Who We Are by the Numbers
Rev. Kim Wildszewski

This past month the staff attempted to better understand who the congregation is (and who we are not) through data and reflection. We found these numbers to not only be interesting but helpful in thinking about our UUCWC community, our assumptions, relationships, and needs.

Our system currently serves 285 Members, 30 Friends,* 46 Participants and 18 Attendees, or a total of 379 adults. Additionally, we have about 50-60 visitors** each year who complete our visitor forms and sign up for email announcements; to date 150 visitors from 2016-present receive these announcements and are invited regularly to Roots and Wings.  Read more…

Tools to Raise UU Children
Robin Pugh, Director of Lifespan Religious Education

One of my goals this year is to give parents more tools to raise Unitarian Universalist children. An important way to do this is to integrate Unitarian Universalism into home life so that a full week faith is practiced instead of just on Sunday morning. Ours is a faith where we live our values. Children learn and internalize their concepts of faith by watching and learning from their parents. Read more…

Robin can be reached at dre@uucwc.org.

Welcome Steve Ryan!

Caryl Tipton, Director, Music Ministry

Although Steve Ryan has played for services at times in the past, I want to officially welcome him as our “new” pianist at UUCWC.

A graduate of Westminster Choir College, Steve has extensive background as a director, pianist and singer.  Read more…

Life is About Loss

Hannah Gallo, Ministerial Intern

I remarked to my fiancee the other day that I missed some things about urban ministry–the immediacy of the need, the fact that people I’m serving are living on the street, or haven’t had a hot meal in a day, or struggling mightily to keep it all together. But in the same breath (because I’m a verbal processor), I said it was staggering just how much a community of only three hundred can be holding at any given moment: divorce, mental illness, dementia, cancer, drug abuse, or domestic violence.  Read more…

Hannah is offering a class on grief and loss, a theologically grounded opportunity for exploration and education on what it means to die, what it means to grieve, and what it means to age. The class is scheduled to begin on Sunday, Nov 4th. It will run for five sessions from 12:30pm-2:30pm.

From your Board of Trustees

Our Covenants With Each Other

Marianne Alt, President

The concept of covenant is most central to my understanding of what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist today. “We, the member congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association, covenant to affirm and promote” – and our Principles follow. In the children’s Religious Education program, every class starts the year by creating a covenant for the students and teachers in that class. The Worship Associates read their covenant aloud, member by member, line by line, at the beginning of every meeting.

Our Covenant of Right Relations opening statement concludes, “Therefore, whenever we worship, work, or relate to one another, I covenant that I will,” and then guides us in respectful ways to interact with each other. Unitarian Universalists turn to each other regularly and say “I promise…I believe…I have faith…in you.”  Read more…

Parking and Capital Campaign Updates

Jayme Trott, Co-Chair

You may have heard rumors that we have finally received approval from the last required organization for the parking project to move forward. Actually, it is more like we have approval to move forward to get more approvals!…

The Capital Campaign/Project Steering Committee has sent Requests for Proposal to eight architectural firms. Four declined to provide proposals, two have provided proposals and we await two more. An active search for a firm that honors our 8th principle was included.  Read more...

Save the Dates

October 21, 2:30pm
Alexandr and Anna Kislitsyn
Selections for violin and piano, from Baroque to jazz.

October 28
Youth Group Chili Fundraiser after both services

October 30, 7pm – 9pm
Myths and Realitites About Suicide. RSVP to  dre@uucwc.org,  but pre-registration not required.

November 2 – 4
Joyous Women’s Retreat at Murray Grove

November 3
Cosmic Crossing Concert

November 10
UUCWC 3rd Annual Craft Show

Volunteers are needed.  We also need bakers to donate home-baked goods for the bake sale.  Please contact Sue Bush and Barbara Drew at craftshow@uucwc.org to help. And check out the event’s Facebook page.

November 25
One service at 10am

November 28
Welcome Table Wednesday
Watch for details

Wake Now Our Vision Campaign: Legacy Opportunity

Jim Erb, Chair, Endowment Committee

UUCWC has an exciting opportunity to take advantage of special funding that would strengthen/enhance the financial stability of UUCWC for the future!

Five members of our congregation have taken advantage of this opportunity; their bequests to UUCWC total $177,000 and the amount that UUCWC will receive, because of these generous bequests is $17,700. Now let me explain how this works and how easy it is!   Read more…

Fun Fact:  88!

The number of chalices and chalice symbols in our building. The 9:15am class counted them as part of their study of UU symbols.

Read the latest issue of UU World Magazine – The Magazine of the UUA

The UU Common Read for 2018 – 2019 is Justice on Earth: People of Faith Working at the Intersections of Race, Class, and Environment.  More info, including a study guide, is on the UUA website.

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee: Next U.N. Ambassador must defend human rights.