Happy New Year.
Six months have flown by since my start as the President of the UUFP. I am so sorry for you, but thanks to the change of our fiscal year at the UUFP, you will have to put up with me for another two (2) years. On the bright side, there will be no canvass (pledge drive) this March! The next canvass will likely happen in September. On the worrisome side, this pledge year is 18 months instead of 12 months.
In the next two months…
We will celebrate the first anniversary of our move from Youngs Mill Lane to our new church on Tabbs Lane. We marked our last sermon at the old church in January, followed by a few Zoom sermons while the moving team, under the expert supervision by Tara and Jay Joseph, got us situated at our new place. Our in-person services started again in March in the fellowship hall while the main areas underwent renovated. So many of you have worked on making this all possible—with a very sincere thank you from me, the board, and the entire congregation. The list of everyone that assisted would be too long for me to publish here, and I am sure I would probably forget one or two. It looks like we are nearly finished, and now it is time to rethink the use of the fellowship hall. I hope that we can move the after-service coffee and eating activities to the fellowship hall and finish furnishing and decorating the welcoming area. Next will be an official dedication of our new sanctuary and an open house where we invite our neighbors.
The Board is still working on a rental fee, and we are still waiting on the fire marshal to approve the new space. The wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly. The big decision by the board is to disband the TLT2 once they finished their job on the sanctuary. Thanks to everyone on the team; you did a great job!
On a personal note…
2026 is the year I will be required to take minimum distributions from my IRA. Yes, I am that ancient! However, I want to stress that saving for a rainy day is very important in these trying times. Thank goodness I have saved a little, and so has the church. The UUFP did this with funds we received in the past from you all. They have allowed us to buy our current property and renovate it. We still have some savings remaining and, hopefully, this will sustain us for the next few years while we increase our membership. We will definitively have to grow our liberal faith here on the Peninsula to afford our new digs. I realize that your personal finances may be short this close to the holidays, but please do not forget the commitments you made to the UUFP during the last canvass; like yours, our bills do not stop, either.
On November 16…
We welcomed Heather Frazier as our new nursery attendant. We are still looking for a treasurer. In other words, the end-of-year contribution statements may be a little late, but we will try to get them to you as soon as possible.
Finally…
I am not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. I believe that every new day is an opportunity to do better—to improve my life. My daily goals are to be tolerant of all the different views around me, to practice empathy, to take care of the environment, and to never stop learning. I carry those same goals for the UUFP. In addition, I want to foster the growth of our church and work on making it a beacon of empathy and tolerance. Please join me in these resolutions.
Season’s greetings, everyone, and a happy New Year.
Comments
Dennis Shaw
Hello Jan,
As I have grown to expect from you, this is beautifully written. Thank you for giving us all a snapshot of where we stand as the New Year comes. I know that your comment about having you as our board president was self-deprecating and in jest. Just for the record, I feel we are blessed to have you representing the UUFP. Be kind to yourself as your term unwinds 😄
Nan Procyson
Re: the financial side of things. I wonder if we might not consider, when having elections, to create a position of Assistant Treasurer. In some cases, after serving the stated term, that person might move up to the Treasurer slot. That might ease the burden of the Treasurer and give good background experience, if the Assistant moved up to the Treasurer position. Just a thought coming from one who does not keep her checkbook up to date….!
Tara Joseph
Thank you Jan for your hard work, kindness, and especially your constant smile.
Mason Moseley
Jan, I join you in those well stated and your well lived resolutions. We are fortunate you were willing to serve as an administratively expanded Presidency. The Fellowship has been fortunate with the skilled members who take on leadership roles. Thank you for all the information and positive feelings expressed here.
Jackie Batterson
Thank you Jan. My sincere thanks to everyone that made our move to Tabbs Lane possible. It will be nice to move our dinners and snacks to the Fellowship Hall. Our front entrance is so beautiful now with the quilts.
Sandy Burkes campbell
Nice work Jan.
All the best from afar 🎄😍
Lehni
Thank you, Jan! Great idea, Nan. Happy Holidays UUFP!
Andrew Casher
This post is a wonderful and refreshingly honest look at your first six months as President! It really captures the exciting progress of the new building and the practical realities of sustaining the fellowship. I especially appreciated your personal reflections on daily goals and the reminder that every day is a chance to be better—it’s a great message for the new year.
My question is about the plans for the new space: as you think about moving coffee hour and finishing the welcoming area, are there any specific ideas from the congregation for making that fellowship hall a uniquely warm and inviting UUFP space?
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