Introduction

            The Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis (UUCA) is a vital, dynamic religious community.  There are many reasons why we are such a healthy congregation, one of which is that we periodically have engaged in long range strategic planning.  In recent years we have experienced significant changes in programming, staffing and numerical growth.  As a result, the Board of Trustees and congregation realized it was once again a critical time to engage in intentional planning.       

            Planning is needed not only to ensure that the over 800 adults and children who are part of our community are served well, but also to attract and serve those who are seeking a religious home such as UUCA.  Furthermore, we are a religious community called to take our common values to the wider community in action and service and therefore must continually assess our efforts to make our world a better place.

            Accordingly, in the spring of 2004, the UUCA congregation at the recommendation of the Board of Trustees approved the appointment of a strategic planning committee and the hiring of the Rev. Dan Hotchkiss from the Alban Institute.  In September, 2004 the Strategic Planning Team began its work together.  We spent time together learning effective church planning with Dan Hotchkiss.  We learned about the history of UUCA and engaged the congregation in various events.  Our research and conversations with the congregation have helped us develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of our history, the meaning of this church in our lives and in our community and our hopes and dreams for the future.

            As a result of our year of study and conversation with many in our congregation, we are recommending that we make a more concerted effort to grow our faith and specifically our church.  Unitarian Universalism and UUCA have transformed the lives of countless people and have had an impact on the greater Annapolis community.  We need to provide the resources and institutional support to reach even more people and to strengthen our impact.  In addition, we are also recommending that we engage in a major building expansion to accommodate doubling the number of adults and children we serve and to be able to provide more services for our community.   

            Our work has been has been both challenging and vastly rewarding.  The time we have spent together and with the congregation has affirmed for all of us our deep affection and admiration for all of those in the past and today who have made UUCA such an important institution in our lives and in Annapolis. We are excited about the future of our congregation.  We hope that during this coming year as we honor our first fifty years, the congregation will embrace our vision for the future and will empower the staff and lay leadership to move boldly ahead.    

                                                                        Evelyn Spurgin, Chair

                                                                        Rev. Fred Muir

                                                                        Jan Bird

                                                                        Rhonda Malone

                                                                        Jan O’Connell

                                                                        Jeff Salters

Congregational Involvement

            The foundation of our strategic planning process has been gathering input and insight from the congregation on the role of our church in our lives and in our community.  In addition to innumerable informal conversations committee members have had with people in the church, we engaged in the following activities:
 

• UUCA History Night, November 2004. Over 150 of us shared pizza, stories about our 49 year history, and observations about the church.

• Reflections on UUCA, January 2005. Approximately 80 adults and teens attended one of three sessions in which we viewed a film of current members’ reflections and broke into small groups to discuss the church. We answered questions such as “What was involved in your decision to stay at UUCA?” and “How do you hope UUCA will shape our children’s lives?”

• Staff, Lay Leader and Participant Interviews, March and April 2005. The Team broke into 3 subcommittees and interviewed staff members and a broad spectrum of lay leaders and program participants.

• May and June 2005. We held open meetings and focus groups, and distributed a written questionnaire to gather feedback to our preliminary report.

UUCA’S Mission - in our Lives and in the Community

            The congregation developed the following mission statement in the early 1990’s:
 

The mission of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis is to serve the congregation and the community, and to affirm the universal spirit of human dignity, by creating an environment that challenges, inspires, encourages and supports the quest for religious fulfillment. We are committed to the church as an institution, to social justice, to liberal religious education, to mutual caring and support, and to the value of diversity.

            While this statement is still an accurate description of our congregation, UUCA has grown and changed in many ways since its adoption.  The Planning Team therefore spent a lot of time discussing among ourselves and with the congregation what this church means to us and to the greater Annapolis community.  We are also recommending that the congregation revisit the mission statement and if necessary develop a new one.   
 

We have learned that our church transforms lives in many ways:
 

• We have a life affirming religious message.  We respect different beliefs and encourage and support the individual’s free and responsible quest for meaning.

• We are a safe respectful and challenging community where many people find deep connections and a sense of belonging.

• We are a welcoming congregation where gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders and all kinds of families can be their true selves.

• We are a self-governing congregation, which leads to a strong sense of personal ministry.

• We are committed to applying an anti-racism, anti-oppression, and multicultural perspective to all areas of the congregation’s organizational structures, policies, and ministries.

• We endeavor to live our Unitarian Universalist principles by caring for our planet, honoring the interconnectedness of all life and promoting peace and justice.   

• We have strong ties to the greater Unitarian Universalism community and both support and receive support from the denomination.

Ministry Vision

            The Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis is an inclusive liberal religious congregation that transforms lives.  People are hungry for meaning in their lives and deep connections with others. We must shine our light so that people searching for a religious home such as ours can find us.   We must also strengthen our efforts to improve our community.  We need to expand our facilities, programming and institutional structure so that we can serve double the number of people in our congregation and increase our impact on our community.     Our vision for the next five years is as follows:

           1.   Nurturing the Individual Spirit and Soul: We will provide and develop programming and ministry that nurture the individual spirit and soul.  We will create ample opportunities for spiritual and intellectual growth.  We seek to be a religious community that is welcoming, engaging and supportive.

           2.   Social Action and Community Involvement: We will be a strong voice for social justice guided by Unitarian Universalist Principles and Purposes and the UUCA mission statement.  We will broaden and deepen our action and involvement for individuals, small groups, and the congregation with education, social services, community organizing, advocacy and witnessing.

           3.   Making Room:  We will make the room for ourselves and for our future.  We will reach out to those who are searching for a church such as ours. In order to provide increased programming and ministry and increase our impact on the community, we will have the staffing, organizational structure and funding to support doubling our current size.

           In summary, as we engage in new ministry and programming, we will have the institutional and building expansion required to support our vision.  Further, our values will guide and shape our decisions.  These values come from our Principles and Purposes; our Safe Congregation Covenant which reminds us to keep UUCA a safe and welcoming faith community; our work to make UUCA an anti-oppressive, anti-racist and multicultural institution; and acting consistently with our green sanctuary status.

Revised 10/9/05

Implementation of our Ministry Vision

Introduction

          Our congregation is healthy and vital because we have not been a static institution but have changed and grown not only numerically but in our ministry and programming.  It has been many years, though, since we have revisited our mission statement and have had meaningful conversations about what it means to be a member of UUCA.  We are therefore initially recommending that we have congregation-wide programming during the coming year to discuss our identity, the mission of UUCA and the meaning of membership.  We might even want to discuss changing our name so that it says who we are and what we mean.

            We also recognize that growing Unitarian Universalism cannot and should not be done in a vacuum.  There is important work occurring at the denominational level that both needs our support and can be a resource for us.  The congregation recently added its support to the Joseph Priestley District’s Baltimore Washington Growth Planning Committee’s report “A Plan for Vital Congregations.”  We urge continued involvement in implementing this plan to grow our faith in our region. 

            Also, we acknowledge that as we have been developing this strategic plan, the Board and staff have been working with Dan Hotchkiss on governance issues that have and will continue to change how the Board and staff relate to one another and to the congregation.  We recognize, therefore, many of our specific recommendations, such as on programming, are directed to the staff to enable them to carry out our ministry vision.  We also recognize that in addition to our recommendations, new ideas will bubble up and new programs will begin during the next five years that will add to implementing our vision.    

            Finally, accepting our vision for UUCA does not mean that each specific recommendation and accompanying expenditure is also approved.  As the Board, staff and committees implement our recommendations, they will engage the congregation in the decision making process and seek authority where necessary.  We are asking you to approve the vision and the concepts that were developed from our conversations with you so that UUCA can move forward in changing our lives and our community.  

1.  Nurturing the Individual Spirit and Soul 

            During our conversations with the congregation, we learned that people come to UUCA because they are seeking a liberal, dogma-free church where they can be connected with a caring community while searching for meaning in their lives.  We value our inclusive, non-judgmental environment where we can be challenged and grow spiritually and intellectually.  Our community also provides a safe place where we can find deep friendships, support in times of need and a sense of belonging.

            One reason for our sustained growth is that we made more intentional efforts to find ways for people to be both challenged and connected.  We have seen a growth in a variety of worship practice groups, reflecting our belief that there are different paths to finding meaning and truth.  We instituted formal covenant groups and hired a membership coordinator to help us become more connected to one another.  The role of the lay ministers continues to be important and we have created a formal pastoral care ministry. Our RE program is highly valued and we are consistently recognized by the denomination for our youth programming. We consistently have high quality worship with challenging sermons and excellent music.

            As we continue reaching out to new members and friends, we must nurture our spirit and soul by deepening and broadening existing ministries and programs and finding new ones. Some people, however, do not always find us as welcoming and caring as we would like.  Further, as we grow, we need to ensure that UUCA continues to nurture our spirit and soul by strengthening existing ministries and programs and finding new ones.  Accordingly, we make the following recommendations:            
 

• o We will initiate programs using spiritual practitioners.

• o We will sponsor and engage in interfaith discussions of personal issues.

• o We will sponsor and engage in spiritual dialogs.

• Expansion and support of present programs:

• o We support the Board’s decision that the new minister will focus on family ministry and lifespan faith development. The new minister will focus on YRUU and will support the DRE’s work with children.

• o We will continue to support and strengthen the children’s religious education program. Specifically, we support the development, where appropriate, of new curricula.

• o We will strengthen youth programming.

• o We will strengthen current intergenerational programming and look for new ways to engage the adults and children together.

• o We will develop programming for young adult and campus ministry.

• o We will strengthen and develop new adult RE programs.

• Expansion of UU church school:

• o We will investigate the possibilities of establishing a school or supplemental children’s program that is grounded in Unitarian Universalist principles and values (e.g., a nursery school and/or daycare center).

• o We will establish expanded summer programming for children, such as weekday church school or day camp.

• We will expand how we address pastoral care by hiring a minister or other qualified person as a Pastoral Care Coordinator.

• o A paid coordinator will assess how pastoral care needs are currently addressed and will strengthen existing and institute new ways to keep us connected.

• Under the direction of the Coordinator, we will establish a wholeness/wellness center that could include space for:

• o Spiritual director

• o Personal coach

• o Individual pastoral counseling/outside referral for people seeking therapy.

• o Outside groups with programs and practices congruent with our UU Mission and Principles.

2.  Social Action and Community Involvement 

            During our many conversations with the congregation we heard that many of us are drawn to Unitarian Universalism because our faith inherently promotes social action. We are proud of the many things UUCA has done as an institution and as a place for small groups and individuals to work toward making our world a better place.  We learned that, through being a part of our congregation, many of us have become more dedicated to and involved in justice issues, whether through the church or other organizations.       

            We also heard, however, that there is often a lack of communication and coordination of social action efforts.  Many feel that there is little awareness of our efforts both in the church and in the larger community and we have an insufficient presence in the community.  Many have also expressed a strong interest in engaging in interfaith activities to address community social action issues and offering more intergenerational social justice activities.

            Therefore, we make the following recommendations to improve our congregation’s social justice work: 

• We will hold the UUA sponsored Social Justice Empowerment workshop to assess our current social justice work and to develop a plan for the future

• We will improve opportunities for volunteers and have an increased impact on the community by hiring one or more staff persons whose duties will include:

• o The Social Action Advocate will, among other things, find ways for our church to get involved, coordinate activities, develop intergenerational social justice activities and will develop interfaith initiatives. The types of social action activities the Advocate will develop include education, social services, community organizing, advocacy and witnessing, in consultation and partnership with those whom society has treated unjustly.

• o In addition to finding increased opportunities for individuals to be involved in social justice work, the Advocate will work with the church in strengthening our voice as an institution on issues supported by our principles. This may include developing a process for identifying issues where we can speak as a church, advocacy training and public witness training for staff and lay leaders.

• o The church will employ and/or fund a community organizer who will work with other faith communities in the Annapolis area to assess community needs. This person will then work with others in the community to organize programs to address these needs, involving our congregation, other faith communities and possibly other UU congregations in the Baltimore/Washington area.

• Legislative Ministry

• o We will strengthen and expand the current efforts to develop a legislative ministry for the state of Maryland.

• o National legislative ministry - we will organize Unitarian Universalist congregations located in state capitals for education and training on advocacy work.

3. Making Room

            Our congregation is extremely fortunate to have had leaders who had the wisdom and the courage to purchase, at two different times, eight acres of land in such a prime location and build and maintain a facility that we cherish.  Our current facility, however, is no longer adequate to fulfill our mission.   In other words, we have run out of room, not only for our current needs but also to grow. 

            During our conversations with the congregation and particularly with the staff, we repeatedly heard how we are being “squeezed.”  On Sunday morning, the sanctuary is often full and therefore particularly unwelcoming to newcomers, coffee hour is “claustrophobic,” and parking is a challenge.  Our religious education program is challenged by inadequate classrooms, multiple uses of their space and a totally inadequate nursery.  Our choir has outgrown the choir room, the many spiritual practice groups have inadequate space and there is limited space for adults to gather.                    

            Other challenges include inadequate office space, limited storage space, particularly for custodial supplies and archives, insufficient and inaccessible bathrooms, an inadequate kitchen, inadequate social and/or meeting spaces and multiple uses or unintended use of existing spaces (e.g. library).  Finally, our facilities do not always meet our values.  There is a lack of accessibility, poor lighting, and the Fahs House is not ecologically sound (e.g. poor insulation, high energy use).

            Because of the foresight of this congregation, we have the ability to expand our facility at our current location and still maintain the open space and the woods.  We heard from many of you your dreams for an expanded facility.  People would like multiple worship spaces, dedicated space for RE, dedicated worship space, a children’s chapel, a real, full service nursery, an art room, space for educational/interfaith work that would impact the community, state of the art media/electronics, various forms and sizes of meeting space, more space for outdoor gatherings/worship, a dedicated 24 hour worship space, space for performances, showers, sports/activity facilities and larger dedicated music space.        

            At the same time, we heard how you cherish our space and land and do not want to change the character of our current facilities.  With that equally in mind, we make the following recommendations:                

• Conduct a major building expansion that is both green and accessible, and possibly in separate buildings, to include:

• o New sanctuary
• o Improved social space
• o Expanded offices/work areas
• o Expanded classrooms
• o Larger, commercial grade kitchen
• o Improved space for worship groups/Meditation Hall
• o Improved performance/art space
• o Permanent outdoor labyrinth
• o Possible outdoor worship space
• o Bathrooms
• o Expanded parking

• Steps to take:

• o Appoint an implementation committee to survey specific needs, hire a consultant/architect
• o Preliminary drawings
• o Interim space planning (to both assist us with current space use and make temporary adjustments during construction phase)
• o Feasibility study
• o Capital Campaign
• o Final drawings and bids
• o Building construction and dedication

• We also recognize that a capital campaign and building expansion can be demanding and can sometimes leave a void when completed. We therefore recommend specific planning during the building process that will focus on programming and ministry and that will prepare us for when the building process is completed.

• Making room for more Unitarian Universalists also includes supporting the development of new churches in our area. While starting a new church will not solve our space needs, it is part of our mission to serve Unitarian Universalists and those who are looking for a religious home such as ours. We will support, when appropriate and feasible, regional efforts of the UUA and Joseph Priestley District and other UU congregations to start new churches.

Conclusion

            Our willingness to carry out our vision that UUCA should be an even stronger force in our lives and in our community is both exciting and daunting.  We urge that an implementation committee be appointed to carry out this plan and revise it as necessary.  Furthermore, we recommend that the congregation begin a new strategic planning process in five years. Change is not easy.  We believe strongly, however, that the challenges and risks posed by our recommendations and future planning are worth it because Unitarian Universalism and our congregation transform lives and can make a difference in our world.  
         

Revised 10/9/05

UUCA Strategic Plan

August, 2005

Timeline

Year                                                                                                    Approximate Cost

2005:

Nurturing the Individual Spirit and Soul:

We support the Board’s decision that the new minister will focus on family ministry and lifespan faith development.  The new minister will focus on YRUU and will support the DRE’s work with children.

We will strengthen current youth programming and find new programs for youth in addition to what is already offered.

We will strengthen current intergenerational programming and look for new ways to engage the adults and children together. We will develop programming for young adult and campus ministry.  We will strengthen and develop new adult RE programs.

Social Action and Community Involvement:

We will strengthen and expand the current efforts to develop a legislative ministry for the state of Maryland.

Making Room:

Appoint an implementation committee to survey specific needs, hire a consultant/architect

Select architect for preliminary drawings (this will carry over

to early 2006)                                                                                      $50,000 - $75,000

                                                                             (very rough estimate)

Interim space planning to assist us with current space use

and make temporary adjustments during construction.

2006:

Mission:

We will conduct congregation-wide programming to discuss our

identity, the mission of UUCA and the meaning of membership.

Nurturing the Individual Spirit and Soul:

We will continue to support and strengthen the children’s religious

Education program.  Specifically, we will develop where appropriate

new curricula. 

We will establish expanded summer programming for children,

such as weekday church school or day camp.

Social Action and Community Involvement:

We will hold the UUA sponsored Social Justice Empowerment

Workshop to assess our current social justice work and to develop

a plan for the future.

Making Room:

Complete preliminary drawings

Feasibility study                                                                                  $10,000-15,000

Capital Campaign                                                                 $2,500

Final drawings and bids

2007:

Nurturing the Individual Spirit and Soul:

Interfaith Conversations/Institute:

            We will sponsor and engage in interfaith discussions

            of  personal issues.

            We will sponsor and engage in spiritual dialogs.

Social Action and Community Involvement:

We will improve opportunities for volunteers and have

 an increased impact on the community by hiring one

or more staff persons whose duties will include:

            Social Action Advocate who will find ways for our

            church to get involved, coordinate activities,

            develop intergenerational social justice activities and

            interfaith initiatives and strengthen our voice as an

            institution,                                                            $40,000 - 50,000

Community organizer to work with other faith

communities to identify and address local needs                   $10,000          

Making Room:

Conduct a major building expansion that is both green and

accessible.                                                                       $3 - $6 million

Planning:

We will begin planning programming and ministry in an-

ticipation of our new building.

2008: 

Nurturing the Individual Spirit and Soul:

We will expand how we address pastoral care by hiring a

minister or other qualified person as a Pastoral Care

Coordinator.                                                                                        $40,000 - $50,000
 

Under the direction of the Coordinator we will establish

a wholeness/wellness center. 

We will initiate programs using spiritual practitioners.

Making Room: 

Building dedication
 

2009: 

Nurturing the Individual Spirit and Soul:

We will investigate the possibilities of establishing a school or

Supplemental children’s program that is grounded in Unitarian

Universalist principles and values (e.g. a nursery school

and/or daycare center.

Social Action and Community Involvement:

National legislative ministry - we will organize UU congregations

located in state capitals for education and training on

advocacy work.
 

Planning:

A new strategic planning committee will be formed.