Not The Usual Ask

Robin Pugh, Director of Congregational Life

UUCWC has a history of stepping up to the plate when needed. It is a history we are proud of. We are a busy congregation, yet we always respond when we are needed.

You are needed now. The help I’m requesting is in our children’s program. This is not the usual ask for volunteer teachers. The involvement of our families is in a tender spot. We have very committed families but there are fewer of them than before the pandemic. This means a much smaller pool of volunteer teachers who have been teaching all year and need a break to avoid UUCWC teaching burn out. None of us wants our volunteers to leave UUCWC because of always having to teach. We love our families. They are important to the future of UUCWC. Won’t you sign up to be with our children for a few Sundays this summer?

The ask:
I’m looking for 3 volunteers for each Sunday from May through August.
I’ve created a program where you can drop in according to your schedule and volunteer according to your strengths.

There will be 2 classrooms: The project classroom and the quiet classroom. The 3 volunteers each Sunday are:
Project teacher: Engage the children in one activity for the hour. Build fairy houses, make trash sculptures, study one square foot outside, or ask me for ideas.
Project class monitor: No prep involved; your job is to keep order and help where needed.
Quiet class monitor: The quiet classroom is for kids who want to get in touch with their thoughtful or spiritual side. This room will have story cubes, picture books, clay, Legos and mandalas to color. Quiet music will be the only sound. Your job is to encourage kids to stay calm and quiet.

Our kids are usually between 5-11 years old. You can sign up here.

Thank You!

Robin

Highlighting Our Financial Health

Joe Schenk, Treasurer

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I present three topics for your consideration this month:

Stewardship Campaign
A huge thank you to the 73% of members and friends who have forwarded pledges for the coming year (July 2023 – June 2024). For those who have not pledged, it is easy to do via the UUCWC website. We are seeking 100% participation, which means that everyone in the community, (member, friend, participant) offers a financial affirmation at some level. If you are able to increase your past giving, please do so. Our church expenses for utilities, technology, and cost of living raises have all increased in the last 3 years. In order to avoid a deficit budget we need more participation and increased giving wherever possible.

Financial Sustainability Task Force Survey Update
You may recall that at last June’s Annual Meeting, the budget approved for fiscal year July, 2022 – June 2023 included a deficit of $16,000 and projected a $38,000 deficit for the following year. The deficit spending is financed by savings which accumulated over the past several years. Recognizing that deficit spending is not sustainable, the Board of Trustees pledged to pursue a long term solution and convened a Financial Sustainability Task Force tasked with studying the UUCWC culture around money, giving and spending.

The Task Force commissioned a survey that was completed last fall with results presented in December. I will summarize some highlights after first thanking those that responded to the survey – 140 responses were received! Look here for highlights of the survey.  Read more here…

Capital Project Is About to Begin

Jayme Trott, Co-chair, Capital Campaign

It’s REALLY HAPPENING! The Hopewell Township Planning Board memorialized the approved UUCWC site plan and we are in the process of signing the contract with BuildPro to be our general contractor for this project!

Next, the contractor will present Hopewell Township with the architectural plans to review for building permits. While the permitting process proceeds, our staff will be reaching out to congregants for assistance with packing up offices and the kitchen and moving everything to storage. We are currently evaluating whether professional movers or storage pods will be needed.

Timeline: We expect the contract to be fully executed in the next week. Ground-breaking is anticipated in mid-May and construction should take about 6 months. The sanctuary will be accessible throughout construction, although once demolition of the church front has commenced, entrance and egress will be through the back of the building. New walkways from the parking lot addition to the stairs by the offices and to the sanctuary side door (with ramp) will be constructed early in the project.

For those who may not recall (it HAS been 5 years since we started this project, after all), look here for a partial list of the changes to expect.

Read more about the project here…

Keeping It Kindled! Auction 2023: There’s Something for Everybody!

Marcia Wittmann, Auction Team

The much-anticipated UUCWC Spring Auction, “Keeping It Kindled” is right around the corner! Now’s the time to look ahead and plan your participation in this fundraising and fun-raising, event. Online bidding opens Saturday, April 29, at 9:00 am., and continues through Saturday, May 6, ending promptly at 9:00 pm.

You’re invited to the In-person Kick-off Party, Friday, April 28, 6:00 pm, featuring:

• Entertainment & Refreshments
• Showcase of Physical Items
• Door Prize and Raffle Baskets
• Auction Book Distribution
• Registration Help
• The Boutique
• FREE Childcare

In addition to previewing physical items displayed in the Sanctuary, you can review the entire array of 250+ auction items in the professionally printed auction book. The book will also be available on the UUCWC website on April 17.

You can map out your auction bidding strategy by reviewing the instructions, then selecting the items you’d like and prioritizing them. The Auction Online site will also list all the items, each with a graphic representation of the item being offered.  Read more here…

We Need to Hear From You About the Article II Project

Holly Bussey, Liaison, Denominational Affairs

In a separate article, we introduced our GA delegates. This team represents UUCWC in important issues at a national level. This year is super important and we’re hoping to hear from the congregation about one very important issue—the proposal to move from our Statement of Purposes and Principles to Value Statements as our foundation. This is known as the Article II Project.

The discussions surrounding the proposed changes to Article II began three years ago. The proposal is a coordinated outgrowth of the 8th Principle project whose intention was to add an 8th principle to the existing seven to incorporate commitments to dismantle systems that reinforce racial oppression. However, it became clear that our 7 Principles were very limiting and quite biased in approach (based in white culture). With the blessing of Black Lives of Unitarian Universalism and other groups, a Study Commission was formed to address all the principles, including the commitment to racial justice envisioned by the proposed 8th Principle.

WHERE ARE WE? At this year’s GA, there will be discussions on the current status of the proposed VALUES statement. This is not a wordsmithing discussion but rather an opportunity to receive information from congregations about what they are thinking in this process.

Read more here…

One More Listening Circle Opportunity!

The Racial Justice Ministry will host one last Listening Circle on Sunday, April 23 (after service at 11:30 am, in person, in Room 202), to give members and friends the opportunity to discuss the proposed Covenant related to the 8th Principle. At the meeting in 2018 where we discussed and approved the 8th Principle, there was discussion about what it means to hold ourselves “accountable” to this commitment. During small group sessions over the next two years, the draft Covenant was discussed and finalized. It will be presented to the Congregation for a vote at this year’s Annual Meeting.

The Covenant and explanatory materials can be found here. We urge you to review the Covenant and to ask questions. Contact us at racialjustice@uucwc.org.

General Assembly News

Holly Bussey, Liaison, Denominational Affairs

In June, six of us will be representing UUCWC at General Assembly (GA). Five of us will travel to Pittsburgh; one will attend online. What does this mean? Delegates are charged to vote on issues that impact us all. Delegates vote their conscience with the hope it reflects UUCWC’s values and vision. (See the related article about ARTICLE II).

Several items are coming up for discussion that will impact UUCWC.  Please learn about these issues and provide us feedback. Now is the time to let us know your thoughts on things. Exercise your democratic rights as a UU within our faith!

Delegates have volunteered to represent YOU at GA. We also hope to bring back new and exciting information that we can incorporate into our community life. Being a delegate is a task of responsibility, care and wanting to do a good job. We’d love to hear from you.

Delegates, clockwise from top left, are Alison Streit Baron, Dan Tuft, Heather Edwards, Jennifer Ciccolini, Jim Sanders and Holly Bussey. 

Director of Congregational Life Robin Pugh is also attending, and Klaus Zechner, Maria Baratta and Jane Root are non-delegant participants.

Email us at DA@uucwc.org. We’d be happy to answer your questions..

Composting at UUCWC

Earth & Climate Ministry Team

Next to the fence surrounding Allie’s Garden, we have a large compost bin that provides nutrient rich, decomposed organic matter that, when added to the soil, makes it better. The dark, humus-like end product starts with vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, yard waste (grass and plant clippings, dry leaves, wood chips, straw) and other organic matter. This year’s material and the natural process of decay will provide compost for next year’s garden. The soil is enriched, helping it to retain moisture and ward off plant diseases and pests. Compost also reduces/eliminates the need for fertilizers and improves moisture retention.

We welcome all congregants to contribute to our compost but note that Earth and Climate Ministry members have noticed items in the compost bin that should not be there. We’ve seen plastic Ziploc bags, plastic silverware and coffee capsules in the pile. While some of these items may be compostable at commercial facilities generating high heat if labeled as recyclable (plastic would never be acceptable), none of these items are appropriate for a “backyard” compost pile. We ask that those bringing compost to the bin bring only vegetative waste (such as vegetable and fruit peels). Animal or dairy products, oil or grease are not permitted in the compost bin. Washed and dried egg shells are permissible. Coffee capsules can be recycled as noted below.

There are four recycling bins outside the office area to accept coffee capsules (no loose coffee grounds), candy and snack wrappers, oral care containers, and two new bins for dinner/party items and miscellaneous waste. A complete list of permissible items is available here.

We thank you for your care for and tending to our grounds.