Highlights of Worship Committee Meeting on January 14, 2004

AESTHETICS

The Chairwomen of the Worship and Aestheics Copmmittees will be meeting to consider possible permanent decoration for the pulpit area and the wall behind the pulpit. No conclusions yet, but lots of enthusiasm.

SUMMER SERVICES

Plans are under way for next summer. A preliminary list of possible topics and speakers was reviewed. A maximum of $750 was allocated for speakers fees for the summer.

CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS

The Enrichment Committee is looking for ways we might recognize those in our community who have birthdays in a given month. We considered several of their proposals. We decided to think on it for a month and consider the topic in February.

CHANGE FOR THE WORLD

We're glad to see this program finally up and working. We collected over $42 in coins the first Sunday of Change for the World.

CHRISTMAS EVE

Generous Servetans contributed a total of $2,372.77 at the Christmas Eve services. This money goes to Safe Choice (a shelter for battered women) and to the Principal's Discretionary Funds at MLK Elementary School and McLaughlin Elemntary School (the schools serving the MSUUF area.)

The Committee revisted the topic of individual candles for each congregant. There are safety issues, as well as problems with wax on chairs and floor. The full committee delegated this decision to next year's group planning the Chrismas Eve services.

TENEBRAE

The Tenebrae service is coming! Save Friday, April 9^th, for this event. Erica Kelley and Rex Siegfried will co-chair the planning for this year's service.

CHARGE

The Worship Committee is one of the older committees at MSUUF. It was formed long before the Board began the practice of writing a charge (a brief statement of the committee's mission) for each new committee. For some time the Worship Committee has been developing what we believe that charge should be.

Finally, we've reached agreement. The Minister and the Worship Committee unanimously agreed to a proposal to be presented to the Board of Trustees at their next meeting.

THE NEXT BIG THING

Now that the Worship Committee has complete work on it's charge, we're thinking of what should be the next major project we take on. Possibilities consiered include

• How can the Worship Committee support MSUUF's goal of becoming a full-service church of 400 members?
• How can the Worship Committee support the recommendations make in the CONTACT report?
• What major improvements can we make to our Worship Committee processes?
• What can we learn from other congregations that will help us to improve worship at MSUUF? (This would involve the Worship Committee visiting other UU churches to participate in their worship services.)