April 16, 2008

Dear Fellow Members and Friends,

As many of you will remember, last November we had an Assessment Visit from Wayne Clark, the Director of Congregational Stewardship Services for the Unitarian Universalist Association.  Wayne spent the weekend with us, and many of you participated in group sessions talking about our strengths and challenges.  Following the weekend visit, Wayne sent us a written report detailing actions that we might take to strengthen the church in the next few years.

The Standing Committee has been looking closely at Wayne’s recommendations in the past few months and is eager to begin implementing some of them by creating short-term task forces to address some of the more pressing concerns of the church, from how we manage our funds to where we sit on Sunday mornings.  We are looking for three to five people to join each task force, and we anticipate that the task forces will conclude their work within three to four months of their start.  For those of you unable to make a long term commitment to church committee work, this is a wonderful opportunity to play an important role in the life of the church.

Below you will find descriptions of all five task forces we are forming.  Each task force description includes the name of the Standing Committee member who is serving as the contact person.  However, the names of all Standing Committee members are listed at the end of this letter, so please contact any one of us for more information.  Charges to the Safe Congregations, Finance Committee, and Endowment Fund Task Forces have been written and will be available for review soon, both on the church’s website (www.winchesteruu.org and in the Symmes Room.  In cases where there are more interested participants than spaces on a task force, the Standing Committee will select the task force members.

Stained Glass Windows Task Force
Our beautiful stained glass windows are in need of repair and maintenance and are hidden from outside view by a layer of faded Lexan.  We have an endowment fund to maintain the windows facing Main Street but those facing Mystic Valley Parkway also need attention.  We are establishing a Task Force to help the Building Committee develop a plan to repair and reveal this wonderful asset of the Society, including a basic plan of attack, vendor selection and project funding options.  Chuck Khuen is the contact person for this task force.  

Sanctuary Pew Cushions Task Force
Our sanctuary provides an uplifting and beautiful space for services, as long as you don’t look at what you are sitting on.  It is time to replace the pew cushions.  We are establishing a Task Force to help the Building Committee develop a plan to replace these cushions, including design recommendations, vendor selection and project funding options.  Chuck Khuen is leading the creation of this task force

Safe Congregations Task Force
Winchester Unitarian Society is committed to creating, supporting, and nurturing a safe and healthy environment to support all that we do together as a congregation.  A Safe Congregation is one in which there are healthy boundaries between all members of the community, including ministers, staff, members, friends, children, and youth.  We seek a clear set of policies and procedures that will guide our relationships with one another and protect us as individuals and as a community.  The Safe Congregations Task Force will be charged with locating and reviewing existing policies, researching the practices of other churches and the recommendations of the UUA, interviewing staff and lay leaders to identify areas of concern and to solicit recommendations, and to produce a written report for the Standing Committee which will recommend next steps for the congregation to follow.  Carol Cashion is leading the formation of this task force. 

Finance Committee Task Force
Winchester Unitarian Society has had a Finance Committee in the past, but it went out of existence several years ago.  The formation of a Finance Committee was one of Wayne Clark’s recommendations that resulted from his November Assessment Visit.  The purpose of this task force will be to study the functions of finance committees in churches, to make recommendations about whether to form a finance committee here, and if so, what its role and tasks should be.  This task force will be charged with reviewing information from other churches with Finance Committees, seeking out resources from the UUA, holding discussions with former Finance Committee members and with the church Treasurer, and with preparation of a written report containing its recommendations to the Standing Committee.  The contact person for this task force is Janet Parsons. 

Endowment Fund Task Force
The Winchester Unitarian Society is partially financed by the earnings of a collection of endowment trust funds that are directly managed by the church.  We currently have approximately $2.1 million in an “unrestricted” trust fund that can be used for any purpose, and a collection of approximately 20 “restricted” trust funds whose uses have been specified by the donors.  At present the endowment is managed on a volunteer basis by three trustees, who are members of the church.  Wayne Clark recommended that the church consider developing written procedures and investment guidelines for the endowment and consider using an outside investment manager.  The task force will be charged with reviewing written material on managing church endowment funds, meeting with the current trustees to discuss present investment and management, solicit suggestions from the trustees and from representatives of other UU churches with similar-sized endowments, and investigate the option of using endowment management services.  The task force will be asked to submit a written report to the Standing Committee which defines current management and investment practices and makes recommendations for possible other arrangements.  If you are interested in serving on this task force, please contact Joe Randolph.

The Standing Committee hopes that you will seriously consider joining one of these task forces.  We welcome newer members of the community to participate, as well as our ‘veterans’.  This will be a valuable service to the church which can be accomplished in a short time, although the impact of the work of these task forces will be evident for years to come. 

Sincerely,

The Standing Committee:

Deb Seymour, chair; Janet Parsons, vice chair; Linda Battaglini, clerk; Kathy Richardson, treasurer; Carol Cashion, Phil Coonley, John Keller, Chuck Khuen, Joe Randolph, Frank Virnelli