President’s Letter, August 28, 2024
“As Tranquil Streams, that meet and merge and flow as one to seek the sea,
our kindred hearts and minds unite to build a church that shall be free.”
Hymn 145, Singing the Living Tradition
As we sing these words this Sunday, I hope we all share a moment of gratitude for our small UU Fellowship, how different it is from every other church we have ever attended, even other UU congregations around the country. I marvel at that fact every time I walk through the doors or around the grounds. I hope you all do as well and that it always lifts your spirits as much as it lifts mine.
For me, September is the promise of fall in Georgia. You can feel it in the mornings and see it in the fading leaves. We live in a mid-latitude mixed forest—so many varieties of trees and plants. Just walking/riding down the Riverwalk, you pass through five distinct ecosystems. Maybe we can pressure CSU to reopen the Oxbow Meadows treetop canopy walk. There aren’t many places where one can experience the eagle’s eye view of a forest, grassland and river all at once—well, except for the zip line, but there’s no time to contemplate nature when one is busy screaming.
Pickleball players will be screaming (or at least smiling) with joy when they learn about the new Pickleball court being designed by Hal Midgette in the parking lot near the Pavilion. There’s talk of Four Square courts as well. We can all think about ways to add fun to our daily lives and to use our amazing campus as much as we can for fun and learning and meditation and even tadpole hunting. We have so much to offer. Find something that enriches your life and share it with us. Hints: Movie Nights. Games Gatherings. Nature walks in our backyard. Hikes. Day trips. Theater trips. But don’t forget that everything starts with the community we build on Sunday mornings when we meet up for amazing coffee and cookies (thank you, Pat), and programs (thank you, Bill), and music (thank you, Whittaker). And thank you, Board Members and all the committee chairs who bring it all together, especially Brenda, who almost always knows who is doing what and where if we just remember to tell her. She checks our [email protected] email several times a week.
Our volunteers need to be recognized. Be thinking about your nominee for our annual UUFC Leadership Award. Dr. Joyce Hickson chairs this committee as part of Congregational Care. She will have forms out for us to complete, and we’ll be announcing this soon, along with the qualifications for nominees. Let’s celebrate the people who step forward to do what is needed, and then let’s learn how we all can pitch in.
One new UUFC staff member is making a dramatic difference in our children’s program. Be sure to meet Elizabeth Young, who is our new Director of Children’s Religious Education. She isn’t new to the Fellowship. She has sometimes attended Wednesday Night Discussion Group and Sunday services. Everyone is impressed with her ability to engage and instruct the elementary-age children. She has many talents and interests that make her a wonderful new addition to our UUFC family.
The Youth and Young Adult (YAYA) group will start having their Wednesday night meetings in September. Earth-Centered Spirituality has many events planned. Watch your mid-week announcements and join in.
Looking forward—Our Nominating Committee needs a committee. If you haven’t volunteered for a critical UUFC task before, or even if you have, here’s a way to get to know our amazing members a little better. Please participate in the work that keeps this Fellowship going. We need everyone to share their talents and strengths if they can. It takes new minds and hands to continue building a strong community that can take the next generations of UUFC members and friends forward.
If you are willing to serve on the Board, let Bill Turman or any Board member know. If you know someone who might make a good Board member, tell us. If you are asked to serve, do it for yourself as much as for the
Fellowship at large. I can think of nothing that has been more rewarding than my many years participating as a member of the UUFC Board of Trustees. We work together. We laugh a lot. We find ways. Right now, our best problem seems to be how to accommodate the youngest children during our services.
The Board arranges meeting times and agendas based on the needs of the in-coming Board members as well as the organizational design and rules laid out in our By-Laws, which are posted on our website www.uucolumbusga.org. Here is a link to the rules regarding the make-up and purpose of the Boart of Trustees https://www.uucolumbusga.org/uufc-bylaws/
I’m looking forward to meeting you all again soon in some small groups–perhaps on Movie Night, if someone comes up with a movie they’d like to see and sets a date. Sometimes it’s just that easy.
Until then, stay cool out there.
As ever,
Connie Ussery, President
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Columbus