In December the Board of Trustees appointed a Shared Vision Ad-hoc Committee to facilitate the articulation of the UU Congregation of Charlottesville’s mission statement, also known as our purpose of our WHY. The Committee members are Breck Gastinger, Chris Little, Jeanine Braithwaite, Achsah Carrier, Pam McIntire, and Rev. Tim Temerson. The process will be inclusive of all UUCville members, and we sincerely hope for high participation. The mission statement is reflective of our collective voice.
The Committee is developing a timeline for the process, with the goal of approving the mission statement at the congregational meeting in May/June of 2023. The timeline, along with specific invitations to participate in conversations will come in early January.
Our approach to Goal 2 will be influenced by the congregation’s work defining our broad shared vision for Goal 1. Rev. Tim’s work with the Membership Committee to support a clear path to membership and his hosting a monthly Newcomer’s Circle is a wonderful beginning. We are currently organizing a small group of people to begin accumulating information and resources to support eventual training for the congregation on being a welcoming community and to investigate how we can cultivate greater multicultural diversity.
In December the Board of Trustees appointed a Stewardship Steering Committee comprised of members Jimmy Gorham, Kay Frazier, Sandy Brooks, Don Landis, and Rev Tim Temerson. The Stewardship Ministry focuses on nurturing a culture of giving, through the responsible development, planning, and management of the congregation’s resources by caring for our human, physical, and financial resources. In January the Stewardship Steering Committee will assist in organizing this year’s Pledge Drive Team and begin the discussion on longer-range stewardship planning.
In support of Goal 4, we believe that an operationally functional governance model has a clear organizational chart, with clear and concise responsibilities of the Board, Staff, and Committees that are readily available for the Congregation. We also believe that finding and nurturing new leadership will help sustain our initiatives, and enhance the growth and self-exploration of members and the Congregation as a whole.
Work on Goal 4 will begin with recruiting a few people who are interested in making the structure and functioning of UUCville clear to the congregation and who will work with the Communications Committee on how to best communicate this information. This group will review and update the current descriptions of the committees and their chairs. We will also develop a brief description of the Board and our governance to explain our Board’s purpose and functioning to the congregation.
Priority work is to develop a list of frequently asked questions about how UUCville functions to be posted on the website and in the Friday emails. It will be especially important to include information on leadership at UUCville so that we can promote a culture that sees leadership as a mission and a path to spiritual growth.