People

Adult Education Committee

Mission Statement: The Adult Education Committee plans educational offerings for our members to support intellectual and spiritual searching and questioning so highly valued in our tradition. We seek to offer and environment to stimulate, challenge and encourage spiritual, ethical, and philosophical growth. It is our goal to provide opportunities to

Share wisdom, experience, questions and differing points of view.
Search for the dignity and purpose of life.
Find a sense of religious identity.
Deepen knowledge of UU theologies and world religions.
Grow our to self-absorption into larger issues of life.
Foster tools to help us face difficult times and the major dilemma of our existence.
Connect to the natural world with understanding and respect.

Activities: The committee meets on a regular basis (monthly as needed) to

Determine the educational needs and interests of our membership
Design an annual curriculum (two semesters)
Recruit and support teachers / leaders
Assist volunteers who propose courses or activities that they would like to initiate and / or lead
Publicize offerings and coordinate registration
Evaluate current offerings and incorporate feedback into our planning

Members: Adult RE Committee members volunteer or are recruited from interested church members. They may teach or lead courses but that is not required.

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Electronic Communications

E-mail

maintain efficient communication between staff and congregation
offer as an alternative to hard copy of newsletter
send mass mail regarding church business of interest to the whole congregation

Web site

provide information for those new to our church or UUism
publish calendar of current events
promote specific activities, e.g. Prairie Home Weekend annual fund-raiser
link to other relevant web sites

Church Walls and Boards

Supervise a Reader Board in the entryway listing activities and locations
Update and organize long hallway bulletin boards
Coordinate committee and special bulletin boards
organize use of removable bulletin boards in social hall
Coordinate publicity and wall use for church events in relation to aesthetics

Public Relations: Promote church events and UUism outside the church through yellow pages, local papers, radio and television. Train members on public speaking, including how to address controversial issues

DRAFT 6-19-01

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Hospitality Committee

Purpose and Mission: The Hospitality Committee (HC) will provide services, assistance and guidance for members and friends of WBUUC for Sunday activities, social events and life passage events—and provide logistical information regarding events.
Structure

1. The Hospitality Committee will be part of the People/Program Council.
2. The Committee should consist of at least 8 members, including a chair.
3. Each year the Committee should be encouraged to enlist at least two new members.
4. The chair should not hold the chair position for more than three years.
5. For each of the responsibilities identified below, this Committee would have one member be the lead person.
6. The first chair will be appointed by the Board, initial members may be identified by the nominating committee.

Responsibilities:

1. Provide regular Sunday cooperative and social activities such as coffee, breakfast, soup and bread, etc. (“Sunday Activities”);
2. Provide appropriate (as-needed) services for life passage events such as memorials, weddings, dedications, ordinations (“Life Passage Events”);
3. Provide food/beverage coordination/assistance for events held by other committees (service auction, artist receptions, etc.) (“Event Assistance”)
4. Provide oversight for social events such as Thanksgiving, Seder, French Dinner, etc. (“Social Events”);
5. Create a budget for Hospitality Committee activities. HC would also track costs for all events and provide information to other committees on budgeting for events;
6. Provide a hospitality coordinator at events (including Sundays) to ensure that everything gets cleaned up and put away and that someone is available to answer questions. Provide training for equipment use and clean up. Create policies and checklists for events that are held at and/or sponsored by WBUUC. Policies and checklists might include clean-up, room arrangement (how many chairs should be left in the social hall?), how-tos of special events. HC would work with other committees to determine responsibility for division of tasks in overlapping areas. HC would track space usage and determine most efficient room arrangements for different numbers of attendees (“Hospitality Oversight”);
7. Provide appropriate kitchen equipment and supplies. Identify short- and long-term kitchen needs. (“Kitchen Operations”);
8. Maintain lists of persons interested in providing particular services (in some cases, training may be required), such as:

 cleaning up for a memorial service or other event
 providing a dish for a memorial service
 washing linens from Sunday activities or other events
 moving chairs in preparation and/or at the conclusion of events
 office help (mailings, copying, etc.
 hospitality coordinators

final approval January 2001

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Membership Committee
(need description)

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Music Committee
(need description)

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Religious Growth & Leaning Committee

Purpose and Mission: The mission of the Religious Growth and Learning Committee is to support the Director of Religious Education and to promote a church program for our children that focuses on social responsibility, loving community, UU history and identity, religious diversity, and ecological interdependence.

We support the activities of the Religious Education Director by:

Providing a forum for the church to make its will known to the Director of Religious Education (DRE)
Direct the vision of the RE program and help select RE curriculum
Set and review the RE budget
Review RE policies and procedures
Assist with recruitment of teachers and assistants for RE classes
Assist with teacher orientation and recognition events
Act as DRE in the event of the DRE’s absence from Sunday programs

Coordinate special projects: We promote the church program for the children by:

Hosting RE Open Houses so that children, teachers, and parents know each other and the curriculum.
Hosting “all-church” events to include our children as vital parts of our whole White Bear UU community.
Providing information and organization on social action events for children.
Providing personal guidance for children and youth through the OWL program.
Liaison with other committees to assist them in their activities when children are involved through active participation in the People/Program Council.

Many of the goals of the committee are met by projects and activities that the children enjoy. Some of the activities have been: Birthday Boxes for East Metro Place, Guest at Your Table collection, church sleep-overs, craft parties, secret pals, and visiting other churches.

The Religious Growth and Learning Committee meets once a month on a regular basis. It may meet more often if we have a special event coming up. Committee members are asked to try to spend 3 years on the Committee. The Committee has a Chair who presides over meetings, writes the annual report to the board, and submits the budget. Ideas and decisions are made in an open forum atmosphere, assigning tasks as needs arise.

Current members are: Sally Colwell, Sue Cordek, Laurie Gaschott, Beth Graves, and Diana Smith. The Director of Religious Education is Janet Hanson.
Submitted fall, 2000

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Social Action Committee

Purpose: To facilitate WBUUC and it’s members’ covenant to “live together in peace, seek the truth in love and help one another” by leading and assisting efforts that advance social and environmental justice.

Structure: The Social Action Committee (SAC) acts to assist the congregation in making strong and meaningful commitments. To maximize the effectiveness of WBUUC’s social action involvements, the SAC assists church members in proposing projects and recommends a slate of projects for church-wide sponsorship.

Process for WBUUC-wide sponsorship of a Social Action Project
Each year the congregation is asked to approve projects proposed for church-wide sponsorship by SAC.

1. To propose or sponsor a project, a church member drafts a simple summary of the project; its purpose, financial cost, and volunteer requirements; and secures 4 or 5 other church members to sign on by agreeing to help with the project.
2. The SAC will assist project sponsors to publicize their project and will assist in other ways, as committee members are able.
Project Sponsor’s Responsibilities:

 Proposing a project
 Gathering backers
 Securing other volunteers
 Coordinating with RE or other co-sponsors
 Implementing the project
 Providing a simple summary of the outcome

3. In order to focus the church’s financial and other resources, the SAC makes an annual recommendation of sponsorship. The following priorities are used in arriving at the SAC recommendation:

 Interest among WBUUC church members
 Does it involve WBUUC children or youth?
 Is it co-sponsored by another WBUUC committee, social group or RE class?

DRAFT 1-16-01

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