Rebuilding, cont.
A quiet but heartfelt thanks here to all of you who have reached out to me so generously 
this week to say you were touched by my sermon last Sunday about rebuilding our denomination’s broken bridge between youth and adult engagement in the community of our faith. It’s been heartening to say the least – perhaps most of all when the message I received from some consisted of just two small words: “I’m in!”
I wanted to share with you that our Young Adult Covenant Group met for the first time this past Monday, and they are off to a very auspicious start. If you are between the ages of 18 and 35 and would like to be part of this group, please drop me an email (msheldenuce@gmail.com) and I’ll connect you. While some of our covenanters have been with us for some time, many are new to our congregation — I can’t wait for you to meet them.
There is a great deal of work already on our plate for the Lifespan Learning Council and for our Children & Youth Program Team, but I cannot help but think this should be within the scope of our mission, both congregationally and denominationally. The problem is, as I’ve said, both large and complex, so perhaps a slow launch is best. But look for me in the coming months to be reaching in to our community to bring people into conversation about how we might do useful work together in bridgebuilding. I have some ideas brewing, and I want to hear yours as well, along with the history of what’s been tried before, and what the sense of need might be here and now. Let’s put our heads together to figure out what it will take to get to ten lilypads.
In the meantime (where we actually live), below are some of the sources referenced in my sermon, along with some resources for bridgers. If you missed my sermon on Sunday and want to know what the fuss is about, it will eventually be posted as a video (though I shudder to think of it) – or if you’d like to read it without all the blubbery mess, just drop me an email (msheldenuce@gmail.com) and I’ll send it along to you. And thank you for thinking about what it will take to actually bridge our UU young people.
Sources:
Kate Tweedie Ersley, Full Circle: Fifteen Ways to Grow Lifelong UUs, UUA, 2004: https://www.uuabookstore.org/Full-Circle-P16733.aspx I have asked Margaret Shaklee to stock this at the Book H as well.
Emily Parker, “Beyond the Bridge: A Study of Unitarian Universalist Emerging Adults,” Juniata College Department of Religious Studies, Senior Project, 2018: https://sites.google.com/view/pbsp
Pew Research Center, “America’s Changing Religious Landscape,” Pew Forum, 2015: http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/
Resources:
Blue Boat Blog for Youth and Young Adult Ministries: https://www.uua.org/blueboat
Campus UUs Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CampusUUs
Church of the Larger Fellowship: A Congregation Without Walls: https://www.questformeaning.org/clfuu/
UUA Hub Map for Young Adult and Campus Ministries: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?ll=26.35232093157663%2C-93.72255200000006&msa=0&z=3&mid=1uDIuwXAUt0ja7sHp4a2SaRoLnuo
Unitarian Universalist Association College and University Campus Ministry resources: https://www.uua.org/college
Unitarian Universalist Association Young Adult Ministry resources: https://www.uua.org/young-adults
© August 16, 2018
August 19, 2018
Blessings of the Animals
As Unitarian Universalists, we celebrate the interdependent web of all existence, which binds us to each living thing and the wider universe. We will bless our animal friends on this day so bring your friendly, and well-behaved pets to the service. Be sure to have them on a leash or in a cage or container to honor our interspecies covenant. You may also bring a photo of pets you have lost and want to remember.
Rev. Eileen and Rev. Greg will lead the service and bless your pets.
Membership Database Project Launched
We are so excited to let the congregation know that we are in the very early stages of implementing a new membership database, called Realm. This project was funded by the Endowment Committee. We have now launched an implementation committee and are working on data transfer from the old membership database system that the church has used for nearly two decades, creating groups, defining data field terms, and learning all we can about how to start to use this comprehensive church membership system. Eventually we hope it will also support the accounting functions of the church.
In the past week, we met with the Deerfield UU church as they launched a training for key leaders in their congregation. We also travelled to Naperville to meet with a Lutheran church which is also using the Realm Software. They have been working on the project for about a year and are well on their way to launching interest groups, membership listings, and encouraging members to put their information into the database.
Once implemented, congregants will be able to manage their own data—information about their family, their children in RE, their interests and their pledge.
We are pleased to have a strong leadership team led by Brian Nielsen and including Eileen Wiviott, Mary Shelden, Tamiko DeVille, Sandra Robinson, Melanie Kitchner, Vickie Doebele, Joe Romeo, and Carol Nielsen. We have a sub-team examining the accounting software including Erlene Howard, Vickie Doebele, Karen Courtright and Sandra Robinson.
Soon, we will be looking for some assistance in reviewing the data that was transferred from the old system and checking for errors. If you are interested in working on this project, please contact Brian Nielsen (b-nielsen@northwestern.edu).
News From Denominational Affairs – Capital Campaign Update
BUILDING OUR FUTURE…SUPPORTING OUR VALUES
Following the service on Sunday, August 5, we learned about plans being made to evaluate UCE’s ability to raise Capital Funds to finance church needs identified in the Long Range Plan developed over the 2017-18 church year. Much work has been done to obtain estimates of the costs of Building and Grounds Repairs and Enhancements, Hospitality and Welcoming Improvements, Accessibility and our Ability to Advance Social Justice. The estimated cost of these improvements is $1,256,000. To see a list of some of the specific projects, please ask the UCE office for a copy of the handout on Objectives provided at the meeting.
To learn just what capability UCE has to raise these funds, we have contracted with Pratapas Associates, an experienced fundraising consulting firm who has served several other Unitarian Universalist congregations in the Chicago area. The purpose of the August 5 meeting was to learn about the Capital Campaign Feasibility Study with which Pratapas is helping us right now. Steve Pratapas explained the process with which information will be gathered from church members to help make the decision about how we will proceed. There will be a Focus Group for the Board of Trustees and other key church leaders, 35 church members representing a cross section of our congregation will be personally interviewed, and all other members will receive an email survey to determine our attitudes and abilities to participate in the campaign.
There were responses to questions by those in attendance, and additional questions can be directed to the members of the Capital Campaign Feasability Study Committee which consists of Ann Peterson, Janelle Brittain, Sandra Robinson, Jeanne Kerl, Carol Nielsen, Susan Comstock, Martha Holman and Linda LaPlante.
August 12, 2018
Rebuilding Our Broken Bridge
Unitarian Universalists, as a denomination, have a very hard time retaining our young people into adulthood. Mary Shelden, UCE Director of Lifespan Religious Education and a lifelong UU, will explore some of the common barriers to bridging, and some of the practices congregations can adopt to help foster a lifelong path of faith development and UU identity.
The Five Tasks of Interim Ministry
What in the world will we be doing together in the next two years?
The primary task of the interim minister is to hold up a mirror to the congregation and ask, “Is this who you are?” and “Is this who you want to be?”
This is more than a simple survey. This is sacred work that goes beyond personal preferences. This is hard work that lifts up the best and worst in our identity and interactions as a liberal religious community. Where do we start?
Heritage: the past is the foundation of the present. What are the stories we tell that have shaped and formed Unitarian Church of Evanston?
Leadership: the present is the foundation of the future. How do we promote the emergence of new leaders and the recommitment of seasoned leaders?
Mission: our mission acts as a filter for congregational decisions. What are the congregations’ mission and vision, its sense of purpose and direction?
Connections: our connections help us embody our mission. What are the relationships the congregation builds outside of itself?
Future: this is where the congregation turns its energy toward proactive decision-making. Who are we? Who are our neighbors? What are we called to do?
The interim time is often exciting. If it’s done right, it will also be unsettling. The time has come, the future is now, and we’re all in this together. Take a look in the mirror and tell me what you see.
The joy continues,
Greg