“What I know for sure is that when you declutter–whether it is your home, your head, or your heart–it is astounding what will flow into that space that will enrich your life.” ~ Peter Walsh
March is the month when Spring begins, and many people start to think of “Spring Cleaning.” The UUFP is no different. After years of accumulating things and then looking for any vacant spot inside the building to store it, the time has come to take a systematic approach to “decluttering” our Fellowship and organizing the items that we want to keep. The first few steps have already been taken. The decision has been made to convert the conference room that is adjacent to the main entrance into a storage room. The first room to be decluttered was the “Teen Room.” All items have been cleared out of the closets and cabinets. Many thanks go out to Kay Price and Mary Ryan who helped to first review each item and then determine if it fell into the Keep, Sell, Donate or Toss pile. Once that was completed, items were moved (or removed) accordingly. The next step will be to give the “Teen Room” a fresh coat of paint and then the work crew will move on to the remaining closets and cabinets in the building. Once we have cleaned them out, we will have a much better feel for our storage needs and available space. The library and Minister’s Office will then be tackled. Simultaneously, Meghan Mickle, our new nursery teacher, is going through the nursery. This is an ongoing process: we didn’t accumulate the clutter in a day, hence it will take some time to declutter. If anyone would like to help, please let me know.
Part of the impetus for doing this is that we now have a new long-term renter of our “Teen Room.” New Earth Traditions is a home-school enrichment program whose mission is to support education and development in a modern-ancestral way. They will be using our space on Wednesdays starting in April. Their teachings are very much in alignment with our UU Principles, so we are very excited to have them. If you would like more information regarding them, please visit their website at www.NewEarthTraditions.com.
Speaking of rentals, please spread the word about the ability to rent our facilities. If you know of anyone that is looking for a space to hold a party (birthday, graduation or retirement), hold a memorial service, host a baby shower or hold a wedding, please mention our beautiful space. All the individual needs to do is contact us at Rentals@UUPottstown.org. The Rental Coordinator (me) will then handle the rest.
The final bit of new information that I will share is that Ruby Barnthouse has graciously agreed to become the RE Committee Chair. Over the past few years, Ruby has done an outstanding job in serving as our volunteer RE Teacher and building a quality program that children love to attend. Miss Ruby, as she is known to the children, has created a nurturing environment where the children can learn age-appropriate UU lessons. However, the challenge that we now face is two-fold: more children are attending on Sundays and the ages of the children are becoming more disparate. Ruby is already thinking about different ways to engage the “Tween” group. She will be working closely with the Board to develop a plan as to how to expand the RE program to be inclusive and pertinent to all age groups. It is a big task, and we are grateful that she is willing to take this on. Enjoy the Vernal Equinox – or in laymen’s terms – Happy Spring!!
In gratitude, Linda