Ministerial Annual Report, May 2012
for the UUFLG Congregation
Rev. Lisa A. Wiggins

It has been a year of learning about each other, how we operate and gaining trust as we move forward as a new team in the interests of providing a strong liberal religious voice in our area. I am encouraged by the efforts made by the leadership to set the ground recognizing our limitations, as well as the desires to move into our future with renewed energy. My contributions to our shared ministry were concentrated into the three areas of worship, supporting leadership and encouraging a new relationship with other area Unitarian Universalists.

During the year I have been challenged to present worship which honors the need for consistency as well as encourages new ways to experience worship. By January I presented monthly worship themes which I coordinated with Rev. Chris Schriner so that it enhanced the breadth of the topics. It was also a pleasure to work with the choir to coordinate these themes far enough in advance to make the music fit into the theme.

One of my strongest roles working with the leadership this last year has been encouraging new ideas or an expansion of current programs to serve the ongoing needs of the congregation. Although there was much interest in hearing of these possibilities, I had to be careful about the "how much" and "too soon" sentiments. Although creating a choir seemed to be such a daunting undertaking, scaling it into manageable steps over time has developed a wonderful expansion of Sunday morning worship. Likewise, "taking the bull by the horns" for around-up (such as children's pony rides, scarf making, pie bake offs) while engaging the dynamism of a pledge drive leader helped to create a memorable pledge drive with a lot of good feelings.

I have also been encouraging a new beginning in the area District's impression that we did not treat ministers very well and had a disregard for the District. In conversations with District staff and others I have been very clear that you have been treating me extremely well and that we are more than open to collaboration with others. Having funded and opened the participation district wide to the training for special needs children in our congregations was very well received and appreciated by the District. We also opened up Rev. Chris Schriner's "Beyond God" workshop to area UU congregations. Although not a large attendance from other congregations, it was a successful start and the area minister's are beginning to think about other collaboration.

I want to thank everyone for gracious welcome and support you have given me as your minister this year. I am grateful that we have found this match productive and the courage to move together into this next year. Who knows?--we may even soon discover that glowing ember, or vision, at our center which will direct us into a stronger, successful future. I am looking forward to our second year together.

Presidents Report
UUFLG Annual Meeting May 20, 2012

There were a number of events in the life of UUFLG during the past year. These are best seen in the individual Trustees reports.

The most significant accomplishment was the strengthening of our ministry. Rev. Lisa Wiggins was hired as our part time minister starting in September 2011. In March 2012 we hired Rev. Fa Jun Christopher Real as Director of Lifetime Learning.

One of the most visible events were the numerous improvements were made to building and grounds. Inside a flat screen TV was added in the West room and in the Sanctuary. New carpet was added to the office / lounge area. Outside we enjoy lovely drought tolerant landscaping.

Our finance committee has done a stellar job in raising the funds necessary and providing the leadership to allocate those funds.

The major board initiative is the proposed amendment to the bylaws to improve the governance of UUFLG. The board would be reduced from ten to 5 Trustees. The nominating committee would be reduced from 5 to 3 people.

My sense is that there is a greater feeling of connectedness and positive attitudes within the congregation. This is very rewarding to see. I thank you all for your contributions to UUFLG.

Bert Olson
Fellowship President

 

FINANCE ANNUAL REPORT
AS OF APRIL, 2012

Our 2011/2012 fiscal year which began July 1, 2011 and ends June 30, 2012 is the first year of our new half-time minister, Rev. Lisa Wiggins. We were financially well-prepared, having accumulated a budget surplus of over $31,500 during the previous year which added to an Operating Reserve of $2,400 giving us an Operating Reserve of $33,900. We used $14,100 of that reserve to pay off two of our five outstanding loans, leaving $19,800 to cover potential future budget deficits and support unbudgeted program improvements during the year.

Our starting budget, approved at the May 2011 Membership Meeting, projected a $3,000 deficit by June 30, 2012. Additions to the budgeted program during the year included a major upgrade of the Children’s Program projected to cost $4,700 for the year and support for the new choir costing $700. These costs were offset by the late hiring of our Lifespan Learning Director and a negotiated lower cost for Rev. Chris Schriner, our additional regular Sunday Programs minister. On the income side, we received a bequest of $3,000 from the Hugh Warner estate which was added to the budget. We also asked for extra Holiday Contributions which brought in $6,500 of which $2,000 was assigned to the Building and Grounds Reserve. These budget adjustments along with others have resulted in a projected budget surplus by the end of this fiscal year of $2,300.

Several additions to our audio-visual equipment have been installed and will be paid for by our very generous member, Alan Martin. These include the West Room TV and conferencing equipment, two new microphones and the Sanctuary TV equipment. The costs of these have been temporarily charged to the Operating Reserve and Building Reserve but will be paid for by Alan’s pledge for next fiscal year.

Putting all of this together, our projected Operating Reserve available on July 1, 2012 is $16,983. The projected Building Reserve is $3,100.

Other achievements of the Finance Committee during the year include:

• Preparation of a proposed starting budget for next fiscal year, FY13, to be reviewed and approved at the Membership Business Meeting.

• Support of the 2012 pledge drive which was well-received and provided adequate pledges to support next fiscal year’s proposed budget. Special thanks to J.J. Martin and Rev. Lisa for their high-spirited organization and leadership of the drive.

• Yvonne Liu designed and planned the execution of our first in-house audit of the accounting records and procedures for several years.

• . J.J. Martin developed plans to initiate a program to inform and support planned giving opportunities (bequests, charitable remainder trusts etc.) by the congregation.

• Gratefully accepted Ann Campbell’s offer to learn the bookkeeping procedures and assist the bookkeeper

• Monitored our Endowment Fund Accounts. See Endowment Fund Report for details

From your Finance Committee: Irving Yabroff, Treasurer and Chair, Ann Campbell, Jim Stahl, Merritt Benson, Yvonne Liu.

BUILDING & GROUNDS ANNUAL REPORT
as of May, 2012

This past year Building and Grounds has been involved in a multitude of tasks, the most noticeable of which are the placement of two television sets , one in the sanctuary , the other in the west room , and a Skype sy s tem. New mics have also been added and hard of hearing people in the sanctuary notice a positive difference.

New carpeting was laid in the Minister's office / lounge, which necessitated removal of furniture in the room and then its replacement . A task which proved to be quite challenging was the changing of the light fixtures which were stuck in place and easily cracked with handling. However , the long fluorescent light tubes that were replaced in most areas of the building now shed a much brighter light .

An unplanned event was handled by volunteers was the water heater emergency which caused the front hall closet and building entrance to be flooded. The water heater was quickly repaired with new flex connectors. Water damage carried into the women's restroom but the wall was resurfaced and repainted after drying. A volunteer who took care of the wall was inspired to enlarge a tight space in the restroom by replacing a stall door.

Attention has been paid to the outdoor storage units which so easily seem to become cluttered. Items have been rearranged for better use of space, several things disposed of that were no longer useful and the areas generally cleaned up.

The attic has been swept and tidied several times this year , especially as we are aware of rodent
visitors. To discourage rodents, two fine-mesh screens were installed on the small cupola since holes were found in the or i ginal fiberglass screens .

The inside of the building is constantly under scrutiny. Hall outlets have been rep l aced, filters changed, faucets repaired, child-proof latches installed , shelves reorganized, cupboards tidied , timers adjusted, screws tightened, old batteries replaced with lithium ones , oven cleaned , plastic and metal chairs cleaned, tables mended, and so much more.

The outside of the building and the deck have been power washed , windows have been cleaned , cobwebs have been removed. The garden has been vastly i mproved with constant weeding and soil that has bee n enriched and planted with great care.

It has been a busy year for Building and Grounds and the tasks accomplished leave a feeling of satisfaction .

Coralee Linton

SUNDAY PROGRAMS REPORT

This was a good year for Sunday Services. Having Lisa come made our search for speakers less of a job. Having Chris Shriner do 10 services a year has also helped to make our work easier.

We organized and helped with Lisa installation last October. It was great to see so many other UU ministers from all over northern California.

The Sunday Service was greatly enhanced by our new choir organized and led by Lorraine Olson.

Our core group of worship associates (JJ Martin, Katie Rall and Bert Olson) added a new member Stacy Rademacher several months ago. She has participated in two services this year and is doing well. We continue to look for a couple more worship associates.

Jo Cooley

SOCIAL ACTION REPORT

Board Trustee: Walt Main
Team Chair: Connie Springer

Mission Statement
We strive to put our UU principles into action through service, education, and advocacy. We promote and support activities which empower us to shape safe, sustainable communities within our Fellowship, our cities, our country and worldwide.

Focus
• Local and public services that are overburdened due to current economic situation
• Sustainability

Programs & Projects

• Green Practices/ Sustainability
To help implement the Sustainable Practices Resolution passes at the 2011 membership meeting we have run a series of informational articles and bulletin board displays on: Paper products (Aug), water (Sept), plastics (Nov), fair trade (Dec), chemicals (Apr) and building/remodeling (coming in Jun).

We also continued the multi-year Sustainable Grounds project, replacing the fungus-infected pyracantha on the west side and southwest corner of the West Room, with drought tolerant CA native plants. We have added a number of plant markers to provide information on our CA native plants. In May we worked with RE to have the kids add some plants of their own to those areas.

• Share-the-Plate (StP)
We continue to manage ten collections per year for outside organizations or for our Minister's Discretionary Fund. With two months to go in this calendar year StP offerings total over $900.

• Drives

We continue to manage the year-round food collection which is being donated to Sacred Harvest.

Other drives run this year were:
Pack-a-Back school supply drive: UUFLG donated 31 filled backpacks plus extra supplies and $91.50 cash – enough for a whole class full of kid!

Stand Up for Kids food drive in September.
Holiday food drive for Second Harvest – 214 lbs of food + $803 cash = over half a ton of food!

Clothing Drive for Sacred Heart in January

• Other

Provided information on and collected signatures to support CA Human Right to Water bills.

Added a sweatshirt to our UUFLG collection at CafePress.

Joined Habitat for Humanities All Faith's House project. Scheduled two work dates, both cancelled by Habitat due to delays on construction site. Remain active in project and expect future work dates.

Lead two breakout sessions in Earth Day service.

LIFESPAN LEARNING REPORT

• Lifespan Learning program has hired a Director of Lifespan Learning. Fa Jun Christian Real has a background in teaching children and adults, as well as in a variety of theological teachings.
• Laura Woods and Laura Leong continue to anchor the children’s programs in their roles as teachers for the preschool and elementary school children, respectively. Plans are in place to increase Laura Woods’ involvement with the elementary school children.
• The LL Committee plans to hire another teacher as well. This will make it easier to split the classes into age groups and adjust curriculum accordingly.
• Classes will be offered over the summer.
• Colleen Hamilton has taken on the task of scheduling volunteers.
• Fa Jun is exploring interest areas for adult classes, and expanding the talent pool of adults who want to teach classes both for children and adults.
• Upcoming LL Committee meetings will involve the teaching staff in curriculum development, continuing education and adult programs.
• Anyone interested in joining the LL Committee or adding input should contact Fa Jun Christian Real, Lifespan Learning Director, or Moira Sullivan, Lifespan Learning Board Trustee.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE Report

Greet members and visitors
Recruit volunteer greeters and provide guidance.
Update the UUFLG brochure, Visitor information card and Packet, and the Fellowship Activities & Program Sheet.
Track Guest book entries.
Coordinate with Lisa notes on to visitors.
Provide Newcomer Desserts for repeat visitors and new members.

Welcome new members
During a Sunday service, recognize new members with a certificate and a token of membership; put short bio in order of service.

Celebrate Membership
Recognize members after one year, and every 5 th year of their membership.

Activities for Fellowship
Dinners for Eight.
Hikes.
All Ages Potlucks.
All Fellowship Potluck (spring, in place of that month's Dinners for 8).
Before Service Breakfast (second Sunday in September).

Sunday volunteers
Identify volunteers to serve as Greeters, to prepare coffee, to bring snacks, and to clean up.

Attendance
Record attendance.
Contact members and friends who don't attended for a month or more; when appropriate, refer them to Caring Committee, UUFLG Cares, or Lisa.

Membership list
Annually review list of members and make recommendations whether to retain as Member, change to Friend, approve for Lifetime membership, or delete from membership rolls.

Membership Directory
Review draft directory for incorrect information and membership status.

Near future - Getting to know our neighbors
Participate in building All Faiths House (Habitat for Humanity) in Cupertino.
Visit local UU congregations.

Bonnie George, Chair
Jim Beebe, Board Trustee

Visibility Report

Actions during the last fiscal year included:

• Publicizing Lisa Wiggins appointment as Minister to UUFLG
• Organizing UUFLG second annual participation in Kings Court Festival of Trees – Dec ‘11
• Submission of articles to local Los Gatos publications re:
• Social Action activities
• UUFLG participation in local activities
• Annual Holiday Boutique
• Annual Auction

Bonnie E. George
Visibility Trustee

Membership feedback form results

This is a top line summary of the Membership Feedback taken earlier this year. The details have been disseminated to the Board for analysis and action. Lisa and the Sunday Services Group will address the suggestions for Sunday service topics.

There were 55 respondents, a very high number. The high / low values represent the number of votes rather than the general view on the issue.

Attendance regularly
High 20 attended at least four times a month
Low 3 attended less than once a month

Reason for rate of attendance

External
High Other commitments
Low Domestic issues

Internal
High Community
Low Enjoy coming

What would increase your regular attendance?
High Sunday services with 10 out of 15 votes as topic related
Low Need carpool

When do you feel most connected?

Services
High Social Hour
Low Closing Hymn

Non-Service related
High Small groups
Low Did not answer or did not know

When do you feel least connected?
When not there
High After a few absences
Low During the week

Services
High Boring sermons
Low Lack of holiday reference

Groups /Social Hour
High Break-aways
Low Too clique-ish
17 left this blank

I would like more sermons on:
High Personal Growth
Low Humor

I would like fewer sermons on:
High Paganism and Sacred semantics
Low Abstract and Politics
27 left this section blank

Strengths of UUFLG
High The people, community, Friendliness
Low Small intimate size

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