From the President - August 2010
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
