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Long- Range Planning Process
Charting UCE’s Future: Introducing the Long-Range
Planning Process
Why?
Creative energy, collective sweat equity, and community loving
care created a wonderful new home for us. On May 1st of this year,
our “grand opening” day, Rev. Frances Deverell asked,
“To what will you dedicate this building? For what purpose
have you gone to all this work and created this sacred space? What
will its ministry be in the wider community of Edmonton, Alberta?
How will this building be of service to our shared purposes and
principles?”
Now is the time to answer these questions. It’s
time to create our vision for what we, as a community, want to be.
It’s time to focus our energies.
It’s time to look around, look
within, and look forward.
How?
First, we all need to share our ideas and dreams.
Each week until mid-December, the Long-Range Planning Team will
ask you to consider a particular question. To date, we’ve
asked:
- What first brought you to UCE? What keeps you here now?
- What is the most important gift the Unitarian Church of Edmonton
has given you? What is the most important gift you have given
to the Unitarian Church of Edmonton?
- Who makes the decisions at the Unitarian Church of Edmonton?
- What’s missing for you at the Unitarian Church of Edmonton?
What would fill the gap?
- What was your best experience at the Unitarian Church of Edmonton?
These questions are meant to help articulate what UCE means to
you now and how you see this community in the future. Our goal is
to inspire as many conversations as possible, in ways that will
kindle imaginations, spark creativity, and let us all have some
fun. From this constellation of discussions, we will create our
own North Star — a shared vision statement. With this guiding
vision, we will chart a course for turning our words into actions.
When?
As well as weekly questions, we have some special events to help
us form a collective vision.
| Nov 13 |
Join in a “progressive potluck”
after the service |
| Nov 20 |
Participate in the Good Communications workshop (see below
for details) |
| Dec 4 |
Come to an all-ages gingerbread decorating extravaganza
after the service |
| Jan 14 |
Attend a whole-congregation event to pull the threads
of our conversations together. From this, the long-range planning
team will draft a mission/vision statement. |
| Spring 2006 |
Review the draft statement(s), offer feedback, and fine-tune. |
| May 2006 |
Vote on accepting the statement at our congregation’s
annual meeting. |
Questions? Comments?
Talk to Karen Mills, 432-0826, akmills(at)misc.ca
Charting UCE’s Future Progressing
with the Long-range Planning
Thank you
In October, the Long-range Planning team declared that it was
time to look around, look within, and look forward. You have taken
up our challenge with enthusiasm and vigor! You have written you
dreams on the stars (OK, they were cardboard), shared your experiences
and your lunch in discussion circles, interviewed, puzzled (literally
and figuratively), and reflected. Your participation in planning
UCE’s future is critical; we can’t emphasize this enough.
Thank you so much for actively engaging in this process.
What’s next?
As we move into December, we are getting ready to take what we’ve
learned so far into the second stage of the process. Here are our
next steps:
1. Keep the questions coming until December 18th. Since October,
we’ve been sharing our ideas and dreams as answers to a
series of questions. In November we asked:
a. How does UCE meet your spiritual needs?
b. What distinguishes us from other faiths?
c. What would happen to you if UCE wasn’t here? What would
happen to Edmonton?
d. What inspired you today?
2. Review your answers to the questions. Watch for a series
of “question and answer” posters. These will help
pull our ideas together.
3. Decorate gingerbread! On December 4, answering our question
will involve icing, cookies, and sprinkles. Join us in the social
hall immediately after the service for the fun. All ages are invited.
And…
Plan to participate in the
Whole Congregation Event
Saturday, January 14
10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Lunch and childcare provided
Good Communications Workshop — November 20,
2005
How can I say this so people will
understand?
Is anybody listening?
Discussing. Debating. Talking. Listening. We do this a lot —
in meetings, during coffee hour, in chalice circles, at social events.
But are we communicating ideas as well as we could?
Communication is central to the life of our congregation –
and it’s a vital part of our long-range planning process.
So – the UCE Long Range Planning Committee is hosting a Good
Communications Workshop.
When: Sunday, November 20, 12:00 –
4:00 pm
Where: Unitarian Church of Edmonton
Who will be there:
- Everybody (we hope)! We are all part of planning UCE’s
future. We need to be able to express our ideas clearly, listen
actively to those of others, and be open to new ideas and directions.
This invitation is for all UCE members and friends, as well as
members and friends of Westwood.
- Rachel Collins, CUC Consultant on Congregational Wellness will
lead the workshop.
What is provided:
- The chance to learn or polish a skill that will be useful anywhere,
anytime
- Child care
- Lunch (Please sign up on the sheet in the lounge. That way,
we’ll know how much food to prepare.)
Why:
- To make sure everyone can participate fully and comfortably
in the life of our congregation
Contact: Karen Mills akmills(at)misc.ca, 432-0826
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