This week we draw special attention to the congregational meeting this coming Sunday, March 11th. At the annual meeting last spring, attendees strongly suggested that it is time for us to address some of the major maintenance issues related to our church building. Following that meeting we formed a task forced chaired by Bob Hays. He was joined by Ellen Watson and Breck Lebeque who spent the fall assessing needs and prioritizing projects. Necessary painting was done last fall. Contractors determined that we are in urgent need of a new roof, and that our electrical panel needs to be replaced. There are several other minor fixes related to these two projects that should be done simultaneously. We need the approval of the congregation to take money from the building fund to complete these projects. We will present details of the contractors’ findings Sunday. Please plan to attend. The meeting will be relatively short and we do need your vote.
In the meantime, the Board has begun to discuss the 2018-19 budget. Yup, it’s that time again! We are struggling with some difficult decisions in order to present you with a conservative, attainable budget for next year. This is still a work in progress that we will be handing over to the pledge team later this month. Stay tuned for much more information in my next blog.
Thanks to Church Administrator, Libby Ball, who prepared and rolled out a very user-friendly introduction to our online membership directory, now updated and available to all church members and pledging friends. Contact Libby if you still need a password to get started. She has them at her fingertips. As well as seeing the pictorial church directory, you can access your own information and keep email addresses, telephone numbers, etc. current all by yourself. Once you are in the system, it is up to you to provide any changes so we can keep in touch with each other. An easy-to-understand instruction sheet is available in the church office.
I met with auction and rummage sale leaders a few weeks ago and, together, we discussed ways to make both events better fundraisers. Both the auction and rummage sale will need many more volunteers to run smoothly so if you don’t get a call from me and you are available to work, don’t be shy about telling me. We need you!! The auction is scheduled for November 3rd and the rummage sale in early September. This seems like the distant future, but planning is happening now. These are the major fundraisers for TUUC and an important part of our budgeted income. Please help us make them bigger and better every year!
Now there are more and more ways to become engaged in the church community and with each other. We are a happening place!! And don’t forget to sign up this Sunday at the latest for the last Get Acquainted dinners of this church year Saturday, March 17th, yet another way to engage with one another!
Barbara Tripp
Board President
