UU News

Monthly Newsletter of

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Greensboro

An Intentional Liberal Religious Community   November, 2012  

  As an interim minister, one Newsletter - Nov. 2012

Congratulations to the UU Church of Greensboro for your vote (at the Oct. 21 congregational meeting) to hire a Developmental Minister, starting in (or about) August 2013, to serve as your minister for (at least) the next 3-5 years while also working with you on an issue of specific focus. This is a significant step forward for the church, in determining the future direction of your ministry. My thanks to the board for their work looking into this new ministry option, and especially to your president, Charlotte Hamlin, who has been quite diligent in contacting lay leaders and ministers of other UU churches currently in periods of developmental ministry, and denominational officials, to learn as much as possible about this option. I believe this decision will serve you well in the years to come. (If you are not yet very familiar with this option, please see this article on the UUA website, which - toward the end of the article - explains developmental ministry):

http://www.uua.org/interconnections/interconnections/198411.shtml

For churches in interim periods, such as we are now, one of the interim tasks the congregation engages is preparing for, and committing to, new directions in ministry. Your Oct. 21 vote was the first, and perhaps the major, step in that direction. The next step is to clarify the focus issue for the developmental ministry time. I will bring a proposal to our board this month for a process to define this focus and articulate it. We will keep the congregation informed on how each of you may engage this process that will guide our new direction in ministry for the next 3-5 years to come.

In the meantime, I think we can all benefit from considering what struggles have impacted our church in recent years, and which ones might connect with deeper issues, that we might address effectively during the developmental period to come. The visioning process underway at the church is one excellent means for this reflection; the third & final group session of this process will be Tues., Nov. 27, 5:30-8:00PM at our church (with food served at about 5:00); we hope you'll join us.

But there are other sources of insight as well. Especially since you worked with Alban Institute consultant Susan Nienaber 2 1/2 years ago, many of you have read widely on church leadership, management, and dynamics. One book I've recently read, on the advice of a church member, has certainly opened my eyes to a fresh way of understanding...frankly, of understanding almost every church I've ever been in (UUCG included). When Society Becomes an Addict, by Anne Wilson Schaef, is an older book (published in 1987), but extremely insightful. I've long believed that the emotional and behavioral patterns we associate with addiction affect far more  of our society than just those who drink too much or take drugs. This book lays out what those emotional dynamics of addiction are, in ways that make it obvious how widespread they are throughout our society - and our UU churches are no exception to that. It's the kind of book that you can open randomly to almost any page, and find it has insights like:

- "Perfectionists are quite skilled at pointing out other people's flaws!"

- "...self-centeredness is contagious. When we are around people who care little about us, it becomes important to protect our turf...because no one else will."

- "When we do not know our own boundaries, when we perceive the world as either for or against us, when we never have enough of anything, we cannot help but be fearful. The only way we can hope to survive is by controlling what others think, do, and say and minimizing their effect on us."

Obviously there are hard truths in this book, but almost every page, I saw light bulbs going off in my head: "Oh, I've noticed that!" "So that's what was going on in that group at my previous church!" "Hmm, I bet that's why that committee meeting went off the rails...." Yes, it's an older book, with a few references that sound dated in 2012, but its insights more than make up for that.

Many used copies are available cheaply online; I recommend it highly, and hope to discuss it with you. (Also, some of us have discussed starting an addiction ministry, to offer a liberal religious perspective on recovery, both for our members and for the larger community. If this interests you, please talk with me about it.)

Also, I know that many of you have found great insights from other sources, that speak to you about struggles you personally, and we as a church, have faced. Many of you have mentioned some of these to me, but I'm starting to compile a reading list - not of what books about church leadership, etc. I think are good, but which ones have been meaningful to church members in understanding themselves and those around them. If you've read a book at made a lot of lightbulbs flash in your mind, please send me an email, or write down the author and title and hand it to me after worship some Sunday. I look forward to hearing from you where you have found insights, that may serve others of us as we move forward.  

In faith,

Rev. Eric Posa

From the President - Charlotte Hamilton   

 I see the Fire of Commitment burning bright at UUCG as I note the diverse ways UUCG congregants have demonstrated their commitment to UUCG with their ideas, involvement and support in the past two months to strengthen our church and expand our UU visibility:

--Ministerial Search Decision: On October 21, the congregation overwhelmingly supported the board's recommendation to apply for a Developmental Minister to begin the summer of 2013. Information about ministerial search options had been publicized and discussed at an Information Forum on Oct. 7th. The board will prepare for the Developmental Ministry application in April to include a current congregational profile, identification of systemic and long-term developmental needs, and desired qualifications of a minister to help address those issues over a 3 - 5 year period with the possibility of being called as Settled Minister.

--Strategic Planning: The three part Strategic Planning workshop series facilitated by Elaine Stover got off to a strong start with 42 people attending the September "Visioning" workshop that identified their vision of UUCG in five years. The October workshop focuses on Discerning Underlying Contradictions, and the concluding Nov. 27th workshop will be Setting Strategic Directions. This series provides important material for future planning and the Ministerial Search.

--New Board Committees: The board approved the formation of two new standing board committees recommended by the Governance Task Force and the Congregational Culture Task Force: 1) Healthy Congregations Committee and 2) Archival Records Committee, and Accountability and Strategic Planning are being considered. Thanks to the many individuals who worked to research and define these new structures to improve our governance system.

What can YOU DO to feed the Fire of Commitment? UUCG needs YOU: Please volunteer for committees and lay ministry teams, share your ideas with staff and lay leaders, attend the Leadership Workshop on Saturday, Nov. 10th, bring your friends to church, provide financial support and share the excitement of the emerging future of UUCG, our spiritual home.

Ministry Notes

 Adult Religious Education Continues - Our two Adult RE courses continue through the week before Thanksgiving. On Thursdays at 7:00 PM, our class "Spirit of Life" continues through Nov. 15. This class offers a deeper perspective into Unitarian Universalism, framed by the lyrics to the meditation hymn we sing almost every Sunday morning. Also, our Sunday morning class on UU history, "Our American UU Roots," continues through Nov. 18, 9:30-10:30 AM. (No classes will meet around Thanksgiving. A new Sunday morning curriculum will begin Dec. 2 at 9:30 AM; evening classes likely will resume in January.)

Expressions and Pot-Luck 

Expressions is back!  Join us as we explore the connections between art and spirituality. 7pm every Wednesday. 

Thanks!  

Blood Drive  Monday Nov. 26 

Celebrating the Season Part 1 

Celebrating the Season Part 2

Social Action Committee Update 

Summary of the October 16 UUCG Board Meeting

The board approved the nomination of Nelson Stover as chair of the ACT campaign

Birthdays this month 

Attendance and Collection

UUCG Covenant 

• 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

UUCG OFFICERS 

TRUSTEES

Michelle Lee (2015)                                                                                          nc.dogwood@yahoo.com  

Stephanie Blake (2014)                                                                                       cicciblake@triad.rr.com 

Myra Anne Geese Dean (2014)                                                                    myraannegesse@yahoo.com
Steve Andrews (2013)                                                                                               sand3420@aol.com    

Suzanne Deering (2015)                                                                                         zanned@earthlink.net  

Katja Brown (2013)                                                                                                     sabrown@ieee.org 

UUCG STAFF

Congregational Contacts