Monthly Committee Bullet Reports February 2013

CommReptFeb2013Doc of 4

Monthly Committee Bullet Reports – February 2013 Committee on Ministry

The Committee on Ministry has continued to meet regularly to discuss issues in the congregation. Ellen Bell

Property

Mark Moseng Nominating

Nominating Committee has a meeting scheduled for March 3rd. No other recent activity. Jean Davis

Long Range (Church) Planning and Core Mission Task Force

Long Range Planning Committee met with the Committee on Ministry to plan the Congregational Covenant Workshop on 2/24/13. It will be from noon till 1:30, lunch and childcare will be provided. We will be gathering information for a congregational covenant. There will be another workshop in March 10 at noon for those who missed the first. This is expected to be smaller. Lunch and childcare will again be provided, although on 3/10 the gathering will be in Room 310. Cecilia Eberhard

Stewardship

We are getting ready for the leadership event of the combined Capital and annual pledge drive beginning March. Middle of March we have training of the canvassers. We need more. If you can handle visiting 3 households this would help a lot. Ilse Stoll Zinnes

RE Youth RE . Feb 24 Youth-led service: "A Service from the Year 2313" . March 17 RE Sunday: "The Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow" . We had a tremendous response to the call for donations to the homeless shelter of toiletry items, socks and snack foods. The 3-4 grade class put together a large number of gift bags for the men. . The barn dance will have taken place by the time of our meeting but in advance I can predict a successful event. We have already sold $250.00 worth of tickets a week before the event. . Adam Miller will perform on Friday March 29 and will again offer an autoharp workshop the next day. Proceeds will benefit Haven. . I will attend the JPD Worship Arts Festival in Cherry Hill on February 23. Adult RE . The second DVD in the UU History film series will be shown at the Breakfast Forum on March 24. . Spiritual Parenting discussion group will meet on March 3 Jansen Wendell

Membership


The 2013 UUCLV Directory is ready for distribution, thanks to the hard work of Tara Stephenson

and the Facilitators of the Neighborhood N.E.W.S. teams. We printed 220 copies. 92 of those

have been picked up by members, following services on February 3 and 10. They will be

available through February, and at the March 16 Capital Campaign Dinner. Please help spread

the word that a personalized copy of the directory is awaiting pick up. If anyone would like an

electronic copy of the Directory, they should ask Tara directly at [email protected].

MARCH 2 EVENT:

Invitations have gone out for the Capital Campaign “Night on the town featuring crepes and

libations” at the PBS 39 Studio by ArtsQuest at SteelStacks. Please RSVP (pass around the

guest list).

MARCH 16 EVENT:

On Friday, February 22, 204 invitations will be mailed, one to each member or pledge unit. The

Church Wide Capital Campaign Kick Off will be held at the Bethlehem Masonic Temple Hall,

202 Wyandotte Street, between Brighton and Delaware, near the intersection of State 378 and

State 412, next door to the Sayre Mansion and across from the Church of the Nativity. Child

care and food for the children will be provided in a room of the building. We will have a piano

player. Wine will be served. In order to plan, we are asking that every invitee respond by no

later than March 4, 2013. We hope to have a large crowd to share our vision of the “beloved

community” which a successful capital campaign will facilitate.

NEIGHBORHOOD N.E.W.S

The North and the East neighborhoods have been recruiting Sunday Morning Service helpers

with great success. Some of the facilitators are frustrated that the same people fill most of the

slots. We feel that as more feel the energy of the new system, the volunteer pool will expand.

Scheduling is being done through VolunteerSpot. Do you know your neighborhood, and which

months you are assigned?

FACILITATORS have identified “EBuddies” or people lacking interest or wherewithal to use the

computer. Most facilitators will serve as the buddy for these folks. Tom Repasch and Marie

Tweed have volunteered to serve as “ebuddies” also. By the March 16 dinner, we hope to pair

up these folks.

MEMBERSHIP

The “Job Descriptions” for Center Street Greeters, Wall Street Greeters, Welcome Table

Greeters, Ushers, Snack and Flowers are being revised by the membership group to better

match the current reality. Your input is invited.

SPECIAL SERVICES CHECKLIST

Attached please find the “Checklist” generated by Ilse Stoll, Margo Dixon and Marie Tweed.

Your input is hereby solicited. - Margo Dixon

UU Concert Committee We had a wonderful Concert Feb10. Good attendance. Great reception. Ilse Stoll Zinnes

mailto:[email protected]


Green Committee

We are getting ready to order native plants for the plant sale in May. We are also looking for additional members. Ilse Stoll Zinnes

Building Use The committee met February 13, 2013. The number of one time rental contracts for weddings and parties is increasing quite nicely. This will bring more income to our church. However, more rentals also means we need to make some repairs and to upgrade our equipment. We need more round tables and would love to have stove in the lower kitchen that works properly. There is concern about unlocked doors throughout the building. Our staff frequently arrives in the morning to find various doors unlocked. One area of focus is the set of doors leading from the community room to the Wall Street lobby. These have been left unlocked after board meetings and after the Sunday concerts. Anyone who comes into the Wall St. entrance and gains entrance to the Community Room can then access the whole building. We have occasionally found unknown persons wandering the upstairs. Please lock all lockable doors when leaving the building. People who are still in the areas can get out even if the doors are locked. Pat Herring

Capital Improvement Task Force Bernie Bujnowski Social Action

Gene Hunter

Finance

Finance is not meeting until after the report deadline so I've got nothing to report since January. I am including theTreasurer's final report for January, including the following comment on financial status from the report: Net operating income year-to-date is $46,100; this exceeds the corresponding average amount for the past three years by about $3,000. Operating Income and Expense as percents of budget are roughly 1% and 2% less than the respective past three-year averages. Cash flow is excellent.

Bernie Bujnowski

Communication We again advertised the Forum topics this month. I was wondering if it would be a good idea to have a space for congregants to put their events on for the rest to see. Maybe we have that already. I was thinking of the lady who mentioned the event at Godfrey Daniels last week. Jane Benning Church Family CF support/completed actions:

1. Nothing to report(!) March. CF support/actions expected: Cards and calls as needed.


Janet Warren, 610-395-0597, [email protected]

Sue Phillips, 821-1118, [email protected] Denominational Affairs

-- After holding its quarterly meeting in Philadelphia in January, the UUA Board of Trustees disseminated its first report to Congregations. The Board discussed the possible effects of convening a biennial General Assembly and considered changing the "Ends" or outcomes that the UUA intends to achieve. The Board intends to engage with congregations to find out what they want the UUA to accomplish. -- The Central East Regional Group is sponsoring a Worship Arts workshop in Cherry Hill, NJ on February 22-23. -- "The end of iChurch", an article in the winter 2012 issue of UU World, predicted that UU congregations will grow more cut off from the U.S. population unless they start reflecting our society's diversity. The provocative piece by Frederic Muir, along with comments from readers, can be accessed at www.uua.org. Tom Repasch

Music

Bob Cohen Worship Open

Haven

We are going to have a fundraiser in March. A folksinger. Look for the posters, spread the word and try to attend. We are also doing final planning for the May Prom. Ilse Stoll Zinnes



http://www.uua.org/

CommReptApr2013 Page 1 of 5

Monthly Committee Bullet Reports – April 11, 2013 Committee on Ministry We produced a report regarding Don's review and presented it to the Board of Trustees and forwarded it to the Finance Committee. We will be addressing the Constitutional Covenant at our next meeting. Ellen Bell

Property


Jean Davis

Long Range (Church) Planning and Core Mission Task Force The Long Range Planning Committee met with members of the Committee on Ministry as the

Congregational Covenant Task Force. We compiled the responses from the congregational

workshops and developed a draft covenant. This has been disseminated to church groups and

committees for comments. We hope to have a final covenant for congregational approval at the

annual meeting in June. Cecilia Eberhard

Stewardship Ilse Stoll Zinnes

RE Spirit Play: Jansen attended the training in Alexandria Va. on April 4. It was led by one of the co-

authors, Nita Penfold. It is not a curriculum but a teaching method based on the Montessori

method.

Advantages

• Encourages independent thinking through wondering questions

• Gives children real choices within the structure of the morning

• Creates a community of children in classroom of mixed ages (in our case, Pre-K – 4)

• Develops an underlying sense of the spiritual and the mystery of life

• Supports congregational polity through choice of lessons

• Volunteers were found to value the program as part of their own spiritual process

• Volunteers have commented on the low preparation time for weekly stories

• Less volunteers are needed to run the classroom

• There are more opportunities available for congregants to participate in different roles

• The structure of the session can be designed to emulate that of the adult service

• Works well for Festival Sundays, when low attendance is anticipated

• Solves challenge of having very small classes such as this year’s 3-4 with 3 students

Challenges

• Start-up preparation is intensive


• Start-up costs can be high depending on how many of the materials can be donated.

Materials are available for purchase but at significant cost.

• Story tellers and Doorkeepers need to be trained (can be done in-house by someone

who has taken the training)

• Requires abandoning Pillars Model (2 or 3 year rotation of themes) that has been in use

for a long time

• Orientation of parents and students is key to a successful program

Our facilities are well-suited for Spirit Play with the exception of a lack of a wash basin on the

2nd floor for cleaning art brushes, hands. A wash station would be set up using buckets. We

have a good start on acquiring shelves, thanks to Head Start, who just upgraded their shelves

and gave us their old ones.

• Jansen will be away on June 2, normally the date of the teacher appreciation breakfast. He re-

quests we schedule it for June 9 (the Sunday of the flower communion).

• The RE committee should decide on the summer RE curriculum at this meeting. Jansen sug-

gests UU World Travelers. He will provide a second option at the REC meeting.

• Art Con: Publicity went out to churches for the con. It will also go out to Spring Con and the

JPD Assembly. The memorial service will be held on the same Saturday as the con. I have in-

formed the advisors and some of the youth that they will be sharing the church in the afternoon.

The youth will have the entire RE building, including the gym and large kitchen, so it should work

out okay. Jansen Wendell

Membership

Marci and Craig Stewart have left the church. They have disbanded LVCUUPS. (an e mail from Marci dated March 18

Heidi and Andy Giamis are moving to Texas. His job is relocating. March 20 was the date

they told Margo that news.

We have many people who have indicated interest in taking the next NewUU class, sched-

uled for May 19, following the service. Please help us spread the word about that date.

The Membership Committee liked the proposed Covenant very much. We see the need for

it. We wish it were a bit less wordy. We ask where it will be posted? Will it be placed in pew

racks? A laminated copy given to each member? Put in the Order of Service? The Link?

The website? All these ideas would be good.

As part of our ongoing effort to involve more people in the Sunday Morning work of the

church, we have posted the “Sunday Job Descriptions” on the website. Instructions for

Greeters, Ushers, Welcome Table Greeters, Flowers, Snack, Short Form descriptions for

each of those tasks, and Suggested Ways to Welcome Visitors are all posted. Check them

out.

We are happy to be able to report that many of the sermons from September onward can be

downloaded off the web, or printed out to be read at leisure. Thanks to all who made that

possible. Many members are unable to get to church on a Sunday morning (infirmity, illness,


work, travel) and appreciate being able to be included in that way. This is an important out-

reach. Many of our visitors indicate that they searched the web and found appealing sermons

originating at UUCLV.

The UUCLV website is a strong forum for advertising the activities and work of the church.

Kerry Jones has been instrumental in building the website over time. Kerry and his wife,

Maura, will be moving away in the near future. Please give Kerry props and thanks for being

our volunteer “webmaster” for so many years!

We would encourage all UUCLV event planners, as part of their planning, to arrange for pub-

licity through the several papers of the region. The Morning Call, the Times Express, the Beth-

lehem Times all have event and “In Your Congregation” sections, as well as the Church

schedules which give service start times, addresses and contact information. We were dis-

appointed that, in the Friday Morning Call, April 5, in the Community Calendar, for Saturday,

April 6, there were 3 Spaghetti Suppers advertised, and none was ours!

It would be great, too, if there was a “Unitarian Universalist” denomination listed in the Ex-

press Times Religious Services Directory. There is a listing in the Morning Call.

While newspapers have been usurped by the web, most of the content of most of the local

papers are online, so listing events (forum topics, sermon topics, films, speakers, concerts,

an auction, plant sale, yard sale, spaghetti supper, etc) means that one newspaper listing can

result in many “Google” and “Bing” search hits.

Membership wants to work to educate event chairs about the possibilities for communicating

church wide activities to the community at large. If we want to grow our membership, we

need to increase our visibility.

We were quite pleased to see Rev. Don Garrett’s article in the Morning Call of April 5. Check

it out here: http://www.mcall.com/features/religion/mc-faith-garrett-core-values-religion-

20130405,0,7953964.story Many thanks to all who made that story possible.

Membership is looking at ways to integrate new people into the life and work of the church.

Several newcomers volunteered to help with the Men’s Spaghetti Supper. The Hospitality

teams are recruiting newcomers to do the work of the church alongside longtime members on

Sunday mornings. Many who are “stepping up to the plate” are not yet members, but with the

right motivation and encouragement, will feel more a part of the church family as they work

alongside us. This is what motivates folks to join.

Our next New Member Signing Sunday will be Sunday, June 16. It will be followed by a New

Member Potluck to honor the newcomers and long term members as well. Join us.

- Margo Dixon

UU Concert Committee

Ilse Stoll Zinnes

Green Committee

Ilse Stoll Zinnes

Building Use

http://www.mcall.com/features/religion/mc-faith-garrett-core-values-religion-20130405,0,7953964.story

http://www.mcall.com/features/religion/mc-faith-garrett-core-values-religion-20130405,0,7953964.story


The carbon monoxide detector that went off during the spaghetti dinner has been

checked and is working properly. It has been determined that it is located too close to the

gas stove, which, since it is an old stove gives off tiny, harmless amounts of carbon mon-

oxide. The detector will be moved to a different location, but will still work as intended for

dangerous amounts of monoxide.

The committee is reminding everybody to lock all the doors when they leave an area and

especially the Wall Street doors to the outside. Someone needs to be in charge of this

task each time a group meets. The Headstart people frequently come in and find the Wall

Street door has been open all night. The doors must be locked. Do not leave them open

for other people who are in the building as they can get out even when the doors are

locked. Also, the community room doors to the Wall Street Foyer must be locked when

leaving. Kate will be keeping a log of the days that the doors have been left open so that

we can track down the source of the problem.

A list of phone numbers is being prepared for people who are in the building at night and

need to contact someone about a problem. Pat Herring

Social Action

Gene Hunter

Finance · STATUS OF FINANCES: NOTE ITEM FROM TREASURER’S REPORT

o Financially, March was a turnaround month but in the wrong direction. To some extent this was

due to March being a three-payday month and payment of the third quarter of UUA dues and

semi-annual insurance bills. Nonetheless, compared to our past-three-year average, we are now

about 3 percent behind in year-to-date income and about 1 percent ahead (over) in year-to-date

expense. Net income year-to-date stands at about $11,000 compared to the past three-year av-

erage of $27,000.

· DRAFT 2013/14 BUDGET COMPLETED

Bernie Bujnowski

Communication Jane Benning Church Family CF support/completed actions:

1. Asked for cards for Judy Claps, Michael Benning, Mary Lilly Thompson, and Joka

Klaasen .

2. Notified congregation of deaths of Henry Davis, Cheryl Lombardi and Barbara Stearns’

mother

May CF support/actions expected:

Cards and calls as needed.

Possible help with memorial service for Henry Davis.

Janet Warren, 610-395-0597, [email protected]



Sue Phillips, 821-1118, [email protected] Denominational Affairs -- Joseph Priestly District will hold its annual meeting this Friday and Saturday in Wilimington,

DE. Rev. Don and I will attend, and I will report at Monday Council meeting.

-- The JPD annual report for 2013 provides the following about membership in the District:

"Our district saw the first decline in overall membership in several years. Congregations reported 14,792

members in 70 congregations. There were 5,332 children and youth reported and attendance of 9,584 peo-

ple on average. This compares to 14,997 adult members, 4,904 children and youth, and 9,478 in average

attendance from last year. While a drop is of concern, I am pleased to see more children and youth and an

increase in attendance. Both of these bode well for our future."

-- UUCLV Members who plan to attend the UU General Assembly in Louisville should check with

Rev. Don about representing our congregation as a delegate. Tom Repasch Music


Haven Ilse Stoll Zinnes

Emergency Shelter

Emergency Shelter ended for UUCLV on Wednesday March 27

Total number of men accommodated this season = 100

Highest number of men accommodated for one night = 43

Total number of church member volunteers for season = 67

Board approval obtained for continuation of shelter 2013-2014

Additional organizing help for Ann and Ginnie next year

Barbara Forry, Lorraine Bujnowski, Tom Ulrich

Clean up in process

◦ Food removed from the cabinets and refrigerator

◦ In the process of removal of other materials left in the FM kitchen

Sleeping bags and blankets needed to be wash and stored in basement

◦ Considering possibility of arranging a team of volunteers to help this year?

Site Coordinators Wrap Up Meeting was April 9 at Church of the Manger

◦ All 13 church sites represented

◦ Start up meeting scheduled for September 10, 2013

Ann Gastinger / Ginnie Blocker


CommReptMayDoc Page 1 of 3

Monthly Committee Bullet Reports – 2013 Committee on Ministry

The Committee on Ministry has continued to meet monthly with Don to assess our church relationships. Ellen Bell

Property


Jean Davis

Long Range (Church) Planning and Core Mission Task Force

Long Range Planning Committee in conjunction with members of the Committee on Ministry finalized a pro-

posed Congregational Covenant, which will be presented for congregational approval at the annual meeting in

June.

The LRP Committee reviewed and updated the Capital Improvements List and presented to the Board for their

review with Finance and Property Committees.

Cecilia Collura Eberhard

Stewardship

At this point we are 95% done with the stewardship campaign for the capital as well as the annual fund drive. This is

what we have to date:

mean $ 1,400 $ 3,011

median $ 750 $ 900

pledge households 145 106 53,165

Total $ $ 225,089 $ 484,793 received

annual capital capital

We are for this capital drive about $15,000 from $500,000. For the annual drive we are at $225,000 which is about

$15,000 lower than what we hoped to get. It was a successful canvas with 40 visiting stewards. It will be up to the

long range planning committee to review the list of items for the capital campaign and the priorities.

Last year we had 149 pledge households for the annual pledge drive (operating fund), this year we only have 145

pledge households. Some people resigned, some moved away and some are in a position of not being able to par-

ticipate in both campaigns. Ilse Stoll Zinnes

RE

Jansen Wendell

Membership

New UU class on Sunday, May 19, which has 15 possible attendees

New member signing and potluck, scheduled for June 16 Margo Dixon


UU Concert Committee

We had our 5th and last concert of the piano concert series. Larry Lipkis is the artistic director and contracts the performers. The quality has been consistently outstanding. The series is something we can all be proud of. The series has been successful as the performers receive a major portion of the ticket sales and the UUCLV receives a rental and a piano tuning from the proceeds. The congregants supply the reception food which has also received rave reviews. We could use next year more guarantors and food donations. Ilse Stoll Zinnes

Green Committee

We held our Spring native plant sale and offered this time over 800 plants. We usually have about 400-500 plants.

Despite this we sold out on the first weekend. We raised over $2000 for the UUCLV. Additionally about $900 of the

proceeds will be used by the committee to plant native plants in the green spaces of the LV. We will be purchasing

landscape plugs for this endeavor

Ilse Stoll Zinnes

Building Use

We met Wednesday May 8, 2013.

We have a new renter for the kitchen for one day a week until August 23rd. We also have a new one day a

week renter for room 304. He is a violin teacher.

We will be emphasizing our advertizing in Craig’s List for people to rent our kitchen and other rooms for long

term rentals. We already have quite a few parties and weddings which bring in good income, but we are look-

ing for more people who will rent on a continuous basis.

Apparently, everybody is doing better about locking the building when leaving.

Pat Herring Social Action

Gene Hunter

Finance

See proposed 2013 – 2014 budget and April Treasurer's Report (separate attachments) Bernie Bujnowski

Communication Jane Benning Church Family

CF support/completed actions:

Asked for cards for Judy Claps and Robin Capoor

June CF support/actions expected:

Cards and calls as needed.

Possible help with memorial service for Henry Davis.

Janet Warren, 610-395-0597, [email protected] Sue Phillips, 821-1118, [email protected] Denominational Affairs

-- JPD confirmed its offer to provide website consultations to interested congregations for a flat $150 fee.

-- For planning the church calendar for 2013-2014, the UUA General Assembly for 2014 is scheduled for June 25-29

in Providence, Rhode Island.




-- Motivated by frustration about UUA's unsuccessful efforts to grow the denomination, the Board of Trustees re-

cently approved a budget allocation of$100,000 to hire a consultant that will help identify growth opportunities for

the future.

-- Two leadership training opportunities will be offered this summer for interested UU's: UULTI on the Lake July 31-

August 4 in Lake Canandagua, NY, and UULTI on the Hudson August 14-18 in Stony Point, NY. Tom Repasch Music


Haven

On May 18th we have our 10th glbtaq prom. This is taking place this year again at the Banana Factory. We continue

to have each week about 12-24 youth show with an average of 2 new youth each week. Some come every time,

some come only once, whatever their needs are. We trained 3 new facilitators.

Ilse Stoll Zinnes

Shelter

For the 2013-14 Calendar, Bethlehem Emergency Sheltering program will be utilizing the Community Room each

Wednesday night from 4:30 PM until 7:30 AM beginning Wednesday, December 4, 2013 and continuing until

Wednesday, March 26, 2014. Our official room request has not been made to UUCLV Administration as we wish to

have official confirmation from BES that those will be the actual dates of operation. We will have our report for the

Annual meeting submitted by 5/24. BES Site Coordinators will resume meeting in September. Ann and I will be

meeting

with our Shelter Committee/team in July.

Ginnie Blocker and Ann Gastinger

UUCLV Program Council – Monthly Reports (June 2013)

RE (Jansen) • Estimated numbers for fall classes:

Pre-K/K: 9 students Grades 1-4 (Spirit Play): 17 Grades 5-6: 8 Grades 7-8 (Coming of Age): 8 Grades 9-12: 20

• Summer RE - UU World Travelers The program starts on June 16. We still need a few tour guides for the summer: June 23, July 28, Aug 4, 11 and 18

• Spirit Play RE Committee is seeking donations of the following items: Smocks Wicker baskets – preferable without handles Cookie cutters – chalice, triangle, heart Cafeteria trays Misc. art supplies The committee is also seeking volunteers to create the story baskets – each story uses miniature props that can be manipulated by the storyteller and the children. The props are stored in its own basket for use by the children

• 2014-15 OWL There is a teacher training for 7-9 at Main Line Unitarian Church on August 23-25 ($295.00 per person). It appears Tara Stephenson will be able to attend. We have offers from two others to teach.

• Adult RE: The third part in the UU History film series Long Strange Trip will be shown Sunday July 7 at the Breakfast Forum.

CHURCH FAMILY (Sue)

CF support/completed actions: none

July CF support/actions expected: cards and calls as needed.

MEMBERSHIP (Margo)

New Members (actual number will be available on June 17)

Please note the two bulletin boards, installed by Mark Moseng and Bob Sclafani and acquired by Jackie Simone, which are on the wall next to the handicapped bathroom. The purpose is to give the members and friends of the Church a way to advertise goods or services which they wish to share (kittens need a home, printer ink available, baby sitter available, etc.) Please encourage others to use them.

We are in the process of revising the Welcome to the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley.

We are considering giving new members a sort of "Golden Ticket" to events at church, which would allow them to bring a friend free of charge to such events as the Service Auction, Spaghetti Supper, Flea Market....discuss amongst yourselves.

FINANCE (Bernie)

Reviewed final budget in preparation for Annual Meeting

Discussed options for satisfying outstanding member loans

Discussed capital projects coordination process

Reviewed flow of funds associated with capital campaign pledges

Received report on quarterly UUA investment fund call

HOMELESS SHELTER (Ann)

The Shelter Program still has to manage only a few things to get ready for the next season. All the sleeping gear has to be cleaned and inspected so that repairs can be made if possible. We also needed to manage the storage of these and the cots and pads. We also are going to compile a list if items we may need next year such as hand towels , wash cloths, disinfectant spray, personal items such as soap and shampoo. Donations of items such as a few large back packs, socks, men's gloves, winter hats etc.

We look forward to the Shelter attending Lehigh County Conference of Churches meetings and having our UUCLV representative there.

COMMUNICATIONS (Jane)

John Kennedy sent me the forum schedule and it was also submitted to the Morning Call.

MINISTRY (Ellen)

The members of our committee and of Long Range Planning had worked much of this year on the Congregational Covenant. We did not select a new chair yet, but will plan to do that probably at our next meeting. One of the new tasks we plan to engage in is an assessment of the whole congregation, as set forth in our Annual Report.

BUILDING USE (Pat)

We met Wednesday, June 12th. We discussed changing the process for marketing our facilities for renters. We also put in to place a plan which will improve the accountability of checks we receive from renters and the process for follow up of tardy payments.

UUCLV Program Council – Monthly Reports (July 2013)

MEMBERSHIP (Margo)Committee adopted mission statement and convenantCommittee roster: Dora Davenport, Del DeLaurentis, Margo Dixon, Linda Hanna and IlseStoll Zinnes

FINANCE (Cease)Committee met on July 8th. Topics discussed included:Treasurer’s report and preliminary budget approvedCheck details sent out (again) and approved June 9Capital campaign discussed. Concern about who will follow up on delinquent pledges.Cease to review with Ilse (Stewardship)Committee recommended that we pay the $20,000 outstanding loans from Capitalfunds. Jan to get Board approval.Committee approved request for plant sale on September 21 & 22.Committee is reviewing the Finance Policies and Guidelines to up-date. Need to reviseseveral areas. Concern about follow-up procedures for delinquent pledges. Cease toreview with Ilse.Committee chose a mission statementMeeting night changed to the fourth Thursday of each month

BETHLEHEM HOMELESS SHELTERING COMMITTEE (Ginnie)Committee met on July 10 at Ann Gastinger’s home. A combination thank you for lastseason and planning for the 2013-14 seasonDeveloped a mission statementReviewed and revised developed procedures used in previous years.Discussed time changes for various shifts of the overnight shelter and necessaryresponsibilities in eachPlans to check equipment used by Shelter guests and replace as necessaryNeed to launder sleeping bagsDiscussed the donation of funds for a washer/dryer and the numerous ways it wouldassist with a smoothly operating program. What happened to the money?Discussed having a monthly drive for basic necessities for Shelter to begin in the Fall.Committee members identified various aspects of the program they wished to beinvolved with

BUILDING USE (Pat)We met on Wednesday, July 10th. Bob Sclafani, Frank Claps, and Maggie Brown werepresent. Kate Scuffle was in IIRP training.We continued discussing our methods for keeping track of all long term rentalpayments.

We reviewed the status of the kitchen renter. She cannot continue for the month of Julydue to lack of cheesecake sales at the Saucon Valley Farmers Market. The heat is aproblem.We surveyed each of the rooms available for renting, both exclusive and shared, anddecided on pricing.There are two new prospects who are considering renting from us.We finalized plans for advertizing on Craigs List.

PROPERTY (Pat)Committee is looking for new committee members. So far the committee members areKaren Berry, Linda Bahner, and Pat Herring, Chair.Committee has not yet met. However, a library committee has been established. Themembers are Jan Forse, Fred Bomberger, and Marylu (Mel) Horkowitz. They are meetingAugust 6 to overhaul our library. We found two bookshelves for them. Marylu iscontributing some really nice books.Bob Sclafani cleared out the Bride’s Room and it looks great!

1

UUCLV Program Council – Monthly Reports (September 2013)

Reports were received (reproduced/reformatted below) from:Bethlehem Homeless ShelteringBuilding UseChurch FamilyDenominational AffairsFinanceGreenLong-range PlanningMembershipPropertyReligious Education

BETHLEHEM HOMELESS SHELTERING COMMITTEE (Ann)Ginnie and I attended the Volunteers Coordinators meeting on September 10 where wemet the new chair of the Operations Team of the BES (Bethlehem Emergency Shelter)Board. Under discussion were operation details, transportation issues, and training forvolunteers; tentative dates Tuesday Oct 15 and Saturday Nov 2.We are in the process of cleaning sleeping bags, purchasing needed items such as pillowsand storage bags and cleaning up existing supplies. We will also issue requests in thecoming weeks for designated item donations...such as pillow cases, hand towels, toiletryitems, socks, back packs or bags etc.We have started our search for volunteers and will have requests in the Sunday Order ofService and e news along with signup sheets in the community room. An article is beingplanned for the Link announcing the startup and ending of the Wednesday night shelterwhich is December 4 to March 26.An issue that may be an added difficulty this year is that the UUCLV will be shelteringChristmas Day and News Years Day.

BUILDING USE (Pat)We are happy to report that we have definitely rented the gym kitchen to two people. Oneis Laura Buffi who has a business – Warm Sugar – a Cup Cakery. She has installed her ownhigh tech oven and some cooking supplies. Only Laura may use her new oven. The rest of uscan use the Garland that remains in the kitchen.Also, John Toner, formerly of Warm Sugar in Hellertown, is now renting on Tuesdayevenings. His business is Freckle Face Fudge. Both sell their wares in farmer’s markets,festivals, and bakeries. Together this brings in to the church about $700.00 per month. Wemay have two others, also, but these are not definite yet.Craigslist ads are bringing many inquiries for our spaces. We are now advertizing the thirdfloor spaces.

2

CHURCH FAMILY (Janet and Sue)CF support/completed actions:o Helped with memorial service for Sue Adelmano Asked for cards for Pat Laxar after her accidento Notified congregation of the death of Marie Tweed’s nieceo Notified congregation of Andie Silhanek’s accident and provided updates on her

conditiono Asked for help for Salli Wood after her surgeries.Oct CF support/actions expected:o Cards and calls as neededo Possible help for Andie Silhanek when she returns to the Lehigh Valley

DENOMINATIONAL AFFAIRS (Tom)UUA President Peter Morales issued a statement on September 9 calling on PresidentObama to use diplomatic efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis. Morales said "The UnitarianUniversalist Association joins with many other faith groups in urging our government torefrain from the use of military force at this time."The UUA Board of Trustees appointed Larry Ladd as UUA's financial advisor on August 28,2013. The Board acted to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Ed Merck, who waselected at the UUA General Assembly in June but resigned two weeks later.The current edition of UUWorldmagazine pays tribute to UUCLV's own Craig Moore andother UU's who died this past year. Craig was also featured in a memorial presentation atthe UUA General Assembly in Louisville, KY in June.The Central East Regional Group (CERG) of the UUA is now offering a series of on-demandtraining webinars for members of UU congregations. Among those offered on a no-feebasis are "Mission In Action", "Theology for a Secular Age", and "Recruiting, Nurturing, andSustaining Volunteers".Joseph Priestly District's Fall Leadership Conference will take place Saturday, September 21at the UU Congregation in Reston, VA. Theme for this year's meeting is "Two HandsClapping: Growing Leaders and Volunteers in Your Congregation".

FINANCE (Cease)Finance Committee met on August 22. Topics included:o Treasurer’s report, July budget results and check register were reviewed and approved.

Allen will pay off the last of the member loans by October leaving $49,000 left in theCapital Campaign fund.

o Capital Campaign – A new committee of Sue Weber, Allen Zinnes and Ilse Zinnes willconduct follow-ups on delinquent pledges.

o Cease will get with Bernie (Capital Campaign Coordinator) and Frank Claps (Long RangePlanning chair) to set up a meeting to coordinate the Capital Campaign elements.

o $50 collected for a Service Auction basket. Topic to be determined.o Quarterly report from the UU Endowment fund showed an FYT income of 9.0 %.o Finance Policy & Guidelines review – Approximately 2/3rd complete.

3

GREEN COMMITTEE (Ilse)Last preparations for the native plant sale Sept 21.We continue to need flower pots and help for the sale.

LONG RANGE PLANNING (Frank)The Long Range Planning Committee is hoping to meet after church Sunday, Sept. 15. Wehopeo to have Bernie Bujnowski there to explain our role as the Capital Works projects move

forward;o to finalize plans for our basket contribution to the Service Auction;o to consider any long range plan we might undertake (depending upon the time

commitments of the first bullet point);o to have a brief discussion of the monthly worship theme of Peace.

MEMBERSHIP (Margo)The New UU class was held on September 15. We expect 8 people to attend (exact numberon Monday).In Membership’s ongoing quest for ways to attract, retain and connect new (and old)members, the following ongoing activities are taking place:o At Judy Claps’ suggestion, we have ordered name tag holders with magnetic backs. A

congregant who does NOT have a pacemaker, but has $2 can trade their pin backedname tag holder for a name tag holder with a magnetic holder. Sales have gone well,and are ongoing.

o September 15 marked the end of the “Mug Purge.” Unclaimed mugs have beenremoved.

o Please tell neighbors, friends and co-workers to attend the September 21 Yard Sale,Native Plant Sale and Hot Dog Extravaganza between 9 and 1 on Saturday.

o Native Plant Sale is on September 21, 22, 28 and 29 between 9 and 3 (yes, until 3 onSaturday)

o We will need volunteers to help with set up on Friday, September 20 and with clean upon Saturday, September 21 from 1 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. There is a 3 p.m. weddingSaturday.

o September 29 is “Sundae Sunday”o North Neighborhood has “Greeters, Ushers, Snacks and Flowers” for Septembero East Neighborhood has “Greeters, Ushers, Snacks and Flowers” for Octobero See Margo if you don’t recall what your neighborhood iso New member signing is scheduled for November 3. We estimate 10 new members.o Potluck to honor new members will follow the November 3 service. Please bring your

favorite dish (for at least 6 people) to share. Help us spread the word. Volunteers areneeded to set up and to clean up before and after the Potluck Lunch, November 3.

o New Member Signings for 2014 will be held on February 2, June 1, and November 2.Each will be followed by a potluck lunch. The February 2 potluck will also honor all

4

members of more than 30 years standing. Set up and clean up volunteers are neededfor each event.

o Membership Committee now meets on the Second (2nd) Sunday of every month.o Membership Committee member Del De Laurentis had knee replacement surgery and is

in a rehabilitation facility for a few weeks before returning to her home.o Neighborhood facilitators meet on the last Sunday of every month.

In addition to their meeting, they will change the bulletin board and EMPTY THEREFRIGERATOR.

o We are beginning the process of producing a new Directory, with a delivery date ofDecember 1 as the goal. Electronic copies will be available, via Tara. A limited numberof Hard Copies will be printed, on request.

o Facilitators are studying the possibility of adding a 5th Hospitality Neighborhood. Northand East stay the same. “Center” would be the 18015 and 18018 group. “South”morphs into a “West” and a “South” group. We would need to recruit two (2) newFacilitators. These proposed new neighborhoods would go into effect in January of2014.

PROPERTY (Pat)The Property Committee has met with Rev. Don Garrett and with Jan Phillips to discuss howto proceed with future cleaning/maintenance issues. For those of you that have questionsor issues you want to discuss, please contact Linda Bahner, Ilse Zinnes, Karen Norvig, or me,Pat Herring.On Sunday, September 1, Ilse, Karen, and I spent two hours scrubbing the gym kitchen andKaren and I spent 5 hours the next Tuesday. This cleaning included using an electric floorcleaner as well as scrubbing, sorting, and throwing out. Please, if you use the gym kitchen,clean up after using it. Please do not store extraneous stuff in the refrigerators as our newtenants use them.We will be organizing a work party to clean the Wall Street Foyer.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (Jansen)RE classes start this coming Sunday, except for Coming of Age, which started with anovernight program last Saturday. We have 9 participants.Teacher recruitment is almost completed. We need a third teacher for PreK/k and for SpiritPlay we need a storyteller and a doorkeeper.Family Choir will start up in October.Adult REo The new prospectus of Adult Programs is 99% ready for publication. We are waiting for

the go-ahead on the new meeting night for the Compassionate Communication.o The RE committee expressed interest in the church offering an adult RE class for adults

coming to terms with their religious past. There is a curriculum called Owning YourReligious Past. It is about reckoning with one’s religious upbringings and integratingthem into their current religious lives.

o Spiritual Parenting will meet on October 6th.

1

UUCLV Program Council – Monthly Reports (October 2013)

Reports were received (reproduced/reformatted below) from:Adult REBethlehem Emergency ShelteringBuilding UseChurch FamilyCommittee on MinistryCommunicationsDenominational AffairsFinanceLong Range PlanningMembershipPropertySocial ActionWorshipYouth RE (including Youth Group)

ADULT RE – Robin and JansenOur Compassionate Communication Class is meeting on Thursdays at 7pm. Each weekwe work on our communication skills learning how to use observation, feelings, needsand requests with empathy for ourselves and others. It is amazing how this simplemethod can make radical change in our lives. Anthony Gazzillo has become anoutstanding leader in the class.The new prospectus of Adult Programs is complete. A few copies will be available at thePC meeting.The RE committee expressed interest in offering an adult RE class for adults coming toterms with their religious past. There is a curriculum called Owning Your Religious Pastwhich addresses this topic. It is about reckoning with one’s religious upbringings andintegrating them into their current religious lives.The Spiritual Parenting discussion group will meet on November 3rd.

BETHLEHEM EMERGENCY SHELTERING – Ann and GinnieShelter committee is gearing up for the 2014 winter season. Sleeping Bags and blanketsare all cleaned. New pillows and pillow covers have been purchased. Request forneeded supplies has gone out to the congregation via Sunday Bulletin and enews. A binin the community room will be available for these donations.Volunteers for all shifts are being recruited and sign-up sheets are available in thecommunity room. We will continue to "advertise" in the e news and bulletin. BESVolunteer training sessions were announced for Oct 15 7-9 PM and Saturday Oct 15from 10am-noon. Location for training is St John's Windish Church.

2

We are grateful for the commitment of our congregation to make this a very successfulchurch program. We have already received commitment from a few volunteers forChristmas night and hope for more volunteers soon.

BUILDING USE - PatWe have had several requests for renting 3rd floor rooms and another request for thekitchen. Nothing has come to fruition at this point. We still continue with the rentersthat have been with us.We are continuously updating our rental contracts and other documents that we workwith.

CHURCH FAMILY – Janet and SueSupport/completedo Many notifications about Pat Laxar’s accident, and eventual death. Also – a request

for a home for Pat’s cats.o Notified congregation of

Death of Margo Dixon’s husband.Death of Robin Brumfield’s father.

o Passed along news thatKathy Moseng lost her job.Cynthia Davis was at Good Shepherd Rehab unit.Melissa Snoey had a baby girl.

o Relayed information that Andie Silhanik was back in the Lehigh Valley after heraccident.

November support/actions expected: cards and calls as needed.

COMMITTEE ON MINISTRY - EllenCOM is working on running a Congregational Assessment, and also starting on its annualrecommendation to the Board re the next budget year's ministerial compensation.

COMMUNICATIONS - JaneAdvertisement for sidewalk sale placed in the garage sales part of the MCallSeveral ads for the plant sale placed in various sections.

DENOMINATIONAL AFFAIRSUUCLV is hosting the next meeting of the board of the Joseph Priestly District October25-26. Leaders of surrounding congregations will also participate as a way for the boardto engage with churches in the District’s northern tier.“Defying Gravity,” an all-day workshop for those interested in the latest in worship arts,will be held on Saturday, November 9 at the UU Congregation in Shelter Rock on LongIsland. It is sponsored by UUA’s Metro New York District.JPD will be holding its 9th Annual Racial Justice Conference on November 1-2 at theUnitarian Society of Germantown in Philadelphia.

3

FINANCE - CeaseCapital Implementation – All loans to be paid off by November 1st. $112,000 collectedto-date. Working on gas line from main to the building.Sale of Global Mamas products approved for November.UU Common Endowment Fund Y.T.D. 9 %.Jan noted a “new” Fed. Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT) that could affect us, i.e.Kitchen rental. To review next meeting.“Terrorist” provision in our Church Mutual policy will now have a charge. It was decidedto keep it as a part of the policy.Finance Committee Policies and Guidelines review completed. Will review once more atthe next meeting.Reviewing the Finance Committee portion of the church by-laws to see if they arecurrent.

LONG RANGE PLANNING - FrankCommittee met with Bernie Bujnowski on Sept. 15. -We went over the initial capitalprojects and decided to proceed with repairs to the south tower. However, in theinterim it was learned that our sexton, Bob Sclafani discovered that the roof hatch onthe top the South Tower was open (exposing the interior of the tower to the elements)and apparently had been open for some period of time. If that's the case, it couldexplain the continued deterioration of the southwest wall of the sanctuary. The hatchhas been closed, and the tower seemed to withstand last Friday's storm. The hole in theroom leading to the sanctuary will have to be filled. A contractor has been contacted.The next item on the priority list would be repairs to the south wall near and around thehandicapped entrance. That is the area of most concern.The committee also discussed ways to keep the congregation reminded of the Covenantand its obligations. Those discussions will continue.

MEMBERSHIP – MargoNew Member Signing will be Sunday, November 3, with a potluck to follow.There should be between 6 and 8 new members to sign the membership book onNovember 3.November 3 is a potluck lunch, following the service. We don’t want to order pizza, aswe have done twice before, due to lack of food items, so please remember (and tellyour friends) to BRING YOUR BEST, FAVORITE POTLUCK PRESENTATION ON NOVEMBER3. We can use help with clean up, following lunch. So far, Sarah Johnson, Sue Weber,Tom Zimmerman, Jan Phillips and Marie Tweed have volunteered.We are looking for 10-12 people to host “Progressive Dinners” on Saturday, March 15,to go along with “Dessert with Eleanor Roosevelt”. Perhaps you would like to be one ofthose “Progressives?”

4

PROPERTY - PatThe following people cleaned the Wall Street Foyer on September 27th. Marie Tweed,Ilse Zinnes, Karen Berry, Renee Desai, Linda Bahner, Judy Wright, and Pat Herring. Thewalls and the doors look so much cleaner!Our sexton, Bob, and Mark Moseng cleaned the gutters, removing huge amounts ofleaves which allows the water to flow. A corner of the kitchen has been painted andsome locks have been upgraded to satisfy the fire inspector.The project to enable the furnace run on gas has been completed, which will make amajor difference in our heating bills.

SOCIAL ACTION – GeneCommittee focusing on “fracking.” See “Gasland 2” on HBO.The Lehigh Valley Citizens Climate Lobby is a recently formed local environmental grouptrying to combat climate change; group meets on first Saturday of the month.Shared Plate recipients selected so far (help us decide ensuing months!):o Oct - Aids and Child (supports Children's home and Children's village in Kenya).o Nov - Global Mamas and Every Child is Our Child (through the UU-UNO).o Dec - as per special request, Aids Awareness.o Jan – Emergency Shelter.o Feb - Kiva - Loans that Save Lives.

WORSHIP - RobinThe committee meets monthly to develop our Sunday worship experiences. Weestablished the process of theme-based worship and the themes to be used throughoutthis year. We have set up a system of Worship Associates so that there will be someoneworking with Rev. Don or other preachers to add other voices to the experience. Weare looking forward to a busy December including a Saturday night Winter SolsticeCelebration on December 21st in the gym-a time to raise the roof and the light.

YOUTH RE – JansenMost RE classes are fully staffed except for the preK/K class, which needs a couple ofassistants and one more teacher. Spirit Play could use one more storyteller.The RE committee has decided to do a solstice pageant for the Dec 15 multigenerationalservice. I have several to choose from.Sarah Slaw Kiewe has resigned from her nursery attendant position because the salary issignificantly lower than she anticipated. She is being paid minimum wage ($7.50/hr) andis looking to get closer to $10.00. She has offered to stay on for a few weeks and I toldher I would try to get her a raise. She is the best nursery staffer we have had in threeyears and has relieved some of the concerns of nursery parents. The committee agreedto see if she could be offered more money. The question arises: If we raise her salary, dothe other two staffers get the same raise? Sarah is more skilled experienced. Jansen willwrite a proposal and submit it to the Personnel committee.Youth group activities:

5

o The group is using a new way of communicating with each other called ProBoards. Itis an internet forum, or message board – a closed (by invitation only) onlinediscussion website where participants can hold conversations in the form of postedmessages. These messages can then be viewed at any future time, even if you werenot online when they were posted.

o Sober City is on Saturday evening, November 2.o The senior youth group wants to raise additional funds so they can do some field

trips. They contacted me about auctioning services at the church auction. They havereceived permission to do so, with the caveat that they not sell rummage items –services only.

1

UUCLV Program Council – Monthly Reports (November 2013)

Reports were received (reproduced/reformatted below) from:Bethlehem Emergency ShelteringBuilding UseChurch FamilyCommittee on MinistryCommunicationsDenominational AffairsFinanceLong Range PlanningMembershipPropertyReligious Education (presented separately at PC meeting November 18)

BETHLEHEM EMERGENCY SHELTERING - Ann and GinnieThe emergency shelter is in active recruitment for volunteers for this winter season. Allshifts are covered for the month of December. We still have spots to fill for theremaining months and have been managing quite well with the recruitment.Tom Ulrich has put together a sign up form that is in the community room everySunday. It includes times and positions desired by the applicant. Having all spots filledbefore the start up of the shelter is our goal and knowing that there will necessarily bechanges that may have to be made to accommodate life's happenings.A Wish List Box is in place in the community room for donations for requested items.The children will again make up gift bags with these donations and their contributions tobe handed out to the men when they come to the shelter.A request for monetary donations or food cards was made last week at the forum.These are needed so that we can purchase food and condiments for meals and otherneeded items.Bob Sclafani has agreed to make up a "clean up kit" for our volunteers to use in case ofany "accidental" spill such as in the bathroom or kitchen. We definitely are goingactively seek to keep the church facilities as clean as possible.In short WE ARE READY.

BUILDING USE - PatKerry Jones has joined the committee. Welcome to Kerry Jones!Maggie Brown has retired from Building Use after 10 years of service. Thanks for all yourhelp, Maggie.We have two new renters since last month. Katie Heffelfinger and Jed Miner are rentingRoom 302 at $350 a month to work on their art. Meghan Baker is renting the kitchen onSunday afternoons. Her business name is Velish Vegan Soup Company. This rental bringsthe church $52.50 a week.

2

Please be mindful of our gym kitchen renters. We had a couple of incidents. In one casesomeone pulled out the plug to the freezer and our Warm Sugar baker lost $200 worthof product. We are partially reimbursing her by deducting $100 from her rent. Also, shefound two bowls missing. Please do not remove any dishes or pans from the gray rackon the other side of the stoves in the kitchen.

CHURCH FAMILY – Janet and SueSupport/completed actions:o Asked for cards for Bobbie Knudson after her heart surgery. FYI – the Westend

cluster will be providing transportation and other services as needed until Bobbie isable to drive again.

o Passed along the news that Carol Grener passed away, and also the information onthe memorial service for her.

o FYI - a group of Pat Laxar’s friends are establishing a fund to provide funds for thecare of her cats.

November support/actions expected: cards and calls as needed.

COMMITTEE ON MINISTRY - EllenWe are presently addressing two projects: a congregational assessment, for which weare reviewing materials. and a ministerial assessment for the Board of Trustees.When we have narrowed the shape of the congregational assessment, we will bepartnering with Long Range Planning to finalize and conduct the assessment.

COMMUNICATIONS – JaneAdvertised for the forumAdvertised for the Service Auction

DENOMINATIONAL AFFAIRS - TomJPD is offering the following webinars; if interested, log onto the JPD website:o Pleased to Meet You: Training Greeters - Wednesday, November 20, 2013, 7:00 pmo When in Doubt, Retreat: Fun and Effective Team Building Activities For Your Board,

Committees, and Congregation - December 18, 2013, 7:00 pmThe new, smaller (14 vs. 23) board of the UUA met October 17-20 in Boston and, amongother actions:o Approved New Orleans as the site of the 2017 UUA General Assembly;o Approved an increase of $5 in the full-time registration fee for the 2014 General

Assembly (in Providence)o Accepted Original Blessing, a new congregation in Brooklyn, N.Y., into UUA

membership;o Accepted a monitoring report on the UUA’s financial practices, in which the

administration declared compliance with all nine relevant policies; ando Discussed the UUA's new branding and marketing plan and noted that UUA was

working with 55 new and emerging congregations.

3

UUA and UUSC have joined efforts in an appeal for aid following the devastatingtyphoon in the Philippines. Those interesting in contributing should log onto the UUA(or UUSC) website.

FINANCE – CeaseMeeting held 10/24/13 – three members in attendance.Meeting held 11/6/13 – all members in attendance.UU Common Endowment Fund one year income was 9.2 % thru 9/30/13. Committeeagreed to change income from fund from 5 % to 4 % beginning 1/1/14. Conference callabout Third Quarter results in mid-November.Capital funding – Good news – Have collected $238,000, 49 % of the total pledged.Treasurer’s report – Income way ahead of budget and expenses below for a NetOperating Income of $56,000 through 10/31/13. Check register reviewed and approved.Allen submitted the By-Law changes that affect the Finance Committee to the Board forapproval and Annual meeting approval.Unrelated Business Income Tax (URBT) issues still unresolved. To check with outsideaccounting professionals for clarification.Allen to participate in Church Mutual Insurance Co. conference call on “embezzlementissues affecting nonprofits”.Capital Improvement – Down payment made for sidewalk repairs. To start beforeThanksgiving and complete before Christmas.Finance Committee Policies and Guidelines – Final draft distributed for review and finalapproval at our next meeting.

LONG RANGE PLANNING - FrankCommittee met Sunday, Oct. 20. Member Cease Blocker graciously offered his home.We discussed ways to keep the Capital Projects - and the need for fast-tracking pledgepayments - before the congregation. A cake saying "We've Only Just Begun" wasdecided for the Nov. 3 pot luck; and Judy Claps would present a flip-chart showing whathas been accomplished and how much we have toward the next project.We also looked at ways to keep The Covenant alive and in the minds (and hearts) of thecongregation. We decided to ask for a cartoon strip detailing "This is what it would likelike if you followed the Covenant" in “The Link.” We asked RE to plan and perhapsexecute the drawings.In an electronic "meeting," we decided to move ahead with the Center Street sidewalkpaving project because we are still not sure if the South Tower "leak" was the result ofan open hatch or something else; and because the contractor can't work on the southwall this calendar year because of the weather.Also, because of issues raised in Program Council and other quarters, Community Roomimprovements were moved up in the Priority 2 category.

4

MEMBERSHIP – MargoThree new members signed the book on November 3: Tanya Allison Casey, ShawnCasey, and Lara Kristine Elliott.Members of the Board helped set up and clean up before and after the potluck lunchfollowing the service on November 3. Thanks to Sarah Johnson, Jan Phillips, MarieTweed, and others for the help.We are asking folks from Program Council to help with the potluck lunch following thenew member signing service on Sunday, February 2, 2014.Sarah Johnson suggested that we develop a “Procedure for Potlucks,” which is inprocess. There will be two: “Procedures for Disposable Plate Potlucks Upstairs” and“Process for Washable Dishware Potlucks Downstairs.”Our “cleaning out the fridge” efforts yield far too much stuff.Also like to ask if any group has plans to decorate any part of the church for any ofDecember.We are still seeking Facilitators for the “New South” Hospitality team. As of January, thehospitality teams will be rebranded. “Central (formerly “West”)” will include 18015 and18018, North will be the same, East will be the same, “West” will include the AllentownZips, and “South” will include the zips to the south, around Saucon Valley, Quakerstown,Macungie, etc. (see attached)We are aiming to have a new Directory ready by the middle of December. Only 25copies will be printed. Congregants will need to e mail Tara for a copy for theircomputer. They can print as many copies as they wish. As we run out of copies, Tarawill produce 25 more. December 15 should be the first Sunday the Directory hardcopies will be available.

PROPERTY - PatGene Hunter is officially a member of the committee. Gene keeps things running in ourfacility and saves the church a lot of money by completing some repairs that otherwisewe would have to pay someone from the outside to fix.Kistler O’Brien, the fire protection company, inspected our building and found severalbad emergency light batteries, a few bulbs from the emergency lights and a few otherthings that need fixing. Bob, our sexton, is obtaining a quote for repair.There was a work party on November 14th to clean and straighten the FM Kitchen. So faronly our committee members have signed up. We need help from others.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION - JansenClasses• Nursery. Sarah Slaw Kiew, our new staffer, has come to the realization that her

schedule will not allow her top to continue in our nursery. She will work through themiddle of December. I am still submitting the proposal for a lead nursery staffer and wewill begin a search to fill that position with a qualified person (see proposal below).

• UU Alphabet. We are still seeking one more teacher and 1 or 2 classroom assistants.Carrie Kupferschmid will assist. Attendance has been very light (1-3).

5

• Spirit Play. Laura Elmore has been very helpful as a consultant for the classroom. Thechildren now sign up for an end-of-class duty. She recommended changes to our shelflabels so that the children can find the materials more easily. The children are enjoyingtheir freedom to choose their art response to the story. There is a calm atmosphere inthe classroom.

• Neighboring Faiths. The class is running smoothly. A visit to the Catholic Church is setfor this Sunday.

• Coming of Age. Lynn Zipprodt is coordinating the three wrap sales events. The first oneis Sunday, Nov 17. The neighborhood hospitality group has been contacted and will holdoff on food purchases. They will help publicize.

• Senior High Youth group. As posted by Morgan: Sober City was a great time, but wedidn’t raise any money. It was poorly advertised.

Other events• Nick Page, the UU choral director and family friendly musician is going to be in the area

on Feb 1 – 2. He is confirmed for the Sunday service. I mentioned to him the idea ofparticipating in the barn dance festivities but I haven’t heard back. John Krumm isconfirmed as the caller.

• Family games nights – Jan 11 and Feb 15,• Nursery staff proposal:

I propose the church creates a position with the title Lead Nursery Staffer. This staffperson will have the responsibility of making sure the staff schedule is complete (withmy supervision), and making sure there is a morning program in place that includesstory time, a craft, free time and snack time. Our other two staffers, Maria Aguilera andJocelyn Bult are dependable and good workers and I would like to keep them. Toprovide incentive to raise their performance level, I also propose that the rate of ourtwo other staffers be raised by $.50 to $8.00/hr. I will conduct performance reviewswith all three workers and give them more concrete expectations and measures so thatwe can evaluate their performance in the future.

Reverend Garrett has offered to make up the salary difference between now and thetime the policy is approved using his discretionary funds. If the current weekly cost of 2workers at 7.50/hr times 2 hours equals $30.00, the increases will raise our weekly costto $36.00, adding approximately $200.00 to the nursery care budget betweenNovember and June.

6

Attachment to PC Committee Reports – November 2013

2014 Hospitality Team Zip Codes

Central East West South18015 07016 18011 1803418018 08848 18053 18036

08865 18078 18041North 18013 18102 1804918017 18020 18103 1805518031 18040 18104 1806218032 18042 18105 1807718051 18045 18106 1808118052 18064 18109 189551805918067

1 of 5

December 17, 2013

UUCLV Program Council – Monthly Reports (December 2013)

Reports were received (reproduced/reformatted below) from:Bethlehem Emergency ShelteringBuilding UseChurch FamilyCommittee on MinistryCommunicationsDenominational AffairsFinanceGreenHAVENLong Range PlanningMembershipPropertyReligious EducationStewardship

BETHLEHEM EMERGENCY SHELTERING – Ann and GinnieGuest numbers are increasing. The first week we cared for 13 men. This pastWednesday Dec 11 there were 27 men registered. 15 of this number were new to theshelter this year. We expect this number or more now that the weather is gettingcolder.Two issues need to be addressed before next Wednesday:o The red vacuum cleaner was not stored in the chair room. In its place was one that

did not work properly. We were unable to finish the vacuuming in the communityroom and did not vacuum the floor in the kitchen. Cleaning these rugs is a major,major job due to the size of the community room and all the food crumbs that arisefrom so many people eating there. We definitely need a machine that works !!!!!!![Note – I believe this has been resolved. JCP]

o The projector which was on its last life last year has totally faded away. There areonly shadow images. The men good naturally "listened" to a movie last night. Icontacted Mark Moseng about this and he told me he had ordered a new bulb.Hopefully this will fix the problem if not what can be done? I am not sure when itwill come in but I hope it will be before next Wednesday. I contacted Mark to findout but haven't heard from him yet. One question will he need help to installthis????? In case it isn't working is there a TV and DVD set up that we can useinstead? This will be better than nothing.

2 of 5

BUILDING USE - PatThe rental situation is about the same as last month. The renter who was using the gymkitchen on Sundays is now coming in at 4:00am – 9:00am on Fridays. The ServiceAuction crew left the gym kitchen in good condition for the renters, but we mustremember to not store any food in the freezers or refrigerators. Food can be put inthem during a church event, but removed as soon as the event is over.Church events such as the Service Auction, Sober City, the spaghetti dinner, and anyother church sponsored function must have a designated contact person. That personwill let the Administrator know that she/he is the designated person. The Building UseCommittee is drawing up a check list of duties which will be e-mailed to the contactperson prior to the event.

CHURCH FAMILY – Janet and SueRecent CF support/completed actions:o Shared the news that Tom Stupak died of a sudden heart attacko Asked for help for Marge Heatley in locating a replacement car.o Expect to be asking for help with Tom’s memorial service as details are obtained.January CF support/actions expected:o Cards and calls as neededo Will most likely be asking for help for Pat Laxar’s memorial service on Jan. 11.

COMMITTEE ON MINISTRY - EllenWe have continued to meet on a monthly basis to monitor and address issues that arisebetween the minister and the congregation.We are also working on a Congregational Assessment and have been offered theassistance of Long Range Planning and the Finance Committee in that effort.

COMMUNICATIONS - JaneAdvertised in the McCall for the Winter Solstice service and the forum topics. The AIDSAwareness Day was also advertised.If anyone has anything they want in the paper please write up what you want and sendit to me.

DENOMINATIONAL AFFAIRS - TomJoseph Priestly District, in pursuing its strategic objective of fostering connectionsbetween and among UU congregations, has encouraged creation of clusters ofcongregations to engage and interact. UUCLV is part of the nascent northeasterncluster, which includes Poconos, Wyoming Valley, Upper Delaware, and others. TheUUCLV Board may want to consider whether and how our congregation could help inthis effort.The theme of JPD's Worship Arts Festival for 2014 is "Rivals or A Team: Clergy-MusicianRelationships". The event is scheduled for Feb.21-22 in Frederick, MD.

3 of 5

Save the date: The Joseph Priestly District Assembly will be held April 11-12 in LafayetteHill, PA (outside Philadelphia). Theme for the event is "A People So Bold".The November Chalice Lighters Report shows that 27 UUCLV members are participatingin JPD's Chalice Lighters Program, for a 13 percent participation rate. Members areencouraged to contribute to this program, which aids the growth of UU congregations,including our own.

FINANCE - CeaseMeeting held Dec.4 with all in attendance except DonTreasurer’s Report-Y.T.D. income exceeded expenses by $48,000. Pledge income isslowing down as is expected.Capital fund collections are $266,000 to date (55 % of total).Service Auction brought in $13.000, plant sale $2500 and Yard Sale $1300.Check Register reviewed and approvedUU Common Endowment Fund – Will change distribution from 5% to 4% perrecommendation of the fund administrator.Allen participated in the Church Mutual Insurance conference call on embezzlement andreviewed their recommendations .It appears we’re in good shape with the possibleexception of handling cash from the service offering. Will review possible solutions atthe next meeting.Finance Committee Policies and Guidelines approved.Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT) – To be clarified with our outside auditor.Native Plant Sale approved for May and September.Treasurer’s Procedure Manual to be reviewed at the next meeting.

GREEN - IlseThe sidewalk underlay of the new concrete is recycled stone, brick and concrete. The oldconcrete was also recycled.The new Center Street sidewalk created 5 new garden beds. If you have extra nativeperennials or grasses email to [email protected].

HAVEN - IlseThe annual retraining of facilitators will take place in January.

LONG-RANGE PLANNING - FrankWe have given our concerns regarding any church survey to Cecilia Eberhard, who is onboth LRP and Ministry.We are trying to find ways to keep the Covenant in front of the congregation. Judy Clapsapproached one senior high coordinator who seemed interested. However, we detecteda lack of interest among the young people themselves. The idea was to have the classprepare a monthly cartoon strip illustrating how it would look if the Covenant werefollowed.

4 of 5

MEMBERSHIP - MargoThe NewUU class scheduled for Sunday, December 15, 2013 was cancelled. Five peoplewere expected. It will be rescheduled for another Sunday.Del DeLaurentis, who taught Marketing at Lehigh and Cedar Crest Colleges for manyyears, is developing a Membership Marketing Plan for us, with the goal of raising thevisibility of UUCLV in the community at large. Del and Dora Davenport will work on theimplementation of that plan, once it is in place.Membership is still seeking a second facilitator for the new South neighborhood, whichincludes zip codes 18034, 18036, 18041, 18049, 18055, 18062, 18077, 18081, and18955. Any takers?Membership is still working on procedures for potlucks. Next one is scheduled forFebruary 2. Program Council will be asked to help with set up and clean up.Membership is working on a suggested By-Laws revision for the Membership section ofBy-Laws.Tom Repasch has taken over the production of new name tags. We thank MeganHartlaub for making name tags for the past several years. We thank Tom for taking overthis very important task.Tara Stephenson will have a limited number of directories available at the WelcomeTable on Sunday, December 22. Anyone who would like to download one to theircomputer, please send a formal request to Tara using the e mail address:[email protected].

PROPERTY - PatOn Thursday, September 14th, members of the property committee – Karen Norvig, IlseZinnes, Linda Bahner, and Pat Herring, cleaned the FM Kitchen. It looked amazing rightafterwards. Let’s be mindful of cleaning up spills – for example, inside and outside of therefrigerator, inside and outside of the stove. Also, we need more dish towels. Perhapssome of you would like to donate.Our Sexton has pointed out that we need to find and fix the timers which control theoutside lights so that they come on automatically. Our in-house electrician, GeneHunter, possibly in conjunction with a hired electrician will work on getting these lightsfixed. Gene is continuing to work on the remaining ballasts that need to be replaced.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION - Jansen• Classes

o Nursery - I will proceed with advertising for a staffer, having removed references toany role in supervising other child care staffers. The personnel committee isconcerned about who covers paid child care staff for liability.

5 of 5

o UU Alphabet - Due to consistently low attendance, we have folded the class withSpirit Play. We will add a classroom teacher or assistant with the duty of assistingthe younger children.

o Spirit Play - The class is a success: children enjoy the structure and are verycooperative.

o Neighboring Faiths - A visit to the Moravian Church is set for this Sunday. KarenBerry is finishing up her stint as lead teacher. Many thanks to her tireless efforts.

o Coming of Age - The second sandwich sale had been set for last Sunday. LynneZipprodt will look for a replacement date.

o Senior High Youth group - They baked many cookies at their sleepover on Dec 7. Thecookies will go to the Children’s Home of Easton for Christmas. The youth servicewill be on Feb 23rd.

Other eventso Nick Page, the UU choral director and family friendly musician is going to be in the

area on Feb 1 – 2. He is confirmed for the Sunday service.o The RE committee would like to host another RE open house after church service on

February 16. The church calendar shows only a CUUPS meeting at that time.o Family games nights – Jan 11 and Feb 15o The youth would like to host the Art Con again this year. I have reserved the entire

church (except for the sanctuary) for the Friday night, Saturday through Sundaymorning, May 16-18. I will have to work out logistics with the baker who rents thelarge kitchen and the Taoist study group.

STEWARDSHIP - IlseStarted to ask people to be canvassers. The more we find the less people everyoneneeds to canvass.

Monthly Committee Bullet Reports February 2013

Documents

Transcript of Monthly Committee Bullet Reports February 2013