by Larry Morrell, QUUF Board President

QUUF Covenant:  “We are travelers. We meet for a moment in this sacred place to love, to share, to serve. Let us use compassion, curiosity, reverence, and respect while seeking our truths. In this way, we will support a just and joyful community, and this moment shall endure.”

Dear Fellow Travelers,

Our Covenant, while describing what binds us together, challenges us on several levels. One of them is that we all pledge to support a just and joyful community. Support comes in many forms from, sharing individual spiritual journeys, to volunteering our time and energy to sharing our financial bounty.

During our pledge campaign we are asked to look inside to find the connections that matter most to each of us, so that our moment – and our fellowship – may endure.

What inspires you about our community? Spiritual exploration? Experiencing the enthusiasm of our youth? Reaching out in our community to shelter the unhoused and feed the hungry? Making joyful music to share with others? Uncovering unconscious biases and behaviors that are so engrained we don’t even suspect they exist? Connecting with people who share meaningful conversations? Sitting in the stillness of meditation in the sanctuary of our own creation?

These and many other reasons are why we have volunteers and staff, both of whom are needed, and who are dedicated to keeping the lights on and the chalice lit. The Board and the finance committee have aligned our priorities with our stated values to produce a budget for next year that will allow QUUF to welcome a new minister with a secure and capable staff. We have created an honest appraisal of who we are, and what needs we have, and a firm financial picture. But only with your commitment to our community – both fiscally and physically, can this happen. We need the funding, and we need commitments to volunteerism.

The Board of Trustees has been navigating a sea of change: in governance, in ministers and in a new “normal” that was imposed by the pandemic and continues to affect QUUF and the world. All this while society is becoming increasingly polarized and siloed into warring camps of “others.” We have experimented with different forms of communicating, listening, and understanding, such as our Monday Board Reports, Wisdom Council Process event, Listening Sessions and Letters to the Board. We have learned from all of these and will continue to think outside the box and listen with compassion. As we continue our transition, the Board will be looking toward the future to define a vision of QUUF that brings hope and joy to our community.

We envision a future where QUUF inspires others to come together to listen and connect – even across diverse opinions and experiences.

As our Mission says: “We come together to seek our truths, honor our diversity, serve with love and work for justice in the world.”

The coming year will be filled with opportunities to expand our thinking, broaden our reach and advance our mission in partnership with a Developmental Minister. There will be many challenges to overcome. But we can address one challenge right now: Make your pledge of funds and time a firm statement of how much you value our community and want to make it even stronger.

In these challenging times, we need a strong community more than ever.

Larry Morrell
President, QUUF Board of Trustees

If not me, then who? (presented at the March 19 service)

I’m Joanna Sanders, a member and congregant of QUUF since about 1997.

As a records clerk in my day job, I value holding and organizing important documents. For a little show and tell, I hold onto this membership directory as a treasured document. It’s a 1997 version of Who’s Who at UU.

One early memory I have of those days in the late 90s… before I knew that I had made a pattern of showing up on Sundays, was receiving a phone call from one of the beloved elders. “Hi Joanna… you’ve been coming for a while, when are you going to start pledging?” Coming from a family who were professionals at beating around the bush, I was caught off guard by the direct money question. I said, “well I don’t give a lot, but I do put cash in the collection plate.” They said, “Joanna, if you put it in an envelope with your name on it, we’ll know to attribute it to you.” “Okay, will do. Thanks.” I appreciated the guidance and directness – really.

Little did I know then the behind the scenes work and commitment involved to keep this organization going. Those early members in that directory – like today – worked to fund the programs, pay staff, provide curriculum, host social events, and pay for the facility. The leaders also weathered many changes and challenges of a growing church and had the pleasure of working with roughly nine ministers along the way.

At times, we called this annual pledge event the Spring Fling. It has become a fun ritual to anticipate. It means filling out my pledge form and having a community celebration – a party – a time to share food, laugh, reflect, and look forward.

A month earlier than the pledge campaign – over the President’s Day holiday, I hold another ceremony – tax preparation weekend. Although a lot less exciting, I don’t dread this exercise of calculating my portion of taxes based on my income. I accept it as a social responsibility. The process involves making time to organize paperwork such as the proof of donations to local organizations like QUUF – donation statements that signify what I value. Doing this tax work early means I know the results and can plan ahead for any taxes due or refund paid. Afterwards, I celebrate the great feeling of checking it off my list as completed. Unlike my early membership days, I now similarly calculate my giving for our fellowship.

My time here began out of a foggy desire to provide a religious education foundation for my children. It turned into so much more. Side by side, we learned about social justice, our UU faith and neighboring faiths, the Our Whole Lives Sexuality Curriculum, and much about the power of generosity. We combined our thoughts and voices with others in song, discussions, and even in quiet meditation. We were invited into too many activities to mention, and these asks to participate fostered and nurtured lasting friendships among our peer groups but also in the larger congregation and intergenerationally. One event that was rich for me when I was an RE teacher was learning about and celebrating Lunar New Year. We constructed a colorful cloth-covered dragon and then as a part of the Sunday Service, we weaved it around with lots of little ones underneath through the sanctuary.

My dad always said the best way to learn something is to engage all your senses. I’ve learned a lot here by saying yes when asked to contribute and weaving in and around the various volunteer jobs.

I close by expressing gratefulness for being able to meaningfully contribute as a congregant and celebrating this season of giving and the rituals that bind us together in community.