Those who have been to the sanctuary in recent weeks will see that we have successfully lit our beautiful 8th Principle chalice!.  We had an excellent stewardship campaign response with this community  raising a pledge total of $198,669 from 83 households for the 2023-2024 church year.  We also had three member households request payments from their 401k plans, for an additional $12,200.  We cannot officially count this latter amount as pledges, because the 401k plans are not under any legal obligation to follow these requests, but experience shows these are reliable.  In summary, total pledges and 401 k requests sum to $210,869, essentially matching the campaign goal of $211,000.  This compares to $191,623 pledged last year by 86 households.  The team sincerely thanks the congregation for its support and the Connections Team for its help with outreach.

Our goal this year was a realistic stretch relative to 2022.  We couldn’t be more pleased with the results, but we also want to point out that we continue to need more in order to reduce our dependence on the endowment and create a financially sustainable future for UUCW.

Sincerely  

The Stewardship Team

Nancy Baffa
Moira Rouse
Dave Schowalter

stewardship@uucworcester.org 

The post A Thank-You Note From the Stewardship Team first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

Thanks to prompt responses from so many in the congregation to our solicitation on Stewardship Sunday at the beginning of the month, as of this writing we have $152,359 pledged for the 2023-2024 church year!  This is excellent progress towards our goal of over $211,000.  Kudos to all who have pledged by our requested deadline of March 26.

Starting this week, with help from the Connections Team, we plan to start reaching out individually to members and friends who have not yet pledged.  Communication is a crucial element in the stewardship campaign and pledging process.  The Stewardship Team has been making an effort to ensure that outgoing communication is a year-round process.  Incoming communication and dialogue are also very important to us, and so we welcome hearing from everyone, whether you have pledged yet or not.  If you have concerns about pledging or finances, we would love to have an open yet confidential discussion with you.  If you have any concerns about the stewardship campaign process, or church business, we would also be happy to talk to you–if we don’t know the answers to your questions, we can easily find out who does.  

Of course, if pledging has simply slipped your attention, please don’t hesitate to pledge today!  

We look forward to talking to you!

Sincerely  

The Stewardship Team

Nancy Baffa
Moira Rouse
Dave Schowalter

stewardship@uucworcester.org 

The post Stewardship Update first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

This year’s pledge drive will be kicked off on Stewardship Sunday, March 5, 2023.  The stewardship theme this year is Building Beloved Community with equity, inclusion and diversity.  For many of us, the last three years have brought home how much work remains in our local society and wider country to eliminate racism, oppression, and unconscious bias.  It is easy for us to point fingers at political leaders and racist idealogues.  Perhaps it is more difficult to look within ourselves, our congregation and our other chosen communities to notice and identify subtler forms of oppression in which we may have unwittingly taken part. . 

This is what UUCW is undertaking with learning about, and voting  on the 8th Principle later this year.  Our Board, Staff, and Committees have the sensitivity and courage to bring this issue to us, the Members to choose our way forward, using the democratic process (5th principle).  Because we value asking questions here as well as answering them (4th principle),  it is important to consider how and whether to change.  It  is equally important to acknowledge and value the diversity we have, in gender, sexuality, religious background, age, physical ability, and economic circumstances.  How do we already create “beloved community” and what can we do to ensure that all are welcome here?  What do you do today to contribute your time, talent and treasure to this community, and how can you do that in a way that truly welcomes all?

Your Pledge to contribute financially to UUCW for the next church year enables the programs and operation of this community to exist, and is an investment in what it will become in the future.  

Please join us on Stewardship Sunday March 5th, keep your eyes open for this year’s Pledge Request, and consider all we can be when you decide on your pledge.

Sincerely, 

The Stewardship Team

Nancy Baffa
Moira Rouse
Dave Schowalter

The post Building Beloved Community:  Pledging first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

What’s the fuss about our becoming a Good Trouble Congregation?

In April 2022, JaZahn Hicks was hired to be the Campaign Director for UU the Vote, the UUA’s voting rights campaign.   He challenged congregations to put our faith into action and galvanize ourselves to vote love and defeat hate, upholding the legacy of the late Congressman John Lewis by getting into GOOD TROUBLE and “work collectively to get in the way of injustice and get into Good Trouble to build a truly multiracial democracy.”*   Together, Unitarian Universalists across the country reached over 2 million voters by phone, letter or postcards, hundreds served as poll workers and election defenders, and our partnerships with other organizations preserved our democracy, protected our values and won critical ballot measures locally and nationally.

Out of the 600+ congregations and fellowships across the U.S., UUCW is one of 16 that answered “the call to organize their communities and engage in the multiple and necessary tactics that will help us win big for our communities in 2022”.

This is something to cheer about and the UUA is holding a Good Trouble Congregation Celebration event on Tuesday, February 28, from 7 to 9 PM to “honor our collective work, share powerful stories and call in joy as we move into the work ahead” per Nicole Pressley, of the UUA.  You can join in the celebration with a Watch Party in Fellowship Hall beginning at 6:30 or from your own home by zoom. Register for the zoom event here if you plan to join from home or in the event of inclement weather.  If joining us in person, please RSVP to GOtV@uucworcester.org or directly to Beth Posner-Waldron so we know how many to plan refreshments for or to notify if there is an event update.

How did we get to be a Good Trouble Congregation?  We needed to satisfy 4 of the following criteria based on a membership of 145 people:

• Average 20 postcards or letters per member –We surpassed our goal!
  • Big thanks to Vicki Cox-Lanyon for organizing our Reclaim Our Vote postcard packets to make it easier for folks to write them at home and to Lynn Gostyla for personally writing over 950 letters for Vote Forward with her husband David Williams and also printed out groups of letters for others to write.
  • Our goal was 2,900.  Over 35 folks helped us reach 3,300 voters by letter or postcard for the Georgia Primary Election, MIdterm Election and Georgia’s Run Off Election.  See photos below.
• Average 20 calls per member – One phone call at a time, we surpassed our goal!
  • From April through the runoff election in Georgia in November, we reached out to 3,300 voters in states with a high population of people of color and a long history of being subjected to voter suppression.  Phone conversations  and leaving messages are the best way to reach people, second to in-person conversations.
  • Thank you to those who joined phonebanks sponsored by UU the Vote and Center for Common Ground, even when it was difficult!
• Average 20 doorknocks per member – we didn’t do this for this past election season but there will be more opportunities.  Maybe next time, we join UU the Vote in Philly or Atlanta or elsewhere with their canvassing efforts.
• Reach 20 percent volunteer engagement – This is where YOU made a difference!
  • We needed 29 folks involved and had 40+ people from UUCW join us in phonebanking, letter and/or postcard writing.  Some folks did all three!  Each letter or postcard or call counted!  Participating in our coffee hour events during Good Trouble Sundays in October helped reach our goal.  Some letters were written during the Women’s Social gathering.  Next time, we’ll try to link in the Men’s Group.  Huge thanks to Lynn Gostyla and Ann Hollander and others on the Get Out the Vote Team for making this happen
• Average 2 newly registered voters per member – Thank you to Pauline Courchesne who volunteered with the League of Women Voters to help register new citizens after their naturalization ceremony and others who may have added a new voter to the rolls.
  • Maybe we can tackle this as a group in 2024!
• At least 2 congregants are line warmers, poll workers, or poll watchers –
  • We had 3 that I know of!  (Thank you Kim Napoleone, Vicki Cox-Layton and Betsy Wood).  Ask them how rewarding it was.  

I have deep appreciation to all who helped by taking action or supported our efforts with contributions to our stamp fund or got to the polls themselves!  Huge thanks goes to Ruth Silver for joining me in 2020 to form this group from our Side With Love Task Force, for Evan Wilson’s guidance and to Rev. Aaron for all his personal and spiritual support behind the scenes and at our UU the Vote phonebanks.

Help celebrate our collective achievement by joining the Good Trouble Congregation celebration in person with make-your-own sundaes and other treats, lively music and guest speakers OR zoom in from your own home.  The zoom meeting with UU the Vote starts at 7 PM but come in person by 6:30 to settle in with your refreshments.  Register for the zoom meeting here to join from home.

Please RSVP to Beth at GOtV@uucworcester.org in order to plan refreshments and so that we can message you event updates based on the weather, if necessary. 

Need a ride? Reach out to GOtV@uucworcester.org 

Not safe to drive? Join by zoom! Register here

On the fence? Come join us! There will be lots of treats!

What’s next?

Now that the election season has ended, we have much to do to preserve our democracy, get legislation passed that supports our values, and do the work of civic engagement.  We can still get into some good trouble!  

If you want to be added to our email distribution list for upcoming activities and events, contact Beth directly or via GOtV@uucworcester.org.  Our planning meetings are held from 6:30-7:30 pm on the 2nd Thursday of each month by zoom.  Contact Beth via GOtV@uucworcester.org for the zoom link if you would like to tune in.

*quotes are from the UUA website Become a Good Trouble Congregation

The post 2022 Good Trouble Congregation – We Did It! first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

by The Stewardship Team

The soil has been turned over and fertilized, the seeds have been planted, and so we await our bounty.  But as gardeners know, this is just the beginning.  The hands-on work of weeding, irrigation, and pest management continues.  

We have sent the emails with pledge statements and solicitation, made announcements during services, but now comes the direct one-to-one interaction of talking to you about your concerns, dreams for the church, and making your pledge.  We are currently 60% of the way to our goal of $225,000 in pledges that will fund our building, our staff, and the vision for our beloved community.  The Board of Management is waiting for our results in order to build a budget for the next church year, so we need to finalize our results in the coming weeks.  So during this time, we will be reaching out to you by phone and email.  We look forward to connecting!

The Stewardship Team

Catherine Roberts
Moira Rouse
Dave Schowalter

The post Tending The Garden – Stewardship 2022 first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

It is that glorious time of year again… no, no, not Spring yet…, but Stewardship Season!

This year, the stewardship theme is “Planting our Future,” which takes its cue from the incredible work our Garden On Team is doing with the landscaping of our reinvented property.

The themes of gardening, particularly the way UUCW is doing gardening, align well with financial stewardship and the flowering of our community:

Planting seeds:  What we fund today, and the investments we make today, will have impacts on our church and our community right now and for generations.

Biodiversity:  By avoiding monoculture, we allow symbiotic relationships to develop that will make our entire community healthier, more resilient, and thoroughly fulfilled.

Native Plant Gardening:  Our gardens are now part of the “Sacred Grounds” program with the National Wildlife Federation, which promotes “native plant” gardening.  As a congregation that is committed to the growth and well-being of our community, many of our outreach efforts help those closest to us thrive during very challenging times.

Balance:  We want to be responsible with our staff, our programs, as well as our future by balancing our budget like a garden needs balance in the soil chemistry and among individual decorative elements.

Cultivation:  A beautiful and productive garden requires effort, time and perseverance.  It is a process, and not just an end product.  The work is never done, but it will feed and nourish you forever if cared for properly.

Please mark March 6 on your calendars as Stewardship Sunday.  We will have some fun playing with these themes and initiating our campaign for pledges for the next church year.  In addition, a member of the Stewardship Team will be available in Fellowship Hall after the service every Sunday in March to gather your thoughts and concerns about how we financially support this spiritual home that we hold dear.  In the meantime, please reach out to stewardship@uucworcester.org.  We want to hear from you!

The Stewardship Team

Catherine Roberts

Moira Rouse

Dave Schowalter

The post How Does Your Garden Grow? first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.

David Schowalter of the UUCW Stewardship Team discusses finances during the summer months and the importance of maintaining pledges. For more information or to connect with a member of the Stewardship Team please email stewardship@uucworcester.org.   

The post Stewardship Notes – Summer Finances first appeared on Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester.