State of the Church Meeting Highlights
Approximately 80 members were present for our annual State of the Church meeting on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019. The meeting began with a review of the Visionary Goals for 2017–2022.
Themes for this Year
• Creating a multicultural, multiracial intergenerational community
• Enhanced Hospitality
• Racial Justice Ministry
• Stewardship and Development
2018–2019 Finances
Reverend Crow’s expectation is that we will close the year with a balanced budget. We have paid off our mortgage, which results in significant savings.
Change Team
The Change Team is a board appointed team working to deepen our commitment to racial justice. Co-Chairs: Richard Spratt & Lillie Pang. Members: Karin Wille, Sarah Hedge, Ben Miles, Kayci Rush, Rev. Justin Schroeder
Building Renovations and Co-Location with Shir Tikvah
Reverend Crow is working with the Building Team to identify work that needs to be done to prevent damage; we have completed the tuckpointing to repair the roof and have cleaned the front of the building.
We are now spending lots of time and energy around co-location with Shir Tikvah. Eric Cooperstein, Board Chair, presented the powerful vision, developed by our clergy, for what it might mean to co-locate with Shir Tikvah.
The key themes included opportunity for: environmental stewardship, disrupting white supremacy, healing justice impact, increasing financial stability, and becoming a brave space to model the partnering, collaboration, and communication that is needed to meet the challenges we face today. A link to our vision statement and recommendation from the Change Team is found here.
The Finance/Legal Team is now considering a variety of ownership and financial models. Here is a link to the Frequently Asked Questions about the What and Why of Co-location.
Congregational Discussion and Input
In the Q & A time, congregants raised many important questions and issues about co-location, and expressed a desire to learn more about Shir Tikvah and what co-location would mean for our mission, our building, and our relationship with the community. Key questions and comments included:
• What are the needs and reactions of UUs with a Jewish background? We need to hear their voices.
• What is the future status of our current major tenant Southside Child Development Center?
• Is the elevator capacity sufficient?
• What are the timelines?
• Is our June annual meeting decision final?
• What happens if we don’t co-locate?
• How does this decision relate to dismantling White Supremacy?
• Are there any success stories of similar types of co-location?
• Have we reached out to discuss the impact on the neighborhood?
• Did we consider organizations made up of people of color to co-locate with us?
• People of color from both organizations should meet
• Is this initiative bold enough?
• More information about Shir Tikvah needs to be shared!
Opportunities to Learn More
There will be an update session after the second service on March 10, 2019 at 12:45 p.m. We encourage all congregants to become well-informed and attend one of the following information sessions:
Thursday, April 11, 10 a.m.-noon, hosted by Daytime Connections
Monday, April 15, 7-8:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 25, 7-8:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 5, 1-2:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 19, 1-2:30 p.m.
In addition, a special session for the choir members will be held Wednesday evening, May 8. An opportunity for congregants coming from a Jewish background to share thoughts and feelings that may be prompted by the co-location will be held on Sunday, March 17 after the second service.
Comments & Questions
We have set up an online feedback mechanism where you can share comments and questions. We encourage and welcome your feedback!
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