Successes and Plans of Mountain Vista UU Committees

At the last Council meeting of the church year each committee gave a report on its accomplishments and its plans for next year. Please read and celebrate our accomplishments!

Social Action/Justice

• About 12 active core members and more than 40 on email list
• Charity of the month successful, collecting about $ 800/month per charity
• Ongoing projects: Interweave, Primavera monthly 3rd Wednesday dinners, Tihan (Poz Cafe), ICS and Prison Ministry
• New projects: Friends of Animals Ministry and 4th Saturday Forums
• Committee will be restructuring itself under the Standing on the Side of Love banner and possibly change names
• Working on finding more effective ways to disseminate Social Action/Justice literature

Friends of Animals (team under Social Action)

• Formed a UU Animal Ministry Chapter
• Gathering more members all the time
• Addresses any issue concerning animal welfare
• Has had some successful events
• Publishes a monthly newsletter, which is distributed electronically to interested MVUUers and also available in print at church
• Will do the Sunday service on June 23
• Will publish a vegan cookbook with recipes used by MVUUers

Interweave (team under Social Action)

• Had a successful bake sale
• Participated in Pride Parade
• Had a booth at Pride in the Desert, which had many visitors (MVUU literature dispensed)
• Will offer ice cream social after June 16 service (free for dads, others may donate $5 to help fund this years Pride events); requesting donations of ice cream and toppings
• Will be involved in Pride in the Desert October 12
• Looking for new chair (or 2 co-chairs)

Buildings and Grounds

• Ambiance team gave the sanctuary a make-over
• Ambiance purchased and installed "flame statue"
• New signs for Thornydale purchased
• Recycled paints
• Inventoried church documents
• Located county permit for barn
• Purchasing and installing new A/V system for Sanctuary
• Installed new dishwasher and obtained a second mobile one
• Did many repairs and lots of maintenance
• Purchased safety doors for Fireside Room, which will be installed soon
• Working on sanctuary use policy
• Will pour concrete footing for Goldblatt building (to prevent termites)
• Will paint barn
• Will repair concrete ramps at doors to sanctuary
• Will create storage for Social Action, Time&Talent materials

Communications (team under management, soon to be a committee)

• Sher Hakes working on website
• New newsletter editors needed
• One clearly defined MVUU Facebook page created and old ones removed
• Considering electronic communications policy
• Newsletter has been revised to now have one issue a month with writings by minister, board president, and others and another issue with "news and events"

Finance

• Budget done within time constraints
• Working on policy revision
• Moved Fundraising responsibilities to Stewardship
• Played role in clean-up of the books, which makes finances much clearer in the future
• Opened a savings account (for surplus in checking) and a pass-through account (for moneys that come through church for things like Camp Scholarships, Interweave bake sale, basket charity collections, etc.)

Membership

• Offered prospective member classes: 2 sessions of 3 classes each
• Name change for prospective member classes to: 'From Premise to Promise-an Introduction to Unitarian Universalism and MVUU'
• 18 new members in past year (total members 154)
• Held one New Member Recognition Ceremony
• Committee added 4 new members (now has 8 members)
• New Committee chair: Chuck Tatum (following Jane Paul)
• Working on refining greeter form
• Continue to hold (2) prospective member classes and (1) new member recognition
• Will hold new member/church leadership party
• Develop strategies to address Snow Bird concerns
• Develop strategies to incorporate new members in congregation
• Develop ongoing member bio initiative for newsletter
• Would like to add young adult or older teen to committee
• Work more closely with Time & Talent team
• Develop whole life paths/programs that encourage all members to expand their background and experiences in UU education, worship, fellowship, service, and leadership

Pastoral Care

• Committee has about 5-6 members and could use more
• Needs an administrative organizer
• Started announcing those in need of help or care in Joys and Sorrows
• Getting names of those in need ot help or care in newsletter
• Committee is functioning well

Worship Associates

• Added new members to committee
• Has re-evaluated elements of the Sunday service and its purpose, and continues to do so
• Has been comparing OoS of MVUU with other congregations
• Continues to work at making worship more meaningful
• Continues to work at best way to light chalice

Management

• Cleaned up QuickBooks (book keeping software), which was in disarray and upgraded software
• Creating a Communications Committee, which will be involved in branding, messaging, media, marketing

Finding Heart (team)

• Very successful, with many different groups, with diverse themes
• One group is ongoing (and open to all): "Touched by Adoption"
• New coordinators are Meg, Debbie G., Hobie, Elizabeth, Bill

Religious Education

• Average of 15 children attend on Sundays (not including YRUU, who meet at different times)
• Has had a successful year
• Adria Brooks was trained as Our Whole Lives facilitator (we need males who want to be trained!!)
• YRUU offered a successful Facebook workshop for the congregation
• Facilitated CPR training for the congregation
• Meeting for all RE families on June 8
• Will do more gardening with the children in community plot
• Will build compost bin with oder children and youth
• Will offer Our Whole Lives for the youngest group this summer
• Probably Our Whole Lives for YRUU next fall
• Next year will focus on environmental preservation and stewardship
• Need teachers and chaperones for next church year
• Successful Wednesday evening adult programming, plus other adult education events
• Many plans for adult religious education for next church year

Endowment

• Committee has 5 members
• Endowment Fund balance (March 31) $ 60.942.40
• Moving towards all investments in line with our 7 principles
• Divested from fossil fuels
• Invested $ 14,000 in UU Common Endowment Fund , customized professional management and broad social screening
• Continue to receive gifts of $ 20-50

Stewardship

• Moved from pledge drive task force to committee
• 5 defined teams: Financial Commitment, Time & Talent, Education, Joyful Giving, Planned Giving
• Adopted mission and vision statements that tie in to MVUU's
• Organized Financial Commitment drive, with new structure of using leadership in active roles
• Results of Financial Commitment to-date $165k (19% increase over last year) and an increase of around $10K for the current year
• Assisted Rev.Ron with scholarship to GA to attend financial and Stewardship seminars
• Have been reading and educating committee and larger MVUU community
• Will continue education through children's Religious Education, personal financial seminars, planned giving seminars
• More appreciated, articulated connections between members and MVUU
• More clarity in our financial pictures and visions so we know and can articulate clearly why people are giving, where this will take us, what programs, what facilities, what change in the world, what Mission. Everything we do, especially raising money, must follow our mission