Town Hall Meeting at UUCGV

Town Hall Meeting at UUCGV February 12, 2017

Introduction Gary Poush, Board President

Minister’s Report Rev. Wendy Jones So many visitors on Sunday mornings that the same small group of people cannot keep the whole pulse of the church anymore, invitation for people to get involved Our building is known in the grand valley

LDT Andrea Tanner & Lee Joramo We will be replacing people on the Board, LDT and TLC this year Please let LDT know if you’re interested in getting into leadership Job description of the board Job description of the TLC Everyone is welcome at any meeting of the board or TLC Job description of the LDT Board: Vice President, Stewardship, At-Large x2 TLC: 3 members needed LDT: At least one member From Gary: We’re looking outside of the pool of usual suspects

TLC – Cottage Meeting Report back Melissa Humphrey, Joanie Leinbach Melissa being on TLC: was intimidated by being on a team, but enjoys it fully Cottage Meetings – TLC/LDT compiled the information Our role in the community at large – We’re a safe haven, etc. Question – The people are the church Yes, we feel comfortable bringing family and friends to our services – freedom of believe and consideration of multiple points of view, concern that visitors aren’t always greeted Outdoor aesthetics Moving staff toward full time Programs for children & youth

Change in hospitality, consensus, more PR, Hispanic population, cleanliness of bathrooms & kitchens, functional membership committee, Lifespan religious education What do you want for the future of UUCGV Informed and involved youth Congregational growth Remain open welcoming, and active in the community More children & young families Second service time Social groups to create Presence at CMU Sharing our space with the community

Aesthetics team (Peg Oswald) Calm, serene, simple, nature, plants, etc.

Notes directly from Melissa & Joanie:

Many people first came to us when friends brought them here. Community, diversity inclusiveness, safety, a non-judgmental environment, spiritual openness and a liberal minded focus keep them coming. We are welcoming when other communities are not. This a place where children, family and friends can come to create their own spirituality. People in this community want UUCGV to lead in the fight for social justice. Many feel we are a sanctuary or safe haven for free thinkers and people in oppressed populations. They want us to actively reach out to other faith communities and like-minded organizations to share our our space and our ideas, and they want to be informed of what our current involvement is. Many felt that they need UUCGV to balance the insanity they see in the world at large today. They want us to use our voice as liberals to deal with injustice and be a catalyst for social change. They want us to stand by our principles. Most people feel comfortable bringing family and friends to our services. Some specific points were addressed: they want continued emphasis on freedom of belief, and consideration of multiple points of view, politically and spiritually., and concern that visitors are not consistently greeted. People who bring their Christian friends do

My observations; The congregation seems to have little knowledge about just what we are doing and what needs to be done. A few troubling comments about the cleanliness of the kitchens and bathrooms. Seems to be a desire to get the congregation involved in action and leadership but don't know how. Overall things were very positive. The expression of a desire to do certain things that are being done makes me think that there isn't a real way to find out exactly what the members and friends actually are doing for our church and wider community. Interesting dilemma.

The more help the better!

Finance Report Tim O’Brien The report is good! We had a good auction Pledges and offerings are coming in steadily Time, treasure and talent really helped get this building together We have a vanguard mutual fund account – includes our reserve fund and one year’s worth of mortgage We still have a $350,000 mortgage on this building, and we have had principle and interest payments waived. The board would like to be proactive rather than reactive to commencing payments on the building. Income streams – ways we can earn extra money. You’re invited to share your ideas! You’re invited to attend finance meetings too. We’re also having a preliminary budget meeting on March 7 at 11:00 am. We’re in very, very, very good shape! We’re well funded From Gary: We have money that come from the pool of membership, so we are looking for income stream from outside that.

Building Report John Mayo, Property Team Leader Property team is responsible for the maintenance of the building, and capital improvement properties Capital projects come from a capital improvement fund Projects we’ve accomplished this year: Carpet in the basement and HVAC unit over the offices Future projects: The awning on the front of the building, possible storage, etc. John also helps with the sound and video equipment – we’re always looking for volunteers to run the system on Sunday mornings

Closing Gary Poush, Board President

Direction to the Leadership from the Congregation Lee Joramo: Charts from cottage meetings – education wasn’t as strong as he would have expected, Adult OWL created people to join the church and we filled two leadership positions because of the class. The youth – struggling with the youth to come to services, we used to have Time for All Ages, where youth were in the service for the first 15 minutes or so, and now our youth don’t tend to know who anyone is in the church. Bill Conrod: Youth sex ed, are we reaching out with social media? Joanie Leinbach: OWL classes have been at least 50% attended by the outside community Robert McDonald: New women’s reproductive rights group, and we’re hoping to expand OWL in conjunction with them Peg Oswald: International Women’s Day event will be at our church on March 5, we ought to have a table about OWL Barbara Lee: What kind of profit centers can churches create? Daycares & childcare Community Education Programs Community Groups Tim: Anything we can think of to generate income – City Market Rewards, Amazon Smile, Lots of ways Non-profits can get funds, and we’d like to explore things that are passive income Mary McCutchan: Give Back Wednesdays at Dos Hombres. There are many other restaurants that do it too. Monte High: Children’s RE – we need to emphasize it more and our program needs more support from the community. Maybe having children & youth in the service for the first part again. Getting more young families involved. Gary Poush: Remember that all of this is to serve our mission. We exist for a reason. Kids in the services again. Connie Dolezal: remember to look at the list of all the opportunities we have to get involved. Lots of the positions don’t take lots of time – join in the fun to make this place the way we want it! Andrea Tanner: Spread to word to those not in this meeting today Melissa Humphrey: Children’s RE comments above are important. Teens are very important too. Teens may be feeling disconnected, including her 13 year old. Peg Oswald: With all the new people, and they are interested in getting involved. Letting people know what people can do to help is a good idea.