A Letter From the President ...

(The following is excerpted from the monthly Newsletter)

CAUTION: THIS COULD GET LOUD!

Last November the Board of Trustees asked four members to serve on a Campus Vision Task Force to help determine the best use of our buildings and grounds. April Posson, Neal Overstrom, Laurel Holmes, and Judith Crotty agreed to serve. After several meetings, they asked the Board to create a clearer, more focused vision statement to guide their work.

Our vision is embedded in the Long Range Plan, reflective of the thoughts gathered from the congregation a couple of years ago in a series of visioning workshops. But the Task Force was right: it needed to be more clearly articulated.
And so the Board went to work.

For six weeks, Lynn Tavormina and Tracey Rose led us through a series of drafts. At the February meeting, with guidance from Rev. Carolyn and suggestions from Nathan Pawelek, we completed a new vision statement. We tried to make it concise and compelling.

Our vision for the future: All Souls welcomes seekers to our liberal religion and offers a transformative worship experience. We act boldly, compassionately, and publicly for justice. We intentionally share the message of Unitarian Universalism. While building a congregation of over 300 members, we broaden and deepen our ministries with community partnerships and an integrated campus.

Now let’s do something completely different. Let’s explode it! Here are the actions, the verbs, spread out so we can wander around, look at them up close, and play with them. I’m doodling with my pencil, adding stars and arrows, curlicues, hearts, exclamation points, connecting phrases with zigzag lines and loops.
Try it.
Which of these actions calls to you?
Which might be your ministry over the next five years?

• welcome seekers
• offer transformative worship
• act publicly for justice
• act boldly for justice
• intentionally share message of Unitarian Universalism
• build the congregation
• form community partnerships
• broaden ministries
• design integrated campus
• act compassionately for justice
• deepen ministries

We are all called to “welcome seekers” as we were once welcomed. I am personally drawn to the phrases “act boldly…and publicly” and “intentionally share the message of Unitarian Universalism.” Those words remind me of the visioning workshop for families. Josh Smith and Denise Davies Smith, Chris and Gretchen Duhamel, and Royce James and Jessica James-Carnes were there, thinking big, brave thoughts for All Souls. I will never forget Royce saying, “We should be louder!” That’s exactly what the new vision statement calls for, and I am ready.
How about you?
A good start might be to sing Hymn 298 really loud: “Wake, now, my vision of ministry clear….”
I’m listening!
Jan Larson

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Board of Trustees ...

President, Jan Larson
Vice-President, George Dowker
Treasurer, Rob Casey
Secretary, Ginny Campbell

Members-at-Large

Pat Abraham
Bob Bunting
Nick Evento
Tracey Rose
Lynn Tavormina

News from the Board

The regular monthly meeting was held on Wednesday January 20

Highlights included:
• The Board will hold an early stewardship event at the start of the February Board meeting.
• The capital expenditure plan for our Huntington Street building was reviewed.
• Leadership training opportunities were identified.
• Treasurer Rob Casey reported that we are in good financial shape at this point in the year, but utility costs are rising during the winter months.
• The Board discussed a draft of a new vision statement, which will guide us through the next five year period.

The Next Board Meeting is scheduled for:
THURSDA Y • February 11 • 7pm

Ginny Campbell, Board Secretary

Board Meetings Highlights Archive