Committees
ARTICLE XI. COMMITTEES SECTION 1.
STANDING COMMITTEES. The Standing Committees shall be as follows: Social Justice, Alliance, Building and Grounds ,Caring, Denominational Affairs, Finance (Operational and Investments), Hospitality, Membership, Public Relations ,Religious Education, Right Relations Team, Worship
Social Justice
Chairperson: Harry White
This group focuses on issues brought to the group by its members or through other sources, i.e., UUA or other UU groups. Actions taken are not necessarily supported by the congregation as a whole, although the committee is sensitive to the views of the broader membership of the Society.
All interested persons are invited to come to participate in determining what will be done and become involved in the subsequent 'doing.'
(1) Use of civil citations for juveniles in place of arrest records;
(2) Prison reform;
(3) Ending the death penalty;
(4) Gun safety;
(5) Voting rights restoration for the formerly incarcerated;
(6) Immigration reform;
(7) LGBT rights and protections including passage of the Competitive Workforce Act;
(8) Rooting out institutional racism;
(9) Supporting additional training and body cameras for law enforcement personnel.
The UUCOB Social Justice Committee has been discussing: Civil Citations;Human Trafficking;Restoration of voting rights to felons;The Death Penalty;Recycling;Education;Gun legislation;Health Care;Race Relations;Law Enforcement use of Body Cameras;and Mental Health
F.A.I.T.H. stands for Fighting Against Injustice Toward Harmony. It is a coalition of 32 local congregations coming together to identify community problems, research how those problems could be fixed and then to hold local organization, political, and government officials accountable to make those changes.
Our Unitarian Universalist Congregation is an active F.A.I.T.H. member. We participate through the efforts of Team Leaders and a Team Network.
If you want to take action on social justice issues, make a difference and change the way things are done locally is the way to do it. F.A.I.T.H. has tackled problems such as mental health problems at the jail, crime, drugs and night bus service for workers. After five years of hard work and persistence funding for a homeless shelter was approved 17 June 2017. It was F.A.I.T.H. that got the County Sheriff’s office to have first responders carry Narcan to save the lives of people who have overdosed.
F.A.I.T.H. was successful in having the police issue Civil Citations instead of giving youthful first-time nonviolent offenders an arrest record; legislation that would make this program consistent throughout the state of Florida is pending in the state legislature. Ban-the-Box was another F.A.I.T.H. Initiative to remove questions about criminal records from municipal job applications allowing all the qualified candidates to gain an interview where the question can be asked and answered face-to-face.
UU members and friends who work with F.A.I.T.H. make a commitment to attend the four F.A.I.T.H. meetings a year. Every Fall there is a Problems Assembly where local congregations present the issues they want to work on; the Rally to Action Assembly is held early the following February to vote on our final pick of issues followed in March by the Action Assembly which draws 1600 of us together in a meeting where public officials are asked to support the action we want. Finally, The Celebration Assembly Dinner is hosted by one of the member- congregation.
Contact U-U member Leigh Montgomery at leighsmontgomery@yahoo.com for more information.
You are welcome to visit the F.A.I.T.H. website at www.faithvolusia.org
The local F.A.I.T.H. office is located at 221 South Ridgewood Avenue, Daytona. Contact Fred Wilson, Assistant Organizer at 386-238-7060.
updated june 2017
The Alliance of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation Ormond Beach was formed in 1953 as a support group serving the UU Congregation through education, action, service and fellowship.
For over 60 years the Alliance has made a significant financial contribution to further our Congregation’s goals. The goals of the Alliance are to support both local charities in our community where we feel we can make a difference, like Family Renew, Sophie's Circle, and Shoes That Fit and donations to the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee.
The Alliance's donations have been funded by annual dues, raffles, sponsoring soup and sandwich lunches, and selling beverages at our potluck dinners. We often have a seasonal project where we make crafts to sell.
The Alliance meets at noon on the second Thursday of each month from October through May. Bring your lunch. A business meeting follows lunch. Alliance members vote on recipients of share-the-plate and set the calendar for the year.
Everyone is welcome to join the Alliance! Dues are only $10 dollars a year, payable before the May annual meeting. Please join with us!
Alliance President - Jeanne Young
Updated June 2017
Building and Grounds Committee
The Building and Grounds Committee oversees the general maintenance and care of our facility and the adjoining property. We are heavily dependent on our volunteers committing their talents and time to our scheduled work days and tasks approved by the Board. Congregational “Clean-Up” days are scheduled throughout the year.
Co- Chair:Preston & Susan Garrison
Updated: May 2018
The Caring Committee’s mission is to work with the minister to provide pastoral care to members of the congregation. Members of the committee may visit or telephone people who are hospitalized, homebound, or in long term care. When appropriate, they may prepare and deliver food, shop for and deliver groceries and medications, and provide other practical help. The committee gathers and passes on information about community resources for health care, rehabilitation, long term care, home care, and medical transportation, and maintains a file of Life Crisis Forms, voluntarily submitted by members of the congregation who wish for the committee or the minister to have immediate access to certain personal information. The Caring Committee, along with the Alliance, assists the minister and family members in planning and carrying out memorial services.
When the chair of the Caring Committee learns of serious illness, hospitalizations, or other life-altering events, the information is passed on immediately to other members of the committee and the minister. Members of the Caring Committee are committed to maintaining confidentiality about this information and information discussed in the committee meetings.
The Caring Committee meets at 10:00 am on the first Thursday of each month. The current chair of the committee is Joyce Nelson
updated June 2017
The primary responsibility of the denominational affairs committee is to provide a liaison with the congregation and the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Southern District. The committee meets to discuss issues of denominational concern. It promotes education on Unitarian Universalist General Assembly social justice statements in collaboration with other committees. It fosters an understanding of, and a commitment to what it means to be a responsible member of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations. Through these efforts the denominational affairs committee invites members to be delegates to the General Assembly and to district meetings. For additional information please talk to John Horner Updated Dec 2018
Oversees financial records, investments. establishes the budget, and arranges audits.
Chair: Phil Elliott
June 2017
The committee promotes fellowship throughout the organization through its planned events by providing food and/or beverages for the attendees. These refreshments may be purchased with organization funds or prepared by committee members.
These events include:
Coffee and Snacks after each Sunday worship service
First Friday Evening Pot Luck
Memorial Services or Celebration of Life Services
Refreshements for Rummage Sales and Church Clean-up Day
Rhonilee Bachschmidt-Mostert, Chair Updated June 2017
Membership Committee meetings are held monthly, 4th Thursday at 2:30 - 4.
Our Membership Committee makes a special effort to greet visitors every Sunday. We contact new guests through personal calls and e-mail. We welcome new members of the congregation and provide opportunities for returning visitors and new members to become involved in small ways or tasks to help them integrate into our community. Our committee encourages members to find places to connect within the congregation, develops ways to retain our current members and recognizes the accomplishments of our members.
Honoring our Members: During Sunday services, new members are welcomed to our congregation in a New Member Ceremony. We provide publications relating to membership.
Every year, we honor the UU members who have been with us for over fifteen years, celebrating their contributions to our congregation and awarding them a special pin. Chairperson --Rebecca Caschette
April 2018
UUCOB Public Relations Committee is responsible for evaluation, organization and distribution of messages and events to the larger community outside UUCOB, utilizing multi-media platform.
Our goal is to promote and ensure a consistency in UUCOB brand identity and message."
Co-Chairpersons Kaye Boyer-Ryan and Preston Garrison June 2017
Facebook Harry White
Our Religious Education Committee supports learning opportunities for both adults and children.
Adults: Co-chairs Dan Kennedy and Tom Hilburn
To learn more about our Life Long Learning collaborative for adults see Adult Life Long Learning
Children:
Our Religious Education Committee supports the efforts of our Religious Education teachers, Debbie Hanson and Mary Wetzel.
Volunteers assist with activity based and age appropriate study. Because the children who attend may be different from one Sunday to the next, materials can be begun and finished in one session. Debbie and Mary plan for an enriched learning environment that includes social action, environmentally sensitive projects, and intergenerational activities some of which include those delightful moments when they share our worship services for Story of All Ages.
Our Religious Education class is multi-age for children and youth from 2 years of age to 15. The children’s classes are divided into a preschool group and an older group.
You might find preschoolers singing a song about making new friends, second graders engaging with a story about loss and bereavement, fifth graders talking with a Muslim couple about Islam, or older youth speaking to the congregation about their plan to raise money for a local homeless shelter.
We hope you will offer to help support this program by contacting:
Debbie Hanson and Mary Wetzel with your suggestions and offering to volunteer.
Philosophy of Religious Education
Our philosophy, based on the writings of William Ellery Channing, encourages children to search for what quickens their spirit, strengthens their powers of thought, and awakens their conscience to moral discernment.
June 2017
This committee consists of members from the congregation and the Chair appointed by the President. The current co-chairpersons are Dan Gribbin and Ellen Nielsen.
Responsibilities of the Committee are:
When the Minister Is Present:
Assist the Minister, as requested, in the presentation of the Sunday services and coordinate the service leaders, music, sound system and any other extra additions to the service.
When the Minister Is Absent:
Provide a diversity of speakers for Sunday services. The committee seeks to present speakers who will be of interest to our congregation and the general public.
On these Sundays the committee works with the presenter to plan a complete Sunday service suitable to the speaker's subject.
One of the goals of this committee is to involve members in the presentation of our services.
June 2017