January 17, 2005
Nana's Mini Notes
It was good to have about two weeks off. My foot surgery was minor, and I am healing quickly with very little discomfort. I curled up on the sofa with my ailing cat, Joshua, and read books and periodicals. I finished the first volume of the new Theodore Parker biography written by Dean Grodzins. The second volume is due for publication this year, and I look forward to reading it. Parker was a fascinating person, charismatic preacher, abolitionist activist who had a great influence on our young Unitarian Association. I also read some other books relating to church life and worship.
I am back to (at least) full time now and will be seeing you at meetings and classes, as well as on Sunday morning. And soon (I hope) I can trade in the classic "I did something to my foot and it’s healing" boot for some rather more classy shoes! Thank you for your support during this time of healing.
Posted by harboruu at 11:49 AM | Comments (0)
September 09, 2004
What is HUUC's Mission
Mission of Harbor Unitarian Universalist Congregation? Sept-18
This gathering will take place at HUUC in the social hall on Saturday, September 18th at 9:30 AM. The process is in depth and will require a commitment of several hours and refreshments will be provided. If you have an interest in the future goals of HUUC, please plan to attend this very important experience.
Posted by harboruu at 01:44 PM | Comments (0)
Good communication… sometimes it isn’t all that easy
Cathy Kaufman, Board President of HUUC
Remember the old childhood game of telephone? The first child in line whispers a sentence to the second person, who repeats it to the next in line, etc. until it has been translated through the line to the very last child on the end. Inevitably, the sentence has been converted to something vaguely similar to the original sentence. So, “I have a pretty red apple”, has been turned into something like, “I crave a witty bed table”.
We have so many forms of communication at our disposal in the twenty-first century. Only twenty years ago, very few people had access to email or a cell phone and the answering machine was a fairly new concept. Now, just a couple decades later, many of us would be lost without these conveniences to keep in touch with our friends, family and work. With all these new forms of communication at our disposal, you would think that we would be wonderful communicators! NOT!
I would be lost without email. It is my favorite way to correspond. I can zip out an email message to one or to twenty people in less than a minute, which by telephone would take me an hour or more to do. I find that since it is so quick and easy, I am more open in emails than I am on the phone. Emails aren’t as personal because you are not speaking directly to the person. I make myself reread each before sending it to see if it portrays what I had intended. If it comes across a little too harsh, I change the wording.
Like so many people, I lead a very busy life. So I may be doing one thing, while thinking about something else. This can sometimes cause miscommunication in what my husband refers to as my “tone”. I will say something to him and he will respond with anger in his voice so I respond back with anger now in my voice, and after arguing a few minutes, I say, “why are we yelling at each other?” To which he responds, “well you started it”, “I did not, you did, I only said….”Yes, he says, but you said it using an angry tone”. I hadn’t even been aware I used a “tone”. I was thinking about something else totally unrelated that was causing the “angry tone” in my voice. This occurs frequently in our house. Perhaps we should just email each other.
Since becoming the Board President, I have a lot of people who come directly to me with concerns, ideas and hearsay. It is interesting when several people approach me about the same topic but with totally different versions of it. Like the story of the blind men feeling different parts of the elephant, each person comes away from an experience with a different view of the same situation. In a Unitarian Universalist context, there could be hundreds of different viewpoints!
As a democratic institution, everyone should feel free to state their opinions, except when they may cause harm to HUUC or to others. It is here that the line gets fuzzy.
Let’s go back to the story of the elephant. Let’s say one HUUC committee is the blind man feeling the tail of the elephant and another committee is feeling his trunk and there are some members feeling his legs. Whose interpretation of the elephant is correct? They all are, only none of them are seeing the entire picture, only the part that is within their reach. In the same way, when several people approach me with different suggestions to solve one problem, I conclude pretty quickly that I can’t possibly please them all, nor is it my job to do so.
In order for clear communication to work, a democratic system needs followed. I do my best to justify the question of complaint on the spot if I am aware of the details and have an answer; otherwise I direct the person to the correct committee or person who can help them. For example, if a suggestion for a change in policy is made, the correct procedure would be to relate it in writing for the board, either in person to a board member or place it in the President’s in/out box in the office space in the social hall. The board will address the suggestion at the next board meeting and make a decision based on the mission and goals of the church among other considerations. I would also suggest that if you have a question about board or committee work, you ask a member to get you the meeting minutes. This is information that is available to all.
As President, I feel it is my job to help all the blind men see the entire elephant. The board has recently created a way to do just that. On September 18, all members are invited to attend a Mission/Vision writing session, once written, these statements of HUUC will be presented to all committee chairs, staff and board members at a quarterly informational sharing time named CommUnity (Committee + Unity) meetings. It is my hope that these meetings will generate better communication between the HUUC leadership and make our organization stronger.
Sometimes you need to put aside all the newest gadgets and just sit together and communicate person to person!
Posted by harboruu at 01:41 PM | Comments (0)
July 29, 2004
August Membership Report
Membership Committee
The membership committee will be distributing a simple survey to recruit members and friends to perform certain tasks for the operations of the congregation. The volunteer opportunities are being the Sunday morning greeter, making coffee for the after-church coffee hour, serving at Supper House, and being the sound technician for a Sunday service.
Part of the survey gives you the opportunity to tell us about your interests and talents and work experience with an eye to matching your "resume" to other volunteer needs of the congregation such as gardening, cooking, office/computer work, fundraising, working with children, etc.
We hope to reach as many members and friends as possible with this survey. The form will be included in the order of service for the next two or three weeks and distributed via email/mail. The information received will be 1) used to fashion a volunteer calendar showing who is to be coffee person or sound technician and the like on future Sundays, and 2) distributed to the various committees and task forces that seem to be appropriate avenues for your stated interests and abilities.
We intend to have all this systematized and running by September of this year. As this is going to take considerable time and effort to bring about, we urge everyone to get their completed forms back to us as soon as possible. Completed forms can be brought to church and left at the welcome table in the basket marked "COMPLETED FORMS", or mailed to the church, marked "attention membership".
Dates will be assigned arbitrarily and then adjusted as your personal conflicts are considered. Reminders of your work dates will be sent by e-mail if possible, otherwise by postcard. Thank you for your cooperation.
Jackie MacDonald
Posted by harboruu at 10:31 AM | Comments (0)
Childern's Religious Education Report August 2004
Children’s Religious Education
Our HUUC RE program is growing by leaps and bounds over the summer months! Our space is improving and our classes are growing. We would welcome participation from any of our members as we move quickly toward another church school year. This is an excellent time to consider joining the RE Committee to offer your input and ideas. Committee participation does not require a teaching commitment. Long or short-term service to this dynamic group is most welcome! Join us for one meeting or for the entire year. The next RE Committee meeting will take place at HUUC on Thursday, August 12 at 6:30 p.m. For more information, or to offer your suggestions for our RE Program, contact Carolyn Holmes, RE Chair.
Carolyn Holmes
Posted by harboruu at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)
Nana's Notes for August 2004
NANA’S NOTES
"What is done is done, but nothing is settled. And if nothing is settled, then everything matters."
...Robert R. Walsh
We cannot change the past. What we have done is done and cannot be changed. However, life doesn't stop after one specific event, good or bad. It continues, thus nothing is settled. We can't change what has happened, but that was not the end of the story. What we do now affects the story also. Therefore, everything matters.
We are preparing to celebrate the 50th birthday of this congregation. We are reviewing our history, which cannot be changed. Nor do we wish to change it! We have much of which to be proud. 50 years of a voice for liberal religion in West Michigan--we are proud of that! 50 years of potlucks and parties and presence--we are proud of that! 50 years of teaching children the wonder of creation, the truths about their lives, and the questions we must ask to pursue meaning--we are proud of that! 50 years of loving and caring for the members and friends in this congregation--we are proud of that!
We'll be celebrating and honoring our history. However, the story continues. This congregation will not cease following the celebration, for we are still writing our story. The celebration will be part of how we shape our future. It matters how we celebrate and how we tell our story, and how we continue after the celebration is over.
ou'll be hearing about the plans our 50th Celebration Committee is making. You may be called upon to help. You may have deas about how we can best plan and execute this celebration. If so, please talk to Cathy Kaufman or me. We'll begin our celebration in October, which marks 50 years after the first meeting of the fellowship, and complete it in April, marking 50 years after our charter.
Our history cannot be changed, our present shapes our future, and our future is unlimited! Nothing is settled, and everything matters!
-Nana’
Posted by harboruu at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)