President’s Report - September, 2010

Though I love summer and this was a good one, it was just a wee bit wet! It seemed like I was cutting the grass and weeding the gardens every second day. I hope you had a good one, but now that summer is winding down and the new church year has begun, let’s take a look at some of the things we can look forward to for the fall and winter. (BTW, as a kid, I always thought the New Year should start in September with the beginning of the school year…I still do).

This fall we are hosting the CUC Western Regional Fall Gathering on the weekend of October 15-17 at our church. Come and celebrate Shared Ministry at this annual conference. Elaine Mathieson, Leslie Turnbull, Nancy Gilbert, Liz James (from the Saskatoon church). and Rev. Millie have been working hard to put a great program together for UUs from Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Northwest Ontario. The theme for the weekend is Shared Ministry, which is something you will hear a lot about this year. Speaking of which, our new Shared Ministry Team consisting of Barb Fuller, Carolyn Hill-Carroll, and Don Ayre will soon be meeting regularly to promote the many ways we minister to each other. One of their goals this year is to lead the development of an all-church Covenant of Right Relations.

As well, your Board’s Governance Committee has been working hard to complete the Bylaw Review and will be notifying you soon about proposed changes. Their next project is to review the church committees’ new Terms of References drafted by each committee last spring. The ultimate goal is for all of us to better understand the important work of our committees and how you can get involved.

Your Religious Exploration (RE) and Adult Lifespan Learning (ALL) programs are gearing up for the fall and RE Director, Andrea James and new ALL co-Chairs, Sonya Watson and Aleta Re, are excited about what they have to offer. Watch for more information in the Communicator and on our website and get involved. And, speaking about our website, please check out our ever evolving information about our services, programs, committees, and fundraising events. Personally, I like to check the “Announcements” and “What’s Happening” [Webmaster note: this can be found on the right side of all pages, and is a short list of Calendar items, found here.] sections on a regular basis. Our Webmaster, Karin Carlson, is always adding new features.

In addition, we are looking forward to Rev. Millie’s second year as our minister. We have been blessed with a “match made in heaven” and are excited about another year of great Sunday Services, thoughtful spiritual leadership, and warm welcoming of both old and new members.

And finally, but only because I am running out of space, please join us in October to celebrate the successful completion of our long-awaited new deck overlooking the Assiniboine River. Co-Chairs, Lois Whyte and Liz Redston, have lead this project from its beginning last winter with a successful fundraising campaign and are now looking forward to its completion. You can still help us finish it this month; just contact Lois, Liz, or Peter Hill-Carroll, our resident expert on all construction projects.

These are just some of the things we have to look forward to as we get back to our regular schedules and start our new church year.

In faith, Craig Edwards