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Year 4 Implementation Plan / Monthly Executive Report
Rev. Anthony Makar
May 2016
LONG RANGE PLAN ASPIRATIONSGoals Set Forth In the LRP
Existing Implementations To Continue and
Planned Implementations for 2015-2016
Items highlighted in teal are continuing
implementations
Items highlighted in yellow are the Board’s Annual
Vision of Ministry Priorities for 2015-2016
Items highlighted in green are the Board’s Open
Questions for 2015-2016 / Current Status and Deadlines Related to Planned Implementations for 2015-2016
Items highlighted in gray are new for the month / Outcomes/ Indicators of Progress
# 1. WE WILL BE AMONG THE MOST ENGAGING AND ENRICHING CONGREGATIONS IN ATLANTA
A. Create a process for each visitor and member to find a place within the congregational community.
Existing implementations to continue:
· Attractive, easy-to-navigate website
· Welcome tables in narthex and social hall, stocked with welcoming literature that is updated regularly
· RE welcome table in narthex
· Usher/greeter teams serving on Sunday mornings
· Connectors kiosk in social hall
· Lay Minister greeters
· Friendraiser Sundays
· Introducing UUCA sessions between Sunday services (or after the single summer service)
· “Finding Yourself” and “Committing Yourself” new member class sequence, six times per year
· New member joining ceremonies
· Sunday visitor follow up—on-line survey
· Email welcome to new families with children and youth
Planned Implementations:
1. Improve outdoor signage, narthex signage and wayfinding signage throughout the building.
2. Increase focus on Fellowship Groups, particularly age-related groups.
3. Utilize the newcomer tools in the City to begin tracking new members, set up City registration kiosk and train Connectors on how to register newcomers in the City.
4. Improve “Pathway to Membership” class materials (update to include new stewardship language, improve design and presentation, etc) and Finding Your Place.
5. Monitor and learn from materials in UUCARE emails that get increased click-through rates
6. Navigation Improvements made to the website to accommodate for “The City” and make the website easier to navigate.
7. Develop usher/greeter ministry / 1. Improve signage
· New signage on the I-85 Access Road
o Aug 2015 Update: Jessica Seales has vetted several bids for an outdoor sign on the side of the I-85 Access Road. The sign will have an LED scrolling display capacity so we can catch people’s eye with our UU wisdom.
o Oct 2015 Update: We are in the permitting process which takes 30-60 days. Because of the complexity of the installation, we will have a contractor install the sign. Tentative timeframe of installation is in December.
o Dec 2015 Update: Still waiting on completing the permitting process.
o Jan 2016 Update: It is taking forever to identify a structural engineer who will sign off on a permit, allowing us to complete the signage process.
o Feb 2016 update: a structural engineer has been found and he’s in process of signing off the permit
o March 2016 update: Jessica Seales has turned the permits in to DeKalb county and was informed that an extra document was required, which has to be notarized by the contractor.
o April 2016: We are having an extremely difficult time getting a response from our contractor. We are persisting.
o May 2016: Finally, a contractor. Paperwork has gone to him enabling him to sign off and clearing the way to installing the sign.
· Attractive re-useable worship bulletin folders go into use August 23, 2015.
· Pictures of staff and board are up on one of the Narthex walls, together with a screen that lists congregational activities
2. Increase focus on Fellowship Groups
3. Utilize the newcomer tools in the City
· City registration tables were made available starting August 16, 2015.
4. Improve “Pathway to Membership” class materials and Finding Your Place
· Finding Your Place will be shortened (less text, more photos) to reflect roll out of the City and guests will be encouraged to utilize the City to find their interests – December 2015.
· By May of 2016, all UUCA publications will adhere to a comprehensive branding guide.
· May 2016: A comprehensive Congregational Life Guide (which replaces Finding Your Place) is nearing completion. // In anticipation of implementing Supercharged Sunday in 2017, we are radically re-thinking our new member ministries. // We are in process of recruiting Marycallie Laxton to head up a group that offers personal follow-ups to new members.
5. Monitor and learn from materials in UUCARE emails that get increased click-through rates
· Rev. Rogers is in conversation with Tiffany Kindred regarding the right leadership to own this project
· Jan 2016 Update: Rev. Rogers received data regarding click-through rates and learned that the post popular UUCARE items were articles from non-UU magazines and newspapers. More of these articles are to be included in future UUCARE editions.
6. Navigation Improvements made to the website to accommodate for “The City” and make the website easier to navigate.
· Everywhere the website used to say “Access UUCA,” we now have “The City”
· Jan 2016 Update: Jessica and Tiffany were in conversation with True IT Pros about a website redesign that would make it easier to navigate and easier to update on the back end. This latter part would require significant recoding. We are exploring this and how the website redesign would save us money in the long term.
· Feb 2016 update: The web redesign plan from True IT Pros is in. Given that (a) the redesign will enable us to make website changes in house rather than having to outsource them, and (b) the redesign will last 3-5 years, we will save money over the long haul. I’ve approved the redesign.
· March 2016 update: website redesign in process….
· April 2016: We have two wireframes from IT Pros in receipt, waiting for a third before we decide which one to go with.
7. Continue to develop our usher/greeter ministry
· Ushers/Greeters will participate in a training prior to December 2015, with quarterly trainings scheduled. Some issues to be addressed include: managing noise effectively and taking more accurate attendance.
· Visitor information sheets at the Connector’s Table have been improved so as to facilitate a personal follow-up with people indicating interest in membership (9/18/2015)
· Jan 2016 update: Jessica will reach out to the UU Association of Membership Professionals to gain a sense of what ushering/greeting looks like in other congregations, what the best practices are, and what the universal challenges are.
· Feb 2016 update: Jessica has developed a draft version of an Usher/Greeter Coordinator position which will be used to clarify the job responsibilities of this key role.
· March 2016 update: longtime usher/greeter leader Herschel Beazley was offered the Coordinator Position and he declined, citing his frequent residence in Hawaii as making it hard for him to fulfill all the job responsibilities. We are so grateful for his years of leadership! And we are now in search for our new Usher/Greeter Coordinator.
· April 2016: Still in search for our new Usher/Greeter Coordinator. / 1. Every day, the 1000+ folks who drive past UUCA see an inspiring message that scrolls on the display of our new roadside sign. Within our walls, visitors report feeling welcome and informed about our community. The welcome table is stocked week-to-week with relevant, interesting materials for newcomers.
2. Membership in Fellowship Groups will grow by 10% by the end of the program year.
3. Quarterly reports are pulled from SurveyMonkey indicate a satisfaction level of 70% or higher on newcomers’ experiences. 75% of newcomers registered for accounts on The City will be listed as “Found Group” 2 months after their registration date.
4. UUCA materials are cohesively branded and welcoming to new people.
5. Improve click-through rates for UUCARE emails (immediate and 60-day results). Track and record written feedback on UUCARE emails
6.
7.
B. Incorporate many communities and cultures in our worship services and programming.
Existing implementations to continue:
· Music of many different styles and cultures in our Sunday services
· Musicians of different ages, cultures, and faith traditions featured in our services
· Diverse worship services throughout the year
· Sunday greeters are diverse in terms of culture and age
· EnterCulture’s leadership on the ARAOMC journey—its sponsorship of a variety of congregational programs and events
· Teens are actively involved in choir, RE, bakery table and sound team as volunteers.
· Affinity-based fellowship groups: Cultural Mosaic, Choir, Ens and Outs, Interweave, Men’s Group, Women’s Writing Group, Youth Group
· Generational groups: Unitots, 20/30s, Familes Together, TBD, Forever Young, Forever 40s and 50s.
· Children & Youth Religious Exploration curricula pull from many cultures and sources
· GLBTQ diversity acknowledged and welcomed
· Partner with community organizations to host cultural/educational events
· Special events
· Ensuring cultural diversity in our hiring practices
Planned Implementations:
1. Improve the quality and leadership of Fellowship Groups to be more inclusive and more mindful of AR/AO/MC.
2. Introduce new liturgies in worship that open up new opportunities for engagement
3. Enhance the Quiet Room experience
4. Expand our support for families and people with special needs
**
NOTE: The following implementation appears in connection with Aspiration 2B, although it is equally relevant here:
UUCA enters into the process that culminates in voting to take a congregational stand committed to the AR/AO/MC vision / 1. Improve the quality and leadership of Fellowship Groups to be more inclusive and more mindful of AR/AO/MC.
2. Introduce new liturgies in worship that open up new opportunities for engagement
· Created and implemented new ”Blessing of the Backpacks” liturgy that engages school-ages kids and parents. Done August 9, 2015. DONE
· Create and implement the “New Chalice Lighting Words” project. Three versions of the new chalice lighting words should be available to the Worship Team by December, for them to make a final choice. The new words will be unveiled on the first Sunday in January, 2016.
· Feb 2016 update: for the first time, UUCA experienced a “flashmob” in worship.
· March 2016 update: Rev. Makar introduced a Pagan “calling of the quarters” ritual in the March 6 worship service.
3. Enhance the Quiet Room experience
· Oct 2015 update: Rev. Makar posted a question about this on The City and has received all sorts of interesting feedback. His initial assessment is that the Quiet Room serves incompatible functions: as both an unobtrusive way into the sanctuary and a place for parents with young children to observe worship. Rev. Makar’s intent is to reduce the pressure on the Quiet Room to be all things to all people by transforming the nursery into a new Family Room where parents with children can have a far more satisfactory experience without the interruption of endless traffic.
4. Expand our support for families and people with special needs
· Nov 2015 update: Rev. Rogers is writing a job description for a volunteer “Special Needs Coordinator”
· Dec 2015 update: The job description for “Special Needs Coordinator” is complete—see Appendix A. We are now in process of recruiting for the position.
· Jan 2016 update: Moving forward, the position will be titled “Inclusivity Coordinator.”// We have purchased 4 more assisted listening devices, to add to the 2 we have that work.
· March 2016 update: Rev. Rogers and Rev. Makar are reviewing applications for the Inclusivity Coordinator. We should have someone on board soon.
· April 2016: The Family Room is in process. RE staff moved out several months ago, and right now the main goal is to install the TV screen and then decorate the room so that it’s hospitable to families. // We have brought on our new Inclusivity Coordinator: Mary Andrus-Overly. / 1. Fellowship Groups become more hospitable to people of color and more capable of sustaining/supporting their participation at UUCA.
2. UUCA youth feel like a more integral part of the congregation, and the congregation, in turn, benefits from their enhanced participation.
3.
4. Wonderful Wednesday activities are within Exec Limits. We are seeing an expanded participation of families and children in Wonderful Wednesday. We have a leadership team that is supporting this program and moving it towards a shared, inspiring vision.
5. Families report greater satisfaction with their UUCA experience.
C. Extend educational offerings for congregants and the larger community.
Existing implementations to continue
· Offer faith formation programming across the lifespan; ensure that the various leadership teams are enthusiastic and equipped to lead
· Recruit and support volunteer guides/teachers for classes and programs
· Develop and review annually a multi-year curriculum map for RE classes
· Be a leader in comprehensive sexuality education by offering all levels of OWL and hosting facilitator trainings.
· Lay Ministry program
· Sponsor one-off programs and events
Planned Implementations:
1. Review our lifespan RE programs and recommend directions for future growth
2. Resume search for Associate Minister of Lifelong Learning and Growth
3. Ensure smooth introduction of Rev. Rogers into leadership of our lifespan RE programs
4. Explore whether and how to implement the “John Murray Journey” vision of adult religious exploration
5. Enhance RE volunteer recruitment efforts and develop more sustainable lay leadership / 1. Review our lifespan RE programs and recommend directions for future growth
· Larry Peers consultation
o July 2015 update: Investigated possible consultants to work with UUCA in reviewing our lifespan RE programs. Identified Larry Peers as our guy.
o Aug 2015 update: Secured a draft consultation proposal from Rev. Peers, and reviewed it with a number of staff and congregants. Looking at the second draft of the proposal as I write this.
o Sept 2015 update: Rev. Makar has approved the consultation proposal and, in conversation with Rev. Peers and UUCA staff, has determined dates for the four different “touch points” in Rev. Peers’ work with us: (1) Nov. 20-21; (2) Feb 5-6; (3) Feb 27; and (4) Mar 12. Rev. Makar is now in process of recruiting a Steering Team to support the consultation.