The Leadership Corner

January 2009

Warm wishes for a happy new year!

The new year is often a time for reflection on the past with a mind toward the future. For me personally, 2008 was a wonderful year. I was blessed with some time off work that enabled me to do things like be "Team Mom" for my son Connor's baseball team, travel to visit friends in Europe and Africa, develop an on-line course to help augment my income, and spend quality time in a new relationship. Looking ahead to 2009, I see that much of 2008 was laying the foundation for me and my family as we stay focused on what's really important — things like family and friends, hard work, spiritual community, and helping others (and there are so many that need help right now, even within our own community).

2008 was a pretty wild ride for Tapestry. We said goodbye to a beloved minister. We welcomed a new minister. We lost dear friends and gained new ones. And, of course, we voted to merge with Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church, and they (after a slight detour) voted to merge with us!

Tuesday night, December 16, the Tapestry Board, the OCUUC Board, and some members of the Exploratory Task Force met in Irvine to discuss the mission of a renewed task force, and the Boards' desired timing for our two communities to come together. Let me tell you, it was amazing! 9 people from Tapestry and 14 people from OCUUC (they have a larger Board than ours, but task force membership is equal) debated, discussed, shared stories, and strategized to decide that we want to be worshipping together in shared space by February 28, 2009!

We want and need to capitalize on the enthusiasm from our congregations after the OCUUC vote and the joint service. Tapestry (and frankly, many at OCUUC) had the frustration of a delay while OCUUC worked through some issues. But NOW is the time to recapture that enthusiasm if it had waned for you, and NOW is the time to bring your enthusiasm to the forefront every day, whether it had waned or not. Look forward 2-3 years, and imagine the joy and strength and impact of a 300, 400, 500 member UU congregation in Orange County…

As Nancy Loughrey (President at OCUUC) put it in their newsletter, "There are a million questions around this decision, and we know it. We don't know if it is feasible, but we will only find out by trying. There is a lot to do, and we will all have to pay attention and be part of the process… In the midst of the building decisions, we will also have to move forward rapidly on creating a new congregation. It can happen! We are… tremendously excited about the possibilities for Unitarian Universalism in Orange County, for seeking truth, building just communities, and caring for one another, for achieving our vision and making a bigger difference in our lives and the lives of others."

Trust that you will be invited to participate in one merger activity or another. We'll be having informational meetings. Teams will need to manage a variety of merger-related tasks, from finding a building, to merging committees, to creating new bylaws. We need you to be part of the process. I need you to be part of the process.

2009 is going to be quite a year, I suspect, both for our religious communities as well as our individual lives. Let the noise fall away, and listen to what's important — family and friends, hard work, spiritual community, and helping others. What we are doing at Tapestry is deeply important. Thank you for your commitment.

Tara