by Margaret Henderson, President

As I write this in mid-December, the Board has been busy! But first I need to share with you the news that unfortunately Gina Cassetta has made the difficult decision to resign from the Board due to time constraints. We will miss her, especially her all-encompassing warmth and her unique insights. We support her in her search for the right work/life balance (or even volunteer/life balance)! 

Here’s a brief summary of what the Board is working on. If something catches your eye, ask a Board member for more details! 

• The Communications Task Force, led by Jeff Asher, is examining how UUCD can use technology to get messages out, both within our congregation and in the outside world. 
• The Financial Strategy Team has begun work on how we can make UUCD more financially sustainable. They plan to submit their recommendation by February. 
• Common Council met in November and, instead of the usual series of committee reports, focused on how our various teams can add value to the community. They were so excited they plan to meet again January 29th! 
• At our December Board meeting we learned how Sociocracy techniques like speaking by turns in a circle, can dispel hidden power dynamics that unintentionally support white supremacy. This work supports the 8th Principle that we adopted 2 years ago. 
• HELP NEEDED! Since July 1st , we have made over $5,000 by renting out Fellowship Hall. Margaret has been opening and closing for most of these rentals, but she cannot continue to do this work alone. If we are going to continue renting our facilities out to the community, we need at least one other person who can help with this. If interested, please call or email Margaret. In other news, 
• In his usual way of taking care of problems we didn’t even know could come up, Gary Mummert has made minor repairs to our heating systems in both our buildings so they’ll be fully functional this winter. 
• The Men’s Coffee Group has graciously volunteered to sponsor a community dinner on January 18 . 
• The Auction Team is hard at work getting ready for our annual auction to be held on February 11t. 
• Coming in February will be a discussion of this year’s UUA Common Read, Mistakes and Miracles: Congregations on the Road to Multiculturalism. The hard copy is on backorder until January, but the eBook is available now for Kindle readers. 

I wish you all health and a wellspring of energy in the new year!