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If you have ever thought about singing with a group of friendly and supportive folks, now is the time to check out our wonderful Adult Choir! Our intention is to augment and deepen our worship experience on Sunday mornings. Singing in the choir is also a great way to meet amazing folks of different musical backgrounds who are supportive and fun to be with. We work hard and we also have a great time together. I cannot think of a rehearsal without some ripples (or gales) of laughter. If you can carry a tune, we would love for you to join us! We meet on Thursday evenings in the Parlor at 6:45 PM for greetings and warm ups, and rehearsal begins at 7 PM. Two Sundays each month we share what we have learned with our congregation. It is my most sincere wish that all of our music be a source of inspiration and a way to feed and nurture our spirits. Life is a gift, music is a gift, and we are gifts to each other. I am eagerly waiting to hear from you!
Our children’s choirs have been delightful and touched many of us with their music. If you love children and have musical talents and are interested in directing a children’s choir, please let me know. They are incredible children and a lot of fun to work with. We would love to have our young musicians sharing their music with us this year!
We are most grateful for the gifts of music from our instrumentalists who enhance our worship together. If you would like to share in our Sunday services, please let me know.
An enormous bouquet of thanks goes to all who provided music over the summer months – your gifts that touch and nourish us are very much appreciated.
We hope to hear from all of you “shower singers,” instrumentalists, and music lovers out there – we need you! Blessings of peace,
KaeRenae Mitchell,
Director of Music
According to TJMC-UU Bylaws “The Board of Trustees… shall administer Church policy in conformity with the bylaws. It shall have general charge of Church property, and authority to conduct the Church’s business and manage its financial affairs.” While this is a vague statement of the “authority” of the board, please know that as volunteers we are doing the work of the church in good faith. The board consists of twelve church members, elected by the congregation. Here are your Board Members for the fis cal year 2010—2011: President, Donna Baker; President Elect, Ian Sole; Past President, Pam Philips; Vice President, Jean Shepard; Secretary, Karen Shaffer; Treasurer, Doug Webbink. Members At Large: Liz Benzinger, Paul Fritz, Dan Grogan, Bill King, Raven Long, and Jen Lucas.
All of us on the board take the roles you have elected us to very seriously. However, we cannot be successful without your continued support. Each board meeting is open to anyone in the church community. We meet on the second Thursday each month at 7 PM in the Social Hall. There is time near the beginning of each meeting for public comment. That is time set aside for you to bring questions, ideas, suggestions, or concerns to the board. We will publish a summary of the agenda in the Friday Emails prior to each board meeting so that you will know what topics are upcoming.
New this year, we will be hosting monthly Congregational Conversations. We will have some that have specific topics to consider like the meaning of membership, budget priorities, or long range planning, while others may simply be an opportunity to talk with any interested member of the congregation about things that are on your mind. Keep an eye on the Friday Emails for the dates and topics. Being on the board is a privilege, but not one that can be completed in a vacuum. We welcome your participation in this process!
As you know, change is already afoot! We welcome Reverend Dr. Janet Newman as our new Interim Minister, and Alexandra McGee as our Transitional Ministry Associate. Please join me in welcoming both Janet and Alex in these roles for the upcoming year.
This is one time that I am ending this article with a financial appeal. There is a ministerial discretionary fund that allows our minister(s) to extend some financial support to members of our church community that are in need. This fund is not part of the regular budget process and depends upon the generosity of individuals. Due to unusual circumstances, we are starting this year with a very small balance. Please consider making a donation of money or scrip to this discretionary fund so that Janet and Alex may continue an important part of their jobs. Your kindness now can make an enormous difference in someone’s life.
In Peace,
Donna Baker
President, Board of Trustees
In this, my first newsletter column to you as your Interim Minister of 2010- 2011, I want to tell you how glad I am
that we will be together in ministry this year.
It feels good to be back in Virginia. I served the UU congregations in Norfolk and Williamsburg as their Interim Minister in 1992-3 and 2003-4 respectively. However, my main connection with Virginia was during my young adulthood. For thirteen years after I graduated from college I lived in Arlington and Alexandria as I practiced my first career as a computer professional and began studying for the Unitarian Universalist ministry.
It was in northern Virginia that I discovered UUism, married, was widowed, and felt called to parish ministry. It was with great reluctance that I moved away to Chicago to continue my theological studies at Meadville/Lombard Theological School.
Since then, I have moved many times to serve congregations that are in transition. I know we will have a good year together as you work with me to make the most of this additional interim year.
Here are several details to talk with you about as we begin together – they can make a real difference in helping us understand one another.
First of all, I want to thank all of you who gave me such warm hospitality during my visit with you in June. It was gratifying to see so many of you at the meetings and gatherings during those days and evenings and to hear your thoughts and questions. And thanks also to you who gave me home hospitality, meals, and kind words!
Second, I will be keeping regular office hours. I imagine I will be there between 9ish and 5 PM (days TBD), with time away for meetings and visiting in hospitals and homes. So if you would like to meet with me, it is always a good idea to call me at the Church Office and make an appointment so that we can have some uninterrupted time with each other. Or, if you wish to invite me to call on you at home, I would be glad to schedule a time to do so. There are many ways for us to get acquainted, and the time will go by all too fast! You already know this from your two years with Rev. Dr. Morris Hudgins.
Third, Friday is my Sabbath day, and I do not schedule myself for appointments then. If you have a true
emergency, though, I am available any day. Please call the staff in the Church Office, and they will contact me.
Fourth, The Board will soon approve the existence of the Transition Team, a working group of congregants who will be the in-house resource persons on the concept and practice of Interim Ministry during this period of transition. I will have more information about the Team soon, so watch for their names and contact info. Maybe we can get them special name tags.
And, last, speaking of name tags, blessings on you who wear them at congregational events! It helps me enormously when I can see your name at the same time as I hear it and look at your face. Remember the first time you were a newcomer in a room full of Unitarian Universalists who all seemed to know each other? All those faces, unfamiliar to you, and few if any nametags? ‘Nuff said!
Best wishes, Janet E. Newman
Accredited Interim Minister
now serving you at TJMC-UU
Time as treasure
August can be a frenzy of activity. Households with school-aged children or teachers start getting anxious about school. Vacations are typically coming to a close. Charlottesville gets busy with this influx of 18,000+ students. And TJMC starts gathering steam as we all think about the upcoming program year and start our planning.
Did you know that we have 73 committees and groups? If we do some math with just the groups listed on our website, that is approximately six members per group. The church does not make PACEM happen with just six people! Of our 460 members, 263 are volunteering for at least one activity, while 60 people are working on eight or more activities. This does not even include the large number of volunteers it takes to make our Religious Education Program so successful.
What does this mean for TJMC? Groups like IMPACT, Play Partners, Food Pantry, Soup Kitchen and PACEM have a direct effect on our community. Covenant groups, NatureSpirit, UU Christian Fellowship, and the Labyrinth Committee feed our individual spiritual needs. Administrative groups like the Board of Trustees and the councils maintain the business of the church. Just as we pledge our money to keep the church going, we also pledge our time. What are you doing to support the church with your time? I do not ask this question to make anyone feel guilty. I ask this question because I worry that we do not have enough people involved to support all of our activities. I also worry that we will burn out the 60 people who are working on at least eight activities and one person who has 28 activities listed! Then where will we be?
The time is coming when we as a church community will need to make some decisions about our activities. What is important to us? What is core to our purpose? What activities does the congregation no longer have energy to do? What do we no longer need? What do we give up?
Do we have groups that are meeting just for the sake of meeting? Perhaps. Do we take part in activities because it has always been that way? Sometimes. Do we need to hold on to each and every group, committee or activity? Maybe not. But we need to decide that together. Who do we want to be as a church community? What do we want to be known for? What do we want to do well? These are the questions about priorities that will be coming up throughout the year as we work together to make our church community stronger.
As always, I encourage your participation in these conversations - casual and formal! If for some reason you are having a difficult time connecting with the right activity or volunteer opportunity, let me know and I will be glad to introduce you to the right person, committee, or council!
In peace,
Donna Baker
President, Board of Trustees
As I sat here looking at a blank screen, my deepest fears come true. What if I cannot think of anything to say! So much has happened since I agreed to become president-elect and now here I am, and I am supposed to share words of wisdom with you all.
At this time I do not have as much wisdom to share, but I do have a challenge for you. As we enter into the third year of an interim ministry we must begin to have the difficult conversations so that we can decide what we want our church to be, how we want to be together, and how we want to make our mark in this community.
There have been a lot of individual conversations around the meaning of membership. Should all members be expected to pledge? Is volunteering for the church an expectation each of us should have of ourselves? Let us bring these conversations out into our congregation. The Stewardship and Membership Committees have begun meeting to discuss some of these issues. I propose to broaden these discussions and I challenge you to make yourself heard. When we have congregational conversations (and we will), please join us in those conversations. To move forward, we need to hear from you. Jean Newland and Sally Taylor are cochairing the Membership Committee, and Pam Philips is convening the Stewardship Committee. Call them, email them, write a letter via snail mail, and/or attend a meeting. We are talking about your membership and how we can make it meaningful and significant to each one of you, so join the conversation.
How do we want to move forward in the future? This discussion centers around not only space, but commitment to the community. Is growth a realistic goal? Do we need more space to meet our current mission? Our long range plan was dusted off and looked at this year. We need more people to join us in determining the next steps.
We have made great strides in being a major part of this community. PACEM and IMPACT involve a lot of people making a real change in the community. The Social Action Council redesigned their social action collection procedure to make it more open, and to focus on specific community needs. With this program we are supporting twelve important organizations, making a difference in individual lives. We are so generous in our support to the community; how can we be less so to our church, which provides the infrastructure, staffing, and other support to make our community involvement possible?
I look forward to participating in these conversations with you. Please do take the challenge and attend a meeting you have always planned on going to, but have not made it to quite yet. Email your ideas to a committee chair. Chat with a Board member (we have the colorful nametags!) Please know that you are always welcome to attend the board meetings on the second Thursday of every month. We have a public comment time set aside just to hear from you.
In peace,
Donna Baker
President, Board of Trustees
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What is a Green Sanctuary?
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