December 18, 2011 Congregational Conversation

Comments

• How might we reach out to youth in the community? How about a mentoring program or a drop-in center for teens?
• Would like more outreach to the LGBTQ community.
• Why wait on space?
• Timing of pending Prop 8 decision (whatever the outcome) provides great opportunity for promoting Unitarian Universalism
• As living systems, organizations do not tend to stay the same. They either grow or decline. So "do nothing" is not a very attractive option.
• What can we deliberately do to manage change, to avoid problems with transition to 2 services?
• There must be ways to use our current space more effectively.
• Common concern about 2 services is "I don't want to be left out."
• Second service does not need to be a duplicate of the existing service.
• Concern about extra stress on ministers and support teams, due to move to 2 services.
• Second service could be in a smaller space. Will not likely have as many attendees, at least in the beginning.
• Counseling Center could be a good location for the 2nd service.
• Like the vision of being more involved with/visible to the broader community - e.g., tutoring, ESL, yoga, additional volunteer opportunities to serve community.
• Like the idea of decentralized church: Be where the people are.
• Why should we grow? We need to understand that first! We don't want growth for growth's sake; that will simply lead to frustration and conflict.
• One answer to "Why grow?" is partly to serve others, AND partly to complete us. (We will benefit from including more/different people.)
• Q. Do we have counselors as members of our congregation?
  A: Yes. Plus a lot of teachers and engineers.
• One positive reason for growth: it ties in to living our values. One scary thing about growth: fear of burnout.
• Like idea of hiring a volunteer coordinator (rather than music director) for the first additional paid position.
• Concern about 2nd service: Who will I miss? Will that change splinter us?
• Discussion of group dynamics. Connections are best built and maintained within groups of a certain size; participating in smaller groups helps foster sense of community. Connections are best formed in activities/programs other than the worship service.
• Q. Do you have a schedule of activities/worship?
  A: Yes, website's What's Happening Now! Calendar.
• Church growth must be well aligned with congregational mission. Need to prioritize efforts according to our mission.
• We may need to revise and promote our mission statement.
• Like the opportunity to move beyond "just Sunday" to incorporate values in whole life.
• Let's bring our whole courage to this change!!
• Concern: some people have been burned out by past growth.
• Like the emphasis on brokering/offering more volunteer opportunities.
• Idea: perhaps the 2nd Sunday Share-the-Plate program could grow to include signing up volunteers for the spotlighted organization.
• Idea: guest speaker program (e.g., authors) to draw more people. Perhaps this could be the basis of the 2nd service?
• Idea: form partnerships with non-profit organizations, e.g., MPUUC could partner with Save the Bay on bayshore cleanup drives.
• Volunteer coordinator could help people find short-term or 1-time volunteer opportunities; could help volunteers find opportunities that match expectations for time commitment.
• First Unitarian Church of San Jose sponsors a program called the Third Street Community Center, which provides tutoring and support for families. The Community Center can get additional funding as a 501(C) 3 organization.
• Excited about the opportunities (in the proposal and that we discussed) but scared by experience with problems at other churches. How can we avoid big, ugly rifts in our congregation?
• To manage the stress of this change, we may need a continuing, concerted focus on Conflict Resolution.
• Rev. Joy had wanted us to create a 'Covenant of Right Relations.' We haven't done this (yet), but it may be a good idea whose time has come. A Covenant of Right Relations would address how we deal with conflict, and help to avoid factions. A deliberate, formal process is used to create and accept this kind of covenant.
• This meeting was a good idea. Let's keep talking.
• Want MPUUC to have a (greater) presence in our community. UUs have no tradition of proselytizing; rather, our tradition is Action.
• Location is important. So is being well known for what you stand for.
• Churches that have successfully become diverse were known for their values. (Their values were a draw to a broader, more diverse community.)
• Going out into the community with more programs gives us a greater variety of opportunities for inviting others.
• To create more diversity: (1) expand your own social network and (2) talk about your church.
• Q: What are next steps for this process (moving forward with the Vision)?
  A: COM and Jeremy will funnel information from congregational conversations, with some recommendations, to Board. Board will determine specific next steps. Two-Services study group and Counseling Center study group have already been authorized, but groups may not be fully formed. (Editor's note: the Counseling Center study group is fully formed and has been meeting for several months.)
• Q. How do I sign up to participate in 2 services study group?
  A: Contact a Board member.

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