Our Covenanted Community and the Ministerial Transition Process

On March 15, Rev. Alex L. Richardson will be bringing his 10 year ministry with the UUCG to a close and both RevAlex and our covenanted community will begin the next era of our personal and congregational lives. The UUA recommendation for churches whose pastors have been settled for 10 years is a two year period of self-examination and discovery to prepare to establish covenant with a new settled minister.

Fortunately, the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) has a transition office that helps churches through this process. There is a group of ministerial specialists called "Interim Ministers" who help churches work through this period of self-examination. Every April, available "Interim Ministers" connect with those churches in transition, and the selected Interim Ministers relocate in August.

At the February 16, 2011 UUCG Board of Trustees meeting, the Board voted to form an Interim Ministerial Selection Task Force to help bring in an Interim Minister to serve UUCG for 1-2 years. The Task Force will also be tasked with helping prepare our church for the Interim Minister's arrival in August 2011.  This task force will need to act quickly as other churches in transition will also be evaluating the available pool of interim pastors.

Between March 15 and the August arrival of the Interim Minister, we will be a community led church so our staff must operate without senior pastoral leadership. We (staff, Board of Trustees, Committees and members) must provide the Ministerial, Pastoral and Management functions that a Settled Pastor is typically responsible for. Our ability to live together and to love in covenant will require the very best from each of us.

After our Interim Minister arrives, a two year transition period begins during which we concentrate on building and renewing our community, setting congregational direction, defining our vision of what we want our church to become, and seeking our settled minister.  Below is a visual timeline.

Timeline for Transition and Transformation:

As we transition to a community led church, we will explore the faith practices that are most important to our members. Our Sunday services will provide a framework for us to explore what it means to be part of a liberal covenanted community and to live the Principles of Unitarian Universalism in the Triad.

It's a good time to be a Unitarian Universalist in the Triad. As  our church enters its next major era, we, the members and friends of our community, get to look deeply inside ourselves, re-establish who we are as a Liberal Religious Community, and affirm the importance and direction of our mission as a  covenanted religious community . Please join me and the board of trustees as we set the vision for our collective UUCG future.

In Love and Service

Vance

Multigenerational Worship (10am every Sunday) for the month of March will be based on our 6th UU Principle.  This worship experience is best suited for young families, those young at heart, and those new to Unitarian Universalism.  Our goal is to educate about the basics of worship while creating a safe and meaningful experience of Unitarian Universalism.  All are welcome, please join us!

March 6, 13, 20 - Within any community are people at various stages of development.  In our own community of faith we must learn how to communicate with others while understanding the inherent differences in our journey.  To truly welcome, accept, and affirm each other in our covenant and on our joint journey, it is our job to educate ourselves.  Throughout February and March we will be discussing Faith Development Theory through an adult education class.  We will reference James Fowler's book "Stages of Faith", journal about our own faith journey, and share with each other the ways in which we explore and deepen our faith.  This class will take place at 9am on March 6, 13, & 20 in the ee cummings room (RE #3).

LRE committee meeting will be on March 2 at 6pm in the ee cummings room (RE #3)

Our Religious Education program is in need of volunteer "Floaters".  A floater is a person who attends the 11am worship service for the first 15 minutes and leaves when the children and teachers do.  They make sure RE attendance is taken and help teachers when a child needs to go to the bathroom or if they need supplies from the supply closet, among other tasks.  These individuals will "float" once or twice a month and report to the lead floater and to the DFD.   If you are interested, please see Michelle Puzio or Beth Walden (dreuucg@bellsouth.net).  A criminal background check is always needed for individuals working with children in our community and you will be asked to complete one.

Beth Walden, M.Div.
Director of Faith Development 

Our ACT theme this year is Many Paths - Joining Together.

Over the past month, many UUCG members have volunteered to share their unique and heartwarming stories of how they came to be a part of our UU congregation, and why they choose to stay. If you were at church during our ACT Campaign Kick-Off, you participated in sharing your story and hearing the story of another member or friend of our congregation. While our stories were unique, it was hard not to notice how much we have in common.

Most of us came here from other faith traditions. We came here because we personally connect with the core beliefs of a Unitarian Universalist faith tradition, and we joined UUCG because we felt at home here. We sing with the choir, we educate our children, we do social action, lead committees, participate in pot lucks, and we live our faith.

By the time you read this, the ACT Campaign Drive will have formally ended. If you have submitted your financial pledge form, thank you so much! You have made an important contribution to the future of our church!  If you have not yet submitted your pledge form, please do so today. Drop it in the mail, email a scanned document to Julie Hamilton, or bring it to church this Sunday. We need a commitment from everyone. It's our personal promise we make to each other to do what we need to do to build our future.

Let's join together to make 2011-2012 a year of positive growth for all of us. Thank you!

In faith,

Abby Donnelly

ACT Committee Member

abby@strategic-choices.com

The UU seven principles include the statement, "The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large." In order to facilitate the democratic process, people in the congregation must be willing to serve in positions of leadership. The Nominating Committee is looking for members to serve as Secretary, as Treasurer, three Board of Trustees members, and one member of the Endowment Committee for 2011-2012. Jim Kalinowski will continue as Board President and Vance Archer will continue as Vice-President through 2012.

If you have a desire to serve the church, know someone who does, or if you have recommendations for others, you can fill out a form at the Church on Sunday 2/27, 3/6, or 3/13. Or you can speak with a member of the 2010-11 Nominating Committee, Jac Grimes, Nora Bird, Sue Cole, Lauren Houck, or Betsy Lindsey. Thank you for your help.

Mark your calenders!  There is a lot to sing about!

Friday, March 4th 8pm      A Jazz Concert with pianist Mark Freundt with artist Jeannie Gange'

                                         At the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh (UUFR), tickets $20

                                         Get more info at www.uufr.org

Sunday, March 6th            Artist Jeannie Gange' and the UUFR choir will sing with our choir at the 11am service

                                         Jeannie helped compile the songs in our teal hymnal (among other things!)

Sunday, March 13th, 7pm Singing Meditation.  Join Mark for a relaxing hour of easy singing and quiet meditation

Sunday, May 1st, 4pm       "Missa Gaia - Mass for the Earth"

                                          Presented by the UUCG choir and local jazz musicians

                                          Stay tuned for more information on this concert offered in love to the larger community

Mark your calendar now: Saturday evening March 19th and come with your family and friends to hear the nationally known storytelling/musical family, The Healing Force of Winston-Salem perform "Stories and Songs to Heal the Soul."

This high energy, uplifting concert is being jointly sponsored as a fundraiser by the UUCG Concert Committee and Triad Story Exchange/NC Storyfest and also features Triad storytellers Charlley Ward and Cynthia Moore Brown. This is a family-friendly event with audience participation, raffles, singing and drumming. 

Advance tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children ages 3-15; At the door - adults $10, children $5. Refreshments will be served.  Contact Karen Madrone, Vance Archer or Charlotte Hamlin for information or to volunteer.
  

February 6, 2011

Eight members of the Congregational Culture Task Force met at 9:00 am on Sunday, February 6.

Lonnie Houck gave a brief summary of the Board Retreat.

Updates of Task Force preliminary plans were shared:

Covenant Groups - First groups will begin as "Evensong" with small sessions to begin in May and continue during the summer to introduce the concept, with more permanent groups to form in the fall.  A proposal for training of leaders will be in the UUCG Newsletter.

Reading and discussion of Congregational Fitness by Denise Goodman will be scheduled for church lay leaders. Marie Houck will be facilitating sessions with date and time to be announced.

Electronic Communications - A one-hour session on the use of communications electronics and the Internet to ensure church safety will be offered to any church member or friend in March.  Steve Pearsall will facilitate with date and time to be announced.

Resources for large-group sessions on effective communications, both speaking  and listening, are being identified by a sub-group of the Task Force.  Specific subjects, formats, and schedules will be announced during the next few months.

The next meeting of the Congregational Culture Task Force will be on Sunday, February 27, at 9:00 am.

Members the Task Force are Sue Beck, Sue Cole, Larry Graham, Lonnie Houck, Marie Houck, Ken Knight, Michelle Lee,  Chellie Mason, Steve Pearsall, Ken Williams, Laura Graham, chairperson.  Church members are strongly encouraged to share their ideas about our UUCG congregational culture with members of the Task Force. 

(A small but true incident in the life of our church; only the names have been changed because they aren't important!)

In a healthy congregation, people give each other permission to speak their truths by listening with compassion, even knowing some things might be difficult to hear.

After church on a recent Sunday, Jane approached Nan and said she would like to talk to her and wondered if it would be all right to call sometime during the week.  She seemed anxious about something, and Nan agreed to talk to her.  However, Jane never called.

The following Sunday, Nan approached Jane, and asked if Jane still wanted to talk to her.  Jane hesitated a bit, then said yes.  They agreed on a specific time for the phone call.  The expected phone call came, and they ended up having a long conversation that allowed Jane to express some of her concerns, and gave Nan an opportunity to hear those concerns.

What is important about this exchange is not just that two people made a connection, but that even in the chaos that is the social time after church on Sunday, Nan listened not just to Jane's words, but also to her anxiety.  She could have easily let the matter drop, and avoided what might have been a difficult conversation.  Instead, she gave Jane another opportunity to express her concerns, to speak her truth and to be heard.

In the coming weeks may we all practice the kind of compassionate listening that Nan exhibited, the kind that makes it safe for people to speak their own truths.

Editor's Note:  This section will contain a monthly article from the Congregational Cultural Task Force highlighting examples of "good health" they observe in our congregation. 

Another opportunity to help feed the hungry in Greensboro will occur on  Saturday, April 2, 2011 at the Food Lion Store at 4652 West Market Street. The church will need 8 volunteers for 2 hour shifts to collect nonperishable groceries from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for Greensboro Urban Ministry. Please  contact Becky Floyd at 336-852-3592 or rfloyd2@triad.rr.com to volunteer.  

SAC is looking for someone to coordinate the peanut butter project to ensure that we are delivering 50 pounds to Urban Ministry's Food Bank each month. This will require minimal time. The coordinator will periodically send articles to the newsletter and Order of Service.  When the peanut butter basket is full, this person will see that it is delivered to the Food Bank and receive a receipt.  Contact Sara Bourquin ( 632-1616 or sbourquin@triad.rr.com ) or any SAC member. Help feed the hungry!

• Approved a Covenant of Farewell between the UUCG and the Rev. Alex Richardson; RevAlex will explain the covenantal relationship from the pulpit and it will then be posted.
• Voted to hire an Interim Minister for a period of one to two years.
• Voted to form an Interim Ministerial Selection Task Force. Ken Williams, Lonnie Houck, and Sara Bourquin will submit names of congregants to the President for appointment, subject to Board approval.
• Will assist Ann Dickinson in finding additional members for the Membership Committee; Carolyn Crumpacker volunteered to serve on committee.
• Will assist ACT committee by contacting members who have not yet pledged for 2011-12.
• Approved Bill McKenzie as co-chair of the Finance Committee.

Rita Finkle, Braxton Wilson, Chris Voorhees, Mary Pearsall, Cathy Korb, Erin Andrews, Amelia Cook, Philip Porter, Logan Hamilton, Marilyn Clayton, Sara Chenoweth, Sheila Cranshaw

• Promote a search for personal meaning, respecting individual truth in a community process of quest
• Speak and act with caring, courtesy and love thereby maintaining emotional, physical, and spiritual safety for all
• Support UUCG and denominational efforts with our resources
• Combat injustice while promoting equality
• Nurture our children on their spiritual journeys
• Hold ourselves to this covenant, especially during times of conflict and disagreement

Karen Madrone (2011)                                                                                           kmadrone@juno.com
Ken Williams (2011)                                                                                                 williams@ncat.edu

Michelle Lee (2011)                                                                                          nc.dogwood@yahoo.com
Carolyn Crumpacker (2012)                                                                                      msjazzzz@aol.com
Janet Eley (2012)                                                                                                 eleyjanet@yahoo.com
Steve Andrews (2013)                                                                                              sand3420@aol.com  
Charlotte Hamlin (2013)                                                                                        chamlin1@triad.rr.com
Thomas Clayton                                                                                                          tnt@riseup.net