And suddenly, it’s January! And another new year. You might remember that our English word for the first month of the year derives from “Janus” the name of the Roman god usually portrayed with two faces, one looking back, the other looking forward. The god of beginnings, gates, transitions, doorways, passages, and endings. So, maybe it would be a good idea to take a hint from Janus and look back for a few minutes on the life of the church in 2023 and a look forward for what we hope to see in 2024.
The event that stands out most starkly for me in terms of our achievements, is the semi-annual meeting we held in November. At this time, we claimed for ourselves a new statement encapsulating what we see as our mission, the first such statement in twenty years. “Our mission: To create and sustain a welcoming and caring community that embodies our UU principles, inspires spiritual growth without dogma or creed, and promotes and sustains racial and social justice.” I am particularly heartened to see how often our mission statement is cited in our Parish Committee meetings these days and how often we remind ourselves to measure planned projects or initiatives against the stated goals of our mission.
At that same meeting, we revised the first article of our Bylaws to declare that in addition to our formal and legal (and long!) official name, we have an informal name, more appropriate for the times we live in, one that we use more and more often in our communications to the community outside of our church: UU Middleboro!
Our Ministerial Search Committee has completed the UUA-sanctioned process that allows us to seek a long-term minister: We have elected to engage in the “contract-to-call” process that will allow a contracted position to transition to a “called” position if we find there is a good fit between our congregation and our next minister. The congregation voted to increase the new minister’s compensation by $5,000/year in order to increase the attractiveness of the position.
The church parlor has undergone extensive renovations (with more to come, as stained glass windows continue to be repaired) and bears a new name, “The Avis Clay Parlor,” thanks to the generosity of that longtime member’s family. Thanks in large part to the initiative of Valerie Fontaine, our “accessibility entrance” is now a good deal more accessible with the addition of an automated door.
Of course, not all developments were positive. The loss through death of longtime member, PC officer, and activist Bob Waterman was a devastating blow. His contributions to the church over the years cannot be overstated, and many of us continue to grieve his loss. Still, I have been touched and heartened to see with what determination the church has forged on, with many members and friends stepping up to share the responsibilities that Bob had shouldered.
Speaking of members, we were more than pleased to welcome seven new members in 2023. In other joyful news, we will not soon forget the glow that we felt when leaving both the Autumn Concert and our recent Christmas Eve service.
Looking ahead: We have floated a number of alternatives as candidates for a church covenant (or bond of fellowship, to use the older language), but have not yet settled on one as satisfactory for all. Still, the ring of voices on a Sunday morning as we say together a unison reading in the form of a covenant statement has been most encouraging. I think it will be important to bring this project to its conclusion.
The PC and I have been reviewing the church’s Policy Handbook and have noticed that several (or many) of the policies need updating. We’ll be working on that in 2024, as well.
We have a beautiful building, but an old building in which to gather, to worship, to engage in spiritual development, to do the committee work that keeps us going, to relax and recreate. We will be challenged in the year to come to find a reasonable way to address the costs we’ll incur for inevitable repairs as well as routine maintenance. And we will respond as needed, I’m sure, if our past is any indication.
2024 promises to be a year of growth as well as challenge, growth in our spiritual lives, growth as a vibrant community, growth in the ways we can serve the community outside of our walls. Our ever-active Social Justice Team will be leading the way in that area as they have throughout 2023.
I look forward to working with you all as we continue to forge our way into a blessed and productive future. Best wishes for a joyful and productive New Year.
See you in church,
Rev. Peter
