Solstice Self-Care
It has been a joy to be part of this beautiful congregation. Thank you for making me feel so welcomed in your community. It’s a busy time coming into the month of December — I know. Before I received my call to ministry, I worked for Starbucks Coffee Company and sometimes that was really fun. But towards the end I found myself longing for January — that time when I could stop thinking about it for the next 10 months.…
New Beginnings
It’s been over a month since I have been the Director of Music Ministries at OCUUC and I could not have asked for a more inclusive and more welcoming congregation and staff! As always, the first day at a new job comes with the first day jitters and nerves. It’s been a journey of discovery: learning new things, new processes and meeting new people. It’s been a journey of excitement: finding new music, planning future services and music sundays. It’s…
As The Holidays Approach
Our Special Congregation Meeting is Sunday, December 3rd after church. I am deep in the “sausage making” of preparing the information we will all need to make a good decision. We are all in this together, and I’m certain Sunday will be a great example of our democracy. Many of you have complimented me on my leadership style, but it is because we are a great congregation and we complement each other that it works. Regardless of the outcome of…
A Tree Analogy
It is not all about the new Sanctuary! The OCUUC Board has been meeting monthly and talking about what it would like to see accomplished this church year (by June). We are energized by all the ideas and are using a tree analogy to focus our work. First the Branches – we would love to extend our visibility and welcoming to the broader community. Developing a marketing plan, a path to membership, and improved signage are all in our branches.…
Generosity
Generosity, it is said, comes in many different forms. We say each Sunday that we are grateful for the time, treasure and talent of everyone – the generosity of everyone, really. But is it just time, treasure and talent? I heard recently from a colleague that she was so impressed with our generosity toward our new Music Director. She had been so impressed that after loving Beth for so long, that we have been so open and embracing of Jakob.…
New Curriculum
On September 10th we kicked off a year of Passport to Spirituality in the Elementary Class (K-6th), a curriculum that will guide us in exploring the spiritual practices of world religions. At each country we “visit”, the children will receive a passport sticker, learn about a different religion, engage in a spiritual practice utilized by that religion, and pick up a souvenir. What’s more, the Maker Space was such a huge success this summer that we have decided to continue…
Amazing Gratitude
September has been a big month of transitions and change throughout our music program. When Susan Shaw and I started in our roles as Interim Co-Directors of Music Ministries, we, with trepidation, thought our theme song would most accurately be described by Roy Zimmerman’s “Hope, Struggle, and Change.” However, as we reflect on our wonderful experiences throughout September and what we are anticipating in October, we think a more appropriate song is Hal Walker’s “Amazing Gratitude” — with train whistles…
A Busy Fall
We are in the middle of a very busy Fall, and I am excited about all the energy. It is a busy time! In the middle of it all, we are still trying to start construction on our new sanctuary. Despite our best efforts to reduce the costs, it is still going to cost more than we expected, a lot more. We need another $700,000 in pledges and authorization from the congregation to get to groundbreaking. It is not going…
Heritage and Legacy
Beth Syverson, our former Director of Music Ministries, left quite a heritage and legacy at this church from her 22 years with us. She started as our accompanist, growing into the Music Director, then Choir Director positions and then finally the Director of Music Ministries. She told me once that she didn’t “get” Unitarian Universalism until she went to her first yearly conference of UU Music Directors and Musicians. There her colleagues taught her to connect the music with the…
Transition and emotions
Over the years I’ve written over 200 Reach articles, and this will be my last one. My time at OCUUC is quickly coming to a close. This transition brings about lots of emotions for me – gratitude, sadness, nostalgia, and excitement – all rolled in one. The famous therapist Virginia Satir created what we now refer to as the Satir Change Model: I find this Change Model to be very helpful when I’m in that uncomfortable Chaos phase. Knowing that…
Guest Makers
As we inch towards the end of the summer, I want to highlight the contributions of all the “guest makers” that shared their talents and passions with our children in the UU Maker Space over the past couple of months. Linda S. led us in some watercolor experimentation using eye droppers, which was fun and engaging for the kids. Maureen M. joined us for some woodworking, and each child got to make their own wooden car! Barbara M. did origami…
Fall at OCUUC
I love Fall at OCUUC. Although our fiscal year started two months ago, it feels like a beginning. Rev. Sian will be back, our new intern, Wendy Karn, will be starting, and we have so many exciting events coming up. It will be busy, and we will use it to transform our lives and communities by living our Principles. That is our mission! We will celebrate transitions, explore new ways to make a difference, and enjoy being together. We will…