Greetings, all. This is my first “Bits from the Board, and I’m grateful to Lisbet White for her guidance with this project.
Board Meeting: The new UUYO Board met on January 23, to get to know each other, and outline the year ahead. Under Lisbet’s great leadership, the Board will be working to address several issues to advance the mission of UUYO in the community.
Worship, going forward: The board discussed how worship services will transition, moving into the future, and in anticipation of the pandemic receding. We anticipate there will be a blended model, with in-person services at the church, alongside continued Zoom broadcasts. There will be some technical issues related to this transition, and Tim Raridon is taking the lead on this. As we begin to open the church building for worship, the board suggested providing “open house” style tours, to reacquaint the membership with the building, and foster a level of comfort.
Technology: As we open up, we will be working to add some knowledge and expertise to our technology crew. Andy Crabb, Tim Raridon, and Lola Lewis have done a fantastic job bringing services to our community by Zoom every Sunday. Now we need to find some people and systems that can help balance out the load they’ve been carrying for these many months. More to come on this.
UUYO Website: The website needs some work, and we are looking for folks who may be interested in taking on this project. The goal is to make the website more user-friendly for newcomers, and highlight our UU principles to more easily explain who we are and what we stand for. We would be glad to hear from someone in our Church community who has the skill and interest to take on this project.
8th Principle: We discussed implementation of the 8th principle, and how best to provide this information to the community. Historically, the church community has done much in the area of anti-racism. The 8th principle requires us to up our game.
The Church will explore partnering with the Buckeye Review, and will seek out community outreach opportunities to more fully “live” this principle as a community. Connecting with the Boys and Girls Club was identified as one of many opportunities where we could engage with the community around the 8th Principle.
Religious Education: Lisbet will be scheduling a meeting with parents of children in the Religious Education (RE) program. Our Church has been partnering with the Kent RE program since September, when Mystery Wallis left the position. The purpose of the meeting is to get feedback on the current program, and solicit input for the road ahead. Also, more to come on this.
Chalice: The Church is in need of a new Chalice. The current one has seen better days, and needs to be retired. The Board will explore options and venues for obtaining a new Chalice to serve our community for many years to come.
– John Shartle