As many of you know Roberta (Bobbie) Mawdsley passed away on July 27, 2015.  She is greatly missed by all of her friends at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester. She was an accomplished medical researcher, educator, and physical therapist who served in the military and kept our sanctuary in order.  I miss talking with her as she straightened up the sanctuary after a Sunday service. Putting the sanctuary back in order entails many seemingly small tasks that actually have a significant impact on the many people who enter our sanctuary. She always ensured there would be plenty of index cards in the pews for people to use to share their joys and sorrows with the congregation. She also made sure the pews were well supplied with the UU pamphlets that newcomers could read to learn more about Unitarian Univeraslism.  She kept the name tags organized in alphabetical order so everyone could easily find and wear their name tag. Using name tags allows us to learn each others' names and get to know each other better, forming the bonds that make the UUCW a community. She ensured that the Greeters and Ushers had all the supplies they needed to make everyone feel welcomed in our beloved community. Bobbie will be remembered for these and the many other ways she helped others.

            

Before her passing, Bobbie took steps to guarantee that she would make a lasting impact on her beloved UUCW community. She left our church an incredibly generous gift of  $263,895.01! This money will be deposited into our Investment Accounts, where it will be carefully managed so it will be available to strengthen the UUCW finances for many years to come.

            

Every year the Investment Committee uses a formula to determine the amount of money that can be taken out of our investment accounts without impacting the overall balance. This money is used toward that year's budget. The investment funds are also available for emergencies such as when the church needed a new roof, or last fiscal year when there was a deficit. When these types of financial emergencies occur, the board works to raise additional funds to minimize the amount of money that has to be taken out of the investment fund. The board helped to lead successful fundraisers for both the roof repairs and the deficit last year. Due to the generosity of those in the UUCW community, the wisdom of our Investment Committee, as well as the staff's and lay leadership's commitment to conservative financial management, the investment fund has been able to grow while supporting the church finances.

            

Bobbie's generous gift will help our church become a stronger organization by helping the church to do things such as pay its staff a fair wage, improve and maintain our building and grounds and reach out to attract future members. A UUCW with happy staff, robust membership and a well maintained building can be even more generous to all the community service groups it supports such as the Loaves  & Fishes Food Pantry, Interfaith Hospitality Network, Crop Hunger Walk and many more.

Bobbie's generous gift will also help the church give its RE program the resources it needs to continue to help the children in our church community to meet the challenges of a changing world.

            

If, like Bobbie, you would like to plan to give a legacy gift to help ensure that the UUCW can continue to have a positive impact on many people please contact me. My email is williamderr@hotmail.com or you can call the UUCW office (508-853-1942) and leave me a message with Jennifer Landry.

 

 

As you may remember, last fiscal year (2014-2015) there was a projected budget deficit of approximately $30,000. At the 2014 Annual Meeting the congregation voted to approve a budget recommended by the board that would try to meet this deficit by raising an additional $30,000 through increased pledges (Pledge Surge) and increased fundraisers.  If the entire $30,000 was not raised then any remaining deficit would be funded with money taken out of the investment fund. Amazingly, the Pledge Surge and fund raising programs were so wildly successful that all but $2,100.07 of the $30,000 was raised! This means that instead of having to take out 30,000 dollars from our investment funds, we only need to take out $2,100.07!

The board is planning ways to celebrate all of this great financial news! The board is  also planning ways to honor the generosity of Bobbie and all the other UUCW members and friends who have helped make the UUCW finances stronger. I want to thank all of you who have given of your time and/or money to our beloved UUCW. All gifts of time or money, whether big or small are necessary and appreciated. Keep a watch out for more information about the upcoming celebration for our incredible fiscal successes,. You don't want to miss out on any of the fun!