President’s Corner & Board News

from Ann Maclaine

The church continues to buzz with activities and plans, as you will see in perusing this month’s newsletter. The Christmas Tree sale has gotten off to a great start. . Thanks to Linda and Chris Reine, Todd Michney, Max Oeschger, Victoria Sumrall, and Janet Spencer for their leadership in this effort, and for all the volunteers who are helping out at every phase. Thanks also to the many helpful members and staff from worship, music, building & grounds, and the volunteer center worked to transform the Fellowship Hall into temporary worship space so we could house the trees in the sanctuary.

Our Transformational Abundance Stewardship Canvass is going well as we plan for a more prosperous 2008, which will include a tri-church capital campaign for the Revitalization and Recovery of UUism in the Greater New Orleans region. We still need volunteers for the campaign. If you can help, please contact me or Claudia Barker.

December includes wonderful holiday events such as the RE crafts fair, a visit by a Charles Dickens, and numerous holiday- themed services. In addition, there will be a , local showing of the Katrina/Ultreya Play, and a lecture by New Orleans’ new Inspector General. The Building a World anti-racism program is taking a December hiatus, and will be back in January; new programs and specials events are also being planned for the new year.

Within the building, we now have a nice dividing wall in the Fellowship Hall and will soon have access to the courtyard and improved bathroom doors. Work will also begin shortly to cover the floors so that they can be easily cleaned. Building of the commercial kitchen will also begin soon. Room by room, task by task, we are finding ways to use the space we have creatively while we work to restore more of it. Thanks to Howard Mielke, Reese Brewer, Lyn Caliva, Mary Jo Day, and Jyaphia Christos-Rodgers for their continued work on the building projects big and little, old and new.

At its November meeting, the board adopted a policy of sharing our non-pledge offering from the first Sunday of each month with another group or organization in need. The decision on who will be supported each month will be made by the Minister, President, and/or social justice team, and will be announced in advance of, and during, the service. As the recipients of so much help from others the last few years, we felt it important that we "give back" and "pay it forward" to others in need on a regular basis. We have periodically designated offerings to others, but not in quite such a formal way. The other two New Orleans area congregations have a similar policy. Also, as a reminder, we traditionally send our Christmas Eve service offering to our Sister Church in Urmos, Transylvania.

At the November Congregational meeting, members approved proposed By-laws changes, a Memorandum of Understanding for the tri-church capital campaign, and a draft budget for 2008. Realizing that budget depends upon a successful stewardship canvass; if you have not yet pledge your financial support for 2008 and would like to do so, please contact me or Deanna Vandiver through the church office.

With best wishes for the holidays and new year,

Ann