Tag: CUC

UCV Demographics and Pledge Potential (DAPP) Report 2019

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Executive Summary

In late 2018 the UCV Board asked interested volunteers to work together to provide some commentary on UCV’s demographics and pledge potential in the context of 2018-19 site development studies led by Michael Clague and Gordon Gram. Over the December 2018 to March 2019 period, a small group examined selected membership data provided by staff and began to examine other web-based resources on demographics and religious organizational trends. The resulting report provides a first analysis of data gathered and makes recommendations for the future.

Findings

  • Donations to UCV averaged $467,186 per year over the past decade excluding bequests but including capital donations. Annual variations have been sizeable. With inflation considered, the total value of donations has declined over the decade.
  • 21 bequests totaling approximately $132,000 were made to UCV over the past decade. The value varied widely year to year as did the size of the individual bequests.
  • Donations increased substantially at times when major capital improvements were being made.
  • The median donation in 2018 was $500 and the average donation was $1,041. Donations in 2018 were the lowest in a decade, totaling $375,734. However, this amount did exceed the $330,000 planned for achieving a balanced budget. A balanced budget also relied on rental and investment revenue. [**See note at bottom of page regarding 2019.]
  • A small number of donors have contributed most to the finances of UCV over the decade. In 2018 forty-two donors (12%) donated 50% of the funds and 319 donors (88%) donated the other 50%.
  • In 2018 the ten top donors (3%) donated 24% of all donations.
  • The ten top donors in 2018 were resident in eight different postal code regions of Metro Vancouver. Three of these resided in Point Grey. The others were, in alphabetical order: Dunbar-Southlands, Hillcrest, Kitsilano, New Westminster, Sunshine Coast, Victoria-Fraserview, and West End.
  • Postal codes were available for 99% of donors. Dates of birth were available for only 18% of donors.
  • Unitarian Universalist congregational membership declined approximately 21% in the USA and 19% in Canada over the period 2005-2015.

Recommendations for UCV

  1. Re-establish and animate a Legacy or Planned Giving Committee to help ensure that UCV members are giving consideration to recognizing UCV in their wills and in annual pledging. Bequests have been a significant source of funding for UCV and could grow as members of UCV age and die. Generous annual pledging is the heart of the church’s financial support.
  2. Give moderately high priority to adding birthdates to the church membership database (Breeze) to facilitate future planning for age-based services, donor planning, and ministerial transition.
  3. Continue to participate, animate, support, and celebrate the work of all Committees and Groups to foster a healthy and generous congregation. Membership and participation matter.
  4. Continue to call highly skilled professional ministers and religious educators. Churches in Canada with this feature seem to do better than those without.
  5. Thank our most generous donors.
  6. Consider asking generous donors to project their capacity to support the church in the future.

See the full 9-page report here: UCV Demographic and Pledge Potential Report – 20190308 Rev A

A site development report providing business plan options and other issues identified to date was distributed at a UCV Forum on 8 May 2019 and afterwards in the church. PDF copies of this report can be obtained by email from Gordon Gram (gordongram@me.com) or Michael Clague (Michael@clagueconsultants.com).

A group of congregants interested in discussing issues related to site development met as a Circle of Concern on 1 Mar 2019 and identified a number of areas needing further consideration. These issues of concern are summarized on this website here. Another forum for discussion of all three of these reports (Circle of Concern, Site Development, and Demographics and Pledge Potential) has been scheduled by the Circle of Concern for 12:30 – 2:30 pm, Sunday 26 May 2019 in the Fireside Room.

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** As of mid May 2019, the average pledge by members and friends of UCV for 2019 was $2,023 per pledging unit (family or individual), and the median (middle point) pledge was $1,500 per pledging unit. Historically, pledge values have been slightly lower than actual donations. The church also has many “casual donors” who receive tax receipts for small donations. This partly accounts for the difference in value of 2019 median pledges and the 2018 median donations.

Solidarity with Christchurch

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Dear UCV members and friends:

Most of us know by now that there was a deadly assault on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.  We cannot imagine the grief and loss.  I feel devastated and angry.

I urge all of us to think, with gratitude, of the relative peace and safety we enjoy gathering and worshipping together.  May we also be mindful that Muslim children, men and women are our sisters and brothers.  An attack on them at worship for Friday prayers, is very much an attack on us and all people of good will who value a diverse and free society.

I attended Friday prayers at the Jamia Mosque on 8th Avenue to witness and extend our solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters.

Rev. Steven Epperson

There will be a prayer vigil tonight, Friday, March 15th, 7:30 pm at the Al-Jamia Mosque in Vancouver. All UU’s are encouraged to participate in solidarity and support.

From the Canadian Unitarian Council

The world weeps with the news of senseless violence and death, and hold in our hearts the victims and families of the New Zealand mosque shooting. Violence of this kind fueled by hatred and fear cannot be allowed to exist. We choose to respond with love and refuse to respond with more violence.

In the face of our grief, we pledge ourselves anew to act with compassion. Holding true to the inherent worth and dignity of each being, we are moved to respond with kindness and empathy when faced with ignorance and bigotry.

Unitarians will show up beside our Muslim colleagues and siblings. We embrace expressions of religion which champion inclusion and cooperation among all faiths. We will continue to work towards a world where our interdependence is manifested through love and justice.

To demonstrate solidarity and support, we encourage UUs across Canada to participate in vigils in their local communities.

– From the CUC Board President and Vice President, CUC Executive Director and the UU Ministers of Canada

Wanted: Delegates for the CUC AGM 11 May 2019

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UCV FORUM: 17 Feb 2019 – 12:30 – 2:00 pm in Fireside Room.  Come to discuss feedback to send to Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) on motions proposed for the 2019 AGM:
1) study group for a possible 8th principle on racism, based on a UUA draft motion;
2) bylaw amendment to facilitate regional representation;
3) bylaw amendment to clarify ministers’ eligibility to participate;
4) CUC strategic priorities for 2019-20;
5) application of CPI to Annual Program Contribution (APC);
6) new basis for APC using membership numbers and annual revenue.
And—discuss UCV’s process for picking delegates for the CUC AGM.

Discussion facilitated by Keith Wilkinson, Chair, UU Connections Committee and former CUC Board member.

About the CUC AGM

Vancouver Unitarians are entitled to 7 voting delegates at the Canadian Unitarian Council Annual General Meeting to be held online from UCV 9:30 AM – 1:00 PM Saturday 11 May 2019. The UCV board approves delegates from amongst members who express interest. Delegates are entrusted to study the proposed resolutions, consider the arguments presented, and then vote in whatever way they believe would be in the interests of UCV.

If you plan to be in Toronto on 11 May you can attend the AGM in person, whether a delegate or not, at the CUC’s office at the Centre for Social Innovation 192 Spadina Ave.

An orientation for UCV delegates will be arranged between February and May 2019. If you’re a UCV member and are interested in serving the church as a delegate to the meeting of our national body, please contact
Keith Wilkinson, Chair of the UCV UU Connections Committee  or
Leonie Armstrong, UCV Board President.

Here is more information regarding the CUC AGM.

About the 2019 CUC AGM

Specific information for being a delegate

Six resolutions/motions are scheduled for debate. The UCV Forum on 17 Feb 2019 (12:45 – 2:00 pm) will provide an opportunity for members to provide feedback on these resolutions which include:

  1. Study group to review the appropriateness of an eighth CUC principle on racial justice;
  2. New method of calculating the annual program contribution (APC) for the CUC.
    The proposed method would be based on membership numbers and annual church revenue.
  3. Four other motions including approval of strategic priorities for 2019-20.

Feedback from UCV members will be submitted to the motion originators before 28 Feb 2019.

Information about 2019 resolutions here.

There will be an online Plenary Session the evening prior to the CUC AGM. Plenaries are informal ways to discuss forthcoming resolutions or other issues of interest to members across Canada. They’re typically quite fun and relaxed. The 2019 Plenary is scheduled for 4-6 pm Pacific Time, Friday 10 May 2019 via zoom in a UCV room TBA, and possibly online from any location.

8 Feb 2019 Update 

Asha Philar, CUC Congregational Life Team – Youth and Young Adult Ministry Specialist advises as follows:

“After consultation and discussion with religious professionals, advisors, youth and parents, we have decided to change the age range of our national youth conference, CanUUdle, from 14-20 to 13-19. We feel that this is more in line with the age range of youth groups in our congregations and will allow more youth to participate. 2019 will be a pilot year, so we will evaluate the change after CanUUdle in May.

CanUUdle registration is open from February 15 to April 30 on the CUC website We hope you will promote this wonderful event to youth in your congregation!”

(This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC and made available courtesy of UUYO Youngstown Ohio and used with thanks!)

 

UU Community in Europe 2019

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Berlin 2019, York, Global Social Justice initiatives…

Join this gathering in Berlin!

European Unitarians Together (EUT) – Retreat in Berlin, 7-10 June 2019

  • “EUT 2019 is a 4-day retreat and conference centered about the theme:

Vielfalt – Würze des Lebens? Variety – Spice of life?

  • We intend to explore the many faces of diversity: its challenges, its benefits and its potential for a better Europe. The event will be simultaneously interpreted into at least English and German.”

Past EUT Retreats (1983 – 2018)

Or visit one of these congregations 

  • Great Britain  170-180  congregations, from Aberdare to York

 

UU community elsewhere on the globe…in case you’re traveling (by sail boat, of course)

Some national UU social justice actions you can join

  • Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice – CUSJ is active on a wide range of social justice issues. Past action areas have included democracy, climate change, environment, peace, health, human rights, criminal justice, and more. And you can keep helping out in these areas.  Check out CUSJ current action areas and the CUSJ Archives of past actions.
  • CUC National Social Justice Team – email: Erin Horvath, CUC Social Justice Lead – Bringing together under one umbrella UUs across Canada who have been active in the CUC’s various Monitoring Groups (e.g., criminal justice, environment, racial justice, affordable housing…)

And if you’re traveling by social media…

The Rise and Fall of Unitarianism in America – YouTube Video 17 mins
Published 11 Oct 2018 by The Cynical Historian

And lest we forget – red and white poppies for remembrance and peace everywhere:

Angel of Mercy – Vancouver’s Downtown East Side, photo K Wilkinson

 

CUC eNews November 2018

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Highlights: New CUC Youth Observer, Board brainstorming using De Bono’s “Six Thinking Hats”, “Shining Lights” and special CUC Funding Programs, CUC Liaison role revived, Young Adults monthly zoom get together, other Roundtables & Webinars…

Download the CUC eNews from the communications page on the CUC website.

Subscribe to the eNews here: 

Articles include:
• Update from the Board President – Read about the September board & staff retreat held in Guelph, ON.
• New Youth Observer to the CUC Board (YOB) – Meet Liv Gardiner, our new YOB!

Liv writes: “I’m 19 years old, and am from Winnipeg, where I
attended the First UU Church of Winnipeg for 14 years. I’m in my
first year of University at Dalhousie in Halifax…”


• 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM) – The upcoming AGM is scheduled for May 11, 2019, and will be hosted by the Unitarian Congregation of Mississauga. Review information about submitting motions.• Planning for the AGM – Tips for delegate selection (due by April 1). Learn how to register your delegates.
• CUC Liaison Role Revived – The CUC Liaison is the bridge between your congregation and the CUC. Read about their responsibilities. (Currently at UCV this is Keith Wilkinson with help from Lynn Armstrong, Emilie Adin, Olivia Hall, Kiersten Moore, and Neal Cameron. Contact Keith if you’d like to help out.)
• Canada and Cannabis – The CUC has a long history of advocacy for the legalization of marijuana reaching back to the 1960s.
• International News – The International Women’s Convocation Fall 2018 newsletter is available now.
• News from Our Congregations – The Westwood Unitarian Congregation has become Canada’s First FreeThinker Friendly UU congregation.
• Shining Lights – The deadline for the 2019 Shining Lights nominations is coming up on December 15.
• Stories from the Nominees for the 2018 Shining Light Award – Learn more about Community Conversations at the Unitarian Fellowship of Peterborough.
• Grants and Subsidies – The CUC manages a variety of grants and subsidies to support congregational outreach, innovation, and seminarians.
• Job and Volunteer Opportunities – Openings are available for CanUUdle staff, Unicamp is looking for a new Executive Director, and the First Unitarian Fellowship of Nanaimo is searching for a part-time consulting minister.
• Upcoming Events – Besides our CUC roundtables and webinars, the Eastern Regional Fall Gathering is happening on November 17. Register now!

• Gathered Here – A new program of monthly zoom chats for young adults

 2018 – November 12, December 10
2019 – January 14, February 11, March 11, April 8, May 6, June 10, July 8, August 12.

• Organizational Tip – Check out the advantages of role-specific email addresses for leaders.
• Contact Us – A full listing of CUC Board and Staff contact information.

If you have information you would like to contribute or are interested in writing an article for the eNews, please contactcommunications@cuc.ca.

Canadian UU Events: Fall 2018, Spring 2019

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Upcoming UU regional, national and international action:
– Referendum on BC Electoral Reform, before 30 Nov;
– CUC AGM, 11 May 2019 in Toronto;
– BC Interior UU Spring Gathering – “Creating Theology Together”, date & location TBA

CUC 2019 Annual General Meeting – Sat 11 May 2019 (weekend before the long weekend), online and live from Toronto. Participate online — being easy on the environment is part of the plan!

We suggest pre-reading and discussion in the fall of 2018 on this topic:     

“Proportional Representation: Assessment of alternative models” – What national, regional, congregational, and individual action plans can we create in support of proportional representation? CUC may propose actions for approval under democracy resolutions endorsed by members at the 2013, 2005 and 2003 AGMs. Therefore, prepare early!

The Vancouver Westside Unitarian Neighbourhood Group (WUNG) discussed this topic at its October 2018 meeting. Here are some links related to those discussions.

“The Rural-Urban PR model proposed by the Attorney General for BC builds on the work of previous commissions and assemblies, combining Mixed Member Proportional and Single Transferable Vote to meet the challenges of BC’s geography. A model like this was proposed federally in 2016 by Canada’s former Chief Electoral Officer Jean-Pierre Kingsley, and something very similar to this is used in Sweden, Denmark and Iceland.”

BC Interior UU Spring Gathering 2019 – Joan Carolyn, Congregational Life Staff Team – Regional Lead, Western & B.C. will be leading discussions with a planning group for a BC Interior UU gathering on the theme “Creating Theology Together”.

Here’s a link to the research behind this theme, a work by John Morehouse, 2015.

CUC 2020 Annual General Meeting & Conference, 15-17 May 2020, online & live from Halifax. Plan ahead! Put it in your calendar now. Reduce carbon emissions! Take the train or drive an electric or hybrid vehicle. Participate online! Compare stones from West and East coast beaches!

Beach stones – natural
Beach stones – enhanced

UU Connections Committee – National & Global

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UUCC  (you you see see) – UCV’s National & Global Connections Committee

Update – 5 July 2018 – from Keith Wilkinson, Committee Chair

This posting summarizes some of the national and global activities in which Vancouver Unitarians have been engaged over the years. Activity in various areas ebbs and flows as members and issues change. If you are curious about possibilities in this wider UU community, these entries can serve as starting places.

Vancouver has participated actively in national Unitarian work for many decades. Our Bylaws require that we be part of the national movement and we have had many members serving on board and staff of the CUC including:

  • Founding member, the late Rev Dr Phillip Hewett in the 1960s;
  • Mary Bennett, Executive Director, 2000-2008;
  • Leslie Kemp, Board member, 2009-2015;
  • Keith Wilkinson, Board member 2015-2018, and immediate Past President.

Following in this tradition of involvement, UCV’s Director of Religious Education, Kiersten Moore, has just begun her first three-year term as a CUC Board member (2018-2021) and is serving as CUC Board Secretary. Rev Debra Thorne, a former UCV member and Lay Chaplain and now Parish Minister at Beacon Unitarian Church in New Westminster, is UUMOC’s Minister Observer to the CUC Board.

Read more about the CUC Board, see their pictures, and read about the May 2018 Conference in the June 2018 CUC eNews. 

COMING UP NEXT:

2019 CUC AGM – The UCV Board will need to select and prepare delegates for the 2019 CUC AGM. This will be conducted person to person in Toronto and online across Canada using zoom. Typically, the CUC Board will meet in Toronto with Greater Toronto congregational delegates who wish to attend in person. Others across Canada can sign in electronically. UCV will be entitled to 7 or 8 voting delegates depending upon official membership numbers in September 2018. If you’re a UCV member and would like to be considered to attend as an official delegate, please speak to someone on the UCV board.

The official CUC AGM will probably be on the weekend before the Victoria Day long weekend, that is, on Saturday 11 May 2019. (Victoria Day is 20 May 2019.) AGMs are open to all members and friends, but only formally appointed delegates can speak to and vote on resolutions.

There will probably also be an informal sharing of ideas at a Cross Canada Dialog on the Friday evening of 10 May 2019. These dialogs are open to all members and friends and are often lively and respectful exchanges of views about controversial, critical, and emerging national and global issues. These sessions are sometimes set up as resolution plenary sessions if formal resolutions are being presented at the AGM.

The CUC’s National Conference in 2020 will take place in Halifax, Nova Scotia from May 15 – 17, 2020. Once again, the 2020 AGM will be available face-to-face or globally online.

  • (Note that CUC AGMs in even years are usually on the Victoria Day weekend and in odd years are on the weekend preceding the Victoria Day weekend.)

Parliament of the World’s Religions (POWR) –

  • Meeting in Toronto ON, 1- 7 Nov 2018
  • The Parliament of the World’s Religions was created to cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its guiding institutions in order to achieve a just, peaceful and sustainable world.
  • To accomplish this, we invite individuals and communities who are equally invested in attaining this goal.

UU-UNO Spring Conference  New York City, 11-13 Apr 2019.
The UU-United Nations Office is a program that connects the UUA to United Nations work. Canadians have been participating in a variety of ways including donations and youth visits to the UN.

 

LONGER RANGE OPPORTUNITIES FOR VOLUNTEER ENGAGEMENT  

ICUU – International Council of Unitarian Universalists

  • Organized under the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA)
  • Encourages emerging UU groups globally. Approx 30 members and emerging national groups from Africa, Australia, Europe, India, Phillipines. Canada has had members serving on the Executive for many years.
  • Last gatherings were in Amsterdam, Netherlands in 2016 and Kathmandu Nepal in 2018; next gathering TBA
  • The CUC makes charitable donations annually for ICUU work that meets the requirements of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

UCV’s Partner Church in Brasso, Romania

  • Vancouver Unitarians have a special relationship with the UU congregation in Brassó, Romania and often arrange to visit that congregation. For info about the UCV Partner Church Committee contact Alison Pearson alisonpearson1@shaw.ca
  • The Vancouver Partner Church program is one of 186 partnerships facilitated by the UUA’s Partner Church Council.
  • Here is a list of the 186 UU partnerships around the world. If you travel, visit!

UUA – Unitarian Universalist Association (USA)

  • The central organization for the Unitarian Universalist (UU) religious movement in the United States. Over 1,000 member congregations.
  • In 2001 the CUC and the UUA agreed that many services for Canada should be organized through the CUC. (An important exception is the training and certification of UU ministers.) A few Canadian congregations remain members of both the UUA and the CUC.
  • UUA continues to develop many resources that can be of value to Canadians. In 2016 the CUC Board identified these as opportunities CUC should pursue.
  • UU-UNO – A program that connects the UUA to United Nations global work. In past decades, Canadians have been active participants in this program and the CUC still makes charitable donations annually for designated global projects that meet the requirements of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). The next UU-UNO Spring Conference in New York City is 11-13 Apr 2019.

CUC – Canadian Unitarian Council  

Some ways to get involved in CUC national projects:

Andrew Cathers, “Heart Labrynth”
  • Online events – webinars and roundtables
  • Regional gatherings – The CUC is organized into four regions, currently BC, Western, Central, and Eastern. A range of gatherings are regularly scheduled for different age levels and interests.
  • Check the websites of BC’s 12 congregations or the other 34 congregations across Canada for local events. Visit them when you travel.

 

CUC Background:

  • The CUC was formed in 1961 operating with support from the American UUA.
  • On 1 July 2002 the Canadian Unitarian Council became the main association and service provider for Unitarians and Universalists in Canada.
  • In 2018 there were 46 member congregations of the CUC.
  • Visit the CUC website to learn more about the programs and services supported by the CUC.
  • See Milestones in CUC History 1940-2002.
  • Funding for CUC’s operations come from the following sources:
    • Annual Program Contribution (APC) from all members congregations – currently based on membership size, but an alternative may be recommended in 2019.
      Approx CUC income in 2017 from this source: $366,000 (43%)
    • Donations to Friends of the CUC and to special CUC projects and joint projects of CUC and other groups like the UU Ministers Association of Canada (UUMOC). Special projects in recent years have included Sharing Our Faith, Northern Lights, Shining Lights, and the Theological Education Fund. Approx CUC 2017 income from this source: $314,000 (37%)
    • Investment income – the CUC has reserves invested in ethically and environmentally screened enterprises. Approx CUC 2017 income from this source: $126,000 (15%)
    • Event registration – Many CUC programs and conferences include a revenue component to help them be self-sustaining.
      Approx CUC 2017 income from this source: $36,000 (4%)
    • Other income – Approx CUC 2017 income from this source: $17,000 (2%)
    • Total Approx CUC income in 2017: $838,000 (100%)

CUSJ – Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice

  • CUSJ describes itself as “A national faith-based organization that supports Unitarian values through action”. It has a number of very active campaigns and publishes a newsletter regularly.
  • CUSJ is a not for profit non-charitable national organization that operates independently from the CUC so that it can take political action beyond what would be allowable for the CUC as a charitable organization.
  • CUSJ was formed in 1996 has regional chapters including Vancouver Island & Gulf Islands, West Coast Region, Southern Alberta, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Ottawa, and Quebec.

Encounter World Religions Centre  –

  • Mission: Encounter promotes religious literacy and informed understanding of cultural diversity.
  • Approach: Encounter is an educational organization that blends academic and experiential learning to foster encounters with the four P’s of religious communities: their people, places, practices and philosophies.
  • Operates from Guelph Ontario. Has conducted sessions at CUC Conferences.

 

Silver Star Mountain

Other Global Organizations with compatible values

World Federalist Movement – Canadian branches

USC Canada – Focus on Global Seed Security

UCV labyrinth dancers

Keith Wilkinson

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Keith joined our congregation in 1998 after a period of limited religious affiliations that never quite fit. He had an introverted spiritual inclination, a prairie farm background that made him feel close to the earth, and an interdisciplinary academic background in educational psychology, anthropology and linguistics and lots of international travel that brought him into contact with various world religions. He adhered to Judaism for a while, but it didn’t resonate with his own childhood experience of the transcendent. UU was a much more comfortable fit.

Much of Keith’s working life was committed to administration in post-secondary education, health care, justice and public safety. At UCV he joined the Worship Services Committee, and then the Board – first as Treasurer and eventually as President. Subsequently he provided volunteer support and leadership in human resources, communications, covenant groups, and most recently the UCV Membership Committee.

Keith was elected to the board of the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC) in 2015 and served as President of the CUC in 2016 and 2017. The CUC provides another level of UU community working nationally and globally, linked to the Vancouver community through our Bylaws, and linked philosophically through a shared vision of a world in which our interdependence calls us to love and justice.

Keith has been trying to focus his attention in recent days and years on being a better partner, appreciating the good fortunes of his life, contributing as best he can to reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous people living in Canada, trying to become more skillful in mindfulness and compassionate communications, supporting sustainable energy initiatives, staying physically active (skiing, walking, cycling, gym, walking the dog), pondering mortality, and, in the background, continuing his oldest passion and spiritual practice, writing poetry.