By Barry Shumpert, president of the Board of Trustees
I write this on a bright, sunny, blue-sky morning following one of the longest nights of the year. I hope all of you are finding meaningful ways to celebrate this season of darkness and rebirth, whether that involves boisterous family gatherings or quiet rest and contemplation.
As we end this calendar year, it seems a good time to look back on what we've accomplished at Westside. Those of you who have been with us for a while will remember how we struggled through the big pandemic a few years ago, gathering in person only when the weather permitted us to meet outside and meeting online the rest of the time. Not surprisingly, some of our members found these necessary cutbacks unsatisfying and dropped away from our fellowship. You might say these were the dark days of our winter solstice. But we persevered and the plague finally lifted and the future brightened. We found ourselves weakened but enthusiastic, ready to rebuild using resources and tools we had unexpectedly developed in the “dark days.”
As the time brightened and we began to meet in person again, our numbers were small compared to previous days, but slowly we began to see more of the old faces and increasing numbers of new ones. Our in-person attendance has continued to grow, and our new online services are reaching many others in our community and throughout the country. And the energy level of our congregation is high. Thanks to generous donations, we managed to pay off our mortgage, and last year's pledge campaign was the most successful in our history. All this has made it possible for us to move forward with confidence in the future.
That brings us up to the current church year, which began in July. I want to remind you of some of the things we've accomplished so far this year. (I apologize in advance for leaving out some notable improvements and advancements; there are so many that my aging brain is bound to forget some. And please don't think I'm bragging. All this progress is due to the hard work of our committees, staff, and dedicated volunteers; I had little or nothing to do with it, other than to cheer them on.)
First, let's think about some of the visible changes at Westside:
• The beautiful new chalice at the front of our sanctuary adds an atmosphere of significance to our services and other activities.
• Our new colorful logo (a chalice radiating light against a mountainous background) and our new motto (“Love Unites • Caring Connects • Community Thrives”) attractively express our mission in the community.
• The installation of a state-of-the-art projector and speakers in the sanctuary opens up new possibilities for our styles of worship and sharing information.
• New (or gently used) furniture has replaced and augmented some of the worn-out items in our foyer and classrooms.
• Enhancements to the Memorial Garden are forthcoming due to a new fund established just for this purpose.
We've also made several operational and service improvements:
• A phased revival of our children's Religious Exploration program is underway. We've already begun offering childcare on an as-needed basis. Beginning in January, we plan to provide religious education class(es) once per month, with future expansion as the program grows.
• Our Share-the-Plate program has been replaced by a Justice and Generosity initiative, which will establish long-term relationships with community organizations working in the areas of racial justice, family support, environmentalism, and LGBTQIA+ issues.
• An Anti-racism workshop has begun meeting twice a month using a curriculum recommended by The Bottom (one of our Justice and Generosity partners).
• We have committed to providing more support to the Unitarian Universalist Association, through a special contribution for this year and a budget line-item in future years.
• Our Safety Committee has been re-energized and is formulating strategies to ensure the safety and security of our services and other activities.
• Work continues on expanding our network of security cameras.
• Purchase and installation of an AED (defibrillator) has been approved and will soon be accomplished.
• CPR/AED training for key personnel and other volunteers has been arranged for early January.
• The Board has asked the Green Sanctuary and Stewardship committees to work with our Earth Church to formulate a long-range plan to guide the use and vegetation planting on our property.
As I said earlier, there are only some of the ways our committees, staff, and volunteers have made our church stronger and better this year. Of course, there is still room for much improvement in the future. As we begin a new year, I challenge each of you to think about how you can use your own special talents to make WUUC even stronger and more effective.
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