| 2004 | Five Year Plan |
|---|---|
| January | Meet with members of First Church Unitarian in Littleton, MA, for their thoughts on the process of migrating to two services. They are a church of similar size that has already been through this process. |
| February | Meet with Rev. Kendra Ford, Music Director Mary Doane and DRE Vandy Duffy as well as Music and Worship and RE committees to formulate plans for two-service format. Address times, coffee hour, RE, music, etc. Solicit input from other committees, "beyond coffee hour" groups and other affinity groups. |
| March | Hold discussion groups on Wednesday 3/10 and Sunday 3/14 to get congregational input; hopes, fears, expectations regarding potential migration to two-service format. (Twenty-three people attended) |
| April | Continue to make congregation aware of impending vote for a one year trial period of a two-service format. Easter Sunday (4/11) will serve as an example of how this will work, with services at 9 and 11 AM, and with coffee hour between services hosted by LRP. An announcement will be made at this service to see if there is congregational interest in having one more discussion group prior to the vote. |
| May | Create and implement a "Telephone Tree" for the church to be used to pass information regarding large social events and meetings. (Can also be used to convey info in times of crisis, such as 9/11. Should not be overused.) Send reminder email to congregation to attend Annual Meeting. Friday, 5/21/04: Vote on one-year trial period for two services from January of 2005 to January of 2006 - Passed. |
| September | Encourage greater volunteerism for coffee hour, flower donation etc. Make sure that signup sheets for both are easily located in the Community room, or move them to a more prominent location. If problems persist, consider giving the appropriate committees the authority to assign these tasks to members and friends. Membership Committee continues its "FUSE 101" volunteer recruitment efforts. Educate congregation on need to increase size of our volunteer pool, which is rapidly stagnating. |
| October | Executive Committee appoints a "Two-service Task Force" for the purpose of assisting with the transition, evaluating the effects of the new format and recommending changes to it. LRP will be available throughout the fall to address questions and concerns regarding the impending migration to two services. | December | Prepare for implementation of two-service format. Two-service Support and Evaluation Taskforce (TSSE) begins operating. |
| 2005 | Five Year Plan |
|---|---|
| January | Assuming that vote carried in May of 2004, begin two-service format: 9AM and 11AM services with coffee hour between the two services. RE at both services. Start two services on January 9th. Eliminate or greatly reduce announcements during the service by limiting them to selected all-church issues. Announcements that have formerly been made aloud will now be on an insert in the order of service. This will require that announcements are submitted by the order of service deadline (Thursday at noon) 01/22/05 With First Church Unitarian of Littleton, MA and a second congregation in Western MA, organize mini-conference with Alice Mann, Author of "The In-Between Church, Navigating Size Transitions in Congregations." FUSE to be represented by fifteen members, including Kendra. |
| February | Investigate availability at Ferry Beach and other locations and if possible begin planning for all church retreat trial in September. Also, investigate World Peace Conference Center in Conway NH (South of the Kancamangus) |
| March | Finance Committee will begin to examine the actual cost of running two services to be worked into the budget for the 2005 - 2006 church year. New budget items include: – Increase Office Administrator�s hours to 28. – Increase the Minister of Music�s hours from 10 to 20 hours. Increase compensation to recommended salary guidelines for a minister. – UUA Congregational Evaluation $900. – New Sound System - TBD Submit a draft of the five-year plan to the Executive Committee. |
| April | TSSE will assess early progress of new format and its effect on the congregation's sense of community. They will troubleshoot any logistical difficulties that may have cropped up. Evaluate the sound system. Explore better microphones, hearing devices and dead spots in the Sanctuary. |
| May | Long Range Planning Committee disbands at annual meeting; recognize all past and current members of the committee. |
| June | TSSE evaluates first half of two-service trial period and makes recommendations for any changes to be implemented for the second half of the trial year. Contact Littleton and Worchester, MA churches to arrange another meeting in January of 2006. Determine if Alice Mann will attend as well. Set up a retreat for the Executive Committee in the late summer or early fall as well as leadership training for the incoming chairs of committees. |
| Summer | Apply for a Chalice Lighter�s grant with the District to conduct training for our executive board. |
| September | Implement the changes to the two-service format that were agreed upon in June. Form a task force to investigate Green Power in conjunction with the Social Justice Committee or consider starting the Seventh Principle Project at FUSE. Identify and develop a list of energy suppliers that are currently providing green power to churches (such as Maine Interfaith Power and Light). Contact these suppliers after they become operational in the Unitil territory (which is expected to occur beginning May 1, 2005) to obtain pricing information and service plan options (this can be done by issuing a request for proposals (RFP) asking for bids). After determining the cost of obtaining green power for FUSE, the cost/benefit ratio should be calculated. Based on this analysis, a decision can be made regarding the feasibility of switching immediately, or at some point in the future, to an energy supplier that utilizes green sources of power. (Consult the Green Power Buying Guide published by the US Department of Energy's Green Power Network for detailed information regarding the development of an RFP and the purchasing of green power. Information is available at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/pdf/purchasing_guide_for_web.pdf.) Evaluate various options for installing small-scale-on-site renewable generation (e.g. solar roof panels) that could be included in the plans for future renovations or new construction of the church buildings. Trial church retreat at Ferry Beach or another location. Since we are growing we need to be in community together to strengthen the old and make new connections. Sharing Ferry Beach (the only possibility at that site) would establish our church there and give us the opportunity to schedule the whole camp for a weekend. |
| October | Hire a UUA consultant to do a congregational evaluation. This will help to define the congregation�s goals and give an estimate of what the F.U.S.E. could raise during a Capital Campaign. This evaluation should be scheduled in the spring. Form a discussion group or task force to explore charitable donations at our church. Brainstorm possible replacements for the auction. Discuss the feasibility of donating the church plate each Sunday to charity. This group will also explore other charitable giving possibilities as well as guidelines for selecting donor organizations. | November | Form a task force for Space Assessment. This group will discuss space options to expand existing buildings or rebuild our church to create adequate space for worship, RE, offices, parking and church events. This task force will also explore feasible additions such as a Memorial Garden and other outdoor spiritual enhancements as well as evaluate potential architects. An environmentally friendly architect should be considered. Exec will appoint 5 or 6 people. Create a second task force to investigate Building Financing. This group will determine the congregation�s financial means regarding a new building or renovations. They will use estimates from the UUA consultant for a potential Capital Campaign as well as consider mortgages, bank loans and potential UUA grants. Exec will appoint 3 or 4 participants including a Finance Committee liaison. Select a Mission task force � not to create a mission statement but to oversee the churches mission and vision while the other committees do the nuts and bolts work. Exec will appoint 4 or 5 people to this task force. The three task forces will work collaboratively for a period of five months, at which time they will make recommendations to the Executive Committee in time for the 2006-07 budget process. If a major building project is deemed feasible the Executive Committee will hire an architect or a group of architects (charrette) to create 3 plans to be voted on by the congregation. |
| 2006 | Five Year Plan |
|---|---|
| January | Congregation will vote on whether to make the two-service format permanent at the end of the trial period. (1/9/2006) Depending upon results of the vote, continue with two services or fall back and regroup. |
| February | Choose three members for the lay leadership training in the summer and schedule the classes. |
| March | Evaluate staffing and consider adding/upgrading the following positions in 2006/2007 budget: – Full time DRE – Volunteer Coordinator Other new expenses for the year may include: – Capital Improvements Restricted Fund (CIRF) $5,000 – Lay Leadership training $1800.- All Church Retreat – An architect – Green source for electricity |
| June | Set up a retreat for the Executive Committee in the late summer or early fall as well as leadership training for the incoming chairs of committees. |
| Summer | Develop lay leadership in congregation by sending several members to North East Leadership School 2006 at the Craigsville Conference Center on Cape Cod. NELS provides training in religious stewardship for the benefit of UU Congregations and the larger association. Hire an architect or group of architects to draw up plans for three separate building proposals. Request that architects include possible plans for on-site generation of green power (e.g. solar roof panels) if this is deemed financially feasible. |
| October | Congregational vote on building proposals. The congregation will discuss the three building proposals. We will create a consensus around one proposal or the best parts from all three. That proposal must then be passed with a 75% favorable vote. If no proposal is passed a Capital Campaign will be conducted to make the necessary upgrades to the existing buildings. | November | Form a task force to conduct a Capital Campaign. |
| 2007 | Five Year Plan |
|---|---|
| January | If new church construction has been approved investigate alternate meeting sites or determine if existing buildings that are not going to be remodeled can be used for Sunday services, RE and office space. |
| March | Evaluate staffing and consider adding/upgrading the following positions in 2007/2008 budget: – Minister of Music's hours should be reevaluated. – Office Manager, Assistant Minister or DRE — Assistant Minister could be a Youth Minister. |
| April | Conduct a Capital Campaign for FUSE. This campaign would at a minimum raise the funds necessary to: – Replace the roof on the Sanctuary and Parish Hall – Install double pane windows in the Sanctuary for proper energy conservation. – Insulate the Sanctuary. – Replace the pews. |
| June | Begin construction of new church buildings or renovations. Set up a retreat for the Executive Committee in the late summer or early fall as well as leadership training for the incoming chairs of committees. |
| 2008 | Five Year Plan |
|---|---|
| June | Complete construction of new church buildings or renovations. Set up a retreat for the Executive Committee in the late summer or early fall as well as leadership training for the incoming chairs of committees. |
Respecfully Submitted by:
David Szarmach, Chair, Rob Becker, Amy Keir, Tom O'Gorman, Kim Orifici, Anne Tufts