By Jessica O’Brien I’m writing this month’s report in Dulles Airport, DC, awaiting my later flight to Paris for a month’s walk in France. Our last 2018-2019 Board meeting was last night, and it was a long one due to several discussion items and the election of new Board positions. Here’s a synopsis. First of all, the new 2019-20 Board positions: President – Jessica O’Brien Vice President – Doug Hansen Secretary Susan – Fournier Personnel Chair – Bruce Thomas Finance/Annual Giving Chair – Ben Puckett Next, Board members on Committees: Comm of Right Relations – Rachel Delbos Personnel Comm –… By Megan Tschannen-Moran Adapted from a “From the Heart” talk at the April 7, 2019, worship service. When Rev. Laura described this month’s theme of finding wholeness in the midst of life’s unexpected twists and turns, I thought “I can relate!” I’m sure that we all can, because life doesn’t always work out as planned. Sometimes these unexpected turns are delightful. Growing up as the middle daughter of a single mom who struggled financially, I could never have dreamed the life that has emerged for me. All I knew was that I wanted to be a teacher. I loved working… By Natalie Miller Moore, Co-Facilitator of Adult OWL You would really be surprised how often the topic of sexuality comes up. Okay, I’ll admit that I’m often the one to bring it up, since I went to Our Whole Lives training last August. One of the unique things about our faith is that we are interested in the whole person, and view sexuality as part of our lifelong quest to understand ourselves better. I think as a society, people think that we are oversexualized, or that we talk quite frequently about controversial sexuality and identity topics, say, gender equality or… As of this writing we have received $321,624 in total pledges from 115 pledgers. This represents 78% of our goal of $410,000. The average increase remains above 8% for those who have pledged to date. The annual giving team wishes to THANK everyone who has pledged so generously. We are counting on the more than 120 members and friends who are still considering their annual financial commitment, to help us achieve the last $88,000 to reach our goal. If you are a current pledger, please consider raising your pledge if you are able. If you have not pledged, please consider… By Nan Hart The event was billed as “A Moral Call for Ecological Justice in Buckingham.” Friends of Buckingham, the sponsoring organization, had invited Rev. Dr. William Barber, II, and former Vice President Al Gore to speak. Rev. Dr. Barber II, (president of Repairers of the Breach and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival), is known for building coalitions. And that’s exactly what he did. Corporate greed, environmental non-justice, historic, structural and systemic racism, plus the immediacy of climate change were all issues woven together skillfully that night by Barber and Al Gore. (One… By Lola Warren Adapted from a “From the Heart” talk at the March 17, 2019 worship service. Occasionally you’ve seen me in front of the congregation calling a meeting to order or making an announcement, seen me around and about our campus or maybe you’ve seen reports I’ve submitted on work that’s been done. Today I am here to tell you why have I done and continue to do such things. It is because of all that was displayed in the Gathering Hall and Little Sanctuary during our recent Activities Fair. I’m in awe — and excited to be a… By Jessica O’Brien You’ve heard real estate folks preach “location, location, location”? Well, here at WUU, a welcoming, inclusive faith community, our mantra needs to be “communication, communication, communication.” I realize I’ve been remiss in continuing the tradition of Presidents’ reports, so this month I’m catching up. Hang onto your hats, there’s a lot going on! Have you noticed the Facebook posts on events taking place at WUU? Matt Meyer’s Drumming and Spirituality Workshop was the latest to go up. Watch Facebook for more postings like this. The Board has just begun a structured process of monitoring the Strategic Plan… By the Soul Matters Sharing Circle Team Let’s just say that we’re skeptical about rushing in to fix things. We Unitarian Universalists understand the urge to restore what once was. Nothing is more human. Who doesn’t want to reverse the damage? Who doesn’t hold on to the humpty dumpty hope that all can be put back together again? But our faith teaches us that this is just not how the world works. Transition and change rule the flow of life. There is no going back. The current of time is just too strong. And so the wholeness offered us is… As of this writing we have received $301,433 in total pledges from 94 pledgers. We have reached 73.% of our goal of $410,000. Of those who have pledged, 86% have pledged at least the same amount as last year, with 57% increasing their pledge. Overall the average increase in pledge is more than 8%. THANK YOU to everyone who has pledged so generously. We have more than 150 members and friends still considering their annual financial commitment. We need the generosity of everyone to reach our goal. Any pledge, regardless of size, is meaningful and appreciated. We hope that most… March 17 was our WUU Activities Fair–the place to be if you want to get involved at WUU but don’t know how or where. And it’s not too late to get involved! If you’d like to sign up for small groups, social justice teams, or any of our committees and ministry teams, just email the office at office@wuu.org and we’ll help you get connected. This year’s Activities Fair featured twenty-two opportunities for WUUs to share our talents and interests. Each activity was identified by posters and table displays, with representatives available to chat and answer questions. Not only was this…
WUU President’s Report
From the Heart
Discussing Sexuality for Self-Discovery
Annual Giving Update
WUU Road Trip to Union Hill
From the Heart
WUU President’s Report
What Does It Mean to Be a People of Wholeness?
Annual Giving Campaign Making Progress
Springing Into Action–The WUU Activities Fair
