HUU THE COMMITTEES ... AND THE PEOPLE
The Profound Committee
by Vern Barnet
Committees are groups, not individuals, and our faith is that interpersonal exchange and shared responsibility not only generates better decisions for our group and lightens the load, but is also more rewarding personally as members spark each other with commitment and enthusiasm. It means the committee must meet regularly for this to happen—at least once monthly. Regular meetings are essential to plan, perform, and evaluate, yes; but more than that, the meetings provide the opportunity for the “profound” aspect to emerge.
When people work together regularly in a church or fellowship setting that encourages them not only to get the job done but also to care about each other, then the religious, rather than simply the housekeeping dimensions become manifest. And when the committees take on personal as well as business concerns, and engage in priority setting, then the religious process of identifying what is worthy, what we as people need from our church or fellowship—humanizes a task-oriented committee into a group religious adventure.
It is then that we transform the committees from mere engines of duties into a profoundly human dance.
Board of Trustees | Sunday Services | Finance | Membership | Caring | Children and Youth RE | Communications | Building & Grounds | Social Justice
Board of Trustees -
- The Board of Trustees is responsible for governance of the congregation, fiscal oversight, and leadership. They meet the second Sunday of each month.
- Send a message to the Board of Trustees -
board
@HUUweb.org
Building and Grounds Committee -
- The Buildings and Grounds Committee is responsible for maintaining (and upgrading) the Fellowship facilities including the church building and grounds. It continues to be a particularly challenging job as the Fellowship grows and our building ages.
- Send a message about Buildings and Grounds -
merle
@HUUweb.org
Caring Circle -
- Mission Statement The Caring Circle of the Harrisonburg Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is an expression of our commitment of love and care for our church community. We do this by ongoing expressions of support and coordinating assistance for members in times of special need or crises. Congregation needs and issues of concern can be identified during joys and concerns or by directly contacting a caring circle member. The Circle will provide ongoing expressions of love, support and concern to community members. They will also endeavor to respond to the special needs of members by offering direct assistance or referring to appropriate resources in the larger community.
- Send a message to the Caring Committee -
caring
@HUUweb.org
Children and Youth Committee on Religious Education (CYCORE) -
- Children's and Youth religious Education Director - Julie Caran
- This committee is responsible for oversight of the Children's Religious Education program (see the Religious Education page for more information). Volunteers are most welcome!
- Send a message to Julie Caran - HUUDCRE@gmail.com
Communications Committee
- Mission Statement: The purpose of the HUU Communications committee is to facilitate the distribution of church-related information to church members and friends; and to provide the greater community with information about HUU, its welcoming nature, its openness to all who are searching for spirituality and truth, respecting the principles and beliefs of UU leaders from our history.
- Committee Members: Robin McNallie, Chris Edwards, Pat Geary and Meredith Moore.
- Send a message to the Communications Committee -
robin
@HUUweb.org
Finance -
- The finance committee of HUU assists the board in making the financial decisions of the church.
- Grayson Sless is the current chair and Ralph Grove the treasurer.
- We meet 4 to 5 times in May and June during the annual budget approval and pledge/canvass processes. Committee members are always open to discussing money matters with our members and friends.
- Send a message to the finanace committee
finance
@HUUweb.org
Membership Committee -
- One of the jobs of the membership committee is to welcome visitors to HUU, introduce them to others and generally make them feel that we are, truly, a welcoming congregation, in all senses of the word. We have "greeters" who meet people at the door, hand them the Order of Service, smile, hug and show us that we are welcome.
- We follow up a new person's first visit with a letter of welcome. We try to keep track of our members and friends. If someone is missing for a while, we try to contact him or her to see if everything is okay, and encourage a return to HUU.
- We conduct workshops, entitled "The New UU," for those who would like to know more about Unitarian Universalism and more particularly about Harrisonburg UU. If a person shows an interest in joining, we inform them of the obligations and "perks" of membership and perform a bit of a ceremony at the signing of our membership book.
- One of the fun things we do is plan what we call "circle dinners," small gatherings of "old" and "new" so that we can better get to know each other.
- This committee needs members. We would love to have people join us in greeting, planning workshops, calling members and friends, and hosting circle dinners.
- Send a message to the Membership Committee -
membership
@HUUweb.org
Social Justice Committee -
- Mission Statement - The purpose of the Social Justice Committee is to work to make our community (local, national, and global) a better place. We will attempt to accomplish this goal through education, advocacy, and action.
- The Social Justice Committee meets the third (3rd) Sunday of each month at 12:00 Noon following our scheduled service. Grab a cup of coffee and come check us out. We are always looking for loving caring persons to join.
- Mary Hahn is the chair of this committee.
- Send a message to the Social Justice committee -
social-justice
@HUUweb.org
Sunday Services -
- Mission Statement: We, the members of the Sunday Services Committee of the Harrisonburg Unitarian Universalists are dedicated to helping create and facilitate quality Sunday morning worship services that provide nourishment to the spirit, intellectual enrichment, connection to community, and a sense of openness and welcome to church members, friends and visitors.
- SSC meetings will be held on the 3rd Sunday of the month at 12:15. This will allow committee members to interact with members/friends and visitors before the meeting. Meetings are open at all.
- Committee Members: Beryl Lawson, Bernie Mathes (chair), Elizabeth Ihle, Pat Geary, Judith Hollowood, and Barkley Rosser.
- Send a message to the Sunday Services Committee -
sunday-services@HUUweb.org