Our Beloved Community

Dear Ones,
 
I hope the start of this new year has been a good one and the year brings each of you many blessings. My initial instinct was to just wish each of you a happy new year yet, that sentiment while sincere, felt insufficient and shallow given these times. We need each other more than ever and I am very grateful to have this community. I hit the ground running (mostly in a good way but also had a few bumps) and hope to settle into a bit of a slower pace over the next few months. It is my relationships with you all and felt sense of community that sustains and inspires me.  
 
I am so excited about starting this blog. We are wanting to have a place to share more personally and more in-depth than what a newsletter can offer. Over the course of the next few months you will be hearing from members of our Ministry Teams about their work and their inspiration. What about UUFNW inspires you? 
 
One aspect of my Board Ministry that calls me is the opportunity to help shape culture to ensure we live our mission.  
 
Perhaps you may recall my mentioning that the Board of Trustees (Steffani Brandenburg, Greg Goett, Kathryn Ward, Jack Kozuchowski, Suzi Novak, Vicki Bloom, and Stuart Marcus) had taken on the task of developing a three-year Rolling Strategic Plan.  This is a living, ever-evolving document and tool that is designed to assist all of us towards growth and fulfilling our mission. I am pleased to announce that this initial work has been completed.
 
What is a Rolling 3-year strategic Plan? 
A rolling strategic plan is a living document that is designed to guide us and our Ministry Teams to help fulfill and live OUR MISSION. “Rolling” refers to how it will be utilized. Year two goals (will become year one (2021-2022); year three goals will become year two (2022-2023) and new year three goals will be developed for 2023-2024, etc. Additionally, all goals will continue to be reviewed for their relevance. What is special about our plan is that it was created by the congregation.  
 
During 2019 our congregation hired a UUA consultant to assist in developing our mission and vision statement. All congregants were invited to participate in the process which resulted in our current Mission Statement along with more detailed broad-brush goals that outlined our vision as to how this would be carried out. In May 2019 we voted to formally accept our Mission and Vision at our annual meeting. The Board used these documents as the basis for the strategic plan. While the categories of “Gather, Engage, and Create” are not noted specifically in the Plan, each and every one of the goals identified in 2019 is incorporated. 
 
We began the process at the Board retreat and worked closely with our current Ministry Teams.  In December 2019 we were able to complete our work and in doing so (drum roll) we are now eligible to apply for a Chalice Lighter Grant from the UUA for a Membership Coordinator. In order to be eligible, we need to meet a threshold for chalice lighter supporters so if you have not done so, I hope you will consider becoming a supporter. 
 
As we continue to gather, engage, and create, we have so much to look forward to! 
 
In peace and fellowship,
Steffani 
 
Steffani Brandenburg
Board of Trustees, President

---