Both Sides By Rev. Nina D. Grey April, 2004

On February 22, in our service Claiming Our Future: Step by Step, we celebrated the power of vision in individual lives and we invited all of us into a vision quest for the future of our church. On March 21, approximately one hundred members and friends shared their ideas about how our church life could feel and look and what we might be doing as a congregation, five to seven years from now. What an exciting morning that was! And on Saturday, April 17, we will join together again to see and hear what all our hopes are for First Unitarian Church's future. What an opportunity this vision and mission process is for every voice to be at the table, to join in the conversation about who and what we shall be and do.

Through time in services and a workshop, and through emails, letters and phone calls, we all have a chance to be a part of this essential and exciting activity. We encourage you to be involved and share in the creative shaping of our future. Dreaming together increases our commitment and strengthens our congregation and its impact on the larger community. And as we focus our dreams and visions, they will shed light for our future direction and decisions for years to come.

We are stewards of our congregational present and future. Even as others before us tended the life of our faith community for their sake and ours, our participation in the fullness of congregational life today creates a strong foundation for our future. In that spirit of stewardship, please offer your creativity, your service and your financial support to our shared religious life and community. We invite and encourage you to take part in our vision and mission process, Claiming Our Future. And we extend an enthusiastic invitation to participate with your generous pledge in our Canvass for the 2004-2005 church year, by substantially increasing your pledge. By doing your part, you join with others in making our vision real.

In faith, with love,

Nina