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 | Worship Committee | Finance | Membership  | Caring |   Building & Grounds | Nominating Committee | Personnel Committee |

Board of Trustees -

• The Board of Trustees is responsible for governance of the congregation, fiscal oversight, and leadership.
• The board is scheduled to meet on the second Sunday at noon at the church.
• Send a message to the Board of Trustees -

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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. 
• Committee Contact:  Rich Sider  or HUU Office at
• Building Rental - HUU Office at

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Caring Circle -

• Mission Statement The Caring Circle of the Harrisonburg Unitarian Universalists 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 -

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Finance -

• The mission of the HUU Finance Committee is to
  • coordinate activities to fund the mission of HUU, including the annual canvas,
  • oversee investments and the handing of church funds,
  •  present a budget proposal to the Board each spring, and
  •  approve financial policies and procedures.
•  Rich Sider is the current Treasurer.
• The Finance Committee is scheduled to meet every other month  Committee members are always open to discussing money matters with our members and friends.
•  Send a message to the finance committee

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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.
• Events Support Team - To help with one or more of our fun events, such as Coffeehouse, Trivia Night, Chili or Baked Potato Dinners, Full Moon bonfires. Please contact Paula Bennet
• Children’s Religious Exploration Support Team, to assist with activities on Sunday morning CRE, please contact Paula Bennet. Background check and training session required.
• 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.
• Committee Contact: David Lane
• Send a message to the Membership Committee -

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Personnel Committee

• The Personnel Committee handles all issues pertaining to employees of the church, and makes recommendations to the Board of Trustees based on their findings.
• This is the committee to contact if you have concerns (or praise!) regarding an employee.
• It is also the committee to contact if you are an employee and need something addressed or have questions that the Office Administrator can't answer for you.
• Committee Contact: Jo Bowman or Irvin Peckham
• Send message to Personnel Committee

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Worship Committee -

• Mission Statement: We, the members of the Worship 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 Monday of the month at 3pm via Zoom.. This will allow committee members to interact with members/friends and visitors before the meeting. Meetings are open at all.
• Committee Members: Merle Wenger - Lee Anna Farrall
• Send a message to the Worship Committee -
• Hospitality Team  see separate page for more details

Nominating Committee

• A Nominating Committee of two (2) persons shall be selected by the Board in December of each calendar year to serve until the congregation’s annual business meeting in May of the following year. Members of the Nominating Committee shall be voting members of the congregation.

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