News and Events

PROGRAM COMMITTEE

The Sunday Service and Forum committees are merging into one entity (the Program Committee) with the goal of bringing stronger programming to you through better cooperation and sharing of resources. Toward that end, the committee, chaired by Steve and Sandi Boyd, held its initial meeting on June 20 and discussed ideas for services and Forums during the new year beginning August 1. Steve started the discussion by articulating his ideas regarding worship planning with an emphasis on a diversity of service approaches and topics including denominational issues, social justice, earth centered topics, current events each month and approaches including sharing, inter-generational and professionally led services. Further discussion iterated various ideas regarding topics, approaches and the importance of presenting an informative and positive face to visitors just prior to the new school year.

Green Sanctuary Program
The Green Sanctuary Program involves the congregation working together to restore the Earth and renew the Spirit. It is based on our 7 principles and will help with spiritual growth and also incorporate service and social concerns in the community. I feel this is a direction in which we may want to grow now that we have our building and we are settled in.

The Green Sanctuary Program provides some specific projects and activities that congregations can undertake in a process that leads to recognition as a Green Sanctuary through accreditation by the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth, an independent affiliate organization of the UUA.

Please take our Ecological Footprint – An Environmental Assessment and Survey.

Program Goals:

Build awareness of the significance and complexity of environmental issues

Encourage personal life style changes

Engage in community action on environmental issues

Strengthen the connection between spiritual practice and Earth consciousness

Work to heal environmental injustices

Green Sanctuary has a program of four program elements of focus areas

Worship

Religious Education

Sustainable Living

Environmental Justice

The Green Sanctuary program is aimed toward bringing about changes in three areas of UU life. This includes personal life style choices, congregational and program practices and outreach, and activism within the broader community.

First we will need to establish a Green Sanctuary Team. This team will start with an evaluation assessment of condition of facilities, current management practices and ongoing programs. They will also be providing a survey for individual congregation members and friends to fill out of their environmental awareness, current sustainable practices and interest or willingness to participate in taking actions related to specific issues.

Areas which are targeted for the accreditation program are:

Worship & Celebration 2 or more activities

Religious Education 2 or more activities

Environmental Justice 2 or more activities

Sustainable Living 4 or more including at least one energy conservation activity

Our choice of 2 additional activities in any of the four areas.

Please contact Diane Pepin if you want to know more about the program or wish to become one of the Green Team.