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2008 CUUF BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Vern Smith, President—667-2199, 860-2008
Erik Dilling, Vice President —432-5346
Lois Cole, Secretary/Treasurer—886-7836
Gary Pape—886-4526
Gene Kupferman—663-2668
Chris Rader—548-4073
Judy Trefethen—662-2518
Joe Palmer—665-3119
Sharon Petit—884-6773

The Board meets the first Thursday of each month.
Minutes are posted in the entryway of the church.

2007 Canvass Highlights

FROM THE CUUF BOARD OF TRUSTEES

State of the Fellowship Forum—
On March 16th, the Board held a forum focusing on the State of the Fellowship. About 35 people attended and we enjoyed an assortment of breakfast snacks and coffee. We discussed the Ministry Search as well as growth and communication topics. Chris Rader gave a presentation on the feedback collected during last fall’s Canvass/Pledge Drive . Sharon Petit presented the budget and several financial topics were discussed. We will be finalizing the budget and presenting it to the congregation for approval at an upcoming service. I would like to thank those who prepared and/or attended this forum. I believe it was a positive step in open communication and planning for our fellowship.

Respectfully,
Vern Smith
Board President

Vern welcomes your comments and suggestions. You can reach him at 509-860-2008.



BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

April, 2008
• Board approved cost/feasibility study to remodel sanctuary
• Proposed budget is being revised for membership approval
• Board approved purchase of custom-built lectern.
• Rita Salama & Joe Palmer will update building use policy
• Board supported Visioning America’s plan to show “Sicko”
with panel discussion at CUUF.
• Monthly “Board Minute” will be presented second Sunday of
each month
• Revisit Welcoming Congregation status when we have a
minister
• Parking options discovered; raise awareness of members
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
Community Concerns—Lois Cole, Liaison:
• collecting items for yard sale.
Facilities—Erik Dilling, liaison:
• septic system repaired
• grounds were spruced up
Fellowship Care—Chris Rader, liaison:
• following up on retention of members and visitors
• working on packets for newcomers
Financial Well-Being—Sharon Petit, liaison:
• newly formed committee meeting in May.
• recommended transferring surplus checking funds to Vanguard
Money Market account
Long-Range Planning—Gary Pape, liaison:
• 70 Ministerial Search Surveys returned; forum on April 20
to share results
• assembling packet for prospective ministers
Personnel Committee—Joe Palmer, liaison.
• potential personnel problems identified
• working on personnel handbook
• Board approved committee’s recommendations for supervision
of paid employees
RE—Vern Smith, liaison:
• teens and parents interested in forming Youth Group
• playground equipment installation to begin soon
Social/Environmental Action—Judy Trefethen, liaison:
• event scheduled--Sister Jackie Hudson, June 3
• checking into involvement with Habitat for Humanity
• working on ways to involve youth
• plans to sponsor Zen speaker in fall
Sunday Services/Adult RE—Lois Cole, liaison:
• Sunday Services planned through June
• fine-tuning services
COMING SOON — “GETTING READY FOR MINISTRY” WORKSHOP
March, 2008
  • 5 members attended Pacific Northwest District’s Annual
  • General Meeting (see page 6 & 7 for reports)
  • COMMITTEE REPORTS:
  • Communications—Gene Kupferman, liaison:
    • NWPR campaign under way
    • entry way carpet replaced
  • Community Concerns—Lois Cole, Liaison:
    • plans for 2008 yard sale.
  • Facilities—Erik Dilling, liaison:
    • plans to improve path between pavement and RE building
    • working on facility expansion estimates
    • Covenant Group planning bathroom facelifts
    • exploring parking options
    • will fix kitchen sink
  • Fellowship Care—Chris Rader, liaison:
    • follow-up phone calls made to visitors and others
    • held first “UU and You” roundtable discussion
  • Long-Range Planning—Gary Pape, liaison:
    • committee focusing on ministry.
    • Ministry Search Committee formed and approved
    • developing packet of who we are for potential candidates
    • developing questionnaire for CUUF members
    • “Getting Ready for Ministry” workshop planned
    • Board requested financial campaign for ministry fund
  • Personnel Committee—Joe Palmer, liaison.
    • working on an overall personnel plan.
  • RE—Vern Smith, liaison:
    • RE preschooler activities will continue as announced
  • Social/Environmental Action—Judy Trefethen, liaison:
    • Iraq talk by Dana Visalli well attended
    • booth planned for Domestic and Sexual Violence Crisis Center’s Pig-Out-in-the-Park.
    • April 15 tax appropriations demonstration planned
  • Sunday Services/Adult RE—Lois Cole, liaison;
    • task team investigated option of two services.
    • Board tabled study until October board meeting
    • plans to co-host Heartstrong event with PFLAG
    • plans to co-host “In-laws and Outlaws” screening w/PFLAG
    • Board approved use of adult RE donations by the committee
  • Finance—Sharon Petit, liaison:
    • committee needs chair
    • Change in checking account from personal to business
    • Plans to transfer surplus checking balance to CDs
    • Planned “State of the Fellowship” forum.
    • Approved name of “UU Christian Study Group”
    • Board members pledging to Chalice Lighter Program; will be recruiting others
  • Reminder of “Growing Our Fellowship” workshop, March 29

February, 2008

  • Planned Feb. 10 Board Retreat
  • Voted to reimburse costs for attendees to Pacific Northwest District Annual General Meeting.
  • Administrative position title changed to Office Administrator with salary increase.
  • COMMITTEE REPORTS:
    • Communications—Gene Kupferman, liaison
      • NWPR ad campaign planned
      • UU Elevator Speech contest planned
    • Community Concerns— Lois Cole, liaison:
      • Plans for 2008 yard sale
    • Facilities —Erik Dilling, liaison
      • Moving from reacting to action.
    • Fellowship Care—Chris Rader, liaison
      • Looking for more members.
    • Long-Range Planning—Gary Pape, liaison
      • Forming Ministry Search Committee
      • Sunday Services Committee to research two-service plan
      • Facilities Committee to look at possible expansion.
    • Personnel Committee—New committee
      • Pat Brooke, chair; Joe Palmer, liaison
      • Interviewed candidates for janitorial position.
      • Position awarded to Brian Ohme and John Crew to job-share.
    • RE—Vern Smith, liaison
      • New chair needed.
    • Social/Environmental Action—Judy Trefethen, liaison
      • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration successful
      • Creating Valentines for legislators requesting Dept. of Peace
      • Sponsoring Iraq talk by Dana Visalli
      • Holding Conscientious Objector Training Workshop
    • Sunday Services/Adult RE—Lois Cole, liaison;
      • Working with local PFLAG on event
      • Obtaining license to show movies

      January, 2008

      • Welcome to new board members: Sharon Petit, Judy Trefethen and Joe Palmer
      • New officers elected: Vern Smith, President; Erik Dilling, Vice President; Lois Cole, Secretary/Treasurer
      • Board retreat planned for Sunday, February 10
      • Board meetings: the first Thursday of every month at 7:00.
      • Plans to attend the PNWD Annual General Meeting
      • Administrative Assistant title changed to Congregational Administrator
      • Pledges for 2008 now total around $68,000, about $1000 more than last year.
      • Liaisons and Committees were paired:
        • Sunday Services/Adult RE –Lois Cole
        • Financial Well-Being –Sharon Petit
        • Social/Environmental Action –Judy Trefethen
        • Community Concerns –Judy Trefethen
        • Religious Education –Vern Smith
        • Communication –Gene Kupferman
        • Long-Range Planning –Gary Pape
        • Facilities –Erik Dilling
        • Fellowship Care –Chris Rader
        • * –Joe Palmer will fill in as needed
      • Lois and Vern (with Rita)—preparing 2008 budget

BLESSING THE WORLD

Reports from the UUA, Pacific Northwest District, Annual General Meeting

Five members from CUUF attended the annual general meeting, March 1 and 2, all of them wiser with the information gleaned from the workshops and enriched from the experience of being in the presence of hundreds of UUs. They are all willing to share information in more depth with anyone who’s interested. Here are their reports:

Chris Rader—

In workshops and talks throughout the weekend, we were inspired to improve our congregations and our own lives in order to “be a blessing to the world.” I attended two workshops on UU congregations and one on personal growth; all were excellent, as were the talks by Rev. Rebecca Parker and the Sunday service led by Rev. Peter Luton.

Effective Committees on Ministry—No longer simply support groups for ministers who navigate congregational dynamics and advocate for the minister, COMs now are responsible for assessing the whole church ministry guided by the congregation’s mission statement. Strategies include (1) using “appreciative inquiry” (focusing on what’s going well) to assess the quality of the ministry/ outreach; (2) consulting with the minister and church leaders regarding goal achievement; (3) facilitating conflict resolution (using resources from PNWD’s Healthy Congregations Team); and (4) setting policy for rites of passage processes. At CUUF we don’t have a Committee on Ministry but we could well benefit from forming one in a year or two.

Welcoming Congregations—There are guidelines for becoming a formal Welcoming Congregation, and resources at the national UUA level focusing on actively reaching out to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities. More than being silently tolerant of GBLTs, the congregation by majority vote affirms that it welcomes GBLTs. It does this by such means as a declaration on the web site, flying a rainbow flag, and allowing GBLT groups to use the facility. Getting the majority of the congregation to affirm this can be a difficult process, usually taking a year and several committed members.

Peacemaking through Compassionate Communication—Nonviolent communication, a concept pioneered by Marshall Rosenberg, teaches that underlying all conflict is a need: to be appreciated, to be listened to, for safety, freedom, order, joy; and dozens of other needs or values. If someone yells at you, first connect with and center yourself, then listen and empathize to determine which of their needs is/are not being met. “The cause of my negative feelings is my needs, not your behavior. Your behavior is a trigger or stimulus.” When all parties understand and value each other’s needs, conflicts can be resolved.

Vern Smith—

Overall, I felt the AGM was a highly useful event and I am very glad that I was able to attend. The train ing, fellowship and networking were excellent, and I really enjoyed the Sunday Service.

Annual Budget Drives: Going Beyond Fundraising—-A new perspective in the ongoing effort to fund a church and all of its programs includes calling it “Stewardship” and making sure the effort is nestled under the umbrella of the congregation’s mission. The training focused on working to help members become more self-actualized when it comes to participating in the fellowship. The subsequent discussion between representatives of different churches comparing problems, solutions and ideas was a great exchange.

Planning Along the Chaordic Path or Pushing Bullfrogs in a Wheelbarrow—“Chaordic” is a combination of Chaos and Order. This session dealt with the special dynamics of leading, working, and planning within the organization of a UU church. We explored the different types of personalities and groups and ways to build cohesiveness in UU churches.

Living Your Bliss – In 10 Minutes a Day— This was an exploration of different methods of personal spiritual practice. The methods included poetry, guided meditation, yoga, and journaling. I enjoyed the guided meditation and the yoga the most.

Dick Murphy—

Membership Retention: the Exit Interview Process—The Evergreen UU fellowship in Marysville fellowship is presently lay led and has a membership of about one hundred. I was really impressed by three things: 1) The Question Asked: New people join our congregation on a continuing basis but our total membership does not significantly change. Why are we losing membership? 2)The Way the Question Was Addressed: An ad hoc committee selected twenty names from a list of those who had stopped pledging in the past five years. A carefully worded letter requesting an exit interview was sent to the twenty people. The interview process and questions were carefully worked out. Nineteen responded and were interviewed. 3) The Results: Those interviewed had an average of 11.8 years membership and rated their involvement in the fellowship at 3.9 on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest. The overwhelming reasons given for attraction to and for joining the fellowship were community and the people. Reasons for leaving the fellowship listed by highest first were: issues with one or more past ministers; moved away; wanted more spirituality and less liturgy; disillusioned with leadership; burn out.

Gary Pape—

Effective Committees on Ministry—The purpose of the committee on ministry and suggestions for effective functioning was examined. The committee consists of 3-4 church members who act as a liaison between the minister and the fellowship. It can serve as a “sounding board” for the minister or for a church member. The committee can provide an avenue for feedback and conflict resolution. The workshop impressed me for the following reasons: 1) Developing a successful ministry is a well studied subject and the PNWD and UUA have significant resources to share their knowledge. 2) A congregation must examine their underlying assumptions toward ministry and ministers. The presenter noted that the mission of the congregation drives the ministry. Unsuccessful minister experiences can often be traced to unrealistic expectations of the minister to accept most or all of the responsibility in meeting the fellowships needs. Relatedly, ministry (i.e. caring for one another, supporting everyone’s spiritual growth) is the responsibility of everyone. As we embark on a search for a minister, it is clear to me that learning about our role, our expectations of a minister, and ways to develop healthy relationships is vital. For these reasons I am in the process of organizing a PNWD led workshop in the late spring.

Are You Ready for a Capital Campaign? presented by a UUA stewardship consultant and by the Olympic UU capital campaign chairman—The Olympic fellowship recently completed a successful campaign to expand their building. They reviewed the steps involved and the available financial and consulting resources. The essential message of the workshop was that ambitious capital campaigns can be successful if thoughtful planning takes place. The UUA has a tried and tested guide to “walking a fellowship” though the planning and action stages. I will present this information to our Long-Range Planning Committee.

Living Your Bliss – In 10 Minutes a Day—Recognizing the busy schedule most of us have and ways in which one can achieve some serenity in short time periods were demonstrated . It was a participatory workshop and I learned several ways to access an inner peace. Now, if I can just implement what I learned………..

Rita Salama—

I loved the workshops and being with so many other UUs, and learning about new things available to us through the PNWD, but the Sunday service was the highlight of the weekend for me.

Weaving the Fabric of Our Faith—I had been captivated by the description of finding ways to provide programs across lifespan ages only to find the workshop focused almost exclusively on the new programs and resources for children and youth. However I was so excited and moved by the descriptions and demonstrations of the new Tapestry of Faith curriculum that all was forgiven—especially knowing that there are adult programs available now and being developed.

Dancing with Norms presented by the PNWD Healthy Congregations Team—We have norms; those spoken and unspoken rules of behavior, anytime we work within a group. Spoken rules are agreed upon, healthy ways of relating to each other, but the unspoken rules may interfere with those positive interactions. This workshop provided a process recommended for anytime a group is new or has a significant number of new members, to create healthy norms for group work.

Reader’s Theatre: An Exciting Way to be Inclusive and Unique in Worship Service-I was thrilled to meet our former minister, Rev. Annie Holmes, and see her creative work in action as a team of readers from her congregation gave a dramatic presentation. She has written several services in a format that is unique and exciting. Don’t be surprised if you see one of these at a future service at CUUF!

CANVASS HIGHLIGHTS

As many people as possible were canvassed during the fall of 2007 These were the common themes in the 2007 fall canvass:

  • 86% of those canvassed were in favor of a part-time minister (with another 6.5% abstaining) with a concern that we find the right person.
  • We like the vibrant spirit of the fellowship, the friendliness, the sense of community.
  • We like the diversity of services. We wish the services had clear messages, were more spiritually challenging, had more depth.
  • Pacing of the services could be better.
  • We are concerned about losing members and new people and would like a way to connect with them.
  • There is a desire for a program for middle school and high school kids, including a covenant group.
  • Our presence and visibility in the community has improved.
  • We are happy with Natalie, Sarah and Rita’s work. Several other goals and wishes were mentioned by individuals, as well as offers to volunteer.

CUUF FACTS AND FIGURES

  • 100—members (have signed the book, + a 2007 contribution of record)
  • 70—pledges (couples count as 1 pledge unless they pledge individually)
  • $74—cost per member in dues—UUA $54, PNWD $20
  • 275—newsletter recipients; 120 paper copies, 175 electronic
  • $80,100—budget for 2008; $81,563—budget for 2007
  • 63—Average attendance in 2007 (adults + children)
  • 103—Largest attendance in 2007 (80 adults + 23 children)
  • 57—first time visitor s added to the mailing list in 2007

NEW CUUF TRUSTEES

ELECTION OF BOARD MEMBERS:
On January 6, during the service, members of CUUF voted to elect three new members to the CUUF Board of Trustees. A voting member of the fellowship is any person “who is in sympathy with its purpose and program, has signed the membership register indicating his or her commitment as a member and makes an annual contribution of record.”

JOE PALMER

I am Joe Palmer, better known at church as Libby and Genna's dad, and/or Natalie's husband. I tend to be a little more "behind the scenes". I work full time at Central Washington Hospital as a Physical Therapist. I participate on the board for the Council for the Defense of Chelan County, and the Ridge to River advisory board. When pressed, I would identify myself as a Unitarian Universalist Tibetan Buddhist... UUTB? Tibetan Unitarian Universalist Buddhist (TUUB?) Or Buddhist UU Tibetan... Hmm...

What most draws me to UU is the fellowship of spiritual journey rather than a dogmatic path. CUUF is my second congregation, having attended All Souls UUF in Colorado Springs. There I became a Covenant Group facilitator, and have been fortunate to assist Dick Murphy in establishing Covenant Groups at CUUF.

I am excited to be a part of the Board as the fellowship prepares to face the challenges of the upcoming highway expansion. I also represent the group of people with school age children who value a strong RE program.

SHARON PETIT

I am a partner in an accounting and financial planning practice with my husband, Todd Petit, and Ron Sturtz. We started the business in October 1983 after we moved back to Wenatchee from Seattle in 1979. It took us until November 2002 to find CUUF. We came seeking community and companions on our spiritual journey. The last five years have been ones of growth and joy as I have taken part in the life of the fellowship through volunteering for everything from bringing treats to fundraising, as well as participating on the Sunday Services Committee. CUUF is woven into my life from sharing my passion for dance to the Zen meditation group.

CUUF stands on the brink of some big decisions and change over the next few years. I look forward as a member of board to participating in the sometimes challenging decisions that will move us along into our future. My vision of this future is one where we share our vision of hope and optimism based on our Seven Principles and Purposes with the larger community. We will also be looking for a new home for CUUF and I look forward to participating in considering all our options and selecting the one that will best serve our present and future needs. The board will also be considering whether to hire a part-time minister. I believe that we need to look closely at our collective financial commitment to this goal and find the right person that will lead us as a unified whole into a strong and growing future.

JUDY TREFETHEN

In lives past I was a K-2 teacher in an independent school in Seattle. I moved to Wenatchee in 1994 and after looking for a liberal church, I found CUUF. I enjoy the people and the variety of services that CUUF offers. One never knows what is going to happen here!

In Wenatchee I worked for the Literacy Council and then became involved with the adult/family literacy program, Motheread/ Fatheread. I am a local facilitator for Motheread classes and also a National Trainer for this adult/family literacy program. I hope to be able to help CUUF move into the next phase of growth with the challenges that we are facing. I am interested in more discussion on creating a place for middle/high school aged youth in our fellowship as well as taking part in the discussion of where we will be in the near future.

CUUF Phone:

(509) 886-4023


Office Administrator:

(509) 630-3385/cuuflink@yahoo.com


Web Facilitator:

(509) 293-2636/admin@cascadeuu.org


National UUA:

http://www.uua.org

(617) 742-2100

25 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108


Pacific Northwest District (PNWD):

http://www.pnwd.org

(800) 313-PNWD (7693) – long distance within the PNWD
(425) 957-9116 – local and non-PNWD
(425) 957-9227 – fax

12700 SE 32nd Street, Suite E-101
Bellevue, WA 98005-4317

"CELEBRATING WISDOM, EMBRACING TRUTH, ACCEPTING DOUBT"


Services: Sundays at 10:30 a.m. (Child Care And Religious Education Provided)


Cascade Unitarian Universalist Fellowship:  1550 Sunset Hwy., East Wenatchee, WA 98802 | 509-886-4023

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