By Barry Shumpert, President of the Board of Trustees
As I settle into a new church year as president of the board, I would first of all like to thank you with trusting me to fill this position. Second of all, I want to thank you for doing so in this particular year. Because of the hard work of our minister, the leaders who preceded me, and the enthusiasm and support of the congregation, I believe we are entering a new era in Westside's history. We are coming off the most successful pledge campaign in memory, church committees are buzzing with activity, volunteers are stepping up to improve our building and grounds, we are welcoming a steady stream of new visitors, we are reaching out to minister to our community, and the church is filled with a spirit of warm and energetic fellowship every Sunday. To paraphrase J.D. Salinger, I think maybe I'm a paranoiac-in-reverse; I think you are all conspiring to make me happy (and my job easier).
Even though we've only had two board meetings since the beginning of the church year, the board of trustees has already made some important decisions that will guide WUUC's path into the future. Most of these actions are the result of recommendations from our forward-thinking committees. Here are some examples of what we've done so far:
• Following a recommendation from the Marketing Committee, approved a beautiful new logo for Westside.
• On the recommendation of the Finance Committee, approved making arrangements for pre-approval of an emergency loan to be used only if immediate expenditures are required (such as when our main water line broke several years ago). There is no cost associated with the pre-approval.
* Asked the Green Sanctuary and Stewardship Committees to develop a long-range plan for the use and planting of the church grounds.
• Amended the budget to include a $500 payment to the UUA for association dues and voted to add this as a line item in future budgets.
• At the request of the Stewardship Committee, approved using extra funds that have accumulated over the years for needed capital projects, including
- Approved the Safety Committee's recommendation to purchase a defibrillator and to contract with the Red Cross to provide training in its use, along with CPR training;
- Agreed to fund various projects conceived by the Aesthetics Committee, including purchase of a lovely new chalice, installation of beautiful hangings for the altar windows, improvements to the passage between foyer and sanctuary, replacement of the curtain hiding the storage area at the rear of the sanctuary, and purchase of new rugs and furniture in selected classrooms;
- At the request of the Office Manager (and an outside user), approved purchase and installation of a projector system in the sanctuary along with an improved and visually less intrusive sound system;
- With the urging of the Green Sanctuary Committee, voted to purchase and install smarter thermostats that will enable us to reduce our energy use; and
- Approved requests from the Building and Grounds Committee to make improvements in the outdoor watering system, the Memorial Garden water feature, and the swing set border on the playground.
I'm sure I'm forgetting somethings, and I apologize to those involved for that. But there is so much good stuff going on at Westside right now that it's hard to keep up with it all. We are in for an exciting year and I thank every one of you for all the energy and work you are putting into our fellowship. Please let me or other members of the board know about your ideas for making our amazing church even better.