08/28/2019 by Shannon Day

Update from the Board 8.30.19

Hello, Beloved Community, We have another great update in our progress to bring our called minister, Rev. Christopher Wulff, to us from Canada! Our R-1 Immigration Visa application has been assigned a case number through USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services)! Also, our 2019-2020 Board has met for one trust-building and planning retreat, and two regular monthly meetings. R-1 Visa Update   With our R-1 Visa case number assigned, we are now in a holding period waiting for a site visit from our USCIS case manager. This pre-adjudication visit will not be announced. The purpose will be to affirm

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08/21/2019 by Shannon Day

Update from the Board of Trustees – Jade Lowry, President

What is the board focusing on this August, you ask? Transparency – One focus is how to be more transparent with our work, and as collaborative as possible with the broader congregation! We’ve talked about how to be present; how to communicate and keep those channels open; how to document and present what needs to be available for public record; and how to best listen and understand the needs and desires of the congregation. Hopefully you will see evidence of this; and we will share our ideas as we go. Listening – We want to hear from you! We are

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07/17/2019 by Shannon Day

Update from the Board 7.19.19

Greetings, and happy mid-summer to all! I realized it’s been three weeks since our last update, and I want to let you know of the ongoing effort and activity going in to this transition time, and preparing for our gap time between ministers. The Transition Working Group has all their members identified, and they are already diving in to important background research related to the R-1 visa process, meetings with our district support people, and possibilities for hiring a contract minister during our gap period. They will share an update soon in the Westside Week with more information. In this

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06/05/2019 by Shannon Day

President Elect Report from Annual Meeting 2019 – Jade Lowry

Thank you for this new opportunity to serve Westside! I am honored to be in this role, to serve with this amazing slate, and to be one of the many Westside leaders who shape, guide, and grow this congregation. In thinking about what I wanted to say to you today, these are the points that came forward most strongly. This is not a time of waiting. We might feel like we are waiting as we sit here today – waiting for our called minister to join us so we can step into a new flow. As I step into this

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03/13/2019 by Shannon Day

Lift Update – March 15, 2019

Judi Finney and I met with the contractors this past Monday to finally learn the fate of our new lift which will transport people from the Social Hall directly into the Sanctuary. Mark Olsoe, Judi, and I (along with input from Robert Pacht and Peggy Tlapak) have been working together since last summer to try to get this project on its feet. We finally found a reputable construction firm last September and have spent the last almost six months waiting while the professionals did their work: the architect, the electrician, the structural engineer and the construction company all trying to

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05/23/2018 by Shannon Day

We’re In This Together: Nearing the End – Patti McCall, Board President

The final words of my final letter to you as Board President is about the upcoming year. WSUU has experienced a long transitional period. Rev. Peg retired just shy of three years ago. Our DRE Betsy Lowry retired a year later. We had an interim minister who stayed with us just one year and who was fortunately followed by the steadfastness of Rev. Alex Holt. Our hardworking and conscientious Ministerial Search Team of 2017 finished their year of work without the satisfaction of a settled minister. Now we learn our beloved chaplain, Rev. Mark Newton will be retiring at the

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03/14/2018 by Shannon Day

We’re In This Together: Springing Forward – A message from Patti McCall, Board President

Good grief! It’s that time again. This past weekend we were reminded to Spring Forward – moving our clocks ahead by an hour. I love it that the days are getting longer and the many reminders that spring is just about upon us. But I hate moving my clock ahead and losing that hour. Time is so precious and every year I resent losing those 60 minutes. Yes, I know I should feel like I get it back in the fall, but I don’t. So, what does this have to do with a message from the Westside Board President. What

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02/14/2018 by Shannon Day

We’re In This Together: As Promised, an Update

A Message from Patti McCall, WSUU Board President There continues to be discussion about Sunday services, the Worship Council and the Board so, as promised in our effort to be transparent, I wanted to bring you up to date on what your Board has been working on.  At the end of this letter, you will find four links:  one to the Mid-Year Report I offered on January 28th; one to the video from our Regional Transitions Coach, Rev. Nancy Bowen; a link to the Letter of Affirmation to the congregation from your Board; and one titled Norms for Sunday Service

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02/14/2018 by Shannon Day

Mid-year Report from the WSUU Board of Trustees

The following is a transcript of the Mid-Year Report delivered by Board President, Patti McCall on Sunday, January 28. Good afternoon.  I don’t think I see any unfamiliar faces, but just in case, I am Patti McCall and I am the current President of the Board of Trustees at Westside.  We are just about halfway through our church year and, as the representative for the entire Board, I’d like to share what we’ve been working on since July 1st 2017 and what we will continue to work on through June 30th of this year. Our plan for this meeting is

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