Copy

March 15, 2019
 
Beloved Members and Friends of Mount Vernon Unitarian Church,
 
As I write this, I hear the news of another mass shooting. Still reeling from last fall’s shooting at a Jewish Synagogue, we now grieve for our Muslims brothers and sisters in New Zealand. There are not enough tears to express our horror.
 
We are in an intense time of increased fear of violence focused on the marginalized, and environmental destruction from global warming. We need places where we can find radical hospitality and renewed hope. We need places where we can express our fear, find affirmation for our values while opening our minds and hearts to new ideas and life experiences. We need places where our stories can unfold with support and love. We need to be reminded we have the capacity to be agents of change and can make this a better world.
 
I truly hope Mount Vernon Unitarian Church is such a place for you. I am proud to serve as your minister and delight in each day that I can work with such an extraordinary group of volunteers who believe in our Mission and Vision. We are in our annual stewardship campaign, a time when we must show our care for our religious home with our financial commitment.
 
I hope you believe in MVUC enough to increase your stewardship commitment (our goal this year is 3%), so that we can continue to be an Honor Congregation with the Unitarian Universalist Association, pay Fair Compensation to all staff, and take care of our grounds and property.
 
On Sunday, March 3, I shared some of the financial struggles that MVUC has encountered this year. In particular, we discovered extensive water damage in Hollin Hall from what we believe was caused by the earthquake in 2011. The damage occurred so slowly, seeping through cracked bricks and mortar, that no one could see it until the damage showed up inside on the interior walls. Bids are coming in for our beautiful and historic building and repairs will take place this spring. They are likely to be in excess of $50,000.
 
Last fall, we also had one of our old water lines break in multiple places, requiring immediate replacement and costing $25,000.  And our parking lot is showing its age through multiple cracks, revealing the rebar and subsurface below (rainwater is seeping underneath, further degrading the subsurface). We are evaluating how soon we need to repave the whole lot, possibly adding a few parking spots. Currently, bids to repave the lot and add seven spots are around $110,000.
 
We are blessed with gifts from members who remembered MVUC in their estates, slowly bringing our endowment to around 1.8 million dollars. We are using some of the proceeds from the endowment to help balance our budget (without touching the principal). The Board, Finance, Endowment Committees, and I are all comfortable with this usage of the endowment because, in the 21st century, younger members do not have as much wealth or time as older generations who carried religious communities for decades. Religious communities that can diversify their income are able to survive in this changing financial picture. We also rely on rental income to supplement stewardship commitments.
 
This is the financial picture or MVUC, which is both healthy, and yet struggling with aging buildings and grounds. If our Holy Hill is a place of hope, love and sanctuary from a frightening world, then please help support it with your annual stewardship commitment. Please consider increasing your commitment. If you are already stretched, then please know how much I and all of us appreciate your generosity. 
 
On behalf of all our lay leaders and staff, thank you for being a part of Mount Vernon Unitarian Church and thank you for your financial support.
 
With love and faith, Rev. Kate
 

Copyright © 2019 Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp