Welcome back to another season of services and activities at Fargo-Moorhead Unitarian Universalist Church! I hope you had a great summer and are feeling energized and renewed.
While I was anticipating sharing exciting news of building progress with you as Rally Sunday approaches, unfortunately we have experienced various delays and obstacles that have thus far prevented us from breaking ground.
The two most serious issues facing us at this time are: greatly increased construction costs from our original 1999 estimates, and a lawsuit, which has been filed against us by our neighbor to the north over the removal of the elm tree at the corner of our property.
The Board, after meeting with our contractor, has identified three options to present to the congregation to consider in our effort to move forward in our goals of making our church handicapped accessible and increasing our space for religious education and fellowship gatherings.
Since we are facing these issues at the very outset of our church season, this certainly seemed as compelling a reason to RALLY as any, so I am taking the somewhat unusual step of considering the Rally Sunday service itself a CONGREGATIONAL MEETING. This will give us an opportunity to come together as a congregation, hear the full details of what has transpired over the past three months, consider the Board's recommended options, entertain questions and possibly additional options from the floor and, if the congregation wishes and if a quorum is present, take decisive action at that time.
Please make every effort to attend to add your wisdom and your voice as we consider how we will move ahead! I look forward to seeing each of you at the Rally Sunday Breakfast at 9:30 am (sponsored by the HAMS Committee) and the RALLY SUNDAY SERVICE AND CONGREGATIONAL MEETING at 11:00 on Sunday, September 7.
In peace, Linda Coates, FMUU Board President
Over the summer a group of more than 20 people, including several new members, participated in a very creative and stimulating course designed to explore what Unitarian Universalism is and how it influences our faith journeys. The curriculum of "Articulating Our UU Faith" included planning and conducting a Sunday service. But this group felt they had developed enough material for three complete programs.
Through creative story-telling, theatrical role-play, and casual coffee chat, the participants in the summer religious education class answer the question, "What do I say after I say I am a Unitarian Universalist?"
In this service we are all invited to reflect on questions central to what gives meaning to our lives. As a Unitarian Universalist or fellow traveler, what do I believe? What beliefs have I held all my life? How have my beliefs changed? And how are my core beliefs related to Unitarian Universalism?
How do we as individuals and as a group fulfill our covenant to affirm and promote our principles? We will explore answers to this question as we take a provocative look at how we show others what we believe by translating our individual values and UU principles into action.