Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Pottstown

Have you made a resolution for the new year — promised yourself you’ll stick to a healthy diet, exercise more, learn a language? People have been making resolutions at the beginning of a new year at least since the times of the Romans. Let’s look at how this has everything to do with
UUFP.
While I, personally, am not big on making New Year resolutions, I am a member a group of people who consistently list collective intentions for the year and faithfully work to carry them out. That group would be the members and friends of UUFP! Our Board of Directors met in November to determine annual goals. We were joined at the meeting by Rev. Kerry Mueller and Rev. Dave Hunter who serve now as our Consulting Ministers and who advise our Fellowship to help create conditions under which we can progress toward the achievement of our common aspirations. Ours was a joyfully productive meeting. Here are the UUFP goals proposed for the next year:
         • Create an RE Committee to facilitate adult programming for spiritual growth and develop a summer vacation RE program.
        • Increase our visibility within the community by using the resources we possess to enhance the lives of people at UUFP and the community  at large.
        • To provide opportunities to enhance our understanding of how UUFP embodies Unitarian Universalism as individuals and as a community – to understand what motivates us, how we live up to our mission, live our faith, and continue to re-energize and refresh our efforts.

Stay tuned as the Board and Committees translate these goals into action.

While statistics indicate that most people fail to live up to their New Year resolutions, UUFP has a pretty good record when it comes to fulfilling goals. Before we worked on new goals at the retreat, we reviewed last year’s goals: 

1) to create a plan to carry us through the transition to new ministry during 2018.                                        (Thanks go to Lisa J., Mary R., and Emily Q-M and the Begin Again group);
2) to conduct a successful pledge drive that would fund into that new ministry; and
3) fund and install new flooring in the RE wing.
                                    All goals accomplished! We defied the norms!
                                Wishing everyone a joyfully productive New Year!!!
                                                         In faith,  Miranda
                                                               

President’s Message

This past month has been a productive time for UUFP.  I’m happy to announce that the Board and the Reverends Kerry Mueller and Dave Hunter have contracted at least through June 2019 for part-time ministry and pastoral services. We feel fortunate to have found this gracious and thoughtful couple to help and work with us as we meet the challenges of ministry to ourselves and our Pottstown community, while we continue to grow and flourish as a Fellowship in these interesting times.

The Reverends Mueller and Hunter and the UUFP Board met on Saturday, November 17th for the Board’s semi-annual retreat where we got to know each other a bit and developed goals for the next year. Ahead of new goals, we reviewed the status of the goals we’d set for ourselves last winter. We found that we have accomplished an impressive number of those goals.  We:

• Created a Ministry and Worship plan to carry us forward after loss of ministry. Thank you, Linda P., Lisa J., and Mary R. for researching new ministry and laying the groundwork for the affirmation process.

• Carried off an encouragingly successful pledge campaign. Thank you, Linda K. who initiated that project and kept it humming.

• We installed a beautiful new hardwood floor in the entire RE wing .Thank you, Jon P., Frances P., Mary R., Rick D. and everyone who contributed to the funding of that project.

• We gave our sanctuary a beautiful blue facelift (Thank you, Mary R. and helpers).

• We’ve added a pianist and a bookkeeper/office manager who freed us from some tasks so that we can reinvest our energies in other tasks that build our community.

Thanks to congregational financial support! A new ministry of hope and peace and a long list of accomplishments — like holiday gifts for our beloved community!

Next month I’ll review the new goals in the January Sojourner. There are plans afoot for a program or event for our Ministers and the whole Fellowship to get to know each other better. We’ll trim our holiday tree after Sunday Service on December 2nd, celebrate Christmas with a children’s Christmas Eve service, and step into 2019 on the right foot with a New Year’s Day Labyrinth walk.

With love and wishes for a wonderful holiday season, Miranda