Our Good Wishes Continue

All of Us At UUCWC

Our UUCWC community continues to send love and caring thoughts to parents Rev. Kim and Tara Wildszewski as they welcomed Otis Robin Wildszewski into the world on May 3, 2021. Rev. Kim is spending time with her family on parental leave until July 18th. During her time away, UUCWC is blessed to have rev. yadenee hailu in our online pulpit.

rev. yadenee’s ministry with us during Rev. Kim’s parental leave includes

Sunday worship and some limited hours for pastoral care; she can be reached at revyadenee@uucwc.org.  Please be sure to utilize our fabulous Pastoral Care Ministry, who can be reached at caring@uucwc.org. 

Path to Membership: Another Viewpoint

Robin Pugh, Director of Lifespan Faith Engagement

This year, UUCWC instituted a new membership class called “Pathways.”  Unlike the previous classes, “Roots” and “Wings,” Rev. Kim revised the required membership class to be more interactive (not a lecture) and to focus on what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist today. We are an evolving faith. Part of our responsibility as Unitarian Universalists is to stay current! The long-term members who took the class this year all reported that today’s Unitarian Universalism is different from what they once learned. Their new knowledge led to a powerful reaffirmation of their commitment to Unitarian Universalism and asked them to explore: “What do you need to do because you are a Unitarian Universalist?” I encourage everyone to take the three-session Pathways class with Rev. Kim sometime next church year.

For a new member perspective on “Pathways,” I asked Michelle Kinney, who joined UUCWC in February 2021, to write about her experience with the class. 

Here is what Michelle shared.

Connecting to UUCWC
Michelle Kinney

I’d like to share some thoughts about the path to membership classes which I participated in via zoom this year. At first, I didn’t really know if I was ready for the path to membership, due to the pandemic and the complete disruption of our lives. A simple ‘no thank you’ would have been enough. I didn’t know if I was ready to move from ‘visitor’ to ‘member’ status. I also wasn’t comfortable with religious words; words like holy, sacred, heaven, divine. I had moved from Seattle, WA, one of the least “churched” places in America so I had gotten pretty comfortable saying ‘no thank you’ to church. But one thing I did know was that I was very curious and I had a lot of questions. I also wanted my children to see the goodness in faith and have a belief system that they can trust. So, at the very least, I would accept the invitation, listen and maybe ask questions if I felt brave enough to do so. At first, I was a little apprehensive. Getting adjusted to the “Hollywood Squares” of connection via zoom was challenging. It’s much harder to quietly observe from the back when you’re zoomed in.  Read more about Michelle’s journey to UUCWC here…

A Time Unlike Any Other:  UUCWC’s 2021 Annual Meeting

Jayme Evanini, Trustee, UUCWC Board of Trustees

UUCWC held its Annual Meeting this past Sunday, June 6th, giving us the chance to look back on the many uncertainties we’ve navigated in the last year, and honor the many people who helped us make our way through it.

“For all of us, it was a time unlike any other,” said Rev. Kim in her opening remarks, a time that saw UUCWC “striving for connection, not perfection.” Despite the challenges and uncertainties we faced, our congregation grew in 2021-22 (12 new members!); gathered regularly for Sunday worship on Zoom (an average of 166 attendees); engaged deeply in virtual small groups (for example, 9 Chalice Circles — many new this year– with 72 participants); offered new programming for parents and children (1 small group for parents and several Family Chalice Circles); surpassed our cautious fundraising goals for our End-of-Year Appeal and Annual Auction (“we’ve come out the other side of this as a more generous” community, said Treasurer Jim Sanders); donated thousands of dollars to local organizations in NJ and PA fighting food insecurity (including the Bucks County Opportunity Council — this year’s recipient of our Auction surplus), and so much more!

All of this would not have been possible without the hard work and incredible talent of so many people, and the Annual Meeting gave us a chance to sing their praises!

• Our amazing staff: Rev. Kim Wildszewski, minister; Robin Pugh, Director of Lifespan Faith Engagement; Susan Irgang, Congregational Administrator; Caryl Tipton, Director of Music Ministry; Steve Ryan, pianist; Rachel Hansen, Office Assistant; Roberto Santiago, Acting Sexton;  and Rev. yadenee hailu, our minister during Rev. Kim’s parental leave
• Outgoing Board President Nathalie Edmond, who led us through so much the past 2 church years, along with outgoing Board Vice President Sue Saddlemire and outgoing Board Trustees Patrick Kahney and Jeff Lang
• Outgoing Treasurer Jim Sanders (who will continue as a Trustee next year), outgoing Finance Committee Chair Mary Baltycki, and the Finance and Personnel Committees, who worked tirelessly in the midst of pandemic-induced uncertainty to oversee our church finances, put together budgets and to revamp the role of the Treasurer and Finance Chair so that these volunteer positions will be more sustainable
• The many volunteers, donors and project leaders who ensured our social justice efforts continued this year, including those who donated time, funds and items for the Food Ministry, and the nearly 100 people who participated in our UU the Vote projects leading up to last November’s general election.                       Read more about the Annual Meeting here.

Auction 2021:  Thank You, Connie Schofer!

Barbara Drew, Cochair, Auction Committee

For over 30 years, UUCWC has sponsored a major fundraiser in the form of an auction, emphasizing the opportunities for fellowship and community-building gatherings and services.  Undaunted by the pandemic, last year we pivoted to an online auction for the first time and continued with the virtual experience for the second time this spring with many reimagined and hybrid offerings.  For the past 13 years, Connie Schofer has been very capably chairing the auction, and several years ago announced her intention to retire from this leadership position in order to serve our community in other ways.  Having been the “face” of the auction for so long, she planned her transition from this role methodically.  Our 2021 auction, “Together Wherever We Are” was her finale, and it is fitting that we exceeded our targeted budget amount!

Connie attributes the refinement to the auction components and many years of growth to June Vogel, beloved wife of Roy Vogel.  Together, Roy and June introduced and inspired special themes, and professionalized the  graphics and booklet and installed a software database program.  

Read more about Connie here…

Capital Campaign Project Update

Jayme Trott, Cochair, Capital Campaign

To date, the Steering Committee has twice revised and sent out architectural plans for bids that have come back in the $1.4 – $1.7 million range. In order to move forward with the project without incurring additional income requirements, we have worked with the architect to preliminarily sketch out a plan with a smaller “footprint” that still includes repairs and upgrades to the Crossings Room, the addition of an elevator/lift, and upgrades to the kitchen. Plans include 4 offices instead of the current 3, and an additional small room downstairs that could be used as a conference room, as extra space for activities in the Crossings Room, or for larger storage needs. Please see the slides presented at the Annual meeting that include these preliminary sketches as compared to the previous, more extensive drawings.

With approval of the Board, we will request that the architect move forward with creating the formal drawings, which is likely to take 4-6 weeks. During this time we will also seek input from civil, structural, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) engineers. Final plans will be presented to the township to determine if additional full review will be required. Bids will once again be requested from contractors, and as long as they come in within our budget of $1.1 million or less, we will anticipate breaking ground before year end. We expect it may take 4-5 months to complete construction.  Read more…

Introducing Congregational Engagement

Sandy Muccioli, Leadership Development Task Force

By the time you read this, you will have learned about the new way we are inviting our members and friends into service for our beloved UUCWC community. Doing Church is much more than attending worship on Sundays. As Reverend Kim pointed out in her September 20, 2020 sermon “Renewing Our Purpose and Empowerment,” our focus should be on our mission to Create Community, Celebrate Life and Change the world. We celebrate life by attending worship. We create community by participating in small groups. And we change the world through service. This is how we as a congregation stay vibrant and relational in these challenging times and, individually, grow more deeply into our faith. The new Congregational Engagement (CE) process (formerly, the Nominating Committee) seeks to facilitate movement from community into service as we strengthen personal ties to the community. Now, more than ever, it is through service that we will be empowered!

To be sure every voice is heard, we continue to conduct interviews to learn about where you are on your journey. This step is as critical to the process as registering to vote in political elections! We can only reach out if we know what energizes you. You can sign up for a 20 minute interview at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c4ea5af23aaf9c34-congregational.
Please allow at least 2 days for us to coordinate schedules. If none of the time slots works you can email Sandy Muccioli at nominating@uucwc.org. The interview process will repeat every two or three years as we all grow along our journey.  Read more about the CE process here…

Ramping Up Our Commitment to Recycling

Christine Piatek, Earth Ministry Team

Recycling is an important aspect of mindful living and respect for our environment. The practice has become ubiquitous since the early 1970s, picking up steam with the environmental movement that lead to designating April 22 as Earth Day in 1970. At that time and through the 1980s, New Jersey and surrounding states found themselves in a serious solid waste crisis that took years to get under control. New Jersey passed a law in 1987 making recycling mandatory; yet looking around our communities, it is clear we can do better. We are still making the same mistakes with recycling, from inserting soiled pizza boxes into the bins, to wrapping all our recycling in large plastic bags, to recycling containers and materials that aren’t accepted. Did you know that mixing unacceptable materials with acceptable materials can render a load unacceptable? This mixing practice makes the recycling process economically infeasible for communities and the contractors who must collect and separate the materials. Yet, done correctly, recycling is one of the most important and easiest ways we can make our environment a little bit cleaner and more sustainable.  Read more…

Outdoor Guidelines for UUCWC rev. 5.20.21

1. Leaders of groups using the grounds are responsible for maintaining a list of attendees in case contact tracing is needed; there is no need to notify the office if you plan to use the grounds.
2. As the outdoor mask mandate has been lifted in NJ (Exec. Order 241), UUCWC will not require a face mask/covering while on church grounds. Individuals may opt to continue masking if desired.
3. Do not visit the church grounds if you are feeling ill or have had contact with a person with COVID-19.
4. Leaders of groups using the grounds that have a key to the church may allow access to the lower level restrooms through the Crossings Room, with group members using restrooms one at a time. Leaders are required to be sure the church is locked and lights are off before departing.
5. Take all trash with you as trash pick up at the church is suspended.

Fundraising Initiative Needs You!

Fundraising is looking for a few helpers to get an ongoing fundraising effort off the ground. The program is called United Scrip and UUCWC would receive a 5% return on every gift  card ordered for groceries, restaurants, and many other popular retail outlets. I will need 2 or 3 people to coordinate the ordering process and help get the word out. I’ve used this program before and once it’s up and running, it can be quite profitable.

Please email Wendy Stasolla at fundraising@uucwc.org if you’d like to help or learn more.

Thank you for Pledging!

On June 30, the 2020/2021 Pledge Year will end. Thanks to everyone who has fulfilled their pledge commitment for this current year. However, if you have not, we are reaching out to everyone to ask that you send your pledges in as soon as possible to allow finance to balance the budget for the year ending June 30.

UUCWC Stewardship Committee

Last Call for General Assembly 2021

Holly Bussey, Denominational Affairs Liaison

DON’T MISS A CHANCE TO CONNECT TO OTHER UUs!

You’ve no doubt heard the saying “you have to be in it to win it.” The same is true with General Assembly (GA)!! It’s June and soon hundreds of UUs will gather—virtually. GA 2021 June 24-27, takes place in Milwaukee! (Virtually). You won’t want to miss this opportunity. And, the good news is that there’s still time to register. There’s something for everyone—even youth!!! (and the young at heart) *

Highlights that only registrants can view and access include:
-Wonderful daily worship services
-Ware Lecture: Featuring Stacey Abrams and Desmond Meade, https://www.uua.org/midamerica/news/blog/2021-ware-lecture-general-assembly
-*Youth Synergy Bridging Worship, https://www.uua.org/worship/holidays/bridging
-Selection of many workshops with a wide range of topics and a chance to connect with other UUs.
-*Sophia Fahs Lecture – BIPOC YaYA Leaders
-BIPOC Communities for Environmental and Climate Justice
-Facing Down Classism to Liberate Our Faith Community
-Community Action Circle (UU College of Social Action)
-Community in a Post-Isolation Age
-REWIRE: Rewiring Your Racial Consciousness
-Resourcing UU Theologies of Death and Dying…much, much more!!!

Browse the GA online site: https://www.uua.org/ga
Would you like to talk to someone? Contact me, Holly Bussey, at da@uucwc.org, and I’ll be happy to reach out to you to answer your questions.

Food Ministry sincerely thanks the congregation for the overwhelming response to the recent Homefront Appeal.  You donated over 700 items of food that will make their way into food packets for distribution by Homefront to families living at motels in the area.  We are grateful beyond words for your kindness. 

Here is what you gave! 

With gratitude, 

Your Food Ministry

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