Adult Religious Exploration Committee (ARE)
Members: Rebecca Drennan, Robin Scherer (Board liaison? inactive); Kate Heald (Board liaison? – active);
Angie Rabon; Don Cooper; Linda Brennison; Pat Mohr; Melissa Bush; Bethany Storlazzi, Liaison to YA; John
Logue, UUCC President; Rev. Stephen Robinson; Milo Gunning
Major Accomplishments This Year:
The committee has sponsored and initiated multiple special programs (see below), and has continued supporting on-going
gatherings and new series of classes, as listed.
Factors facilitating our committee work:
Availability of space, and the Administrator’s willingness to work with the committee to host events for the congregation
and the broader community have facilitated our continued growth and energy to seek new opportunities to share. Publicity
in the E- blast, printed calendar, social media, and website has been very important and helpful. Help as needed from
Technology has also been helpful.
Factors inhibiting our committee work:
Committee members have funded some project expenses, but are unable to commit to offering refreshments or other
supplies, such as course materials, due to limited budgets. Similarly, publicity such as yard signs or other media could
help spread the word, but budget is limited and we’re very careful. Young adults provide a separate report, but also have
needs to support their interests and intersections with the broader UUCC community.
Special initiatives:
On-going activities or classes with ** are expected to continue into the next fiscal year/indefinitely.
The three current Story Circles are continuing to thrive. (The third group – in-person- was established in 2024). **
The Exploring Spirituality Group continues meeting twice a month in-person in the Library. (Originally established in
2023, continuing to thrive with updated leadership). **
The To Knit or Not to Knit group is continuing its regular gatherings. **
The UUCC Women’s Book Club is continuing to grow (new in 2024). **
Young Adults are continuing to meet, offering a variety of events- many open to the broader congregation. 2024-25
events have included a pizza/ postcard party, multiple game nights, hikes, a movie night with discussion, a Mountain
weekend, and other gatherings. **
Special Programs or Series and Events:
An 8-part meditation series began on Tuesday, March 4, concluded in late April 2025.
An 8-week yoga class (chair yoga and traditional yoga) began April 11, led by Bonnie Stronach.
ARE joined with the Endowments committee to offer a class on legacy and endowments.
A speaker from Starr King Seminary spoke about democracy.
Gaza – a speaker from AFSC showed a video on AFSC work in Gaza and led a discussion open to UUCC and the
broader community.
Writing your own obituary, Advanced Directives, Five Wishes, and Hospice 101- Susan Robinson, Jane Lawther, and
Shannon Staley led this workshop on April 26, 2025.
Nuclear Proliferation: Profiteering Off Secret Nuclear War Planning in South Carolina. Tom Clements led this seminar
on May 10. It was recorded and live-streamed, with support from Technology, responding to requests received from Kansas City and others. Future Dreams or Long-Range Plans:
The committee regularly brainstorms for new ideas and welcomes suggestions from the congregation. Potential
germinating ideas for the next fiscal year include workshops on haiku, jewelry making/ repair, and suggested
“congregational reads”, along with other ideas that will “pop up”. If a series sponsor appears or volunteers to continue (e.g., meditation, yoga, or other on-going endeavors) the committee will coordinate with them and with Cyndi and the calendar, ensuring a variety of experiences and learning opportunities for UUCC Members and Friends. ARE
expects to coordinate with other committees, as well, to provide broader representation and support broader interests, as discussed below under Noted Gaps and Constraints.
The following classes and events are under active development and/or discussion:
The committee plans to host a class or workshop on political and emotional balancing/venting/sharing. It is tentatively scheduled for late June, 2025 with Michelle Robinson as facilitator. Other committees will be invited to co-sponsor. History of Unitarianism, relation to UUCC history -Fall date TBD- possible tie-in to 75th Anniversary, presented by Don Cooper.
Investigating UUCC hosting an on-going Smart Recovery (non-theistic) or twelve-step program as was the practice before the pandemic.
Noted Gaps and Constraints:
It was pointed out by the speaker, Tom Clements, that the attendance at the Nuclear Proliferation event was predominately female. He was advised that this is common for many or most events. Likewise, the membership of the committee is predominately female. The committee would like to include more males and more younger people for the committee and for events, and will make a concerted effort to provide more opportunities for Members and Friends of the congregation to offer suggestions for classes or speakers, as well as suggest times and days that will be more inclusive- for committee meetings as well as for one-time and on-going events.
One constraint for obtaining outside speakers is the inability to offer compensation such as an honorarium, or to fund supplies, such as for a craft activity. The committee has hoped to sponsor a program or series to address Anti-Racism, for example how to be an Anti-Racist Ally. The committee is seeking an outside resource to lead discussion(s), possibly in partnership with Social Action. Potential for an honorarium would help. The committee’s budget ($100) and/or restricted fund (~$150) could be tapped for a single event. A separate program or series on classism has also been discussed. The committee needs people who are interested to help organize and lead. Deb Matherly, Chair (filled in for Rebecca for the last 7 months of her three-year term and is willing to serve as chair for the upcoming 3-year term, if approved by the Board and congregation.)
Animal Ministry (an independent subcommittee of the SAC)
Anita Grossman, Chair Building & Grounds Committee (B&G)
Members: Bill Dolley, John Logue, Pat Mohr, Shannon Edwards, Marni Southerland, Mary Martin, Regina Moody, Linda McLeod, Jim Kimbler (Board Liaison), Sharon Givens (Green Committee Liaison), Bethany Storlazzi (RE Committee Liaison)
Major Accomplishments This Year:
Sanded and stained the interiors of Sanctuary windows
Repaired sidewalk ramp that connects to Heywood Street
Removed fallen tree and dead Oak tree from playground
Replaced coil in large HVAC system and made alterations to minimize future water intrusion
Refurbished storage unit for toys in the social hall
Obtained storage units for Harvest Hope and Winter Shelter donations
Removed cedar shakes from playground-facing outside wall and replaced with new siding (almost finished)
Completed wooden privacy fence for playground
Fabricated and installed a coat rack in the minister’s hallway
Cleaned out sound room and worked on floor tile. Have engaged asbestos remediation company
Please briefly describe any factors that facilitated or impeded your work this year:
UUCC was very fortunate to have Bill Dolley’s willingness to work on projects outside of his role as Sexton. The age of
the congregation and the limitations of funds would have caused the cost of these necessary actions to be much more
expensive.
Any special initiatives continuing into the next program year:
The main focus of the Building and Grounds Committee will continue to be to respond to physical plant and grounds issues that threaten the integrity of the building. Deferred maintenance issues (e.g., scraping and painting exterior window
frames) need to be constantly addressed to prevent larger and more costly issues. Beyond these, the memorial garden needs some work (scatter garden and tree issues).
Future dreams or long-range plans for the committee:
Cover cement block wall in Sanctuary with thin drywall.
Refurnish a large room in the RE wing dedicated as a “conference room” with a large table and chairs in there. (Not tables or chairs we already have).
Add electrical outlets to Social Hall Art Wall. (Consider major re-wiring of Social Hall and Kitchen if needed.)
Constraints on accomplishing these plans:
Funding and volunteers that are willing and able to work.
Phil & Lis Turner, Co-Chairs (3rd and final year of co-chairpersonship)
Caring & Hospitality Committee
Members: Cheryl Soehl, Jane Gillespie, Jane Lawther, Jason Cobb, Jean Capalbo, Regina Moody, Jim Kimbler, John
Logue, Marlene Trader, Linda McLeod, Michelle Robinson, Stephen Robinson, Mary Maclachlan, Sally King
Major Accomplishments
*75th Anniversary Party (made possible by Carita Barr’s generous donation). Nursing Home visits, Hospital visits, rides to and from UUCC, rides to medical appointments, meals, assistance with moves, including Estate sales at requests by families, receptions for Memorial Services, and Jane Lawther faithfully sending cards to UUCC members and friends who
need care.
*August 2024
*Proposal for Home Viewing Assistance. The Board requested a procedures report, log of occurrences of viewing activity, and feedback from participants to be presented at December 2024 Board meeting. Jim Kimbler and Sandra Merritt attempted to implement this method of viewing services with UUCC individuals, but only one or two people participated.
It is, essentially inactive at present.
*The Building and Grounds Committee identified a dedicated area of the basement for storage of medical supplies that our community can borrow as need arises. For more emergent availability a walker, a pair of crutches and a transport chair were left in the storage room next to the Social Hall.
*11 individuals provided care by committee members.
*September 2024
*Caring Committee, in conjunction with the Kitchen Committee, provided reception following Memorial Service for deceased member’s family.
*11 individuals provided care by committee members.
*October, November, December 2024
*Caring Committee, in conjunction with the Kitchen Committee, provided reception following Memorial Service for deceased member’s family.
*Collaborated with Membership committee to provide assistance with Joining Service.
*Assisted with Estate Sale for 2 days.
*24 individuals provided care by committee members.
*January, February, March 2025
*3rd Memorial Service of the year, with reception provided by Caring Committee in conjunction with Kitchen Committee.
*Prepared Budget request for 2024-2025.
*Michelle Robinson provided training on providing grief assistance and helpful forms of communication with grieving individuals in our community.
*12 individuals provided care by committee members.
*April, May 2025
*Linda McLeod joined Caring Committee as Memorial Services Coordinator.
*Most of April and May were devoted to the planning of the 75th Anniversary Party on May 3, 2025.
*4 individuals provided care by committee members.
Factors that Facilitated or Impeded Our Work
*Three factors that facilitated the Caring Committee Work are: 1) Having our monthly meetings in person at UUCC rather than virtual, 2) Publishing weekly Candles of Community in the eBlast, and 3) Having the Caring Committee members
wear yellow name tags for easy identification.
*Factors that impeded the effectiveness of the Caring Committee are: 1) Communication and Outreach of needs of our congregation and community are gathered by “word of mouth.” The committee would love to have a more timely and inclusive method of becoming aware of needs as they occur, and 2) At present the committee does not have enough of some handicap devices to make available such as canes, walkers, and rollators.
*An overarching, long range desire of the Caring Committee is to have up to date and better communication among all of
the UUCC Committees. In addition, it wants to improve in the area of maintaining an ever-present awareness of our UUCC Community and increase outreach to the neighboring community as well.
Joan Watterson (3rd year of chairpersonship) and Sandra Merritt (2nd year of chairpersonship), Co-Chairs
Children & Youth Religious Exploration Committee (CYRE)
Submitted by Jonathan White, Chair
Denominational Connections Committee (DCC)
Pat Mohr & Deb Matherly, Co-Chairs
Endowment Fund Committee
Tim VanDenBerg, Chair
Finance Committee
Members: Caroline Eastman, Bill Martin, Deb Matherly, Michele Currie
This year, the Finance Committee addressed the following topics:
• Processed a budget amendment for our new insurance policy;
• Formed an ad hoc committee to address the use of funds for travel to our Partner Church. A recommendation was developed and provided to the Board of Trustees;
• Reviewed and forwarded the proposed Policy on UUCC Rental and Church-Sponsored Events;
• Developed a Planned Giving Seminar in conjunction with the Endowment Committee. The seminar was
conducted in October 2024;
• Reviewed Finance Policies and Procedures, received edits from committee members; procedure in development
for collections and counting of offering. All Finance Policies and Procedures will be submitted to the Board of
Trustees by June 2025 for consideration.
• Reviewed UUA Program Budget Process
• Developed and conducted the 25/26 Pledge Drive: “The 75 Drive”;
• Conducted the 25/26 Budget Development cycle. Developed a four-year analysis of budget trends and presented
to the Congregation. The 25/26 Budget will be presented to the Congregation in the Annual Meeting on June 8,
2025.
Jim Kimbler, Chair (2nd Year of chairpersonship)
Fundraising (an independent subcommittee of Finance Committee)
No chair
Green Sanctuary Committee
Sharon Givens, Chair
Kitchen Committee (an independent subcommittee of the Caring & Hospitality Committee)
Kitchen Committee Members: Abigail Brandon (cell 803 269-0740 ), Melody Smit (cell
208-249-7510, ), Connie Quirk, Joan Watterson, Jeannette Walton, Ryan Kern, honorary member Jim Kimbler
Last fall the Kitchen Committee (KC) closed the kitchen for the month of September and conducted a deep clean of the entire room, including appliances, walls, floors and cupboards. We also did some touch up painting on the cupboards and replaced all the shelving paper. The light fixture covers were also replaced.
Our church hosted the Second Annual SCUUJA Fall Festival and the KC was in charge of breakfast and lunch service. Many volunteers worked hard and the event was, once again a success.
During this fiscal year, the KC has partnered with the Caring Committee to provide 3 end of life memorials. With the addition of Linda McCloud as director of the memorials, the KC with have little to no responsibilities to memorials in the coming fiscal year. This is much appreciated. Jim Kimbler stepped away from the weekly duties of the KC but has stayed on to advise and assist when needed. We are grateful to add as a new member, Ryan Kern. Ryan brings joy and conscientiousness to the KC as well as new people from the congregation that we have not seen in the kitchen in months past. Once again, we are so grateful to both Jim and Ryan. Melody Smit & Abigail Brandon, Kitchen Committee Co-Chairs
Leadership Development Committee (LDC)
Members: Marc Drews, Past President, Janice Kahrs, Caroline Eastman, Board Member, and Bonnie Stronach
• Major accomplishments this year:
Please briefly describe any factors that facilitated or impeded your work this year: This year was no more
difficult than prior years. UUCC members are generally willing to serve. Recruiting younger members is
challenging. Resignations impacted the search.
o Any special initiatives continuing into the next program year? The Board has charged the Leadership
Development Committee with finding a member for the Finance Committee who is willing and able to
join immediately and be trained to assume the position of Chair in 2027 when Jim Kimbler steps down.
o Future dreams or long-range plans for the committee: The Committee will have a new Chair beginning
7/1/2025. The current chair would like the Committee to find a way to identify individuals with skill sets
applicable to the open positions. Bios of every member would be a good start.
o Constraints on accomplishing these plans? Constraints on the committee include many open positions
with a small pool of candidates, and difficulty identifying potential candidates due to a lack of knowledge
regarding their qualifications.
Submitted by Linda Brennison, Chair (2nd year of two-year term begun by Matthew Donahue. Per the Bylaws, LDC
members have terms of two years).
Membership Committee
Members: Laura Miller (co-chair elect), Melissa Engle, Susan LeGacy, Janice Karhs, Patty Drews (newest addition)
Achievements:
• New members Ceremony – 15 new members
• Visitor’s Orientations (1st Sunday of odd months after service)
• Committee Meetings (1st Sunday of even months after service)
• Visitor outreach via email and phone calls
• Lobby – Welcome table
• Name tags
• Membership packets
• Greeting on Sunday mornings
Membership Co-chairs Don Cooper (evergreen), Annette Flavel (3rd year of chairpersonship), and Abigail Brandon (2nd
year of chairpersonship)
Memorial Garden (an independent subcommittee of B&G)
Pat Mohr, Chair
Partner Church Subcommittee (an independent subcommittee of Denominational Connections)
Members: Carita Barr, Donald Cooper, Jean Capalbo, Mary Au, Susan Robinson, Sally King and Yolanda Ganong
Major accomplishments this year:
• Maintained correspondence with Rev. Zsolt and the Unitarian congregation in Beszterce, Romania.
These included
Christmas cards for each member and a single Easter card, all written in Hungarian and signed by UUCC congregants.
• Sent funds to Zsolt to assist with monthly rental costs and towards his petrol costs.
• Facilitated successful 2 week “pilgrimage” to Romania, Hungary, and Poland for 10 UUCC members in July 2024. For
the first time in the 33 year history of our partnership, the UUCC pastor was among them. Also, it was the first time one of our youth traveled with them.
• The annual Partner Church gala fundraising event was held Feb. 2, 2025, bringing at least 15 non-Unitarians in the
building to either provide the entertainment or view it. The expanded dance showcase & auction were well received and brought UUCC members together for dinners, outdoor walks, and classes since the PC event.
• The Partner Church and 2024 pilgrimage were highlighted in the entrance foyer display cabinet and a photo display in
the fellowship hall for several months.
• An invitation was accepted and planning is underway for a July 16-23, 2025 visit from Rev. Zsolt Solymosi and
Beszterce congregant, Katinka Fulop.
• Three Transylvanian past pilgrims traveled to Washington DC for a quick visit with Rev. Zsolt on April 13, attending the first concert of the Unitarian Academy of Cluj/Kolosvar choir at the Arlington, VA Unitarian Church. Zsolt’s serves as Assistant Principal of the school. On behalf of UUCC a large Easter basket was presented to the 40 member choir and the 5 adults traveling with them. A visit to this school has been part of all 3 past pilgrimages.
Describe any factors that facilitated or impeded your work this year:
• The PC fundraising event was made possible by members of the congregation who generously contributed time, food or
talents.
• Other UUCC fundraising events coincided with ours, which led to us feeling somewhat in competition. This is believed
to be among the reasons for slightly lower proceeds in 2025.
• Our committee members are aging in place and new members are needed.
Any special initiatives continuing into the next program year:
• It is hoped that the 2024 pilgrims might share their photos and report to the congregation.
• The annual fundraising event will be held February 1, 2026.
Future dreams or long-range plans for the committee:
• Our next pilgrimage will be arranged for 2026.
• Other UUCC members will become active in our PC committee work.
• More younger members will go on future pilgrimages.
• Remember the death of Francis David during the Sunday service on November 15.
• To be included in the church budget again, so that everyone feels committed to helping the Beszterce church pay their
monthly rental costs.
• Continue to be part of the international UU Association Partner Church outreach.
Constraints on accomplishing these plans:
• Small number of members active on our committee.
• UUCC limited budget
• Many demands on people’s time and resources.
Submitted by Susan Robinson for Lee Minghi, PC Committee Chair (chairperson for over 30 years)
Personnel Committee (PC)
Personnel Committee Members: Tom Clements (cell 803-240-7268; ), Melody Smit (cell 208-
249-7510; ), Richard Culler, Bob Gillespie, Tiffany Rushton, Michele Currie
The 2024-2025 Fiscal Year has been a busy one for the Personnel Committee (PC). Tom and I have spoken many times
about how much work has been done this year and our gratitude in having a co-chair to help shoulder the responsibilities.
To do this chairmanship well, I think it takes 2 people.
In the late summer early fall the PC advertised, interviewed and hired the new Director of Religious Exploration and
Bookkeeper. With the assistance of others with relevant expertise, the hiring committees made their choices and
forwarded the recommendations to the board for final approval and hiring. The last paragraph makes the process sound
very cut and dry….it is not! This is an arduous process and for the bookkeeper in particular, was tentative at best as to
whether we would find a qualified candidate. Due to Tom’s diligent persistence, we were able to find a replacement for
Michele Currie.
Early this year we conducted the Annual Staff Reviews. Based on the feedback given by staff, we use this information to
make any changes need to the Letters of Agreement. Tom and I were able to meet our goal of having the surveys and
LOA’s finished in good time for the board to meet and approve the changes before the beginning of the new fiscal year.
One other happening of note, the PC will no longer be in charge of the staff reviews. The board and supervisor(s) of the
staff will take over the responsibilities as of the 2025-2026 Fiscal Year. These changes were made to the Personnel Policy
Manual and were approved by the board this spring. The changes further clarify which personnel are in charge of staff
supervision and conducting the annual staff reviews.
Richard Culler’s tenure on the committee will be ending in July. We thank Richard for his dedication to the committee.
Richard is always one of the first the reply when a request of the committee is made and has good ideas and feedback
about the work of the committee. We have appreciated having Richard. With the help of the Leadership Development
Committee, we will be welcoming Mary Martin on the PC to replace Richard. We are grateful to have Mary join us on the
committee.
Lastly, our efforts to partner with the Work Study department at the University of South Carolina to try to mitigate our
ongoing need for nursery staff did not come to fruition. However, postings on the USC job board and the university digital
board Handshake have produced several promising individuals and our hope is that with a nursery staff that is a bit older
and more independent, our Mary-go-Round of new nursery staff will slow down a bit, knock on wood, cross your fingers
and hold your face right!
Tom and I extend our many thanks for the hard work and willingness of so many individuals who work with us to bring
the goals and responsibilities of the PC to realization. We also acknowledge our great committee members that we work
with and look forward to another productive year.
Submitted by Tom Clements and Melody Smit, Co-Chairs
Publicity (an independent subcommittee of Membership Committee)
Milo Gunning, Chair Security (an independent subcommittee of the B&G Committee)
No Chair. Share the Plate (an independent subcommittee of the SAC) Members: Linda Brennison, Laura Hartwig, Janice Kahrs (incoming chair)
We conduct STP duties via email with each other and do not have in person meetings. The co-chairs are included in many of the STP emails in that STP is a subcommittee of Social Action, however they do not take an active role in our committee. A major accomplishment this year started in January 2024. Donations rather suddenly started increasing by upwards of 50% and in many months, those increased as much as 100% through April 2025! A significant factor in that increase started in October 2024 with an anonymous donor adding $417 month to the congregation’s STP donations. But even without that generous addition, the UUCC has been most gracious in responding to the needs of the community. Totals for Jan.-Dec. 2024 = $14,638 and Jan. 2025- April 2025 = $6,411. The STP grand total from 2011- April 2025 = $157,415! The only slight factor that impeded the STP totals to be as up to date as possible for our monthly committee reports is that
the reports are due a little too soon in the month to have the prior month’s total from the STP donations. Therefore, the STP chair’s report for April, for example, would actually contain totals from March in that April’s would not be available by the deadline.
Submitted by STP Chair, Nancie Shillington-Pérez (3rd and final year of chairpersonship)
Shared Ministry Committee
Rev. Stephen Robinson, Chair
Social Action Committee (SAC)
Organizational Marleen Trader kindly volunteered to act as Secretary for Social Action. This has been enormously helpful! We would like to thank Marleen, and to propose that Secretary be made an official position of the Committee. The committee has, over the past several years, been involved in the acquisition of a number of assets for use in our activities. The most significant of these are:
• The 20’ x 20’ tent, co-purchased with Caring, Kitchen, CYRE, and Worship Committees and used so far for the 2024 SCUUJA Fall Festival and the Blessing of the Animals. (This is stored in the basement, in two boxes; we will be ordering soft cases for better storage.)
• The 10’x 10’ canopy, used on multiple occasions at the Statehouse and the Soda City Market as well as onsite, by us and other UUCC committees. (This is in the storage room next to the kitchen.)
• A suite of flags and flag poles for use primarily in the Pride Parade.
• While not purchases per se, we have arranged with Melody Smit to use her truck and flatbed trailer for future Pride Parades, saving the considerable float rental fee, which had been consuming a significant portion of our annual budget. Thank you, Melody! The committee co-chairs have also donated weights for use with the canopy and tent. New business (This heading is meant to include topics involving significant new initiatives or developments during the past year.)
SCUUJA: We as a congregation continue to deepen our relationship with SCUUJA in several ways. We have been sharing the monthly Legislative Updates that keep us informed on issues in play at the Legislature; a number of congregants are now active on the SCUUJA issue Action Teams; the SA committee co-chairs are participating in quarterly meetings of SA chairs from across the state, which offer us the chance for fellowship and the sharing of concerns, issues, and best practices; and we look forward to once again hosting the Fall Festival, with planning in process
now. (This will be the 3rd Annual edition of the Festival.) SCUUJA has made available to our participating congregants hundreds of dollars of scholarships to trainings on racial and gender identity issues, which have been well-received and have sparked valuable discussion and reflection. This is on going, with a new training session from the UU College of Social Justice, via SCUUJA, scheduled for May 17–the Rev. Deanna Vandiver’s Speaking the Language of Our Faith for Justice: Faith in Action!.
MORE Justice: Piloting our participation in MORE Justice was a major focus this year. SA held two house meetings,
one at church and one hosted by Kate Heald; two team member trainings; sent members to negotiator trainings; had involvement in the research process (notably Deb Matherly); and sent 24 participants to the Nehemiah Action on May 12. UU the Vote: In this election year, we worked hard on a letter- and postcard-writing campaign, with over 1300 pieces of
mail sent from UUCC, plus over 200 contacts made at an event on the USC campus.
Old business (This heading is meant to include topics which during the past year have essentially been new iterations of ongoing programs, without major changes or developments.)
Pride Parade: The 2024 Pride Parade was hampered somewhat this year by mechanical issues and planning deficiencies
among collaborating groups which forced us to improvise onsite. The result was that for the first time in several years, we
did not make the televised coverage of the parade. However, our participation was still enthusiastic and significant. We
look forward to a better result next year. We should also consider the viability of tabling at the associated Saturday
market at Soda City.
Families Helping Families: FHF was carried off successfully once again, with the church maintaining our support of two
families and two seniors. Thanks to Bonnie Stronach for helping with the deliveries this year!
Guest At Your Table: GAYT was also successful, generating approximately $1000 for the activists supported by
UUSC. One new development: We are moving the dates for GAYT this year from the fall into the new year in order to
distribute the workload for the committee, and to align with MLK day and its emphasis on community action rather than
the traditional Halloween connection–a connection which has become largely vestigial in any case. Therefore, the next
GAYT will fall in the calendar year 2026.
Share the Plate: We gratefully thank Nancie Shillington-Perez for her cheerful and efficient handling of STP over the past
several years, as her term as coordinator comes to an end.
Inclement weather shelter and Harvest Hope: Congregants continue to support these programs generously. For the
shelter, most notably Tom Clements, who in addition to volunteering his time at the shelter organizes shelter donations
with such diligence, and Deb Matherly, who has showed up so consistently to volunteer in person; for Harvest Hope,
Jeanette Walton and Joan Watterson, who have been dedicated supports and workers.
Kevin McKinney & Connie Quirk, Co-Chairs
Technology Services Committee
Bill Martin, Chair
The Forum (Program Group?)
Jeanette Walton, Chair
The Mountain (a subcommittee or program area of Denominational Connections)
Jeanette Walton, Chair
Worship Committee
Members: Abigail Brandon, Andy Wells, Anna Hamilton, Bethany Storlazzi (CYRE Representative), Connie Quirk, Deb
Matherly, Janice Kahrs, John Logue, Kate Heald, Larry Siegel, Laura Culler, Marc Drews, Melody Smit, Stephen
Robinson
• Major accomplishments this year:
o Please briefly describe any factors that facilitated or impeded your work this year: The time of our
meetings changed to 7 PM to allow younger, working members to join. The WC received feedback from
CYRE and incorporated the children and youth into parts of the worship service formerly handled mostly
by adults, such as the chalice lighting and helping carry the microphone to our visitors.
o Any special initiatives continuing into the next program year? The Committee endeavored to include 75th
anniversary themes and speakers in as many services as possible. This initiative will continue through
2025. The Committee continues to review the Sunday script for improvement and makes changes to
update and enhance the wording. The Committee strived to make announcements fewer and shorter.
Candles of Community are more spiritual with less clapping during the Concerns.
o Future dreams or long-range plans for the committee: The Worship Committee would encourage more
participation from our Minister, Music Director, and DRE in our monthly meetings, either by attendance
or by giving feedback by email on the monthly agendas and meeting notes. Interest in and participation in
the committee by members of the congregation has been encouraging. Several new members have joined
this year, taking the place of older members who resigned.
Constraints on accomplishing these plans: No comment.
Linda Brennison, Chair (2nd year of chairpersonship)
Young Adult Group (YA) (a subcommittee of the Adult Religious Exploration Committee)
Members are not tracked
Please briefly describe any factors that facilitated or impeded your work this year:
Joan Watterson and Jeanette Walton were very helpful in providing snacks at no cost for events held at the UU. There has
been a recent loss of regular YA attendees. It is rumored that some have been offended by comments by UU elders.
These comments which were once acceptable are now considered racist.
Any special initiatives continuing into the next program year:
Their facilitator will continue to sponsor activities and will offer a 4-part class if there is interest.
Future dreams or long-range plans for the committee:
It would be satisfying for this group to take charge of its leadership and activities
Constraints on accomplishing these plans:
Retaining a viable threshold of active YA members will determine its success.
No Chair at Present
Updates Submitted by facilitator, Bethany Storlazzi