Spring has fully sprung and we are headed quickly to Summer! I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful Florida weather – beat the heat while you can.

I am very happy to report that at the time I am preparing this message, we have had one of our most successful Stewardship Campaigns in many years. We have heard back from about 84% of our members and I am excited to report that we have received pledges from 64% of our active non-members. At this point we have pledges of just under $144,000, which was a little short of our overall goal, but we still realized a 22% increase over the average annual amounts for the last seven years. That is truly amazing and a great testament to the support of our members and friends. We will have the final tally to report at the Annual Meeting on May 21st along with the budget for next fiscal year, which will be up for approval by the congregation at that time.

Many of you have probably already heard about the effort by the UUA to revise Article II of its bylaws, which currently incorporates our seven principles. After a great deal of input, study and thought, the UUA’s Article II Study Commission has centered on the following:

Our tradition invites faithful reflection on how we practice and live into Unitarian Universalism. We are called to discernment today through the revision of Article II of our bylaws. Unitarian Universalists serving on the Article II Study Commission have developed new ways of expressing and centering our core values and congregations are invited to review the proposed new language in preparation for a vote at the General Assembly this June. 

The UUA Board of Trustees will be holding three discussions in May to review ideas and suggestions received via their “Article II Idea Submission form”.  More information and registration to these three workshops can be found on their website: https://www.uua.org/uuagovernance/committees/article-ii-study-commission

On Saturday, May 6th, the UUA Southern Region is holding a Zoom meeting to discuss the proposed revisions. I encourage everyone who is interested to sign up to attend – here is the link: https://www.uua.org/southern/calendar/region/southern-region-article-2-processing-session. Your thoughts and feedback are needed.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the Annual Meeting after the service on May 21st at 12:00 (we are shooting to be done by 2:00) – Lunch will be available. We have a lot to celebrate this year and much to look forward to in the next year!

Yours in Peace and Love!

Chuck