The Pioneer Vol. 44, No. 7 | Page 4

Reports & Articles Goal III – Sacred Action: Make a difference as a progressive religious voice and force. Tap our member’s passion for social justice and outreach, climate action, and environmental stewardship; and extend our reach by engaging in local and national partnerships. Goal IV – Sacred Roots: Honor our history and adapt to changes that sustain our community for future generations. Establish a culture of generosity of time, talent, and resources to fund our mission and live within our means. Continue to develop and strengthen our governance structure, sustain appropriate staffing levels, as well as our building and grounds, all in service of our mission. The UUPP team has also recommended strategic priorities to guide us in meeting these goals and has gathered many ideas, based on congregational input, that might address these priorities. The task of the board in the near future will be to thoroughly examine these recommendations and work with committees and other interested members to identify and prioritize steps to take as we move into the implementation phase. We expect to share more details soon. If you want to help, let us know. I will be President next year and feel blessed to be among you as we continue to learn and grow together. What We Dream Here Matters. What We Do Here Matters. Rich West for the Stewardship Committee Every Sunday since the New Year, members have spoken from the pulpit about why they care about this Society and what they dream for its future. These testimonials will continue until Stewardship Sunday on March 2. Over the past four weeks, we have heard these special thoughts from five members: Mark Dunn told us: “One of the things that matters most to me here is our freedom and responsibility to speak up and contribute to our community process of determining the shapes and flavors of the messages and discussions we will hear when we gather within these walls. I was raised Catholic and often felt like a passenger on a huge train. I am thrilled that we do not follow a uniform script prepared thousands of miles away by people who have never met us. I love that we have a living and changing group of our fellow congregants who volunteer of their time and their gifts to serve on our Worship Committee with our minister. The messages spoken, the questions posed, and the thoughts provoked here are generated from a beautiful collaboration of the hearts and minds of this group of our friends. As they know us and our families, I feel they combine a mind and soul nourishing mix of the issues within and around us to create a rich experience for those couple of hours we gather here each week. This re-energizes me and reminds me that what we do here matters.” Continued... The Pioneer 4