Week 4: State of HVUUC -- Facilities Maintenance & Ministerial Search Committee

As we begin a new year and the second half of the fiscal year, we wanted to share how the Board of Trustees, committees, and volunteers have worked diligently to sustain our church and members during this very different year. During January we will share inspirational news about the state of the church.

For week 4 we’re sharing information about facilities maintenance and the ministerial search committee.

Facilities Maintenance

Leaves were a big part of the fall work day.

Facilities improvements and repairs continue even though we are not meeting at the church. With our hands or our resources we:

• Cleaned the carpet in the sanctuary.

• Painted the sanctuary and foyer.

• Held a fall work day where about a dozen people raked leaves, removed a stubborn stump, cleared brush, weeded the playground, pruned, and raked more leaves. If you would like to help with ongoing upkeep, please contact Greg K at facilities@hvuuc.org.

• Installed benches (thanks Charlie M!) along the hiking trail.

• Installed a French drain outside the nursery door to prevent flooding.

• Installed cloud noise panels in the fellowship hall (thanks Greg K!).

• Repaired the deck (thanks Joseph V!).

The foyer bathrooms are closed for now. The original septic tank had a severe leak and the field bed lines are crushed. We are working to connect these bathrooms to the newer septic tanks.

Your generous pledges over the years have funded these expenses. Thank you.

Ministerial Search Committee

UUA rainbow chalice

The search committee has been meeting at least weekly for the past several months to gather materials for HVUUC’s search packet, and recently they reviewed ministerial applications and conducted first interviews.

Precandidating offers have just been made! Precandidating is like a serious second interview where committee members “visit” neutral pulpits to hear final candidates preach and meet with them several times formally and informally over the course of a weekend.

It has been hard for congregants to feel connected with the process, so the committee provides updates in News on the HVUUC.org website. You can keep up with where the search committee is in their tasks by visiting the Ministerial Search Committee Tasks page at HVUUC.org.

Please remember that committee members have a duty of confidentiality to each other and the ministerial candidates, so please respect those boundaries.

The search committee would like to thank everyone in the congregation who supported their work by sharing information and feelings through the survey, focus groups, and cottage meetings. The committee truly couldn't have done all this without you! And the board would like to thank the search committee (Dottie B--chair, Brittany B, Cindi H, David K, Denee M, and Sarah S) for all their hard work!

If you have any questions about search, please contact search@hvuuc.org.

The Board of Trustees is always available for your questions and comments. Please contact us if we can assist you at board@hvuuc.org.

In fellowship,

Dana York, President, Board of Trustees

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Week 1: Finances

In week 1 we shared:

• That the church’s finances are healthy.

• How we are working together to keep them that way.

Week 2: Services, Music, & Religious Education

In Week 2 we shared:

• How we have offered services as a team effort since the beginning of the pandemic.

• How religious education has adapted with the help of great volunteers.

• How the music program is evolving with the help of volunteers, technology, and our new music programs director.

Week 3: Fellowship, Membership, & Caring Team

In Week 3 we shared that:

• Responsible fellowship has continued despite social distancing restrictions.

• We have had a new member join us during this time as well as visitors to our YouTube services and coffee hour.

• The Caring Team continues helping members and friends stay connected and support each other during times of need.

Virtual Services Continuing through March

The Board of Trustees (BoT) voted last week to continue to hold virtual services and to continue the previously advertised facilities usage guidelines through March 31, 2021.

We are watching the Covid-19 cases in our area and will reevaluate at our February and March BoT meetings about extending this decision further into the spring.

The following Gathering Guidelines for small groups at our facilities (inside and outside of buildings) continue to apply.

Gathering Guidelines for Inside and Outside Church Facilities:

We strongly recommend continuing to use online forums for small group/committee/team meetings. However, the HVUUC Board has voted to allow people on site for activities that must be held in person, e.g. work groups.

• Only 1 group may meet at a time inside the church building. To schedule your meeting or workgroup and make sure other groups aren’t already scheduled, please contact Karyn at office@hvuuc.org to reserve your group on the church calendar. You can check the calendar to make sure there aren’t conflicts at: https://localendar.com/public/hvuuchurch

  • To locate the church calendar from the church website (hvuuc.org), go to the "News & Events" menu and select the 3rd item, "Church Calendar of Events and Meetings,” from the drop-down menu

Additional Guidance:

• No children’s activities allowed at this time.

• Please do not bring children to any activity happening at the church.

• Groups of 10 people and less

  • No more than 1 meeting of 10 people or less inside the church building.

  • No more than 10 people in any 1 area of the outside property for workdays. For example, the entrance garden.

  • Whenever practical, work projects should be divided into small groups or individuals.

• The Fred Ball room (fellowship hall), sanctuary, and deck are the only meeting areas that are open for use. The REZ is still off limits for meetings.

  • People doing work projects may enter other locations, but must maintain at least 6 feet of distance while inside.

• Must wear a face mask (please bring your own)

  • When working alone outside a face mask is not required. Face masks are required when working in groups of 2 or more.

  • Anyone in the building must wear a mask.

• Must wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds upon entering buildings, or use hand sanitizer and let air dry. Hand sanitizer is in several locations (foyer, kitchen, REZ), to be used as needed.

• Continue keeping a distance of 6 feet between people of different households.

  • This is especially for inside activities but should also be adhered to when outside as much as possible.

• Whenever possible do not share work tools. If sharing occurs, wipe down handles with disinfecting wipes before returning the tool.

• Meals should be sack or box lunches, no family style meals, ie pizza. No water coolers or other communal drinking, ie punch. Maintain 6 feet of distance during meals.

• If you are ill, have a fever/cough, are someone who is at increased risk, or traveled to endemic areas infected with COVID-19, please stay home and enjoy online content and fellowship.

• Must clean commonly touched hard surfaces like door handles, light switches, counter tops, metal surfaces (chair backs), etc., when finished.

  • Please use the cleaning wipes and/or bleach solution and paper towels in the foyer, kitchen, and REZ for cleaning/disinfecting after each visit.

Online services (on YouTube) will continue during this time. Virtual Religious Education (RE) activities for preschool through 12th grade, will continue. Please register your children at: https://hvuuc.org/religious-education-registration-form

If your small group/committee/team would like to use Zoom, find instructions on how to request a Zoom meeting at this link.