OCTOBER 2024 – BOARD MESSAGE

Greetings, All! 

We are off to a wonderful start to the 2024 – 2025 church year! Rev. Leslie was finally able to get away for some self-care and family time. Rev. Rodney was also able to take time away and is now back in the pulpit as our newly-called Associate Minister. This year’s Intern minister, Rose Riedel, has hit the ground running, hosting a Community Circle and sharing her many talents. Our Director of Religious Education, Marena McGregor, is bringing us stories and songs to share across the generations. Ours is a thriving faith community! 

So how do we make it even better? As we move deeper into the church year, let’s consider how we can invite, engage, maintain and yes, build, our connections. Make a personal commitment to try one new activity. They come out every week in the emails or you can look at the MDUUC calendar online. Meet a new person and share what you have found in this community. Ask what they came looking for. Find common ground and share your new friend with someone else. 

Upcoming event that is important to note: 

Bid4Love, our biggest annual fundraiser, is November 9th. We will be coming together in needed fellowship after what we have come to know as our most important election in recent history, perhaps ever. 

We have moved our Monthly Board Forums to12:30 to give people an opportunity for social connection, and refreshments provided by our youth (please!) between the service and the forum. October 20th will be our next forum. As a reminder, forums are an opportunity for the Board to share important updates and information regarding recommendations for changes in how we conduct church business. This year, we will be considering changes to our Bylaws in order to streamline our voting process, with the knowledgeable assistance of member Andy Smith, who has served the last few years as our parliamentarian. The forum is the space for congregational input prior to an eventual vote. 

If you have questions about how things work at MDUUC, please speak to Rev. Leslie or one of us on the Board. Affiliate Community Minister, Rev, Ranwa Hammamy, shared in their September message, that we, as a living tradition, can put our beliefs into action, even in these stressful times. In the midst of uncertainty, each of us can do our part by respecting our covenant and each other. 

In faith and gratitude, 

Linda Russell (she/her/hers) 

Co-President, Board of Trustees