The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Salem, Oregon

UUCS Annual Meeting – May 15

 The Annual Meeting of the UUCS Congregation will be held in the sanctuary on Sunday, May 15 following Sunday Services. A quorum of 25% of the congregation (at least 60 members) is required. The Agenda includes

·         discussion/approval of the UUCS budget for 2005-2006;

·         a vote on the proposed Welcoming Statement for one year;

·         a vote on the proposed bylaw changes;

·         election of members to the UUCS Board of Directors and the Nominating Committee.

The Agenda, nominees for election, Board candidate statements, proposed Welcoming Statement, and proposed by-law changes were published in the April 20^th UUCS Newsletter.  Please bring your copy of the newsletter to the meeting.

 

 

Reverential Ramblings

Does the world sometimes vex your spirit? Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by your cares, concerns, anxieties? Do you sometimes feel despair? Probably. Even Zen Masters, saints, sages and wise souls come upon their hard times, their intense “dark nights of the soul,” their harrowing ventures down through the “valleys of the shadow of death.” Life is a good, but it can be a great challenge, too.

When I find myself in dire states of being, it is a great comfort to realize that my feelings and perspectives on life are subjective and temporary feelings, not permanent realities. I know that in due time the dark clouds will dissipate and the light will shine down again. 

Just the intellectual recognition that one’s perspective is temporarily skewed by some setback or upset can help to restore a sense of calm and hope. Then too, the wise words of others can lift us up. Years ago I discovered a short reflection on contemplative prayer by the 19^th century English Unitarian James Martineau which has stayed with me. (“The Choice is Always Ours” in The Classic Anthology on the Spiritual Way)

It’s good to invite certain encouraging words, poems, sayings and admonitions to take up permanent residence in your heart and mind. Then they are always available to you and can serve as the north star did for slaves in early American history seeking to orient themselves toward the land of freedom. 

Let me offer some brief excerpts, slightly edited for gender inclusiveness, of Martineau’s reflection to whet your appetite.

Martineau begins his meditation “Let any true person go into silence – ‘til you reach the inmost depth of all; remember how short a time and you were not at all; how short a time again, and you will not be here; open your window and look upon the night, how still its breath, how solemn its march, how deep its perspective, how ancient its forms of light.” 

This heightened awareness leads one to “feel the Eternal Presence as close upon your soul as the breeze upon your brow.”  Martineau then affirms how wondrous and transforming this recognition of Eternal Presence is: “The true proportions and genuine spirit of life open on the heart with infinite clearness….You are ashamed to have found weariness in toil so light, and tears where there was no trial to the brave. You discover with astonishment how small the dust that has blinded you, and from the height of a great and holy love look down with incredulous sorrow on the jealousies and fears and irritations that have vexed your life.  A mighty wind of resolution sets in strong upon you and freshens the whole atmosphere of your soul, sweeping down before it the light flakes of difficulty, ‘til they vanish like snow upon the sea.  You are imprisoned no more in a small compartment of time, but belong to an eternity which is now and here.  The isolation of your separate spirit passes away – and you are at one with Heaven.” 

Martineau writes not as one offering an opinion, but rather as one describing a profound personal realization.  His words inspire me, and remind me not to take myself so seriously.

Love, Rick

 

BALANCING SOCIETY AND THE INDIVIDUAL

 

I have long been fascinated by the dynamic tensions involved in achieving a balance between the “rights” of the individual and the “rights” of society.  I place the word “rights” in quotes because to me, they are not inherent, but are an artificial creation of both society and the individual.

In some cultures, the dynamics place greater value on the society.  Older European countries place emphasis on social good works, reflected in such things as socialized health plans.  More extreme are the traditional expectations placed on Japanese workers, where the individual is dedicated to the success of the company and the country, even at the sacrifice of their own personal lives.

At the other end of the spectrum lie societies in which emphasis is more on the individual, something often evident in emerging frontier and pioneer communities.  Certainly, I would place the United States in this category. 

A similar balancing of the group and the individual is contained in the biblical parable about the shepherd leaving his flock to search for the lost lamb.  Though comforting and appealing to the lost lamb, the flip side is that the shepherd left his flock unprotected. 

As I approach the end of my service as Chair of the Board of Directors of the UUCS, the fourth congregation of which I have been Chair or President, I cannot help but be aware of those dynamic tensions within all of the UU congregations I have served.  In particular, the need to balance the rights of the congregation with those of the individual are continually played out in deliberations and actions of the board.  Those rights are defined by our bylaws, Covenant of Good Relations, Seven Principles, and numerous other documents and accepted practices.

The board must establish and maintain facilities, develop a budget, and raise funds to support personnel and buildings and activities.  Yet the church is comprised of individuals who work together to help achieve the church community’s ends.  An ongoing balance must be maintained between providing a religious community and attending to the needs of each individual.

How then does the board achieve that balance?  Past experiences helps, as do direction from the bylaws, our policies and procedures, and insight about how other UU congregations function.  After that, the balance is debated on a case by case basis.  Ultimately, though, the responsibility resting greatest on the board is the health of the entire congregation, now and into the future. 

My take on these last two years is that the Board has gone to great lengths to balance the needs of the congregation with the needs and interests of the individual congregants.  The Board has faced difficult decisions in trying to attain the necessary balance.  All in all, I think we have been successful.  The UUCS has grown in many ways.  I leave the Chair position with a sense of accomplishment and with heartfelt thanks for your warm and caring support.

Chuck Howard, Chair

Board of Directors

 

Round Numbers

Since members will be discussing an operating budget for 2005-06 at the May 15 Annual Meeting, this is a good time to look at where we are in the current (2004-05) fiscal year.  The following figures (rounded for easier reading) are from Treasurer Marian Robison’s March report.

Our largest commitment is paying our staff.  Rick Davis will receive nearly $70,000 in salary, benefits, housing allowance, and auto and professional expense.  Other budgeted staff expenses total about $60,000:  about $23,000 in Religious Education salaries (DRE, Associate DRE, and RE Assistant) $16,800 for the Office Administrator, $12,000 for the Custodian, and about $6,000 for payroll taxes and retirement.  Our July1 – June 30 fiscal year was 75% over at the end of March, and 76% of the budgeted $130,000 had been paid at that time.

Administrative expenses include the copier, office supplies, postage, telephone, utilities, leadership training, and child care during some meetings.  They also include our “fair share” payments to the Unitarian Universalist Association ($48 for each of our 239 members) and the UUA’s Pacific Northwest District ($22 per member).  About $32,000 of the budgeted $47,000 has been spent.

Approximate expenses associated with the various teams through March are as follows: 

   Operations/maintenance          $3,000 out of $3,500 budgeted

   Religious Education                $2,000 out of $2,400 budgeted

   Fellowship                                      0 out of     $500 budgeted

   Social Concerns                       $400 out of  $1,600 budgeted

   Sunday Services                     $2,600 out of $2,800 budgeted

   Connections                                   0 out of     $100 budgeted

   Membership/Newcomers           $330 out of    $500 budgeted

   Financial Canvass                   $2,000 out of    $800 budgeted

Note that some expenses have been lower than expected, some higher.  Of course, further costs will be incurred before July 1.

The above budgeted expenses add up to approximately $190,000, of which $142,000 has already been spent.  The same approximately $190,000 was budgeted for income, including about $180,000 to come from pledges and Sunday morning donations ($117,000 received by March 31), $1,500 from fund raisers ($73 received), and $9,000 from rentals ($2,200 received).  Clearly, pledge payments and other donations need to continue during the next few months, and it is to be hoped that rental income increases. 

Not shown above are our mortgage payments of about $3,500 per month.  These are paid from the Capital Fund, so it is important to continue paying those pledges also.

                                                                                                               Elsa Struble

 

Women’s Alliance

The Women's Alliance will hold its annual May dinner meeting at Kwan’s on Thursday, May 5, at 6:00 p.m. Good food, good friends, and good fun.  All women of the church are invited and encouraged to attend this social event—and need to make reservations immediately.  Call President Jane Manning or Marge French.                         Marge French

 

 

Landscape Committee

Plant Sale.  The annual plant sale fund raiser for the Landscape Committee is Saturday, May 7, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  This is the day before Mother's Day.  What a great present for Mom!  If you have plants to donate, please bring them to the church Friday afternoon between 4:00 and 6:00. We will need helpers the day of the sale. If you have no plants or cannot help at the sale, we need you to come to the sale to buy plants.  We always have an interesting variety for you to buy.  Please let Sharon Dearman know if you will be able to help.

Next Work Party.  The Landscape Committee will meet the second Saturday in May (NOT THE THIRD). Please put Saturday, May 14th, on your calendars. This is not hard work; it is just time-consuming.  If we had more people, we could accomplish so much. Please consider helping us. We would really appreciate it and our beautiful church would benefit as well.

Thank you!  A big thank you to Deborah Mills for donating a powered lawn mower to UUCS! We were in real need of a sturdy mower to keep up with the growing grass.

     Tom Lancefield

 

Lo, the Mawn; MOW the LAWN!  The grass has been growing, and Tom Lancefield, George Struble, and Dick French have been cutting it. Other people have signed up, but we still need a few more people to adopt a week. Phone Dick French.

 

Dick French

Wish List.  Would you like to honor someone—or some group—by donating a tree or shrub?  The Landscape Committee has compiled a wish list of trees and shrubs. For more information, please contact Sharon Dearman.

 

Reflect on the Holocaust

On May 15 at 7 p.m. UUCS will present a dramatic two hour program which will include a narrated visual tour of two of the most infamous Nazi concentration camps, Auschwitz and Birkenau, based on a recent visit by UUCS member Bob Wallace.

The award winning program “Liberation of the Death Camps,” which was aired on PBS, will be shown.  Opening and closing remarks will be by the Reverend Richard Davis. 

Donations of non-perishable food items or cash will be given to Marian-Polk Food Share in memory of those who died during the Holocaust.                             Bob Wallace

 

Take Pride in Child Advocacy

Our UUCS congregation should be commended for our true commitment to the young citizens of this community, and of this world.  We offer an outstanding RE program to kids of all ages; we have a strong Social Action program; and we wholeheartedly support the Stand for Children (SFC) organization with words, actions, and money. For example, I was proud that of the 40 persons attending last week’s town hall meeting on school funding, 20 were from the SalemKeizer Stand for Children chapter, and eight of those 20 were from our UUCS team. One of these eight even volunteered to testify!

As the legislative session is slowly coming to its crescendo, and as the races for the school board heat up before ballots are due May 17, participation and help from UUCS team members (and friends!) continues to be needed:

1)  We need volunteers during the next week and a half to do phone banking for the two school board candidates SFC is endorsing. We provide clear instructions, a short script, and the convenience of “home phone banking” - along with back-up support from Petra and Lynn.

2)  We need your thoughts on managing our team, the largest of the Salem-Keizer SFC chapter.  Should we form a UUCS-based “SFC Leader Team” of 6 to 10 persons who would attend monthly UUCS team meetings; help facilitate member involvement, planning and decision-making; and stay in touch with over 45 UUCS members.  These leaders would serve one-year terms beginning this June.

We hope everyone interested in SFC’s work will attend our May meeting, Sunday, May 8, from 12 – 1 pm at UUCS.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR "STAND FOR CHILDREN".       Petra S. Berger & Lynn Cardiff, Co-team leaders

 

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UUCS’s MEANINGFUL MOVIES

 

Cradle Will Rock

Tim Robbins’ look at post-Depression America with many parallels to today’s political scene.

 

Funny, entertaining, great cast, two thumbs up!

 

Friday May 13

7:00 p,m.

Good fellowship and conversation after the movie

 

We had a very good turnout for our first movie which was “Song Catcher”.  Our new 12’ x 12’ screen will be installed for our second movie.  Such a view!  Such a sound system!  Such a price – Cost - - - -FREE!

Refreshments: Small donation

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