UUFW Building our Future Together Congregational Workshop—March 20, 2010
- Written by Brian Gates
On Saturday, March 20, members and friends embarked on a journey to plan our future together. The workshop began in a true UU form with Rev. Nathan Stone offering a witty blessing to kick off our meal. Everyone seemed energized for the task ahead.
Joe Sullivan—long-time friend and consultant to UUFW—had been retained by our Board of Directors to help plan, shape, and lead this important day—as well as future steps in this planning process. Logistics and communications had been coordinated by your very own Mission-Vision Planning Team (“the MVP’s”).
The four-hour workshop was a picture of teamwork by all participants, 55 of us plus five young people. Through a long afternoon of fun and hard work, we shared personal values, memories, hopes, and ideals with one another—a clear indication of our common purpose and a genuine commitment. Young people, new people, church founders, youth, and elders alike helped shape our church’s future ripe with great potential.
Nearly a hundred pages of notes and flip charts are now being carefully transcribed by The Writing Team, led by MVP April Hull. Those volunteers will ensure that every written word is illustrated and then shared with the Board and Congregation.
From there, our “structured planning process” will march on with a growing sense of our brighter future. This process will roll out roughly as follows:
- April 10 Board Retreat – Board members buckle in for a long, six-hour day of studying transcripts and drafting Mission and Vision Statements that accurately reflect our church’s aspirations and intentions for the future, as expressed by workshop participants.
- Mid-April to early May – Board issues draft Mission-Vision Statements for congregational review and feedback. Revisions and second drafts may be issued.
- April 18 – Congregational Meeting to vote on slate of 2011 Nominating Committee members. Some discussion of Mission-Vision Statements. Friends are welcome and can express opinions but cannot vote.
- May 23 – Congregational Meeting to review and vote on the Board’s recommendation for Mission and Vision Statements. Friends are welcome and can express opinions but cannot vote.
These events and activities leading to a new Plan and its implementation will take time. Timing is uncertain for us, since some churches complete the strategic planning process in six to nine months. Others take much longer. Your Board promises a deliberate, careful, and highly energetic effort for planning our future together -- a brighter future for us all. Team Leaders won’t be without direction in the meanwhile. We all are busy accomplishing many interim ministry and governance goals this year.
Thanks for our Many Volunteers! We want to recognize and thank the MANY people who contributed—great and small—to the Mission-Vision Planning effort thus far. I will try to name them all. Please forgive any errors or omissions…
- Workshop Facilitators – Joy Hayes-Gates, Dustin Morrow, April Hull, Rob Cervantes, Bruce Allen, Claudia McLatcher, David McLatcher, JP DeMeritt, Becky Fox, and Jane Derrick.
- Kitchen Helpers – Terri Jo Ryan, Fanny Rendtorff, Ingrid Martine, Liz Turnage, Claudia McLatcher, Jane Derrick, and many others who pitched in. Melanie “The Wonderful” Witherspoon prepared an amazing macrobiotic meal for the Facilitator Workshop. Joy Hayes-Gates deserves a hearty “Atta Girl!” also.
- Joe Sullivan – For consulting, caring, commitment to UUFW, and thoroughness.
- Writing Team – April Hull, Dustin Morrow, Becky Fox, and Jan Snyder.
- Humanist Covenant Group – We appreciate your setting up Fellowship Hall for our workshop.
- Paul Derrick – What would we do without you or your projector? Thank you! Claudia and David McLatcher – Thanks for providing Joe Sullivan with your hospitality!
Lastly, let me thank our hard-working, very resourceful, and effective Mission-Vision Planning Team. You all have been awesome! Thank you!
Anita Knight, Team Leader
Mission-Vision Planning Team
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