Spring is finally here and there are more activities than ever at UUC!

• The Pledge Drive is in full swing and early reports are encouraging; the Garden and Grounds Committee has our campus looking lovely;
• the New Name Task Force will be announcing the results of their survey and hold town hall meetings on April 18 and 20;
• our first ever Easter Parade and Drive-By Celebration is scheduled for  Sunday April 4 from 12:15-1:30PM;  the Spring Online Auction is scheduled for May 3-9;
• there is renewed interest in revitalizing the Environmental Action Group and the Green Sanctuary movement.
• We are finding new ways to worship and be together in spite of the continued building closure.

This month the Board will begin conversations on two very important topics.

The first is the creation of a Search Committee for a new settled minister.  When the time comes to form a Search Committee, the Board  will ask the congregation to nominate five members of the church who they trust with this role and then the Nominating Committee will come up with the slate.  No decision has been made when the Search Committee will be formed but the search process typically takes 18 months.  The Board has not yet decided if we want to call a settled minister or hire a developmental minister.  A developmental minister can be hired by filling out an application and submitting it to the UUA.  This process typically takes 4-5 months.

The second topic the Board will consider is whether or not to make pledging a requirement of membership at UUC.  Our bylaws have this to say about membership and pledging:

ARTICLE II ‑
Membership II.1 ‑ Member.
Any person who supports the purposes of the Church and recognizes and understands the need of the Church for support through financial contributions and active participation shall become a member upon signing the Membership Book in the presence of a Minister, the Director of Faith Development, an officer of the Church, or the Chair or Assistant Chair of the Membership Committee.

While we currently have 365 members, nearly 100 people don’t make any annual financial pledge.  This situation not only puts a burden on the rest of the congregation but it makes it very hard for the Finance Committee and the Board to plan the budget from year to year.  It also costs UUCville to have a member on its rolls (subscription to UU World, our UUA dues, etc.) whether that member pledges or not.

Required pledging is actually quite common among UU churches.  Language varies from congregation to congregation but typically there is a certain pledge threshold with exceptions being made by the minister(s)  for members with unusual circumstances.  There is also often a Pledge Pool, which is funded by donors who can afford to give beyond their own pledge dollars, that covers members who are unable to pledge.

Required pledging was brought to a vote at UUA several years ago and it failed.  The Board is considering it again after struggling with budget shortfalls for the past several years and having to repeatedly cut staff salaries and professional expenses.  We have only paid a tiny percentage of our UUA dues for years.  At this time we have no cash reserves and for the past two years relied on loans to fund our church.  We need to figure out how to adequately support our church community and required pledging may be one of the options.

In Faith,

Lorie Craddock
President, Board of Trustees