Dear Ones!
During the coffee hour discernment discussion today, it became clear that because many of the decisions following either Bold Experimentation & Risk or Closure are the same that there is confusion regarding what each option would look like after we have voted. In neither case is implementation completed quickly. Below are a few bullets regarding decisions that would need to be made in either case.
Closure
If the congregation votes for closure, that does not mean we shut everything down immediately, or even by the end of this congregational year (end of June).
If we close, we want to make sure it is a deliberate, careful process that strives to preserve the legacy of the congregation and to help congregants through the necessary grieving that is part of closing.
The grieving process and supporting congregants through this transition would include celebrations and rituals, as well as business decisions.
Celebrations & Rituals
- Sunday services that honor our history and traditions
- Hospice ministry by Rev. Kali, while we have her
- A series of celebrations of the congregation, including a final celebration to which past congregants, ministers, community members, and members of other congregations and organizations are all invited
- Potluck parties and circle dinners to reassert ties with each other and to the congregation
Business Decisions
- Do we join another congregation and in what form?
- How long do we keep the congregation open while we make these decisions?
- Which congregation do we join?
- Do we try to join as a whole or let each member go their own way?
- Do we join another congregation even as we wind down the various elements of 6 Locke St., thus giving members additional time for the transition?
- How do we dispose of the financial legacy of the congregation?
- Donate it to the Unitarian Universalist Association?
- Bring it with us to a congregation we join?
- Do we try to sell the building at 6 Locke St?
- Perhaps we would bring that with us to the congregation we join? What does that congregation want?
- Donate the building to the Unitarian Universalist Association?
- Even if we decide to sell the building and add the proceeds to our endowment, that process will take a long time.
- What do we do with our records, which are part of our history? How do we ensure that this part of our legacy is not lost?
- Donate it to a historical society?
- Bring it with us to a congregation we join, because that history then becomes part of their history as well.
- What do we do with the contents of the building at 6 Locke St?
- How do we support our staff during the transition?
- Need to alert the renters regarding the fate of the building.
Bold Experimentation & Risk
If the congregation votes to stay open and try Bold Experimentation & Risk, many of the business decisions could look the same as those for Closure, especially if we opt to sell the building.
The congregation would need to decide:
- Do we keep the building or sell it and rent space for our own meetings?
- If we opt to sell the building, can we afford a part-time minister?
- Do we link ourselves to another congregation in some way?
- Which congregation?
- What would that look like?
- What aspects do we share and what do we keep separate?
- How do we start to find and communicate with other organizations with whom we will partner in order to be outward-facing?
- What will our worship look like?
- Where will we worship?
- Will we worship on Sunday mornings or some other time?
- Who will lead our worship: lay-led and guest ministers? Part-time minister? Or, if we are joined in some fashion with another congregation, how would that affect worship?
- Does worship take a different format? More singing and music? More rituals? Do we sit in a circle rather than rows? Do we worship outside?
The truly difficult decisions of Bold Experimentation & Risk are very different from those of Closure because they involve trying out different ways to seek out other organizations and discover how to intersect with them in ways that are mutually beneficial. This is the outward-facing element, and we would need to continually evaluate how our efforts toward this end are going, make adjustments, discover new partner organizations, and try again.
I would also note that voting for Closure does not mean that we would not be able to experiment with outward-facing partnerships with other organizations. This kind of energy and effort could be brought to any congregation we join, by individuals or as a merged congregation.
I strongly encourage you to think deeply about the options for our future and to imagine what either might look like. Explore the materials available (see below), come to the discussions between now and the vote (see schedule below), and think about what you would be willing to do to implement the option for which you vote.
Peace and health,
Karin
Mid-Year Meeting /Discernment Presentation Recap
On Sunday January 22, the UUCiA held its mid-year congregational meeting followed by a presentation and discussion of the ongoing Discernment process. President Karin Fuog, who led the meeting, presented the congregation with two options – identified and explored by the Discernment Committee – for moving forward beyond our current congregational year: 1) Bold Experimentation and Risk, or 2) Closure.
The meeting was called to order shortly after noon and was adjourned shortly after 2pm. In attendance were 31 members, including 9 remote attendees.
If you missed the meeting, we hope you’ll set aside an hour or two to review the following resources. Our Congregation’s future is now in your hands:
- Mid-Year Meeting Presentation (slides)
- Options for Our Future (slides)
This slideshow includes links to potential budgets based on various scenarios, including if we sell the building and if we don’t sell the building. To access the Speaker Notes, click the dropdown arrow next to “Slideshow” in the upper right corner and select Presenter View. When that opens in a separate window, you can enlarge it to fit the whole screen and then slide the divider between the slide and the speaker notes so that the font on each is big enough to read easily
NOTE: If you’d like access to an interactive version of these potential budgets that enables you to plug in and compare different numbers for various budget lines, please email David at dgrober@gmail.com and he will send you a link to your very own Budget worksheet. - A Zoom recording of the meeting (2 hours) NOTE: As comments and questions from the audience are not audible, we made our best effort to summarize these at the lectern.
- Imagining Connection to Another Congregation
- Have an idea or comment or question? PLEASE add it to our brainstorming doc.
- All Other Discernment Resources are in this Google Folder
- Do you still have questions? Please attend a Q&A session with Discernment committee members. Stop by one or more of the following sessions on Zoom or in person.
— Mon January 30, 7-9 pm on Zoom LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85339112850?pwd=dm5MZWVlYVRHb3dNSklWeFdlQllGUT09
— Wed February 1, 7 to 9 pm In-person at 6 Locke Street
— Thu February 2, 7 to 9 pm In-person at 6 Locke Street ANDon Zoom LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85339112850?pwd=dm5MZWVlYVRHb3dNSklWeFdlQllGUT09
— Sat February 4, 10 am to Noon on Zoom LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85339112850?pwd=dm5MZWVlYVRHb3dNSklWeFdlQllGUT09
— Sun February 5, 11:30-12:30 pm In-person during Fellowship
— Mon February 6, 7-9 pm on Zoom LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85339112850?pwd=dm5MZWVlYVRHb3dNSklWeFdlQllGUT09
— Wed February 8, 7-9 pm on Zoom LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85339112850?pwd=dm5MZWVlYVRHb3dNSklWeFdlQllGUT09
— Sat February 10am to Noon on Zoom LINK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85339112850?pwd=dm5MZWVlYVRHb3dNSklWeFdlQllGUT09
— Sun February 12, 11:30-12:30 pm In-person during Fellowship
Printed versions of all the above resources will be supplied upon request and a few copies will be available at the back of the sanctuary.
Get Ready to Vote
The January 22 informational meeting was an opportunity for questions and discussions from attendees. No action or votes were taken at this meeting. A final vote on the future of the congregation will take place on Sunday, February 19, immediately following worship service and fellowship.
Only members of the Congregation will be able to vote, and all votes will be anonymous. You will be able to cast your anonymous vote in person OR remotely on February 19.
If you are not certain that you’ll be able to attend in person or virtually on February 19 and wish to cast your vote, the Board will provide you with a mail-in ballot. All members of the Board will be voting by mail-in ballot, and we will ensure that these mail-in ballots are also anonymous. To request a mail-in ballot, please complete this form ASAP.
Between now and February 19, all members of the Discernment Committee are available to discuss the process with you. Please refer to the schedule above for Zoom and in-person discussion times. Or, you are welcome to contact any of the Discernment Committee members anytime for a one-on-one discussion.
The Discernment Committee is:
- Chas Bicking chas.bicking@gmail.com 978-687-0754
- Molly Bicking mcbicking@gmail.com 978-687-0754
- Karin Fuog karinfuog@gmail.com 240-429-8968
- Rev Kali Fyre rev.kalifyre@gmail.com 603-289-0599.
- David Grober dgrober@gmail.com 978-885-0892
- Marie Montgomery m_montgomery@verizon.net 781-507-6430
Thank you for your attention and involvement.
Sincerely,
The Discernment Committee, UUCiA
