First Universalist Church

Annual Report 2005–2006

Report from the President

Dear friends,

This past year, the stretch of highway on which our church community has journeyed has had some unusually sharp curves.

The year ended with what is certainly the major turn in the road impacting our church this year -- Erik's decision to move on to a new church and a new adventure. Erik and we have grown together (both chronologically and figuratively) over the past eleven years, and this parting of minister and those of us who have been ministered to is going to be an emotionally jolting farewell. But Erik is excited about the challenges facing him at Brewster, and we are beginning to mobilize to meet the challenge of finding another leader. I am confident that the vitality of our church community that Erik nurtured is going to be so apparent to prospective ministerial candidates that we will have the pick of the crop of available ministers next spring. That will be exciting.

A second long bend in the road which we have been negotiating is the slow deterioration of our spire and belfry tower. A team of dedicated members of the congregation have spent a lot of time with engineers, contractors, and other helpful sources of information preparing clear options from which the membership will choose at the annual meeting June 4. There are people in the church who feel very strongly that we cannot in good faith raise and spend thousands of dollars to make our steeple look good again while the needs of so many people in the world are going unmet, And there are others in our church who feel as strongly that we are stewards of an historic church building that represents the heritage of our nation and faith, and that we must rise to the challenge of preserving this historic structure for generations to come. What we decide June 4 will have enormous impact on the future of our church.

Another turn in the highway, a pleasant one, I think, occurred when we regained some of the financial stability that we seemed to have lost for a few years. Roger Comstock spent hours and hours pulling our financial records together, has recommended blending some accounts and absorbing others, and has been the voice of caution relative to spending money, all in an effort to enable the Board of Trustees to see our financial situation clearly when we have been called upon to make money-related decisions. Getting Brent West back as chair of the Finance Committee has added to the redirection of our financial situation toward a grounded and more conservative stance. Under the management skills of Marge Titcomb and Eva Thompson, the Holiday Fair was a super success. And Tom Levin organized the beginning of a what looks to be a wildly successful jazz concert series that not only drew a packed house and a standing ovation, but made a lot of money, too. So, although we aren't flush with money, we have some new and exciting ways to raise a little more, have learned how to manage it better, now know where we stand, where we want to go and how we're going to get there.

Another fun and spirit-lifting curve in the road this year was the painting of many of the mundane surfaces of our church's interior. The vestry was brightened up with the addition of "porch ceiling" below the chair rail and a fresh coat of paint to match the Kitty Corner, the painting of the floors in the sanctuary and balcony and alter areas, new cushions on the pews (maybe they were last year). And a new cedar fence in the back (which should be up by the time you read this) and a cute little white storage shed to house maintenance equipment and tools have all contributed to the aura of an active and healthy church community.

This is a wonderful community of people who are on an exciting and spirit enhancing trip. I think the most obvious example of the health and vitality of our church was last Sunday's worship service lead by the Coming of Age youth who individually, articulately, creatively and with poise and conviction shared with us their beliefs about the great mysteries of life. It was inspiring.

May our trip together in the next year see the road straightening a bit, the scenery even more vibrant and fulfilling, and the person, presently unknown to us, who is to be our driver into the future easily recognizable as s/he waits at the curb to get on our bus.

Sincerely,

Ken Nye
President of the Board of Trustees