Unitarian Universalist Church of Silver Spring
2012-2017 Strategic Planning Process
Saturday, October 15th, we will gather as a church community for an All-Congregation Summit. All members and friends are welcome and encouraged to participate!
Saturday, October 15th, 2011, from 9:00 am -4:00 pm for the "Congregational Positioning Summit". We need EVERYONE (members and friends) to participate in this important day. Child-care, morning coffee and bagels (8:30 am) , a lunch and lots of fellowship and fun will be featured!
There will be opportunities for a sharing of stories about what has been personally enriching at UUCSS, as well as time for setting out our big and small dreams for the future.
We are in the final year for our current strategic plan, “Aim High in Hope and Work.” This plan has guided us during the past four years. It has given us a vision and priorities for our spiritual and multicultural growth, which included outreach to the community and the world. You may read the current Strategic Plan and a progress
report, completed last year by the Board.
Background on the Strategic Planning Process:
In January, 2011, the Board appointed a Strategic Plan Task Force to shape and guide the process for preparing a plan for the next five-years. The task force members (listed below) have been meeting since February and are working with a consultant from the UUA.
The 15-month planning process was launched in April with a Leadership Summit. During the summit, members of the Board, the Program Council, the Diversity Team, and the UUCSS staff shared our proudest and most meaningful moments with one another. Examples included implementing the current plan, acknowledging
10 weddings for same-sex couples organized by UUCSS (with its ‘mother’ church, Universalist National Memorial Church in DC), providing countless moments of support to members facing the loss of loved ones or dealing with other personal problems, and expanding our LifeSpan RE and Music programs. The task force members also acknowledged our efforts to embrace multicultural growth, express our values through social action and political voice, and achieve milestones through our expanding financial support.
During the Leadership Summit, participants also expressed their hopes for the future. These ideas included developing and nurturing UUCSS’s many volunteers, creating new local and global partnerships as expressions of our values, continuing to improve our LifeSpan RE, Music and other programs, and serving as a beacon in our community for those seeking a spiritual home. These were highlights of what a soulful and fun day of reflection of where we’ve been and how we envision our future.
After the All Church Summit-- what's next in the Strategic Planning process?
The Strategic Plan Task Force will continue to work this fall with small groups of volunteers to explore in further detail the dreams and priorities that have emerged from the Leadership and the All-Church Summits. We will consult with the Finance and Building Review and Planning Committees about improving and maintaining our buildings and grounds. We will also discuss our future financial needs.
A first draft of the Strategic Plan for 2012-2017 will be presented to the UUCSS Board in March 2012. During March-April 2012, the draft will be available to UUCSS members. Comment and feedback sessions will be organized. A final version of the Strategic Plan for
2012-2017 will be voted on by the Board in May 2012, and then presented to the Congregation at the June 2012 Annual meeting.
More information about the All-Congregation Summit will be available during coffee hours in September and October, and in future Uniter articles.
You may reach the Strategic Planning Task Force members by email at: stratplan@uucss.org.
Strategic Plan Task Force members: Pat Scheid, Jo Paoletti, Peter Lane and Catherine Buckler.