Stewardship 2024

by Geoff Sanders on 1/31/2024

I have been a member of Tapestry for over 27 years, and I think we’re hitting on all cylinders right now. Church attendance is up, groups are humming, new and old members are volunteering to take on important positions, the future looks bright. 

Of course, I give our illustrious minister most of the credit. Our ministerial search committee thought Alisha would be a good fit, but I think she has far surpassed our expectations. Her drive and commitment to our church inspires us all. And although we only hired Alisha for 100 hours per month, she finds time beyond her usual duties to generate new ideas and programs, enhance Tapestry’s profile in the community, and even meet with many members one on one as needed. She might even be giving us more than 100 hours per month, which bothers me.

We pride ourselves on trying to ensure that we pay our minister fair compensation. And as a member of the Unitarian Universalist Association, our church has access to minister compensation guidelines that take into account churches of our size, resources, and the demographic market we are in. I’m afraid the salary we’re paying comes up a little short.

We certainly want our minister to be properly compensated, but to do so we’ll need to increase revenue next year. That’s where our Stewardship Campaign comes in. Don’t worry. As I’ve said before, Stewardship isn’t anything you need to stress about. We will only be asking members to pledge an amount that they feel good about. As for the process, see my October letter below in this Blog. A steward will be asking to meet with you soon.

Thanks for all you do!
Geoff

Welcome to Our New Members!

by Geoff Sanders on 12/18/2023

I am proud and pleased that 19 people (13 adults, 6 youth & children) joined our church on Sunday, 12/17/23. Our church is definitely doing some things right.

First, I want to commend our minister. Alisha only joined us last April, but she’s already having a significant impact on our programs. I think our membership growth is testimony to her hard work and commitment to our church.

As for our new members, I encourage you to become fully participating members of our community. This will, of course, mean different things to each of you, depending on your interests and availability, and Tapestry has a lot to offer as our weekly newsletter shows.

For me, the most important part of membership is showing up, and the best place to show up is at our Sunday services. Church services give us a lot, but the time we spend together after each service is also important. This is where many lifelong friendships develop. Most of my friends are members or former members of our church. And these friendships strengthen and sustain our community.

Building community is important, and together we are constantly striving to maintain a healthy, welcoming, open minded, diverse congregation serving people of all ages and descriptions. And many come to church seeking a higher purpose. For some, that higher purpose is spiritual growth; for others it is working towards social, economic or environmental justice. The good news is that our church serves all these goals, and we appreciate everyone’s contributions.

Ready to get more involved? Here are some suggestions:

1. Fill in the Interests and Skills survey under the Members Portal on our website at: https://uutapestry.org/survey.
2. Checkout our weekly newsletter. It’s full of information about what your fellow members are up to, and they are usually looking for people to join them in some group or activity.
3. Contact the Third Principle Team, 3pt@uutapestry.org. These are folx who are actively seeking to help members find their niche and ways to grow.
4. Attend Program Council meetings where church programs are discussed and decisions are made.
5. Want to have fun? I think all of our groups are fun, and you have many activities to consider, e.g., Monthly Potluck & Game Night, Karaoke Night at Dragon’s Lair, Brew Crew, Disc Golf, etc. See our newsletter.
6. Want to go deeper? Join us in Corner Forum or join the Tapestry Book Club or a Covenant Group like Big Questions, Deep Listening.
7. Want to participate in a social justice or community support project. Contact our Social, Environmental, and Economic Justice Team at seejustice@uutapestry.org.
8. Can’t find what you want? Start a new group. You just need a couple of other members to get started.

Whatever you do, have fun doing it. Thanks for all you do!
Geoff

Letter From the President

by Geoff Sanders on 10/14/2023

I’m excited! Alisha became our minister in April, and she’s an inspiration. Sunday attendance is up, new people are coming in, and more importantly, many of them are returning. New ideas and suggested programs are being discussed. It feels like we are growing into the kind of church many of us have been yearning for. Keep up the good work and the welcoming spirit we are famous for!

But to keep our momentum going, we need your help. A church must depend on the time, talents and treasure of its members and friends. So let me tell you about our upcoming Stewardship Campaign. Although it won’t officially kickoff until next year, here’s what you can expect.

“Stewardship is not just about money — everyone in the congregation should receive a stewardship call, whether or not it is perceived that they have the capacity or the desire to make a financial commitment….

The stewardship call is that one time during the year that people receive a visit and have the opportunity to express their feelings about how they perceive the past year.” — Asking Makes a Difference by UUA Consultant Jerald King.

I will be calling on experienced members of our church to become stewards. After appropriate preparations and training, stewards will begin scheduling informal meetings with all members and pledging friends of the church. Preferably these meetings will occur in person in people’s homes or other suitable places. It should be a friendly, no pressure conversation, and the steward will answer all questions, or promise to get back with an answer when he or she doesn’t know something. Everyone should come away better informed, and perhaps even motivated to become more involved.

As for the money part, you’ll be requested to fill in an online pledge card for the coming fiscal year (beginning 7/1/24), which will only be seen by Tapestry’s Finance Committee. The Finance Committee will then build next year’s budget, which will cover our minister’s salary, rental of our beautiful church space, UUA dues, and the various other costs necessary to effectively maintain our church. If you are a member of Tapestry, you can see our current budget on our website by navigating to the Tapestry Document Repository under Leadership > Financials > 2023-2024 > Tapestry Budget 2023-2024.pdf.

Please let me know at president@uutapestry.org if you have any questions, suggestions or other concerns. And stay tuned for more information.

Thanks for all you do!
Geoff