[Worship] Draft of Annual Report for Worship & Music Committee 2019-2020 Feedback, please.
Martha McGovern
marthamcg at suddenlink.net
Fri Mar 13 21:10:48 CDT 2020
Greetings, W & M Committee members -- Please read through the draft of the Annual Report for 2019-2020 and give me feedback. We'll either edit and approve it in email exchanges OR at our next meeting.
Martha
2019-2020 Annual Report of the Worship & Music Committee
First Unitarian Universalist Society of Marietta
Members: Adeline Bailey, Peg Clifford, Reverend Kathryn Hawbaker, Martha McGovern (chair), Maggie Meyer, Suzyn Mills
Mission: The mission of the Worship and Music Committee is to collaborate with the minister in planning and presenting meaningful and inspiring worship services of high quality.
Goals:
a.. Strive to achieve worship services that challenge the intellect, promote spiritual growth, connect emotionally, develop a sense of community, and inspire the congregation to action.
b.. Bring in speakers and provide services that represent diverse points of view.
c.. Maintain the quality of the summer services while expanding the variety of offerings to increase attendance and involvement.
d.. Continue to provide services and activities that promote interaction across the life span (generations) within the life of FUUSM.
e.. Increase the involvement of the congregation in the musical elements of the service through performances and hymn singing.
f.. Expand outreach to the community through performances and activities.
g.. Develop and encourage lay participation. Continue to recruit lay worship associates and leaders and provide ongoing training for laypersons to develop and deliver effective worship services.
h.. Strengthen a collaborative style of worship planning among the Worship Committee members, Worship Associates, members of the congregation and the minister, and members of the BRIDGES Program Council.
Highlights of the 2019-2020 Year in Relation to Stated Goals
a.. In terms of worship services, the Committee has endeavored to balance continuity and variety. We decided to continue organization of services around a year-long theme, which this year was "How do we address the paradox of WE?" We have addressed this question with at least 33 services.
b.. We also have tried to present diverse perspectives. To that end, 6 services have included speakers or contributors from outside the congregation; 13 services have included voices from within our congregation.
c.. In response to requests for continued attention to spirituality and a wider exploration of faith traditions, we have offered at least 12 services with that focus.
d.. On a monthly basis, we analyzed at least one of the services or activities in terms of our goals. We identified effective components to continue and improvements to make.
e.. Reverend Hawbaker held non-Sunday morning observances (Blessing of the Animals, Interfaith Service for Multicultural Festival, Winter Solstice) and a Christmas Eve service.
f.. To promote interactions across the life span, we have coordinated with BRIDGES Program Council to create a program framework for six-month periods, especially related to extended opening and all-ages services. This year there were 11 all-ages/extended opening services (Easter, Flower Communion/BRIDGES Recognition, Picnic, Planetarium off-site program, Water Ceremony, Day of the Dead, Thanksgiving, Community Card Workshop, Ribbon Ceremony, Fire Communion).
a.. Music is consistently identified as a valuable component of the worship services. We are grateful for Randall Kidder's competent support and inspiring musical contributions. Under the direction of Martha Webster, the Choir sang on average twice per month and for the Christmas Eve service. In addition, the Special Music Task Team, led by Suzyn Mills and Adeline Bailey, arranged for periodic involvement of other musicians.
b.. We have continued the holiday service project of sending cards to residents of area care facilities. The workshop is meaningful for the congregation, and the residents and administrators of the facilities have sent notes of appreciation. We thank John Maddox for spearheading the project and Diane McMichael for behind-the-scenes organization.
c.. To support the Piano Fund, we still have FUUSM t-shirts for sale. Profits will be donated to that fund.
d.. We continue to encourage broad participation in Worship & Music Committee efforts. Maggie Meyer has joined the Committee, and we have added new Worship Associates: Andrew Clovis, Gene Barry.
e.. For large projects, we have established Specific Task Teams that are composed of at least one Committee member and other members from the general congregation. The Teams are Aesthetics, Piano, Technology, Worship Associates, Time for All Ages, and Coordination with Buildings & Grounds.
f.. The Aesthetics Team (led by Jane Tumas-Serna and Nancy Lee) has designed seasonal decoration for the Sanctuary and has involved congregation members in the processes of installation and dismantling.
g.. The Coordination with Buildings & Grounds Team (members Maggie Meyer, Nancy Lee, Joe Baker, Roger Kalter, Jane Tumas-Serna, and Rev. Kat Hawbaker) have continued to maintain order in our church buildings.
h.. We are continuing to use a team approach to services in which several people work together on planning and presenting the services. To assist this planning, we have formulated a guide with steps, a timeline, and a default order of service format. For easy reference, the guide is posted on the FUUSM website.
i.. With the guidance of the Technology Team (Rev. Kat Hawbaker, Mike Bailey and Ralph Olander), we continue to upgrade the quality of audio-visual components of services and to provide recordings of Reflections on the website. To improve visibility of media elements of services, Joe Baker built and installed a stand for the large screen television in the Sanctuary. We have increased the incorporation of audio-visuals into the services, and several members/friends of the congregation (Cindy Burton, Jimmy and Lyndsey Bennett, Cynthia Ting, ??? ) are developing multi-use presentations.
j.. We have concluded our experimentation with a re-usable folder of information about FUUSM and have decided to discontinue its use. Instead, the Statement of Inclusion is displayed in the Social Hall, two copies of the folder are posted in the Social Hall, and the remaining copies were handed out to visitors and new members.
Thematic- Paradox of WE
Diverse Perspectives
Spiritual/Faith Traditions
Life Span Interactions
(All Ages, Extended
Opening)
33 services
Outside Speakers
6 services
Internal Speakers
13
12 services
11 services
Thank You
The Worship and Music Committee wishes to thank the many people who have contributed to the worship services this year and to express our gratitude to the congregation as a whole for its feedback. The congregation consistently affirms the importance of music in our services. We also continue to value Reverend Kat Hawbaker's contributions to our meetings; she helps us see our efforts within the contexts of our total congregation, regional UU efforts, the UUA, and the Mid-Ohio Valley community.
Future Plans:
We will:
1.. Honor copyright laws and show respect for composers and arrangers by buying sheet music for all the members of the choir and establishing a library for choir music.
2.. continue to gather feedback from the congregation, especially from new members and the Annual Congregational Assessment, and to analyze worship services in terms of our goals. The input and analysis will guide our endeavors to provide effective Sunday services and outreach.
3.. continue involvement of members and friends by scheduling two or three committees or projects for services during the up-coming year.
4.. adopt a new theme for the year; for 2020-2021.
5.. continue our efforts to improve the organization and storage of materials and supplies for worship and music by establishing a Storage Team (Maggie Meyer and Nancy Lee).
6.. continue our commitment to differently styled worship services at non-Sunday morning times, periodically collaborating with other groups to provide those services.
7.. maintain and renew our Worship Associate program.
8.. continue improvement of our technology capabilities.
9.. maintain our attention to fundraising for the maintenance of the piano in the Sanctuary.
10.. continue to collaborate with the BRIDGES program in identifying opportunities for integrating activities throughout the year.
11.. continue to emphasize the music component of our worship services.
12.. continue to expand our use of new worship resources.
13.. increase awareness and use of recorded Reflections, which are available on the website.
Budget
Our budget proposal reflects our continuing attention to the inclusion of presenters with diverse perspectives and of musicians, the addition of a paid Choir director, a lower cost of maintenance of pianos, the improvement of sound, recording and projection technology, and the purchase of worship resources, sheet music, and storage/organization supplies.
Attendance
During the 2019-2020 year, average attendance (adult and child) per Sunday service was 66_. Please find church records of the Sunday attendance numbers of adults and children attached below.
Respectfully submitted,
Martha McGovern
Sunday Attendance Records Spring 2019- Spring 2020
Date, Topic, Speaker *All Ages/Extended Opening Attendance
Adults/children
2019
March
3 Women Hidden in History - Jann Adams S. Mills WL 68/5
10 Women Leaders: Then & Now K. Hawbaker 56/6
17 Moral Leadership K. Hawbaker 60/5
24 Leave No One Behind :Water for All R. Phillips WL 69/4
31 R.E.S.P.E.C.T. K. Hawbaker - - - -
April
7 Welcome Sunday K. Hawbaker 75/10
14 Families Find a Way K.Hawbaker 55/5
21 *All Ages Easter Celebration K. Hawbaker 68/3
28 We Nurture a Diverse Community K. Hawbaker 55/3
May
5 Lives . . . Works of Art - P. Clifford, L. Gallucci, R. Tepley M. McGovern - WL 60/1
12 Different Voices & Different Roles K. Hawbaker 68/9
19 I Am Farmer - F. Tantoh of SYFA K. Hawbaker 65/6
26 Memorial Day K. Hawbaker 58/5
June
2 *Flower Communion/BRIDGES Recog. K. Hawbaker 80/5
9 Since Stonewall - Andrew Clovis K. Hawbaker 64/5
16 Wisdom - Gil Moore K. Hawbaker 63/5
23 *Interfaith Service/Picnic in the Park 27/4
30 UUA General Assembly - recorded 42/1
July
7 On Being Partisan - Katy McDaniel J. Rapp - WL 64/5
14 Building Our Vocal Community K. Hawbaker 51/0
21 India & Interfaith Insights K. Hawbaker 65/2
28 Souls of Poor Folk K. Hawbaker 58/4
August
4 Covenants, Interdependence & UU - Beth Casebolt 47/6
11 The Dance of We - Becky Wright K. Hawbaker 56/0
18 *Planetarium Visit - - -
Cozy Conversation - Types of Leaders Peg Clifford 18/0
25 Laughing All the Way to Insight - K. Hawbaker, P. Clifford, M. McGovern - - -
September
1 One Today - Unity K. Hawbaker 56/2
8 *The Future of Water - Water Ceremony K. Hawbaker 63/5
15 Eat Greens: Ethical Eating Impacts Climate Crisis K. Hawbaker - - -
22 Growing Up UU: The Power of We - Robin Bozian D. Hewitt - WL 58/7
29 Jesus Taught Us to Love - Stephen Peck 51/6
October
6 Biodiversity & Endangered Species K. Hawbaker 42/0
13 12 Ways to Thrive - Annie Warmke & Women's Group 62/5
20 To Each Their Own But What of Us? K. Hawbaker 49/6
27 Samhain: Pagan New Year K. Hawbaker 70/9
November
3 *Day of the Dead K. Hawbaker, J. Tumas-Serna 75/5
10 A Cup of Kindness K. Hawbaker & M. McGovern 52/10
17 *All Kinds of Prayer (Thanksgiving) K. Hawbaker 59/10
24 Wondering and Wandering - K. McDaniel S. Mills - WL 74/7
December
1 Many Candles, One Light K. Hawbaker 61/8
8 *Seasons Greetings (Community Card Project) K. Hawbaker 56/9
15 *Ribbon Ceremony K. Hawbaker 66/6
22 What Sustains Us in This Season? K. Hawbaker 48/10
24 *Christmas Eve Candlelight Service K. Hawbaker 102
29 *Fire Communion K. Hawbaker, J. Rapp - - -
2020
January
5 Revels & Revelation K. Hawbaker 68/6
12 UU the VOTE K. Hawbaker 70/8
19 Honoring Rev. Dr. MLK - Day of Service K. Hawbaker 75
26 Sky, Water, Earth: The View from Marietta Earthworks - Wes Clarke S.Mills - WL 68/7
February
2 Charting Our Course (Charter Sunday) K. Hawbaker - - -
9 Truth Through a Multi-Faith Lens M. McGovern & S. Mills - WLs 60/8
16 Lead the Life You Love K. Hawbaker 48/9
23 MORE (Mobilization, Organization, Registration, Education) K. Hawbaker 70/7
OVERALL AVERAGE: _66_ per service
- - - Attendance numbers not available
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://fuusm.org/pipermail/worship_fuusm.org/attachments/20200313/bc91b18b/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Annual Report 2019-2020 Worship & Music Comm.doc
Type: application/msword
Size: 61952 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://fuusm.org/pipermail/worship_fuusm.org/attachments/20200313/bc91b18b/attachment.doc>
More information about the Worship
mailing list