Survey Results from the Settled Minister Search Team

The Search Team would like to thank everyone who took part in our Congregational Survey!  We had 102 Responses from members (80%) and friends/other (20%).  That’s a great response and we are looking forward to using the survey to guide us as a search team. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be sharing the results, beginning with the topics below:

• Favorite Things about DUUF
• Top 3 Functions of a Minister
• Role of a Minister
• Take Aways for Search Team

Favorite Thing About DUUF

We asked what’s your favorite thing about DUUF.  We heard that people’s favorite thing was our welcoming, open-minded community where the people come for connection and spiritual connection to their world and to be with other like-minded people.  The themes that really stood out were community, openness and our Sunday worship experience.

What’s the top favorite thing about DUUF?  We LOVE our strong sense of community and connectedness as reflected in comments:

• The welcoming and accepting community
• Seeing people I've gotten to know there for shared activities
• Our sense of community and shared values
• Communing with like-minded people
• Providing a welcoming liberal spiritual community available to all
• The feeling of community and belonging - the sense that people are truly glad to see me when I'm there.

Another favorite theme reflects the open, accepting nature of our congregation:

• Love acceptance and diversity
• Open and accepting of many spiritual paths
• The many perspectives of religion with no judgement
• The message of love and inclusion
• The openness and curiosity of the attendees

And, we really value our Sunday services!  Our Sunday services are important to us and we see the service as an expression of our connection and as a place for spiritual growth and freedom of belief.

• Mental & spiritual uplifting. Stained glass windows. Singing & meditation. Rituals & celebrations
• That I find a spiritual home there
• Inspirational readings and sermon on Sundays
• I love the seven principles and the messages talked about at services, the windows in the sanctuary looking over the natural beauty outside

We also heard that people valued the church programming and our religious education program and were happy that we have young families and children as a part of DUUF.  

What are we looking for in a minister? 

Like most congregations – we want it all!  However, we do see some priorities that have emerged as the most important.   We asked for the three most important function of a minister.  Analyzing the comments, we were able to see some themes.  Top 5 for each question are in yellow below.

Top 3 Functions for the Minister (comment question)

Comment focus for top 3 Minister Functions	All (count of comments)	rank
worship/spiritual leadership	73	1
admin/prog support	51	2
pastoral care	50	3
community	24	4
social action/service	21	5 tie
inspiration	21	5 tie
Denton/UU outreach	19	6
Education/RE	10	7
open welcoming vibe	4	8

Role of a Minister – This activity had respondents rank the role of the minister.  Ranking by 3 perspectives is shown below (individual, good of congregation, good for next generation).  Top 5 are in yellow.

Role	Your preference	For the good of the whole congregation	For the good of the next generation
Spiritual leader - prepares and leads worship and celebration	1	3	7
Fosters a sense of community	2	2	5
Pastoral Role - provides pastoral care, and, by example shows us how to care for one another.	3	1	6
Intellectual leader - challenges and stimulates the congregation	4	4	8
Social activist - encourages social justice programs	5	7	2
Prophetic Role - helps us imagine our future and inspire us	6	5	1
Provides visible leadership in Denton	7	9	4
Facilitator - develops volunteers and lay leaders	8	6	9
Administrator - achieves results by coordinating and supporting the efforts others	9	8	11
Supports families and multi-generational ministries	10	10	3
Teaches classes and leading workshops	11	11	10

Take Aways for the Search Team

Some take aways from responses and comments are below.  The search team will make use of the survey results and the “search social” gathering to guide us in our search for a new minister.

Great Sunday service. – Our congregation wants to connect and be inspired by the Sunday service.  The exploration and inspiration we are seeking is tied to the Sunday service. The congregation is proud of the sanctuary and building and feels that both add to the experience.  Comments around other development were mentioned and there’s some expectation that the minister recognizes the need for, but does not have to facilitate, programs or offerings.

Pastoral Care. – This was consistently ranked high although comments were qualified “for those that need or request it” “in times of need or ritual.” Here our comments on being able to support or comfort others was important but only if it was asked for.  There is recognition that there are those in need of this in our congregation and an expectation of the minister to address these needs via pastoral care.

Church administer/program support. – We believe that we could do more and want our minister to help organize us as a congregation.  We are seeking someone to develop and coach board and church leadership to take on more.   Expectations included administering staff, organizing events and long-term planning.  Comments here included charisma, organizational and leadership skills, and extroversion.

Be known in Denton. - We want someone focused on serving the congregation so that we remain a beacon of liberal thought and a connected community.  We want our minister to represent us to Denton.  Comments reflected the desire to have the minister be seen and known so that others will know we exist and they can find refuge here and enjoy what our congregation has to offer.

Social Action/Social Justice/ and Community Service.   We want to play a role as a congregation in Denton and be represented by a minister who advocates for UU principles and beliefs in the Denton community.  Other comments reflected wanting a minister to enable the congregation to do social justice or action work though our efforts as a congregation.

Information about the Minister Search Process

To begin the process for searching for a settled minister, the Fellowship members will vote on the Search Committee at DUUF’s congregation meeting on May 5. The first step is to gather names for the ballot. Please review and discuss the following questions with members of your household. The Board and the Nominating Team will divide up all the households in the congregation and place a call to every single household, recording the names submitted in response to the last question. You may submit as many names as you want.

Questions to consider:

• What are the good qualities needed for someone to serve on a Ministerial Search Committee?
• Who in the congregation works well with others?
• Who can represent and serve the whole congregation well (including looking out for the needs of children) and not just a piece or “faction” of the congregation?
• Who would have no “axe to grind”?
• Who knows the history and culture of the congregation, whether a member of long standing or relatively new?
• Who has been and/or is active in the congregation and has demonstrated both responsible participation and responsible leadership?
• After a high salary, the most attractive quality a congregation can have is self-awareness – awareness of strengths and weaknesses, what the congregation is like at its best and at its worst, as well as on an average day. Who would be able to know and relate all this to potential candidates?
• After thinking about all of these questions, who would you trust to serve on the Search Committee on behalf of the congregation?

The Board and Nominating Team will begin placing calls the last week of March. After the names are submitted, the Board will find out if the people named want to be considered. If you have any questions about the above process or anything else relating to the Search, please email minister@dentonuuf.org or president@dentonuuf.org  or view the UUA website at https://www.uua.org/sites/live-new.uua.org/files/settlement_handbook.pdf.

Love and peace,

Nancy Gaige

President, Board of Trustees

Coming of Age Boston Trip

Dear DUUF Community,

During our trip to Boston last week, we visited many historical UU sights and connected with the Coming Of Age group from First Unitarian Church in Dallas with whom we traveled. As well as learning about UU history, we had the opportunity to learn about the history of Boston and America at large. When we traveled to the Old Manse in Concord-- the home of influential transcendentalists such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ralph Waldo Emerson. We learned about the first battle of the Revolutionary War at a nearby bridge from a local park ranger.

 On our first day, we took a trip on an amphibious vehicle where we learned about the general history of Boston, such the fact that a significant part of Boston is built on landfill. On our second day we visited Arlington Street Church (the first Unitarian church and where William Ellery Channing was the minister) and Harvard Divinity School (the location of one of Emerson's most influential speeches). Locations like these were integral to the experience, helping us connect obscure names to actual buildings, pulpits, and rooms, where the stories we had learned previously in our Coming Of Age class began to come to life.

 On our third day we traveled to Concord by bus to visit the Sleepy Hollow cemetery (the final resting place of prominent transcendentalists such as Elizabeth Peabody, the founder of the first kindergarten in America, and Henry D. Thoreau). We also visited Walden Pond, where Thoreau wrote his famous book Walden. Myself and many others found this location to be especially spiritual; the quiet and beautiful surroundings along with readings by Rev. Aaron White of the Dallas congregation connected us deeply with Walden’s central idea of simple living and a higher power in nature.

 The following day we walked to King’s Chapel and went on the “Bells and Bones” tour where we saw their 325 year old crypt and climbed into the bell tower to see the bell that was recast by Paul Revere in 1814. Later that day, we enjoyed seeing whales on a whale watching ship east of Cape Cod bay and returned to see The Blue Man Group, a fast paced musical performance art, which is an experience I’ll never forget.

 On our fifth day we attended a Pride worship service at Arlington Street Church where we sang along with the UU community of downtown Boston and watched the Pride parade afterwards outside of the church. It was a very special experience to see such an inclusive and supportive event on such a large scale; this is something I hope to see in Texas in the future. After the parade we were afforded a few hours of free time, so Tesa Morin, students from the Denton group, and I went to Beacon Hill and visited picturesque Acorn Street.

 On our final day in Boston on Sunday, we returned to King’s Chapel to attend service, which was an especially unique experience. Although the church is affiliated with the UUA, the worship service is quite different from ours. The service included Psalms and readings from the Common Book of Prayer in its original Shakespearean-like form and an inspirational sermon on social action and justice. Even though it was a foreign experience, I enjoyed it and learned a great deal. I think this acceptance of learning from many different traditions and practices of other religions is one of the greatest parts of being Unitarian Universalist.

 I know that myself and many others have been changed by this trip; we have a deeper understanding of what it means to be a UU in this world. Connections have been made that are only possible with this firsthand look at the hearth and birthplace of Unitarian Universalism. I hope that future generations in this church can experience this too, because it is so incredibly important to understand what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist in an historical context.

 Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support and donations from the congregation. We are thankful to those that guided us in our fundraising, those that bought shirts, many who donated so that all of us could go on this trip, to our mentors, and to our teachers Pam and Tesa. We are thankful for their time, mentoring, guidance, and energy as they helped us to grow spiritually. On the behalf of the CoA group, I would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the congregation for providing this experience for us. We thank you.

 With gratitude,
 Gabriel Morgan
 

Easter Sunday at DUUF with services at 9:30am and 11:30am

All are invited for worship services on Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018. Join us for an all-ages story of emergence as we celebrate the Easter holiday. Rev. Pamela Wat leads our services at 9:30am and 11:30am.

Children are invited to participate in our annual Easter Egg Hunt between the services (at 10:30am). Bring a bag or basket and get ready for fun.

Inquirers Series starting on April 15, 2018

The Inquirers series resumes April 15th! Inquirers is a series of eight classes that can be taken in any order. Take all eight and win a prize! Join us between the Sunday services at 10:40 am in Classroom #2 to learn about Unitarian Universalist history, our fellowship, and how to become more involved at DUUF. Our first session, on April 15th, will be Q&A with the Minister. Newcomers and long-time members (and everyone in between) are especially invited to bring their buring questions to Rev. Pam as we explore what it means to be UU.

DUUF Chili Cookoff 2018

Join us for the MOST DELICIOUS chili in all of Texas. Contestants, bring your BEST chili, soup, or dessert. Omnivore and vegan entries welcome. Appetites encouraged! $7 for adults; $4 for kids. Raise funds to support DUUF AND connect with some fine folks. Members of our high school Coming of Age class will be selling new DUUF t-shirts to help fund their trip to Boston!

"Reflections 2" Welded Steel

On Sunday, January 14, 2018 we dedicated “Reflections 2” welded steel, a statue that now stands outside our sanctuary. It was made and generously donated by Jerry Daniel.

The sculpture has a steadiness about it. As the landscape around it changes and, as we change and move through the seasons of our own lives, it stands there steady and strong, yet somehow reminding us of something tender and yielding. 

Rev. Pam calls this piece "sacred art." “Sacred” because if you spend time with this sculpture, it will draw you toward what it is you need to discover. It might be a sadness, or a joy, or a strength, or a discernment, a slowing down. It might be community, or courage. This sculpture has the power and possibility to help you hear the voice of God, of spirit, of wisdom, of a higher power in your life. 

Please take time to reflect on how this sculpture speaks to you. Here are some questions that could guide your reflection:

• What is your metal? What is hard and cold that needs to be made malleable? 
• And what is malleable that needs strength and shape and direction?
• Who are your people to whom you can go when you hurting or when you are in discernment?
• What are the pieces of your life that you thought were finished, but that take shape in new ways?
• Where does grief live in your body and how might you tend to it?
• How do you tend to your feelings of emptiness (in unhealthy ways)?
• How do you tend to your feelings of emptiness (in healthy ways)?
• What makes you feel strong?
• How do you cultivate openness?
• What gives your life meaning?
• How is your life taking shape? 

Q&A with the Minister on Sunday, January 14

Join us between the services on Sunday, January 14 for a Q&A with the Minister.

All are welcome to attend the first in an eight-session series to learn more about our congregation and to meet others. In this session Rev. Pam will answer any questions you bring! Think about what you’d like to know more about, or come and ask those deep existential questions that you’ve been wanting to explore!

We meet in room 2 at 10:40am and finish by 11:20am.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Weekend 2018

This weekend we listen for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s urgent call to love and justice and we honor his legacy by responding with our own gifts. We have three opportunities to respond and you are invited. 

1. In preparation for the Martin Luther King, Jr. march (1/15) and the Women’s March Reunion (1/20), come to DUUF on Saturday (1/13) from 1:30pm to 3:30pm to make signs! We'll provide the supplies and some sample quotes, so just come ready to decorate. 

2. On Sunday (1/14) our service will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s leadership and we will have a second offering to support the Denton African American Scholarship Foundation. In 2017 the top award winner was Jacqueline Willis (Ryan High School graduate now attending Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia). Last year they also awarded 13 scholarships and provided funds to freshman, sophomore, and juniors to help them excel. If DUUF pulls together $1,500, we will provide a year of tuition and fees for a community college student! $1,000 will help a student pay for books, meals and lab fees. $500 covers what a typical student pays for books and supplies. $250 will help a student pay for meals. $100 buys graphing calculators for two students. $50 will cover school supplies for a year. Let’s see what we can do DUUF!

3. On Monday (1/15) march with other members of DUUF by meeting up at the parking lot at South Welch Street and Union Circle/West Chestnut Street by 4:30pm or meet up with folks later at the program at MLK Jr. Recreation Center. Please support Denton’s celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy.

No matter how you spend this weekend, may our shared efforts bend the arc of the moral universe ever toward justice. 

Welcoming Guest at Your Table

Guest at Your Table (GAYT) is the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee’s annual intergenerational program to raise support for and awareness about UUSC’s work to advance human rights around the globe. Donation boxes are available at DUUF throughout December. Place one prominently at your home to remember the figurative guest at your table and to cultivate a generous heart in the weeks leading up to Christmas. On Christmas Eve (or other times before the end of 2017) please bring your donation to DUUF so that we can send our collective contribution to the UUSC.

UUSC works in over 25 countries with over 75 grassroots partner organizations. This year, we are highlighting the following “guests” and partners: 

Tulele Peisa supports Carteret Islanders being displaced by severe climate change impacts in the South Pacific.

RAICES provides legal aid and support for families held in Karnes family detention center in Texas. 

The Center for Social Integrity advances human rights in Burma through youth leadership development.

The Queer Detainee Empowerment Project supports LGBTQI+ immigrants in and outside of detention in New York.

The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) is a 77-year-old human rights organization grounded in Unitarian Universalist values and founded to support refugees and political dissidents feeing Nazi Germany. Through research, advocacy, and grassroots partnerships, UUSC advances human rights in the United States and around the globe.

Contributions of any amount qualify for membership. Contributions of $125 or more are eligible to be matched dollar-for-dollar by the UU Congregation of Shelter Rock in Manhasset, NY.