care for others through both the best and the most difficult of times.

• A safe and welcoming community where all are valued.

• Children and youth, centered in the values of our religious community and nurtured in love, who are compassionate leaders in seeking justice and peace.

• People with a passion for social and economic justice who work together for human rights and a sustainable environment.

• A creative community that challenges us to see the world with new perspectives and gives voice to the human spirit through music and the Arts.

1 Long-Range Plan 2016 Priorities

In 2011, after several years of work involving hundreds of people, the UUCA congregation communicated its vision of growth over the next five years. The Executive has therefore been driving progress towards our Ends in alignment with the following four long-range plan priorities:

• We will be among the most engaging and enriching congregations in Atlanta by involving and valuing every person who steps through our doors in participation beyond Sunday services.

• We will increase our impact in the larger world by leading peace and justice initiatives to become a more visible justice-seeking congregation; selecting an all-congregational social justice mission that makes a difference in the lives of Atlantans; and establishing a social justice center to support peace and justice work in Atlanta.

• We will motivate and inspire ourselves and others by developing our communication strategies to motivate and inspire congregants' personal and spiritual growth; documenting and promoting living our mission and our faith at UUCA; equipping congregants, groups, and staff with up-to-date communication technology and strategies.

• We will have the resources to fulfill our aspirations and potential by developing a stronger culture of generosity and stewardship that is inspiring, year-round, transparent, sets expectations for giving, and provides clear goals for funding programs, outreach, and facilities; making a home that allows us to reach our full potential in mission and membership; providing the human and financial resources to reach our full potential in mission and membership; institutionalizing a congregational long range planning process on an ongoing basis, including an annual report from the Board of Trustees to the congregation on progress toward realizing the goals of Vision 2016.

Executive Limitations

According to UUCA’s governance system, the Executive is responsible for ensuring progress towards our Ends, in alignment with the long-range plan priorities. The Executive has full creative freedom with which to do this if the work falls within the boundaries defined by our Executive Limitations.

In all, there are twelve Executive Limitations, although each of them could be seen as implicit in the following global executive limitation: “The Executive shall not cause or allow any practice, activity, decision, or congregational circumstance that is inconsistent with our Unitarian Universalist principles or is unlawful, imprudent or in violation of professional ethics, or commonly-accepted business practices.”

The twelve Executive Limitations are available at http://www.uuca.org/wp- content/uploads/2014/03/BOARD-POLICIES-as-amended-Nov.-26-2013.pdf

2 II. Report on Progress Towards UUCA’s Ends

A. Overall Progress

Each of the following lines of progress feeds into several if not all our UUCA Ends…

A1. Strategic and Generative Governance

In 2015-2016, there were various lines of progress, which I’ll go into detail on, below. But there is one line of progress that has helped to determine some others, and I want to discuss this first.

I’m referring to the Board’s growth into strategic and generative dimensions of governance.

In Implementation Year 3, I hired congregational consultant Dan Hotchkiss to thoroughly familiarize himself with our governance and leadership structures; meet with the Board, Staff, Nominating Team, and other key congregational leaders; and issue a report that shares his findings and recommendations.

In his report, he invited us to acknowledge that “there is a zone of overlap between the board and staff that contains what we might call ‘discernment’ work. The products of discernment include statements of mission, vision, and core values, Ends policies, and strategic choices. No doubt formal action on these statements will be taken by the board or even by the congregation. But to mean anything, they need enthusiastic support from the senior minister, as well as substantial backing from a wider circle of leaders, including key volunteers, senior staff, and major donors. To achieve that kind of support, discernment work needs to be widely owned.”

From this follows two key recommendations:

(1) That the board and senior minister collaborate each year to create an Annual Vision of Ministry (AVOM), containing up to three priority goals. Next year’s AVOM might answer the question, “Given our strategic plan, in what areas do we mean to take a big step forward this year?” The board should take care to confine itself to adopting a simple list of short strategic choices, leaving the choice of smaller Means to the staff.

(2) That the board and senior minister collaborate each year to identify a short list of open questions, and that the board spend much of its time in conversation about them. These are the unanswered questions that the UUCA will need to address in the next five years to equip its leaders to make wise choices in the future.

Hotchkiss goes on to say, “Such questions focus the board’s attention on matters of long-term importance, and help it to engage the staff, lay leadership, and congregation in shaping the future. Data gathering, historical and text study, meditative reflection, and field trips can all be part of the process. When the board chooses future AVOMs, it can point to congregational participation in the open-questions process as a truer form of democracy than is likely to occur at a traditional annual meeting.”

3 All this laid the groundwork for developments in Implementation Year Four. In 2015-2016, under the leadership of President Amelia Shenstone and Pres-Elect Melissa Marion-Landais, the UUCA Board jumped into the work with great positive energy. At its June 2015 retreat, we worked together to identify three Annual Vision of Ministry priorities and three Open Questions:

Annual Vision of Ministry (AVOM) Priorities:

 Review our lifespan RE programs and recommend directions for future growth  Enter into the process that culminates in voting to take a congregational stand committed to the AR/AO/MC vision.  Implement year-round stewardship including a broader and deeper conversation about stewardship within UUCA

Open Questions

 What will motivate greater generosity and engagement at UUCA?  In which ways will we change our mode of governance in response to the Hotchkiss report?  What should our next Long Range Planning Process look like?

As part of its investigations into the Open Questions, the Board read several books and spent significant time during Board meetings discussing their findings and processing what they might mean for UUCA.

I believe that this direction of Board growth will increase our congregation’s capacity to fulfill our mission in the world. It’s going in the right direction!

A2. Review our lifespan RE programs and recommend directions for future growth ( one of the AVOM priorities for 2015-2016)

Perhaps the most significant achievement in this area has been the successful conclusion of a two-year search process for a settled Associate Minister of Lifelong Learning and Growth. I have hired the Rev. Jonathan Rogers. Please see Appendix A for more information about this search.

Besides this, early in the 2015-2016 program year, I investigated the possibility of bringing in a consultant, Larry Peers, to work with UUCA in reviewing our lifespan RE programs. I secured a draft consultation from him and reviewed it with a number of staff and congregants, which led to further drafts. I was almost ready to pull the trigger, but after further conversations with staff and lay leaders, I decided to postpone the consultation. The reasons were as follows: (1) that it’s better to do the consultation when the new settled Associate Minister is with us, as a key means for integrating him/her into the congregation; (2) the current emotional tone of the RE program is such that what’s most needed now is innovative and bold action to inspire new energy and engagement, as opposed to the kind of reflection- and discernment-type energy that comes with a consultation.

In connection with reason (2) above, Rev. Rogers and I identified the following actions to experiment with:

4  Bring in a professional musician (Julie Austin) to anchor the monthly Children’s Chapel program ($--> Growth Initiatives);  Experiment with hiring paid RE teachers (starting January 2016) to anchor our RE classes and support our RE volunteer guides ($-->Growth Initiatives);  Develop, planning, and initiate the “SuperCharged Sunday” initiative, in which we make RE classes for all ages available on Sunday morning. We are going with the “middle hour” paradigm, and we’ll start this Jan. 1, 2017;  Create a “Family Room” in the old RE staff office space;  Explore innovative RE ideas, which has led the Children’s Ministry Team to study a best practices book on RE, entitled Think Orange.

Key targets for implementing SuperCharged Sunday include:  Form Transition Team and introduce them to the congregation at the May 15 Congregational Meeting; have informational tri-folds ready to distribute by that time;  Community Conversation in June (6/5?);  Test run the new Sunday morning schedule on Nov. 6; elicit feedback; make adjustments;  Start SuperCharged Sunday January 1, 2017.

A general spirit of renewal is taking place in our lifespan RE program. People are getting more excited and hopeful than they have in years. On December 6, 2015, the congregation saw me and Rev. Rogers share the pulpit in talking about this program area; on February 14, 2016, I hosted a community conversation where folks had a chance to hear more about Supercharged Sunday and offer thoughts and feedback.

A3. Enter into the process that culminates in voting to take a congregational stand committed to the AR/AO/MC vision (one of the AVOM priorities for 2015-2016).

At its August 12, 2015 meeting, EnterCulture affirmed that it would follow the “Taking a Congregational Stand” process. Rev. Rogers recruited Tony Stringer, Joetta Prost, and Candy Reddick to join him in forming the Taking a Stand Steering Team. On January 17, 2016, I preached on ARAOMC and, on that same day, the proposed Congregational Resolution was presented to the congregation. People were given an opportunity to sign the petition, and that very day, enough signatures were collected to move the process forward. At its February meeting, EnterCulture presented the Board with the petition/signatures, and the Board validated it, thus triggering the second phase of the process. This second phase is all about providing educational experiences for congregants, including  a reach-out letter to congregational groups and teams inviting them to discuss the ARAOMC resolution among themselves;  a Beloved Conversations retreat on March 25-26, following by eight weeks of covenant groups;  a sermon by Rev. Makar on May 1 entitled “Bringing EQ to the Work” (EQ is “emotional intelligence.” What role does it play in transformative social justice work? Rev. Makar will explore this with a special emphasis on what’s at play when folks discuss race.);  a congregational conversation on ARAOMC on May 1 following the two services;  an all-congregational training on June 12 led by Cherisse Scott of SisterReach;  a June 13 training for staff led by Ms. Scott.

5 Prior to January 17, when the Congregational Resolution petition was presented to the congregation, there were plenty of activities that emphasize the ARAOMC vision of a Beloved Community in which no one is left out—activities of various kinds:

(a) the celebratory kind : Rev. Makar on the steps of the Fulton County Courthouse on June 26, 2015, the day the Supreme Court declared gay marriage legal. He officiated several weddings and was featured in the AJC; (b) public events : UUCA joined with other area UU congregations in participating in the 2015 Atlanta Pride Parade. Rev. Makar was interviewed on Channel 11; UUCA also showed up for the Dr. King March on January 18 and carried a “Black Lives Matter” banner. (c) sermon events : Since the beginning of the 2015-2016 program year, we have heard “The Great Journey” (which set the stage for the Taking a Stand process); “Children’s Sabbath Sunday” (with Rev. Bessie Donaldson of Big Bethel AME preaching); and “If I were Unemployed” (about class and economic diversity issues). (d) worship events : Pride Sunday on Oct. New liturgies that touch on different segments of our congregational family were introduced, including the “Blessing of the Backpacks” on August 9, 2015; or the Pagan “calling of the quarters” ritual in the March 6 worship service. (e) religious education and awareness events : a very successful Black Lives Matter Lunch and Learn on Sept. 20, with around 75 folks in attendance; The Black and The Blue Forum (also very successful) on police violence and communities of color on Oct 10, 2015; (f) staff-related events : we have successfully recruited ElderCare and Inclusivity Coordinators. The ElderCare Coordinator will enable UUCA to better support its senior population; the Inclusivity Coordinator will “work with the Associate Minister to develop, recruit leadership for, and coordinate programs and activities that support our children, youth and adults with specific inclusivity considerations, including but not limited to Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADD and ADHD, Down syndrome, and physical and mental disabilities.” (g) hiring process that incorporates ARAOMC issues and concerns : I am told that, in the three searches prior to the current one for our Settled Associate Minister, there were no people of color in the applicant pool. But in this current search, there were three African Americans. This is progress. (h) Facility-related matters : We are improving accessibility via the inclusion of additional railings in the sanctuary and a changed front-door entry system that makes it much easier for people in wheelchairs to enter the building. We’ve also added an accessibility path in our playground, together with an Oodle swing.

A4. Implement year-round stewardship including a broader and deeper conversation about stewardship within UUCA (one of the AVOM priorities for 2015-2016).

In 2015-2016 we jumped into our first year of year-round stewardship, led by Carol Ann Arvan, Jason Delaney, and (for half of the year) David Spierman. Joining them was Joetta Prost, as our Circle Leader Coordinator, the Circle Leaders themselves, and all the callers who make sure that we are in conversation with our hundreds of congregants. THANK YOU!

The “front office” messaging of the campaign for 2015-2016 was as follows:

“We build on foundations we did not lay. Together we can build across the generations.

6 We are ever bound in community.” – Rev. Peter Raible

Much that we share at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta comes from the gifts and actions of others. Our home on Cliff Valley was built and then expanded by our predecessors. Religious exploration for all ages was developed and staffed because early congregants made intellectual and spiritual growth for our children, youth and adults a priority. Music was recognized as an important part of our congregational life, so gifted staff musicians were identified and hired to work with UUCA volunteer musicians.

While we receive, we are also called to give of our time, our talent, and our treasure to ensure our generation and future generations will continue to enjoy the gifts UUCA has to offer. We need UUCA’s support and guidance to help us live our values and to put our passions into practice. To paraphrase Rev. Raible, we build on foundations we did not lay, and together we can build across the generations, because we are bound in this beloved community we call UUCA.

We are called to make a continuing financial commitment to UUCA so our Beloved Community can meet its commitment to be there for us and for our world. Regularly recurring pledge payments form the bedrock of UUCA’s financial foundation. When we all give our fair share, we can:

1. Fulfill our financial commitments to our ministers and staff; 2. Attract and hire the best possible Associate Minister for Lifelong Learning and Growth, Lay Ministry and Pastoral Care; 3. Improve and maintain our buildings and grounds; 4. Fund our social justice projects; and 5. Expand UU’s influence by paying our fair share for denominational support.

This messaging was evident every Sunday in worship, with the monthly stewardship theme featured prominently in the orders of service. More messaging took the form of monthly testimonials in worship as well as Quarterly Generosity Gatherings, in which I thanked folks for their generosity and engaged them around new congregational developments. Director of Congregational Life Jessica Seales worked very hard to make these quarterly events happen.

In addition to the “front office” aspect of the campaign has been the “back office” aspect: here, a helpful guide to us (initially) was the Rev. David Pyle, who has overseen year-round campaigns in other congregations. His early feedback was steadying and informative.

“Back office” includes making sure that the right people get the right messages at the right time (either by email, phone, or snail mail); managing all the pledge data; and analyzing stewardship results and drawing conclusions about how we are doing. Director of Administration Karen Roy has been absolutely instrumental in this effort, together with the folks on the Generosity Team (myself as chair, Ellen Beattie, Carol Ann Arvan, Joetta Prost, Dana Boyle, and Karen Roy).

On a monthly basis, Karen Roy feeds Ellen Beattie the financial data, and Ellen produces a pledge report that helps track how things are going. At times the Generosity Team collaborates with the Finance Committee to be sure that we are all on the same page regarding UUCA’s

7 financial health. As we approach the end of the first quarter of 2016, Generosity and Finance will make a joint recommendation to me regarding the 2016 budget: whether there is need to make adjustments.

I will add that, in 2015-2016, efforts to inspire broader and deeper conversations about stewardship include inserting the Fair Share Giving Guide in the order of service on a monthly basis, together with some brief but helpful framing language. As Bill Clontz recommended, we want more folks to be familiar with this resource.

An additional support for broader and deeper stewardship conversations has been the “Building Beloved Community” segment in worship, which offers stories to inspire more generous giving to UUCA.

Beyond the Board’s growth towards a more strategic and generative-style form of governance, leading to the three AVOM priorities, 2015-2016 has seen additional lines of progress:

A5. Staff Development

Whereas 2014-2015 was a perfect storm for staff transitions, 2015-2016 was a year of stability, strengthening, and investment in our future.

Compensation

A priority for UUCA is to ensure that it is offering a competitive salary and benefits package to its employees. This goes a long way to ensuring staff stability. The 2016 budget saw a 1.0175% increase in staff salaries across the board, as well as a dedicated effort to increase the salary of Assistant Director of Music so as to ensure that this position is making needed progress towards the mid-range level of Fair Compensation. Benefits for UUCA’s current Religious Professionals (Ministers and Music Director) increased one percentage point to 6% (which is progress from last year’s 5% but short of the UUMA recommended 10%).

This represents positive progress, and we look forward to more.

Our view of how to use the UUA’s Fair Compensation Guidelines is evolving. For Ministers, Music Directors, and RE staff, we will need to follow UUA guidelines so as to ensure our competitiveness in the nationwide UU marketplace. (Side note: A point of anxiety for me personally during the course of the search for the Associate Minister related to do with our benefits package. The salary we were offering was competitive, but we were significantly short of the 10% professional expenses that other congregations were offering. UUCA must commit to fully financing the costs of ministry. Professional expenses represent an investment in the staff’s current and future growth, which means an investment back into UUCA.)

As for the rest of the staff, we can use the UUA guidelines as a source of information, but our primary yardstick needs to be Atlanta metro area salaries and benefits. Our source of applicants comes from this region, and so naturally we would want to tune compensation to this context.

8 For the future, Karen and I will be looking into the insurance benefits we offer staff. Is our current practice in line with other large congregations and with Fair Compensation guidelines? How we answer this question will have great impact on future budgets.

A final note related to compensation relates to sabbatical. In 2015-2016, the Board voted to approve my updated Sabbatical Policy which expands this benefit to the position of the Music Director.

The purpose of sabbaticals is as follows:

As an employer, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta (UUCA) aspires to create a workplace environment that is consistent with our vision of Beloved Community. While the quality of workplaces in the larger world vary tremendously, it is a point of pride that we strive to create an environment consistent with our Seven Principles.

Granting sabbatical leave is one way we do this. It’s good for both UUCA and for the staff members who are eligible. By granting sabbatical time, UUCA benefits from the extraordinary growth that sabbatical gives staff leaders whose work has primary impact on the spiritual formation of congregants. UUCA also positions itself to attract and retain talented employees in a job market that can be very competitive.

Sabbatical leave is particularly important for nurturing spiritual leadership because this form of leadership requires, for its sustenance, extended periods of reflection and expansion that are separate and apart from the constant activity of the congregational setting. This constant activity, together with the planning and worries and concerns that it generates, can be hard to shut off; it can even persist long into a staff person’s supposed days off. Thus the need for an extended period of time away. It’s what’s required to “keep the saw sharp.” We want UUCA’s spiritual leaders to effective in their leadership.

By granting a sabbatical, UUCA is investing in the future of the individual staff member and in that member’s ability to contribute to achievement of the Ends Statements of the Congregation.

This policy identifies the requirements and procedures for sabbatical leave for specified UUCA staff members. The UUCA Board of Trustees (Board) makes final determinations about any sabbaticals.

By approving my updated Sabbatical Policy, the UUCA Board has significantly enhanced the Music Director position, ensuring that now and in the future we will be able to attract and retain only the finest of musical leadership in our denomination. This represents a great achievement in 2015-2016!

Other staff developments

Other positive staff developments include:  The smooth implementation of Don Milton III’s well-crafted sabbatical plan; any bumps in the road have been minimal. Don will be rejoining UUCA July 1.

9  In the 2016, increasing the hours from 20 to 25 per week for the Facilities Administrator position held by Carl Lashley. This was an extremely challenging position to fill and retain during 2015 and increasing the hours translated to a more competitive salary.  An increase in Michelle Bishop’s hours from 20 to 25 hours/week for 2016. This has helped tremendously in not only building greater capacity in this position for supporting children’s RE, but it also made our Associate Minister position that much more attractive in the UUA marketplace.  A shift in the location of the RE staff offices. For my nine years here, the RE staff offices have been separate from the rest of the offices. The unfortunate and undeniable implication has been that RE is an afterthought, and while no one can say that this message is intentional, still, it has impacted our RE staff. It is therefore a victory that we have been able to transform the Conference Room into the RE staff office. All the staff are together in one space, and that has helped to elevate morale and a sense of team.

A6. Volunteer Development

Resources for volunteerism at UUCA

At UUCA, we offer resources that are both high-level and program-specific.

High-level resources include  A volunteer manual that is broad and covers very basic “how to get your job done at UUCA” information. Program-specific leaders are responsible for providing more detailed, program-specific trainings, together with relevant policies. See http://www.uuca.org/volunteer/;  The Southern UU Leadership Experience, a weeklong training. In summer 2015, UUCA sent a team of six people. In view of significantly increased costs, we plan on sending three folks in summer 2016.  I’ve worked extensively with Southern Region leads Rev. Kenn Hurto and Connie Goodbread to bring a “condensed SUULE” event to UUCA on April 30-May 1. This event has been titled, “Thrown into the Deep End - The Leadership Swim.”

Program-specific resources include the annual Board retreat, quarterly Lay Ministry trainings, usher/greeter trainings, RE teacher trainings, stewardship trainings, and so on.

Volunteer recruitment resources include  The City, which enables recruiters to search for particular skills. If a member of The City has identified that skill as their, that member’s name will pop up. In this way, The City represents a technological solution to a problem that comes with being a large congregation: recruiters not knowing lots of people in the community. The default solution is for recruiters to choose people they already know, but inevitably, the returns are diminishing. The City gives us our best chance to keep the pool of volunteerism at UUCA fresh. The caveat to this, of course, is that all friends and members sign up on The City and fill out their full skills profile;  Staff and key congregational leaders are primary energies behind program-specific recruitment;  The UUCA website; see http://www.uuca.org/get-involved/serve-the-congregation/;

10  Our new member course has evolved into two sessions so that, in the second session, we can spend more time talking about volunteerism and identifying entry-level opportunities;  A fun quiz that Jessica Seales put together, “UUCA-O-Matic,” is another resource that can suggest volunteer opportunities.

A great deal of Director of Congregational Life Jessica Seales’ energies in 2015-2016 have gone into implementing The City. August 16, 2015 was “Move-In Day,” which featured videos of Rev. Makar and our UUCA youth talking about the City. Rev. Makar spoke to some concerns and hopefully reframed things. Volunteer leaders, along with Jessica, hosted a City table in the social hall that included “How-To Guides” for congregants to easily get engaged on the City. City Computer Labs began that same day and, over the course of the program year, have been offered periodically. A second wave of a campaign to attract folks to The City and help them understand the advantages in using it is in development, and Jessica is examining how to use the City’s metrics and statistics to better report congregational engagement.

As of March 20, 520 people have signed up.

Reclaiming old ground, and claiming new

In previous program years, leadership for certain programs has retired, cycled out, or stepped away for various reasons. In 2015-2016, we saw new leadership step up and reclaim these programs.  Under the leadership of Joanna Smith, the 20s-30s group hosts monthly brunches and Joanna is working with Nina West to explore the possibility of a mentorship program between elders in the congregation and those in their 20s/30s;  A Wonderful Wednesday leadership team is in formation, with Leslie Freymann in the lead; we expect a recommendation from the team regarding the next program year by the end of May.  The Aesthetics Team has stepped up this year and has made some wonderful improvements to our facilities;  Stepping into the vacuum left by the loss of our longtime Underground Theater, the newly established Performing Arts Coordinating Team (PACT) has introduced a wide variety of arts programing, from the monthly “Underground Coffeehouse” to plays and other events.

Rise of the Volunteer Coordinators

A very exciting development for volunteerism at UUCA relates to the 10/hr per week volunteer coordinator position. This position comes with a carefully written job description; each volunteer coordinator is supervised/supported by a paid staff person; each one participates in the life of the larger staff and is expected to attend annual retreats and the monthly BIG staff meeting; and they are eligible for continued education trainings as financial resources are available. I have urged this development because this level of volunteerism pays off big time in terms of a congregant’s personal and professional development. Supported by paid staff, they are able to develop interests and skills that they might not be able to in any other context.

11 This level of volunteerism also benefits the congregation. There are any number of program areas that require the kind of energy and focus that is beyond the bandwidth of paid staffers.

In 2014-2015, we recruited our very first volunteer coordinator position: Sonya Tinsley-Hook as our Fun and Fellowship Coordinator. In 2015-2016, we recruited:  Nina West as our ElderCare Coordinator  Bill Kramer as our Small Groups Coordinator (supported by Elizabeth Carey and Katie Sadler-Stevenson) (Bill attended SUULE in 2015)  Mary Andrus-Overly as our Inclusivity Coordinator  Bryce Thomason, Victor Crouch, and Nicole Haines as our three Social Justice Coordinators (Bryce, Victor, and Nicole attended the UUSC-sponsored Justice Builder’s Associate retreat in January 2016 and will continue being trained by the UUSC over the course of the next two years)

At this time, we are recruiting for a Usher/Greeter Coordinator.

Special Note About Volunteerism Related to Generosity

With Joetta Prost and Carol Ann Arvan cycling off the Generosity Team, it is imperative that we are able to reinvigorate that team with at least three kinds of volunteers:  Those who are experienced with finances and skilled in reading spreadsheets/tracking data;  Those who have great people-skills and are able to help manage various kinds of volunteers who do the hands-on work in stewardship and fundraising;  Those who have experience with fundraising and stewardship in church or nonprofit venues and are able to help with developing/monitoring multi-year strategic plans

We are currently working on this, and we will continue to be working on this in 2016-2017.

A7. Ensuring That Our Building Facilitates the Mission

Facilities Study Team Report

Our Facilities Study Team, led by Bailey Pope, was charged with developing a vision of a building that enables us to live our mission in the world more fully. The report will be an important resource for us as we enter into our next Long Range Planning process.

The team will be presenting its final report to me and the Board in April.

The Surplus

One unanticipated role that the Facilities Study Team has played for us both last year and this year is related to our (unanticipated) budget surplus from FY 2014 of $140,000. Because of the Study Team’s connection to the larger congregation, and its democratic sense of felt needs in the community, the Executive and the Board have relied on the Study Team to help us figure out how to spend the surplus.

12 Following their suggestions, various Task Forces and Teams have been hard at work making things happen. I have charged the Aesthetics Team to run with the Parlor project and complete it by May 2016. I’ve also given them the ambulatory flooring project, which they are also busy implementing.

Various accessibility improvements are already complete or in process as well.  The playground has been made fully accessible through the addition of a special path that allows for wheelchair use. An Oodle swing has been added.  We are in process of adding side railings in the sanctuary, on an installment basis, since side railings are considerably more costly that center railings. We are going with side railings, despite the cost, because center railings would (1) make climbing the steps for larger-sized people far more difficult; (2) make it impossible to walk down the aisle while holding the hand of one’s small child; and (3) make it harder to get in and out of the seats, since for those who are unsteady, there will be nothing to grab hold of.  We are installing a front-door entry system that makes it much easier for people in wheelchairs to enter the building

One other surplus project is directly relevant to the building, and that is the outdoor sign. As is unfortunately often the case, building improvement projects that require county approval can take much longer than anticipated to complete. This has certainly been the case with the external sign. A significant factor has been tracking down engineers to sign our paperwork and allow us to submit it to the county. We are past that particular hurdle now, however, and we can expect to see our new sign by the end of May.

A final note about the surplus projects. It has become clear that just having money and an idea is not enough to go the distance. Leadership and teamwork are also essential.

As a way towards clarity on who is responsible for what regarding implementation—how a project is “blessed”—I developed the following draft proposal:

On Managing Facility Improvement Projects DRAFT Process

Step 1

An facility improvement project is judged by the Executive (or his designee) as viable. Viability implies:  The project is in line with the congregation’s Mission, Ends, and Long Range Plan  Adequate funds are available

Step 2

The Executive (or his designee) drafts a project memo that establishes the basic vision and boundaries for the project.

13 This memo will incorporate and summarize ideas from key stakeholders (including representatives from constituencies that will most utilize or be most affected by the project).

This memo will also include directions that seek to balance our desire to be fully compliant with all relevant standards and codes and our need to be (1) fiscally responsible and (2) timely in meeting congregational needs.

Step 3

The project memo is blessed by the Executive.

Step 4

The Executive (or his designee) identifies or recruits a leadership team to develop a plan on the basis of the memo. Once the leadership team develops the plan, it will present the plan to the Executive for final approval. Approval is strictly on the basis of whether and to what degree the plan stays within the bounds of the project memo.

At this point, the leadership team goes forward and implements the plan.

For a project with an extended timeline, the leadership team will be asked for periodic updates that the Executive will share with the Staff/Board/Congregation, as necessary.

A8. Additional Lines of Development

In addition to the above major lines of development, it’s good to bring our awareness to several other positive developments at UUCA in program year 2015-2016.

Enhanced Communications

We’ve had good progress related to our LRP aspiration #3, about motivating and inspiring ourselves and others:  Our enhanced AV technology now allows us to videotape sermons and post them on YouTube;  Our website is now completely mobile-friendly;  We are entering into a systematic website redesign that will result in an easier-to-navigate website that is more attractive to visitors and will save us money in the long haul;  Our UUCARE emails are improved, featuring articles that attract readership  Our new worship bulletin folders  Our new outdoor sign (which is coming! I promise!)

Enhanced Linkages to the Larger Movement

A healthy congregation is an interconnected one. As such, UUCA has been growing in healthy directions in the past several years. In 2015-2016, the work of two outside consultants were a breath of fresh air and reminded us that we don’t have to figure things out all by ourselves. We

14 also celebrated the 50th anniversary of Selma and the Supreme Court’s declaration of marriage equality with leaders of area congregations. In 2015-2016, we saw additional linkages:  Six congregants attending SUULE  Work with the UU Partner Church Council in preparation for our Transylvania trip in the fall of 2016  Work with denominational staff in connection with our nation-wide search for our settled Associate Minister  Our UUCA-O-Matic inspiring denominational officials  Three congregants participating in the UUSC’s Justice Builder Initiative program  UUCA hosting a “condensed SUULE” event, entitled “Thrown into the Deep End - The Leadership Swim.”

Enhanced UUCA Conversations

In 2015-2016, there have been increased “horizontal listening” experiences, which is when people are able to communicate a point of view to other congregants, while ministers and board leaders listen in. This is in addition to our regular Town Halls and Congregational Meetings:  Conversations on The City  Community Conversations after Sunday worship (Feb. 14, March 13, April 3, and perhaps others)  Quarterly Celebrations

Celebrating Our 50 Years in the Building

A healthy congregation is a celebrating congregation. In 2015-2016, we celebrated our 50 years in the building in style:  New chalice lighting words, which were the result of broad participation of different ages and leadership in our congregation  A Jan 2 worship service that featured some of the voices of our congregation precious stories  A media packet that went out to major media outlets  A “mid-1960s themed party” held at the end of January 2016, hosted by our TBD Fellowship Group—a grOOvy time was had by all!  B. Ongoing Progress, By Ends Statement

A vibrant faith community for spiritual seekers that worship together, embracing lifelong religious learning and respecting different spiritual journeys. Ongoing: a. There are many regular programs and activities in place which offer opportunities for spiritual growth and nurture: • Worship program (including music, rituals, prayers/meditations, and sermons) • Youth attend worship once/month • Children’s Chapel once/month • Religious exploration programming for children, youth, and adults

15 • Various UUCA programs linking people to service and leadership opportunities • Financial giving at UUCA • Volunteerism at UUCA • Practicing covenant-based relationships in UUCA community • Covenant groups • Affinity groups that emphasize spiritual growth (meditation group, humanist group. yoga group, Jesus Seminar, and others). b. Regular programs in place that support congregants in telling their Unitarian Universalist stories include: • Worship services & sermons that focus on Unitarian Universalist history, theology, and faith • Congregant-led Sunday worship services • Lay minister-led Wednesday Vespers services • Stewardship testimonials during worship • Other stewardship-related events and gatherings • Water stories during Ingathering Service • “This Day In Unitarian Universalist History” sections in the Sunday order of service • The UUCA website • UUCA’s Facebook page giving people opportunities to share their UU stories • The City. c. Regular programs that encourage people to deepen and express their spirituality through financial giving are as follows: • Year-round stewardship • Generosity messages from the pulpit and the pew • May as Endowment Fund month • Give Away the Plate program • Generosity Team continues to work on strengthening UUCA’s culture of generosity

A loving community that provides support and care for others through both the best and the most difficult of times. Ongoing: a. There are many regular programs which nurture caring fellowship among congregants: • Sunday social hall experience, with tables • Religious education programming for children, youth, and adults (together with associated special gatherings and events) • Reach out to families who miss consecutive Sunday am RE classes unexpectedly • Annual campaign events • Special seasonal events (social and religious): In-gathering, High Holy Days, Thanksgiving Sunday, Moravian Love Feast, Christmas Eve, Passover, Easter • Special “fun-raising” events like dances, cabarets, coffeehouses, etc • Affinity groups: Cultural Mosaic, Choir, Ens and Outs, Interweave, Men’s Group, Women’s Writing Group, Youth Group

16 • Covenant groups • Generational groups: Unitots, 20/30s, Familes Together, TBD, Forever Young, Forever 40s and 50s. b. There are also many regular programs that provide pastoral care to those in need: • Lay ministry program • Pastoral care from professional ministers • Minister’s beneficence fund.

A safe and welcoming community where all are valued. Ongoing: a. There are many programs and activities in place that orient newcomers at UUCA and help them find their place. Some of these include: • Welcome tables in atrium and social hall, stocked with welcoming literature • RE welcome table in atrium • Usher/greeter teams serving on Sunday mornings • Lay Minister greeters • Friend-raiser Sundays on biannual basis • Introducing UUCA sessions between Sunday services • Sunday visitor follow up • Email welcome to new families with children and youth • Monthly worship/visitor attendance reports • Pathway to Membership (“Finding Yourself at UUCA” and “Committing to UUCA”) new member classes four to five times per year • New member joining ceremonies • Connector Team, which staffs the Welcome Kiosk and assists people in finding their place at UUCA. b. We incorporate many communities and cultures in our worship services and programming. Some of these ways include: • Music of many different styles and cultures in our Sunday services • Musicians from different cultures and faith traditions featured in our services • Diverse worship services throughout the year • Sunday greeters are diverse in terms of culture and age • Affinity-based fellowship groups: Cultural Mosaic, Choir, Ens and Outs, Interweave, Men’s Group, Women’s Writing Group, Youth Group • Generational groups: Unitots, 20/30s, Familes Together, TBD, Forever Young, Forever 40s and 50s. • Children & Youth Religious Exploration curricula pull from many cultures and sources • GLBTQ diversity acknowledged and welcomed – Interweave has been re-energized with a new leadership team taking the helm • Partner with community organizations to host cultural/educational events.

Children and youth, centered in the values of our religious community and nurtured in love, who are compassionate leaders in seeking justice and peace. Ongoing:

17 We regularly extend educational offerings for congregants and the larger community. Some of these ways include: • Offering children and youth religious exploration programming • Offering adult religious education programming

People with a passion for social and economic justice who work together for human rights and a sustainable environment. Ongoing: a. We regularly do the following in pursuit of justice: • Worship services focusing on justice issues • The work of UUCA’s justice groups: Interweave, Peace Network, Racial and Ethnic Concerns, Promise the Children (which includes the Hope-Hill Project) • Religious education classes and events focusing on justice issues, including Modern Mind, Humanist Forum, Beyond Great Decisions, and Third Thursday Cinema • Justice needs discussed at each level of the children and youth RE program b. Creating infrastructure to empower congregants to do justice work: The Social Justice Coordinators. This team of coordinators supports: • overall program development and assessment • awareness of Atlanta-area activities and opportunities • awareness of District and Denominational activities and opportunities • UUCA programs and possibilities • communications

A creative community that challenges us to see the world with new perspectives and gives voice to the human spirit through music and the Arts. Ongoing:

We regularly do the following to fulfill this end by: • Offering a top-quality music program • Hosting regular art exhibits • Hosting monthly Underground Coffeehouses and a wide array of theater arts programming throughout the year III. Report on Adherence to Executive Limitations

A. Treatment of Congregants (Annual review in December)

As of January 25, 2016, PEM’s assessment is that we are in compliance with this Executive Limitation with the following recommended action:

** Please note comments regarding the Volunteer Policy Manual provided in the EL B- Treatment of Staff_9/23/15_PEM Initial Review. As noted in that report, the 2015 manual requires extensive re-design for content and applicability, and the definition “volunteer leaders” should be reconsidered.

18 B. Treatment of Staff (Annual review in August)

On January 25, 2016, PEM’s assessment was the Executive is not in compliance and recommends the following:

 Regarding the Volunteer Manual, although technical compliance – a manual and volunteer signatures collected – has been partly achieved, PEM believes this manual and signature process should be significantly reconsidered in the next review period.  Use a standard job description format with signature lines to ensure that the goal of annual review and acceptance of the job description becomes part of the process and is not reliant on the informality of an email.

C. Compensation and Benefits (Annual review in August)

As of September 2015, the Executive believes he is in full compliance with this Executive Limitation. The following was accomplished during 2015:

 Development of UUCA Compensation Standards in relation to UUA Guidelines and local market data (OpportunityKnocks Wage & Compensation Report) to recognize competitive differences of religious professionals and administrative staff; Revision of UUCA Personnel Policy Manual to reflect UUCA’s Compensation Standards, forwarded to PEM for review in August and disseminated to Staff in September 2015;  Increase in Compensation expenses

D. Annual Budget (Monthly review of budget reports; Annual review in February)

As of February 2016, the Executive believes he is in full compliance with this Executive Limitation.

E. Financial Conditions and Activities (Monthly review of budget reports; Annual review in February; Audit every three years)

As of February 2016, PEM concurred with Executive being in full compliance with this Executive Limitation. An external audit review was conducted by Brooks McGinnis, the results of which were presented to the Finance Committee and key UUCA personnel at the March 2016 Finance Committee meeting.

19 F. Asset Protection (Annual review in February; Audit every three years)

As of February 2016, PEM concurred with Executive being in full compliance with this Executive Limitation. An external audit review was conducted by Brooks McGinnis, the results of which were presented to the Finance Committee and key UUCA personnel at the March 2016 Finance Committee meeting.

G. Asset Utilization (Annual report in December)

As of December 2015, the Executive is not in compliance due to accessibility improvements not being complete. PEM’s comments are as follows:

“As noted by Rev. Makar, accessibility improvements identified during 2015 with funding provided for key improvements have not been completed. PEM support’s Rev. Makar’s efforts to realize these improvements by the March 31, 2016 deadline specified.

Additionally, the Facilities Use Guidance document referenced here is from 2008 and includes mention of several functions/activities that are no longer featured at UUCA (Underground Theatre, Parents’ Morning Out, etc.), or the original programming as referenced has changed into something else. PEM recommends this policy to be reviewed and updated as appropriate within the next policy review period.

Finally, PEM recommends posting the results of the annual Accessibility Audit (currently, the audit form, not the results, is available at the link provided).”

H. Grants and Contracts (Annual report in February)

As of its February 2016 review, PEM affirms that the Executive is in full compliance with this Executive Limitation.

I. Gift Acceptance (Annual report in October)

As of its October 2015 review, PEM affirms that the Executive is in full compliance with this Executive Limitation.

20 J. Communication and Support to the Board (Annual report in October)

K. Executive Absence (Biennial report in October)

L. Executive Well-Being (Annual report in October)

IV. Summary Assessment on the State of the Congregation

In this Executive’s opinion, the state of things at UUCA is vibrant and exciting. We are experiencing significant progress towards our Ends (as guided by Vision 2016), and if we are out of compliance with Executive Limitations, it is not due to anything illegal, unethical, or actions that would harm general morale.

APPENDIX A: The Hire of Rev. Jonathan Rogers

Dear Members and Friends of UUCA,

Two years ago, UUCA entered into a nationwide search for a settled associate minister (AM). Working in partnership with a Minister Task Force (comprised of congregational leaders Lyn Conley, Mary Ann Oakley, Karen Martin, Tony Stringer, and Rebecca Kaye) together we sought to find someone who is a great fit for UUCA and for the responsibilities of the AM position. We were looking for someone who (1) will excel in nurturing and growing our religious exploration and pastoral care programs, (2) has experience working in a large congregation setting and is an effective organizer and administrator, (3) demonstrates great people and communication skills (including great preaching!); (4) and generates energy that is positive and infectious.

Also important was our goal to affirm diversity in our ministry. This has been important for us historically, and, moving forward, we were even hoping for a chance to diversify not only in terms of gender but also race. The “Beyond Categorical Thinking” workshop from October 2014 helped us explore this more deeply.

With high hopes, we entered into the search process. In 2015, there were three other congregations in search for an AM—four in all, including ours. In 2016, there were six other congregations in search for an AM—seven in all, including ours. In both years, our salary/housing offer was on target.

21 One of the things we discovered in both 2015 and 2016 is that, compared to previous years, fewer ministers were in search. This made things challenging, for two reasons: (1) many ministers prefer solo or senior positions over AM positions, and (2) even in a good year, the pool of ministers of color in search is very small (on average, 4-6 candidates).

We did speak with several ministers of color in both search years, and we were very excited by the possibilities. But these ministers were not actively looking, and in the end they decided to remain in place.

I want to emphasize that we did everything we could to reach out to strong candidates who would bring diversity to our ministry team. At one point I was intent upon opening up the candidate pool to those who were non-UU liberal ministers, thinking that this might increase our chances. (I would have made it a condition of hire that, within the first 3-5 years of hire, they go through the process of becoming officially UU fellowshipped.) However, our UUCA Bylaws require that only UU ministers be considered for our professional ministry. In other words, the congregation's policies do not allow me to consider a non-UU minister for a ministerial role for any reason. The UUCA congregation may choose to change this Bylaw, but it must be carefully considered and will require time. I have asked the Board to review this question. Despite all these challenges, in 2015 we found a fantastic AM candidate and I offered the job to her—only to hear back that she decided a different offer was a better fit for herself and her family situation.

As for the current search year: again, despite all the challenges, we have found another fantastic AM candidate.

His name is the Rev. Jonathan Rogers.

Yes, our Jonathan!

Now this may come as quite a surprise, since Rev. Rogers has been serving since August 2015 as the Acting AM and therefore not himself eligible to apply for the settled position. Nevertheless, as we evaluated the four “outside candidates,” we couldn’t help but be mindful of the excellent work that Rev. Rogers was doing in our midst. We couldn’t help but pay close attention to the voices of many congregants asking why we wanted to replace Rev. Rogers. We resolved that any outside candidate would have to serve UUCA as well or even better than Rev. Rogers.

None seemed to fit the bill. Because Rev. Rogers is a star!

And so, after we closed the search to outside candidates, I offered the job to him, he accepted, and we are all delighted!

Now, finally, we have our outstanding Settled Associate Minister!

I announce this news with great joy, but also a great sense of responsibility. Our new ministry team is much less diverse than we had hoped it would be. I am as much concerned about this as you may be. This concern has nothing to do with Rev. Rogers; rather, it is about what a minister symbolizes about the community he/she serves.

As we move forward, let us celebrate our great fortune in having someone like Rev. Rogers as one of our ministers. And, let us work together to incorporate good ARAOMC (anti-racism, anti-

22 oppression, multiculturalism) habits that will enable us at every level of the institution to nurture and support our diversity.

Jonathan and I see eye to eye on this. We are exploring specific ways we can express this priority in our work together.

We are committed.

I am calling a community conversation on April 3rd at 12:45pm in the sanctuary, to share more about our two year search journey and to answer any questions you may have. Members of the Ministry Task Force will be there as well. If you are not able to attend this meeting and have questions, please send those to the Minister Task Force at [email protected], and I or one of the Task Force members will be back in touch with you.

Love and Courage!

Anthony

Rev. Anthony Makar