Construction began in August 2023. September-October.  Earth moving equipment. November-December.  Construction of the building frame.  Pouring of cement foundation. Roof structure and HVAC placement.  Making room for future solar panels. January-March.  Construction of brick and glass walls. April-May. Interior walls. Prepping bathrooms and kitchen layout. Electric/Fire/network cabling.

Reverend Sasha Ostrom to join the Fellowship as Settled Minister in August. The affirmation of  Reverend Sasha Ostrom  as the new Settled Minister of the Morristown UU Fellowship marks a significant moment in the community’s journey. With a unanimous vote, the congregation has spoken with one voice, showcasing their unity and shared vision for the future. The act of voting, both in person and via proxy, reflects the inclusive spirit of the fellowship, ensuring every member’s voice is heard. Reverend Ostrom’s walk during the vote symbolizes a moment of reflection and anticipation, culminating in her return to accept the call with grace and commitment. This event is not just a procedural milestone but a celebration of collective faith and trust, as captured in the touching images of acceptance and signing. It’s a new chapter for the Morristown UU Fellowship, filled with hope and the promise of inspirational leadership. Visit Rev. Sasha’s website to learn more about our new Settled Minister. [metaslider id=”12763″]

What is Policy Governance? The Board says what, staff says how, and the congregation says why. The Board of Trustees develops policies that are reflective of the goals and vision of the organization, while staff develops and oversees creative strategies to accomplish our goals. Members of the congregation join in a shared ministry to actualize our strategy. The Board of Trustees, no longer fettered by the day-to-day tedium of running the organization, is free to lead the congregation in the challenging task of developing a purposeful understanding of the spiritual and humanitarian needs of our community and developing policy reflective of that understanding. Professional staff is accountable for developing strategies, procedures and activities that will meet our goals and match our vision – such as Sunday morning worship, interaction with the community, religious education, etc. Members of the congregation will be engaged in a shared ministry with the Staff, through activities that bring us closer to our goals and objectives – volunteer activities like teaching in religious education, identifying opportunities to serve the less fortunate in our community, pastoral care, outreach event participation, etc. Governance Mission Driven It’s our mission to nurture a spiritual home where all are welcome and encouraged to participate in a universal search for truth and meaning while working together to build a fair and peaceful world. Vision Informed It’s our vision to be a large, well-recognized, multi-cultural, vibrant congregation with expanded facilities supporting a greater range of programs, ready to make a difference in our region and in the wider world. Shared Ministry The minister, staff, board and congregation working together toward our shared mission and vision. Through policy governance everyone will have a clear understanding of the lines of communication and authority. Read the complete presentation from the winter 2023 sessions:  Policy Governance at MUUF: An Empowerment Framework Visit  How we work  where we share our framework of mission, right relations, bylaws  and policies.

Mission Statement It’s our mission to nurture a spiritual home where all are welcome and encouraged to participate in a universal search for truth and meaning while working together to build a fair and peaceful world. Our bylaws are our governing rules By-laws 2021 Our Covenant of Right Relations I will listen attentively, acknowledge others’ views and try to imagine holding their opinions. I will refrain from judging other people’s motives and opinions. I will seek accurate information, be willing to test my assumptions, and examine my own motives. I will communicate openly, directly, and honestly. I will go directly to a person with whom I disagree and share differences respectfully. If needed, I will use a third party to mediate. I will balance being open to new ideas and respecting our traditions. I will be patient with myself, others, and the process of change. I will allow space for feelings and emotions – mine and others’. I will let go of the trivial, and be willing to give and take. I will remind myself that we are all working for the shared goal of supporting our religious community. Our Strategic Plan Strategic Plan 2022 Our Board minutes, Financial and Annual Reports ​ Members can access Board Minutes, Financial and Annual Reports from our  Realm  database. Click Groups, then click the group, then click the “Files” tab to access these documents. Realm files Organizational Chart Policy & Procedures Policy Governance Empowerment Framework

We encourage children to remain in the entire service. There is a benefit to their presence In the meantime, as we move to one service, I acknowledge that it is difficult for some children to sit still in service and focus (and if we are honest, it can be difficult for many adults as well). While children are engaged best when they are directly present in the service (sitting closer to the front also keeps them more engaged), we want to give them some activities to keep their fidgety hands occupied. So we are making “Quiet Activity Bags”. These will have items for children to draw with, quiet games, and devices to allow them to fidget without too much distraction to those around them. The Library is also equipped with activities for children and a live stream of the service. Here are two other religious professionals sharing their thoughts on children and youth in service. Unitarian Universalist Religious Educator Kim Sweeny wrote a great article exploring the history and future of religious education called  The Death of Sunday School . Here is an excerpt:  For most UU congregations, moving to whole congregation worship would be a substantial shift. In many of our congregations, there might be some reluctance or anxiety in even considering it. Unitarian Universalism is one of the few denominations in the United States that assumes that children cannot and should not be in weekly worship with adults for an hour. The  Unitarian Universalist Association’s 2005 Commission on Appraisal  report found that “the way UUs raise our children seems to prepare them for something completely different than what Unitarian Universalism actually offers. This suggests that UUs should change one or the other (or both).” Without experiencing worship with the whole congregation, UU children and youth cannot learn how to be in a sanctuary, let alone benefit from the spiritual practice of congregational worship. They cannot see adults modeling moments of silence or stewardship, caring deeply for one another with expressions of joy and sorrow, singing the songs of our faith, or sharing in the ministry of worship. If the above alone is not enough, here are twelve more reasons to welcome children in church (Slightly adapted from  12 Reasons to Welcome Kids in Church + Tips for Actually Doing It ): Children are people too: When we welcome kids in church, we acknowledge that they are important humans and community members in the present, not just in the future. A kid-friendly church is a parent-friendly church: When we welcome children, we are making their caregivers feel welcome too. Children learn by participating: When we welcome kids, we invite them to experience the sacred in community with adults. Kids can handle sermons: When we involve children in church, we expose them to deep, important ideas. It’s good for everyone: When we include kids in church, we all get to practice being more generous with each other. It makes services better: When we plan for children to be involved, we plan better, richer services. Kids have lots to offer: When we welcome children, they are able to contribute their time and skills. It makes us stronger: When we welcome kids in church, we strengthen relationships across generations. It can improve preaching: When we include children in church, our preachers are prompted to do a better job for everyone and make sermons more accessible to all. Adults don’t miss out: When kids are part of the church service, adults don’t have to choose between worshipping and leading or attending kids’ programs. It helps young people bridge the gap: When we include people in services from a young age, they have a less jolting transition in adolescence. It models welcome: When we welcome kids in church, we demonstrate how welcome everyone is. Rabbi Aaron Alexander reflects on the benefits of Children in the worship service for the entire congregation.

Mansion roof For years members had been concerned about clay tiles falling off our roof.  Various minor fixes helped a bit but in 2021 the task force encouraged members to completely replace the roof.  This was accomplished in 2022 adding new gutters, dormers and the hatch access to the roof. [wptb id=11371]

Oval Beginning with the inspiration of task force member Sandra Persichetti, a 2021 reworking of the main entrance to the Thorne mansion was recognized as another improvement to enhance the beauty of the property.  This project provided a new front entrance allowing members to get out of the rain on entering, replaced deteriorating front steps and supplied a new drainage system in the front of the property reducing the occasional flooding of our basement. [wptb id=11347]

Playground The new playground completed in 2020 makes use of a slide, tunnel, and climbing tree stumps and a large natural boulder for toddlers and a rope spider web and a GaGa Ball pit for older children. There is also a seating area for adults and children.

East Parking lot The east parking lot originally was a gravel lot with a small garage used for storing lawn equipment primarily.  In Spring and Summer the lot was muddy and filled with ruts.   The lot was too small for many Sunday services with overflow parking on Normandy Heights Road frustrating some neighbors. The Gateways task force planned a repaving as it was recognized that having a paved lot would be considerably more welcoming than the existing gravel lot.   Not only would a paved lot considerably improve the Fellowship campus appearance, it would make much easier walking.  The new lot was completed in 2019 and expanded capacity to 104 cars with new lighting aimed away from neighbors and use of native plants in the barriers between sections. A storm drainage system was included in the planning to carry water from the lot to a retention basin built at the southern end of the property bordering Columbia Turnpike.  The retention basin provides a habitat for wildlife with moisture and native plants. [wptb id=11322]

The Partner Church Committee led a Sunday Service on 8/6/23 entitled 30 Years of Partnership with Sinfalva . A link to the YouTube video of the service is here  . Check it out, we think it’s pretty good! A better video of the service is here , the difference is that the photos from Diana and Don Marks’ visit have been added and also YouTube Chapters have been added. Don’s contribution starts at 35:00 in the video Beth and Gabor were wearing their embroidered Partner Church shirts. Here is Annette Tyler wearing her embroidered Partner Church shirt, when she and Toby met Rev. Susan Frederick-Gray during General Assembly in Pittsburgh. These handsome shirts were embroidered by the ladies of Sinfalva. If you would like one, we can send your shirt to Sinfalva to have it embroidered. Contact Gabor to discuss.

As a Service Auction offering, four intrepid MUUF-ers were introduced to the Hungarian language in a 90 minute lesson. This included a brief introduction to our Partner Church’s connection to the Hungarian language, and then a quick survey/overview of some of the features and idiosyncrasies of this odd and wonderful language, and especially how it differs from English (and why it is so hard to learn if you don’t grow up speaking it). The video of the lesson is here .

The number one thing I talked about with the team that hired me was “Bridging the Upstairs/Downstairs Divide” which has been so prevalent at the Fellowship. And in learning about the history of the Fellowship, this is an intentional design. This “Silo-ing” was common in churches in the 70s, 80s, 90s, and early aughts. But scholarly study and writing have repeatedly found that this no longer works. Some argue that it never actually did work.  UU Religious Educator Kim Sweeny wrote extensively on this. She writes, “Religious educators are being invited to engage the entire congregation in faith formation.” and shares a quote from UU leader Connie Goodbread, “Faith development is all we do. Unitarian Universalism is the faith we teach. The congregation is the curriculum.” One more time for those in the back: The Congregation is the Curriculum. Engaging the ENTIRE Congregation authentically and comprehensively is extremely important to the growth of the Fellowship, the promotion of UU values, and creating a better world by, as Joel says, saving lives. It is the best way to realize the goals of the strategic plan and the promise of the new building.  As we move to break ground on the new building, seek a new settled minister, and implement the strategic plan, it is now time to begin making tangible changes to grow. Growth requires change. But for many, change can be the scariest. It means a loss of control or comfort. There is often a feeling that accepting change is also an acknowledgment of wrongdoing. But this is not the case. Change and growth continue the work that started almost 70 years ago.  The first step to creating meaningful change without losing our history or sense of ourselves is to critically look at the things we look back on fondly and dissect those experiences. What was the deeper reason that those were meaningful to us?  I’ve heard many different stories about various trips that used to happen and a desire to just recreate them. Now that is an option, but perhaps not one that makes sense today. What was it about the trip that was really meaningful?  Was it the destination or the activity done there? OR was it the trip itself? Was it that fact that young people were able to bond over an extended period of time on a shared mission? Perhaps a pilgrimage to a spiritual site or a trip to a protest would also make the same impact while speaking to the desires of people of all ages.  Are we a unique religious organization because many different committees do all the work, each overseeing its own area of the Fellowship? OR is it because we have been guided by a shared vision and desire to make the world a better place? Perhaps we can continue having big-picture conversations with people from all different walks of life and leave the nitty gritty to the professionals.  So how do we do this work moving forward? To get back to the beginning of this is to do it TOGETHER. All ages, genders, racial backgrounds, and religious upbringings. This means stepping out of our comfort zones. It means having “noisy” kids in the service on Sunday. It means printing out directories. It means true collaboration. No group owns a program, event, space in the building, or vision. Collaboration means listening to each other and not expecting others to do it “our way.” Collaboration means giving as much control as we seek to retain. Collaboration means we don’t see ourselves as the smartest in the room.  It is my hope and goal to have conversations for creating a truly collaborative, inclusive, and multi-generational community that cares for the spiritual, political, and emotional needs of everyone in our reach.