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For what we are truly thankful!
As I sit at my desk gazing at the beautiful crepe myrtle outside my window, the leaves are falling, the clocks are about to be rolled back, the holidays are ahead — including my favorite, Thanksgiving — and my thoughts turn to reflections of the past year.
Personally, I have much to be thankful for, not the least being the safe and healthy arrival of my first grandchild, Georgia, born to my daughter Emma on Tuesday, November 15, and weighing in at 7 lbs 13 oz. She is beautiful.
I am also thankful for the opportunity to have served on the Board during the start of what I see as an incredible renewal of energy and excitement at TJMC-UU.
Our focus on spiritual growth, social justice, and the building of a strong community is, for me, a return to the true purpose and value of TJMC-UU. For this we can thank not just our wonderful new minister, Rev. Erik Wikstrom, but ourselves. Together we are bringing a renewed positive attitude to church on Sundays and throughout the week. It has been truly palpable to experience.
Furthermore, on reviewing our Board goals for the year I see significant progress being made in many areas. Some of these areas include people and groups actively involved in worship, music, staffing and organization, governance, facilities planning, Green Sanctuary, IMPACT, and numerous other initiatives aimed at helping to build connections and improve communication between us. Although space restricts acknowledgement of all those involved, it bodes well for our future.
I am equally heartened by the growing number of new younger members, especially those with small children. I strongly encourage you to find opportunities to serve your new-found community. I can assure you the rewards are immense.
Finally, it is incredible to reflect on the major social and political changes that have occurred nationally and internationally in the past year. Some good, some not so good, some still developing, as we have seen recently on the streets of cities and towns across America and around the world.
As someone who has always believed in the power of the people, and in the goal of social justice, I am cautiously optimistic by what I see happening. I trust that through peaceful activism and hard work we can help put America back on the road to a more just and fair society. That would be work well worth doing and if successful, something for which we could truly all be thankful.
Happy holidays to you and your family.
In Faith,
Ian Sole
President, Board of Trustees
On Saturday, September 10, I joined with over 100 adults and children at ourCultivating Connections all-church conference, jointly sponsored by the Board of Trustees and Leadership Development. It was an incredible inter-generational experience involving games, activities, singing, brainstorming and worship that demonstrated the importance of connections in building strong and vibrant communities. Participants shared their stories and offered ideas for how we could create further opportunities for members to serve and through doing so build their own connections. It was truly a wonderful experience and reinforced my own sense of just what an extraordinary community is TJMC-UU.
Then on Monday, September 19, I attended our monthly Board meeting where we discussed a number of opportunities for members to serve their community in various roles across the wide range of church activities. One of these, I am delighted to report, we have already filled. Following the resignation of Karen Schaffer, who has moved to North Carolina with her family, Amy Wissekerke was unanimously approved as our new Board Secretary. On behalf of the Board I thank both Karen and Amy for their service to TJMC-UU.
Another opportunity is now open for those wishing to help run next years’ fund raising drive. Our goal is to appoint the co-chairs in October and complete the campaign by March 2012 so as to avoid any overlap with the budgeting process that starts in earnest during April. Given the excitement generated by the appointment of Rev. Erik Wikstrom and our experiences with him at some amazing services, I am certain that this years’ campaign will be a lot of fun. Please contact myself, Pam Philips, or Karen Ransom of our Stewardship Committee to learn more about how you can participate.
As Rev. Erik Wikstrom explained to us on Saturday, September 10, we are not looking for individuals to fill a need, but instead creating opportunities for those who wish to serve and follow as a means of building their own connections and along with that, our community. It is our intention to make these opportunities more visible to our members and supporters through postings on the bulletin boards, as well as on our website and through a variety of communication methods.
Please look for these opportunities, and contact any member of the Board to talk about how you wish to serve. We want to hear from you and provide that opportunity.
In Faith
Ian Sole
President Board of Trustees
We All Have A Responsibility
I have just returned from a phenomenal four week visit to friends and family in Europe which included the joyful occasion of my daughter’s wedding to her partner of eight years at a beautiful ceremony held in Somerset, England. It was a chance to renew many long, and some not so long, friendships with relatives of mine, my daughter’s now husband, and friends of my daughter. Two years earlier her twin sister married and many of the same friends attended.
While weddings are exciting, they can also be stressful, especially when one has an official role to play in the proceedings. Tradition at English weddings is for the father-of-the-bride to give an after-dinner speech and apparently the one I had given two years earlier had been very well received. Expectations were running high for a repeat performance putting even more pressure on me and creating a state of extreme nervousness.
After a decent start I froze, completely forgetting the name of my new son-in-laws’ stepfather whom I have known for years! Now flustered, I stumbled through the balance of the speech and did my best to recover. But despite the applause at the end felt I had not delivered up to expectations. To my enormous relief, Bob, the guy whose name I had forgotten, immediately leaned over and congratulated me on the speech and went on to explain how he had done the same thing recently at a meeting, forgetting the names of three of his own Board members! And there were other little hic-cups along the way, but none of it mattered. The wedding was a terrific success. Everyone had a marvelous time, and most important of all the bride and groom looked radiant, happy and madly in love.
In a way it reminded me of the situation we are entering at TJMC-UU. Everyone is so excited at the arrival of Rev. Erik Wikstrom. Expectations are running high. We have been waiting for this moment for three years and now all our problems will be solved and he will lead us to a higher place! I exaggerate of course, but expectations are high and each of us do have our own set of priorities that we hope Rev. Wikstrom will help us achieve.
But just as with my wedding analogy, there will be hic-cups along the way and not everything we wish for can, nor in some cases should, be addressed immediately. Now more than ever, we have a responsibility to step up and support the minister, and against such high expectations be willing to suspend judgment on every decision and action taken over the coming months. And perhaps most important of all, it is time to ask ourselves what action we can take individually to demonstrate that support and help build a stronger sense of connectivity and community within our church. To this end, I am excited that the Board, together with our Leadership Development Team and Rev. Wikstrom, are jointly sponsoring our upcoming allchurch meeting on Saturday, September 10, titled “Cultivating Connections,” a theme we hope to build on throughout the year.
It should be a wonderful day of idea sharing, planning for the coming year, and for providing opportunities for all to find better ways to connect with our church. I hope you will join us.
Stay cool, stay safe and enjoy the rest of the summer as we look forward to what I am certain will be an exciting year ahead.
In faith,
Ian Sole
Board President
Connecting to our Future Together
As you read this, TJMC-UU will be entering a new chapter in its long history as we welcome the Rev. Erik Wikstrom and his family to Charlottesville, and I move to the position of President of the Board of Trustees. To say that I am honored (and nervous) would be a major understatement, but I do so with a tremendous sense of excitement and promise.
This past week I attended a Board retreat and our June meeting where we discussed the many achievements of the church during the past twelve months and looked forward to the coming year. Much has been accomplished by far too many individuals to mention here by name but to each and every member of staff and our many volunteers, I offer a heartfelt thanks. But much remains to be done.
One concern that arose from our discussions related to a lack of “connectedness” some in our community have felt. Perhaps this is not surprising given our growth and lack of settled minister during the past three years, but it is a concern nonetheless, and one I take seriously. Clearly, one way to feel more “connected” is to “connect” but to do so requires personal effort, and the opportunity to do so.
Rev. Wikstrom has made it clear to us that he believes, as I do, in an open and collaborative style of leadership and it is in this spirit I trust we can create the environment whereby all can feel ‘welcome’ and ‘connected.’
As President I will work hard to provide opportunities for all voices to be heard but in return ask for your help. Please reach out through the proper channels: to be heard; to help others be heard; to ensure we stay connected to our future, together.
In Faith Ian Sole
President, Board of Trustees
My experience as president of the Board of Trustees has truly been a transformative one for me. My roots at TJMC have grown stronger. My knowledge of the workings of the church has expanded. My interest in the spiritual “me” has strengthened.
One of the transformational gifts I have received while at TJMC came from witnessing the role modeling of friends who are not shy in verbally sharing their friendship and love.
I love my family but had never prioritized telling them so. I love my friends but could never express that love to them. I just assumed they knew I cared. I was also afraid they thought I was a little too intense if I used the “L” word. Maybe weird even.
One of the things I have come to value is the opportunity to learn about myself as I learn from others. Overcoming the silly fear of not being able to say “I love you” (and feelings that for many years had gone unspoken) to family and friends is a gift I will cherish forever.
Recently, I was able to tell a dear friend of mine from college that I loved him. He is dying from cancer and expressing my feelings has made all the difference in the world to both of us. I would not have been able to do this a year ago. Transformative.
I can honestly say that I love and am inspired by this church and the myriad ways our community has grown together.
My wish is for you to have your own transformation experience story. It may not come from your service in a leadership role, or even while attending services in the Sanctuary. You may have a transformation story already. If you have, please share it with us. If you have not, then keep looking for it, be ready for it. You never know where and when it might happen. But it is powerful once it finds you!
Peace,
Donna Baker
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