What Is Tapestry to Me?

by Erika Calderon on 11/8/2023

What is Tapestry to me? It has been several things:

• Place to grow
• Place to connect
• Place to be loved
• Place to be accepted as I am
• Place to dream
• Place to believe

Place to be
I arrived to Tapestry in shambles. Coming from a difficult breakup and an unpleasant experience from my previous church. I arrived with tears and received open arms.

Place to connect
I arrived with a deep need to connect with other women-aligned individuals about how we experience this world and this life. Tapestry gave me a clean slate to create the experience I needed. The women- aligned spirituality group was created and it has been one of the best experiences in my life. This group allows for deep connections.

Place to be accepted as I am
I arrived with my quiet demeanor and the time it takes to warm up before I open up. And that was ok. I have found this place allows me to just be with the knowledge that my Tapestry family is there when I am ready to connect.

Place to dream
I can see the potential this church has to grow and evolve. I am so excited to be part of this new phase-with new people, new families, new programs, new ways to connect. The sky's the limit!

Place to believe
Tapestry is a place where I am invited to believe in the goodness of each other, in the possibilities of how we can transform ourselves into better versions of ourselves.

In order for all this to happen we need your help. We need all our members and friends to contribute with time, talent and treasure so we can continue to bring this to more people in our community.

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