Board Archive

It is hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us and for some of us we already saw our first snowfall. At TPUUF, we celebrate this season and embrace the spirit of giving by participating in several annual events.First, is our “Guest at Your Table” campaign, sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC). The purpose is to collect money for those who are less fortunate, or who have encountered hardships due to tragedy. Please see Marian Augustine’s article for more details. Taking part in this activity is a great way for your children to share in the act of giving and to teach them a fundamental principle of Unitarian Universalism.

Second, is our Holiday Party on Saturday December 15, a fun-filled social event for the entire family. Share in a delicious meal, sip eggnog and punch, sing songs and get together with friends. A highlight for the kids is a visit from Santa Claus (a great picture taking opportunity).

Third, is the Children’s Holiday Pageant on Sunday, December 16, which will once again be coordinated by our very talented thespians Jenn Kanze-Eaton and Shannon Spencer. The theme this year is “Peace on Earth” and if you have not attended this event before, be prepared to be “wowed” by the children.

Also, please make sure to sign up to have your photograph taken for our Fellowship directory. This is our first pictorial directory and is provided as a free service to our congregation. Of course, this is the perfect time of year to purchase additional family pictures for Holiday cards or to give to relatives.

Although we are all busy this time of year, we still have to continue to focus on the challenges that lay ahead for our congregation. The Settled Minister Search Committee (SMSC) is putting the final touches on the Ministerial Packet which will allow ministerial candidates a better prospective on our congregation and its leadership.

The Board also has a full plate. We will work on a process to adequately notify and properly conduct congregational meetings and to ensure that adequate childcare is provided at all congregational events. We will also strive to make our actions more open and transparent. Board meeting minutes will be posted and a synopsis will be published in the newsletter. In addition, we understand your concerns regarding giving the Board the permission to write policies. We will create a process that will allow the congregation to review draft policies before they are implemented and a mechanism to evaluate all policies on at least an annual basis.

At our last all day Board retreat which was held about a week ago, I was gratified that the entire Board and Rev. Gabi share a similar opinion about the strengths and weaknesses of our Fellowship. I also felt a strong sense of optimism that we are united and confident that this congregation can overcome the challenges that have kept us from growing. It also became clear to me that over the past two years, this congregation has taken positive steps to make this happen. In other words, we are no longer talking about the need to change, we are taking action and the momentum is increasing. Wishing you all the best this holiday season!

In Fellowship,
Tim Johnson

As we near the end of October, the Settled Minister Search Committee (SMSC) is assembling the congregational package which will be carefully scrutinized by prospective ministerial candidates.  Now is the time to strategically plan for our settled minister.  This includes planning and executing our pledge campaign and fundraisers so they are the most successful ever.  Also, it is critical that our membership grows over this next year.

Rev. Gabi Parks and the Board are committed to make this happen.  As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, a Growth Task Force is being assembled with the realistic goal of increasing our membership to 125 by next August.  For this to happen, the entire congregation needs to make visitors feel welcome every single Sunday, our programs need to run smoothly, our building and grounds need to be tidy and conflicts need to be handled in a respectful manner.

The Board has been strongly advised by Rev. Larry Smith (our former IM), Rev. Gabi Parks (our present IM) and Rev. Howard Dana (our settled ministry consultant and to empower your leadership.  At the congregational meeting on November 11, your vote needs to send a strong message to every prospective ministerial candidate:  We the congregation of Thomas Paine UU Fellowship overwhelmingly are committed to hire a full time settled minister.  This is clearly an obtainable goal if we put into practice, the steps I mentioned above.  We are at a critical juncture in the history of our Fellowship.  We need to embrace new practices and take a bold step to secure our future so we can share with others the spiritual, intellectual and commitment to social causes that make our community so special.      from the JPD) to pursue full time settled ministry.  Times have changed and there are more congregations in search than there are qualified ministers.  Seminaries are graduating fewer ministers and many of those are not pursuing congregational ministry.  In addition, many experienced UU ministers are retiring.  Thus, the number of strong ministerial candidates is shrinking and those congregations that can support full time ministry will have the best opportunity to find a settled minister.  As Larry Smith had repeatedly stressed, we need to “think bigger” than what we are.  Right now, we could re-structure our budget to afford full time ministry but this would be at the lower end of the pay scale.  Although, this is a good start, we need to do much more.

The first step is to gain your support

- Tim Johnson, president