President’s Report to the Board
Pam McIntire
February 2022
I greatly appreciate all the thought and care our congregation is putting into making sure we are not a vector for COVID infections while also caring for the spiritual needs of each other. Our pastoral care team has been a mainstay in so many of our lives. Rev. Leia and Rev. Linda have worked hard and been so creative in finding ways for us to be together and keep each other safe. We have found many avenues to stay in contact and support each other and our community. And yet, fatigue has set in over the winter. For so many people I have talked with, the dark, the cold, and especially the isolation have worn down our reserves. The comfort and stimulation we get from being together has been hard to get with brief contact and online meetings.
Our evaluation of risk has changed over the last two years and now we are seeing the very real risk of emotional fatigue and aloneness as well as illness from COVID. The board and our Building Use/Reopening team are re-evaluating our building use while still prioritizing that no one gets severely ill or dies as a result of participating congregation activities. We know that being together in person is also critical to our health and functioning.
As we move toward Spring and a new phase in our church life, I want to acknowledge that we have been through some very rough times in the past many years. So many aspects of our lives together have been challenged, from our financial well-being to our solid connections and support of each other. And yet, amazingly, we have accomplished so many things, begun to heal, and continued our commitment to each other and our faith in new, creative ways. Over the next months, I hope we can look at our accomplishments and celebrate our persistence, while also looking forward to growing as a congregation and becoming more welcoming to the larger community.
Our board goals are inspiring and set the direction for our work together. I am looking forward to the conversation with our Membership and Nominating Committees in our February meeting. It will be good to hear about what they are doing to promote the growth of our congregation and becoming a more welcoming congregation as well as their ideas for the future. I look forward to finding more ways that the board can support this important work.
Our pledge drive we be from February 27 to March 27. I am looking forward to this time of coming together and recommitting to our vision of who we can be for each other and for the larger community. I encourage board members to pledge soon to launch this exciting movement.
On June 5th after church, we will have a Congregational Meeting. The board will be setting the agenda for that meeting in the coming months.
We are grateful to the members of our Committee on Ministry (COM) for meeting and raising important questions through these uncertain times. In August, with our new Developmental Minister as our lead minister, we will consider the role of the COM in supporting our ministry and reform this committee.
The Developmental Minister Search committee will be receiving applications from the UUA Transitions office on March 11 and will complete their interviews with an offer by March 28. If this all goes well, the Developmental Minister would begin work with us on August 1, 2022.
The congregation has come together to welcome Afghan refugees into the Charlottesville Community. This work is an example of UUCville’s inspiring commitment to making a difference in the world. You can follow their activities at https://uucharlottesville.org/refugee-welcome/
I love being together with people dedicated to making a difference in the world through love and kindness. Spring is coming and I look forward to celebrating coming back together in person.