Gratitude and Change

We just had our annual meeting on Sunday.  I toiled all week before - actually for several weeks -  with what I might say to our congregation that would make a difference - might take us into a year of discussion together with a spirit of community.   But it was on a walk with my family - away from the computer - that words came to me that had meaning.  I had forgotten my spiritual practice for a couple weeks - and coming back to it centered me.  A lesson for me - take care of myself.

In my remarks, I asked that each person consider two questions, and before the end of the meeting, write down their responses on a card and turn it in to us:  "What are you grateful for?" and "What will you do differently next year in relation to First Unitarian?"   Centered in our gratitude for all that we have in this great faith of ours, what actions will we take to bring about the transformation we need to be the church we know we can be?  The responses were overwhelming - amazing gratitude and significant commitment. 

If you were not there, or if you were there and are still pondering, I hope you will send me your responses, or add them as a comment to this blog, or fill out card and put it in the board mail slot at church so we can multiply our energy.  While we have significant concerns about our budget this year - as we have had in previous years - we are now facing our challenges with intent for understanding and action this year, and that will make all the difference.

I include below my words to the congregation from our annual meeting for your consideration.

President's Report to the Congregation - Sunday, May 16, 2010

“Gratitude is one of those rare forces in life that increases as you give it away,” says Neil Neimark, of the Body Soul Connection. And so I’d like to begin my remarks with gratitude. First, for outgoing board members who have worked hard on your behalf.

• Cindy Cohen has been a member of your Board for 6 years, including 1 year as President. She believed she could make a difference for our congregation during difficult times, and she has made a difference in so many ways. She is passionate about our communications and has paved the way for those who will succeed her on the board and in the role of recording secretary.
• David Weiss has been a member of your Board for 3 years and a vital devil’s advocate for our thinking, bringing challenging questions and unique perspectives to our work. His presence and voice has been invaluable to me as Board president.
• Phil Dowd has been a member of your Board for 3 years, as well. In his gentle way, Phil helped reel me in when necessary and was instrumental in planning our retreats and meetings with the congregation, bringing his facilitation skills to the table.

We will miss all three on the Board and look forward to our three new Board members who will join us tomorrow after our vote today. Please join me in thanking these fine folks for their service.

I would also like to thank:

•  Steve Cohen, who has been our Treasurer for two years and will continue next year. He has significant insights into our financial situation and has provided sage advice throughout the year. Over the past four weeks, he has prepared and reviewed the outlook for next year, facilitated emotionally charged discussions with his own sense of calm. He will be instrumental during next year in helping the Board and congregation understand the realities of our financial situation as we complete our work on the priorities of our church.
• The Executive Team has been our partner in leadership this year, accepting their responsibilities and accountabilities with great energy. We have made significant progress this year towards operational excellence. For the first time in my 5 years on the Board, we are receiving complete monitoring reports on church operations that clearly demonstrate our strengths and weaknesses and instill confidence in your Board and Treasurer that our operations and financial condition are sound. For the first time in 7 years we have had an external financial audit and it showed no significant issues. For the first time in 9 years, we have a high level long-range plan that has been turned over to the Executive Team to take to the next level of detail.

Who and what are you grateful for in our congregation? If you will, please take your yellow card and write “I am grateful for” on it, and before you leave today, please list one gratitude.

Uncertainty – Change – Fear – Bad memories – Love – Strong emotional triggers. We’ve been through a lot as a congregation in the past 10 years and things are feeling good. Much is reflected in our annual report and I hope you will take time to read about all of our accomplishments. Great stuff is beginning to happen.

For several years now we have used reserve funds to balance a budget that is larger than reliable forms of income can support. This is a practice which is unsustainable and it is time to address it with intention. This year, your board and Executive Team presented a preliminary budget at two budget reconciliation meetings with the congregation, that included reducing job positions of three of our staff members: Honorary Minister of Music (HMM), Director of Religious Exploration (DRE) and, Business Manager (BM), as well as reducing our dues, and eliminating budgets for most of our committees. It was based on a lower income from several sources, including projected pledge income. We were thrown, as a congregation, and many of you asked for one more year to give our fledgling programs a chance to take off and to understand our priorities better; to take care of our valued and talented staff; to understand if our limitation on staff costs of 70% of income is still relevant; to figure this out. Your input was considered carefully by the Executive Team and Board.

In a few minutes, Steve Cohen will present a revised budget that restores program staff, including the DRE and HMM, to full time with salary cuts across all staff. It is not a balanced budget – and the Board requires that it be balanced by June 15. Even with significant cuts still included, such as the BM position, dues and committee budgets, the shortage is too large to continue to fund from other sources. The plan is to have a supplemental stewardship drive to close the gap in projected income needed, estimated to be on the order of $30,000 – about 5% of our current projected pledge income. Short of raising that income, the Executive Team will make adjustments to the budget to be in alignment with our financial policies with the exception of the limit on salaries and benefits to 70% of projected income, which we will ask you to put aside again this year. The reality is, if the gap is still too large at the end of the drive, we could still impact our staff further.

A personal story: My dad is soon to be 86 – a young man by some standards. :-) He looks frail, physically, to the unknowing onlooker. He’s had a number of mini-strokes which have left him without good balance and strength. Every time he gets up from his chair and is securely on his feet, he declares with a smile “made it again”. And then he goes on to walk in the pool and seek out new ways to strengthen his body because at 86 he has a strong will to live. “I’m not ready yet, Nan,” he says. It’s not “business as usual” for him.

When we approve this budget – and I believe we will; when we raise the additional funds – and I believe we will; will we say “made it again” and go on, business as usual? What will we do differently to take today’s congregation into the future? How will we think differently about our staff and our programs? How can we be more intentional about creating opportunities to bring the community in – or to take our programs to the community? How can we refocus our energy on our highest priorities so we don’t burn out our staff and volunteers?

To quote President Barack Obama “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

So, if you will, please think about “what I will do differently in my relationship to First Unitarian Church and why,” and before the end of this meeting, write it down on the back of the yellow card. Here’s what I have written on my card: Starting in June, I will be working with our youth as a mentor in leadership because our youth are our future. And I will join with others to work on our systems of connection, because connection is a key ingredient for growth. Paul and I will contribute to the supplemental pledge drive and starting today, we began a new spiritual practice of giving thanks each week for the gifts this congregation has given to us—and for the privilege of freedom of belief and worship. We intend to give each week to the non-designated offering, over and above our pledge. We won’t let the offering plate pass us without reaching in our pockets for a few extra dollars. I invite you to join us in that practice, which alone could raise significant ongoing income from just $1 per person per week.

I hope you will put your name on your card and put it in the basket at the back of the sanctuary, sharing your gratitude and your commitments with us. What you give away returns to you in ways you may not yet understand.

In Faith,

Nancy