Our TJMCUU Board has engaged Mark Ewert, a UU Stewardship consultant, to undertake a review of our financial situation and stewardship potential during a Next Steps Weekend (NSW), August 25-27, 2017.

The NSW is the first step in effectively utilizing a consultant to support our goals and aspirations as a congregation. It provides a foundation for future collaboration and provides insight into the options before us as a congregation. A congregation is a community, a network of systems. The NSW provides the opportunity to examine and gauge that community and those systems across a wide spectrum, not just stewardship, to ascertain the overall health and capacities of the congregation.

We expect the NSW to provide an examination of the congregation’s strengths, challenges, risks and opportunities.  Congregations report that NSWs result in immediate impact as well as long-lasting value in terms of strengthened stewardship and generosity. The following benefits are typical:

During the NSW, our consultant Mark Ewert will facilitate a series of small group meetings with essentially the entire church leadership representing a wide range of committees, and will speak to a large group of congregants at least once during the visit. Mark will be at the 10:00 Service and Coffee Hour afterwards if you want to talk to him. At the conclusion of the visit, Mark will provide a verbal overview of findings and initial recommendations to the Board, who will report to the congregation on the specific recommendations and observations toward our goals and aspirations.

Please participate in the Next Steps Weekend.  NSW is an important step in reviewing our stewardship and moving our congregation forward to where we want to be.

Jeanine Braithwaite, Treasurer