Towards Building the Beloved Community:
Visual Documentation of the work of University Unitarian Church’s
Strategic Planning Implementation (“Imp”) Teams in 2013-2014
Artwork by Catherine Bachy ()
The adjacent piece of art was created to demonstrate the work and aspirations of the church’s strategic planning Implementation Teams during the 2013-2014 church year (Fall 2013 to May 2014). Having gathered twice earlier in the year to collaborate, share progress and education on congregational growth, size dynamics and change, on May 3, 2014, representatives from the seven extant Imp Teams shared their responses to the following questions:
- Please summarize what you’ve done: What recommendations have you made this year? What changes have been made (or are being made) as a result?
- Are there lessons or insights that are important to capture and report about your work together?
- Do you feel like the work of your team is complete? If not, what lies ahead? If you are continuing, who is interested in continuing, who is ready to roll off, and what additional people do you need?
- Our visual facilitator, Catherine Bachy, was able to collect these responses during the meeting and create an image that communicates each team’s portion of the work, their relationships to other teams and the work’s connection to the larger vision and strategic ends/outcomes (represented by the sun and mountains in the distance).
Our visual facilitatorcollected responses during the meeting and crafted an image that communicates each team’s portion of the work, their relationships to other teams and the work’s connection to the larger vision and strategic ends/outcomes (represented by the sun and mountains in the distance)[1]. The banners on the left-hand side of the piece indicate issues flagged for attention in the coming years of work.
The Implementation Teams and their staff liaisons as of June 2014 are:
- Building – Byron Krystad
- Building Multigenerational Community – Fred Capestany
- Giving & Abundance – Byron Krystad
- Governance & Leadership – Jon Luopa
- Justice as Faith & Spiritual Practice – Jennifer Bright
- Small Church Experience & Membership – Beth Herrild
- Spiritual Growth & Faith Formation – Matthew Cockrum (led by Linda Kaufman, Minister Affiliated)
For more questions about this work please contact the church office, the church Board or the appropriate staff liaison of the team of your interest.
[1] More detailed responses can be found in the 2014 Annual report for the congregational meeting, along with written reports from many of the teams, all of which will be available through the church office, on-line and in archives.