Northern Light July 2007

Outlined below is a summary of the financial reports presented to members of your Finance Committee and Board of Trustees for the month of May:

           Actual $ Budget
        Received (Expected
May, 2007   and Paid     Receipts &                                                             Payments)

Pledge Income $ 8,828    $ 11,889
Other Income    978     2,974
Total Income    $ 9,806       $ 14,863
Total Expenses    $ 16,788    $ 14,860

Year-to-Date

Pledge Income $ 62,440    $ 59,446
Other Income    5,600       14,870
Total Income    $ 68,040    $ 74,316
Total Expenses    $ 75,728    $ 74,300

Pledge Income for the month of May was below budget by $3,061.

There were a number of reasons why expenses were over budget for the month of May. Two of the main reasons are as follows:

1) Two months of UUA dues had to be paid before the end of May.

2) $959 was paid for RE-Consulting.

Until next month,
Nancy Remer

The North Unitarian Universalist Congregation is a sharing, nurturing, and caring community which promotes spiritual growth and development along with intellectual freedom. We provide an atmosphere of acceptance of one another while seeking to understand ourselves and our universe. We foster an ethical basis for living and celebrate life’s diversity. We reaffirm our respect for others which empowers us to act on our beliefs to improve our community and relieve social injustice.

I have been asked any number of questions when people discover that I am UU: “What do you believe?” “Do you believe in Jesus?” “Do you pray?” “Are you saved?” “Do you believe in God?” “What do you do on Sunday?”, etc, etc. I have generally been able to answer these questions in either welcoming or friendly ways (e.g. Lots of things, sort of, yes, isn’t everyone, depends on what you mean, neat stuff), but as part of our Building Exploratory Committee, I was asked a question I’ve never considered or even expected would ever be asked; “What is the mission of your church?”

This is one of those questions that is so basic that in answering it, you end up considering, and often questioning, the underlying assumptions to all of your actions and goals. In the context of the Building Exploratory Committee, the mission is what drives the ultimate building design, since the design and the building it creates should help further the mission. As an example, if the mission is to provide service to people in poverty, your building may be designed to accommodate collection and distribution of goods and/or providing free meals. If your mission is educational, your building would be designed to accommodate various classrooms as well as playground/green space. The mission drives the design and the final building helps facilitate the mission.

So the mission of NUUC is a critical question; one which there may not be a simple answer and definitely one that could not be written without a lot of input. Since no simple or clear answer existed, my first reaction was to turn the question over to everyone else and ask for their mission statement (a very lawyerly thing to do). I’ve asked the Building Exploratory Committee, the Board of Trustees and the committee chairs for their mission statement. However, as with much of the change process that NUUC has intentionally entered into over the past two years, the need, or at least the possible need, has been addressed, even though at the time it was addressed, it was not clear what use such product would have.

In May of 2006, the Board of Trustees participated in a retreat to consider the Learning Team report and to develop a strategic five year plan based on the results of the Learning Team’s survey. To that end, the Board developed the following mission for NUUC:

Two simple statements; but statements that encapsulate the ultimate goals and mission of our church. Our purpose, our mission, our vision is to live Unitarian Universalism every day and to be an example of our movement each and every day.

In reflection, and perhaps in response to this last month’s events, I would consider adding a third point, to preserve all that we cherish in our church in response to the fact of change. Change is a fact and one that we can neither stop nor ultimately control.

We recently learned that Nathan Hamm will be leaving us this fall. As Susan’s message pointed out, Nathan is one of those links to our collective past. Having been a constant part of our congregation for 20 years, he represents a continuity and stability that all organizations need. Yet time and change roll on and an opportunity such as Nathan has taken is rare. We will miss him, but we will always cherish his contribution to our congregation and growth.

Changes continue to occur in R/E as well as the program evolves to better serve all of our members. New programs and new ideas have been a constant for R/E as it remains one of our strengths as a congregation. Many new members have unabashedly told me that it was the R/E program which convinced them that this was the place for them.

With all of this change, I reflect that one additional mission is to preserve and protect all that is good in our congregation. To paraphrase Terrance Mann from Field of Dreams“America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But we have marked the time. This church, this congregation: it's a part of our past, It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again.” As we change, as we grow, as we build, we also preserve and maintain the dream of our founders. We keep a safe place, for all to explore and dream.

This fall, the Religious Education Committee and I are going to make developing a vibrant youth group a priority. Katie Erslev, our NUUC Religious Education Consultant, affirms that it is extremely difficult if not impossible to start a youth group “from scratch.” Consequently, our best opportunity to develop a youth group will be to work with the existing and strong group of middle schoolers.

Interestingly, Katie also pointed out that it is almost impossible for parents, volunteers, or traditional church staff to serve as effective youth advisors (we’re just not young enough or hip enough to know what’s really relevant). She reported that youth groups that succeed do so through the use of a paid youth advisor—someone who is both “cool” enough for the kids and responsible and mature enough to be trusted with such a responsibility. (Youth advisors continue, of course, to work with at least one parent volunteer at a time under the “two adults to a room” rule).

Accordingly, the Religious Education Committee and I asked and were glad to receive permission from the Board to hire a Youth Programs Advisor to begin September, 2007.

Check the Bulletin board in Fellowship hall or Click Here for the details of the job, and please let me know personally if you can think of someone appropriate for this position. We plan to start more official advertisement within the next few weeks.

-Rev. Susan Ritchie, Director of Religious Education

This year the Social Action Committee will be organizing many social justice projects that we will be asking you as an individual of the congregation to support by volunteering your time. In June we asked you to help us represent our congregation by marching in the Pride Parade.

On July 21 & 22 NUUC will be hosting the “Eyes Wide Open, State of Ohio” Exhibit. The exhibit features a pair of boots honoring every Ohio soldier killed in the Iraq War. The goal of the exhibit is to reflect upon and open our eyes wide to the actual number of Ohio soldiers killed in the war. Besides the soldiers’ boots, one pair of civilian shoes will be on display for every 1,000 civilians killed in the war. This exhibit will be open to the public July 21st & 22nd from 10am-4pm rain or shine. Since social action isn't just a committee, your help is needed in setting up, manning, and taking down the exhibit on both days. Setting up and taking down the exhibit is a great way for families to participate in social action. It will help kids to develop an understanding of the reality of war by actually seeing the number of soldiers and civilians who have lost their lives in this war.

For more information about the American Friends Service Committee’s “Eyes Wide Open Exhibit,” you may go to their national website,http://www.afsc.org/. Also on their website is a music video by The Robert Cray Band about the Eyes Wide Open Exhibit, and the opportunity to send a letter to representatives in Congress expressing your feelings about the War in Iraq. You may also go to the State of Ohio website, http://www.afsc.net/ewoohio.html for local information. A sign up sheet is posted in Fellowship Hall for those of you interesting in volunteering your time. There will also be an orientation session organized by the local AFSC chapter on Sunday, July 15, at 11:30am on the second floor of the Nielsen House for those individuals who will be manning the exhibit. For more information please contact Tracy Steinbrenner at tsteinbr@columbus.rr.com or any other Social Action Committee member.