2024 has been an exciting year here at First Unitarian Church. Together we’ve gone through many big changes and had many wonderful adventures together. Here are a few of the highlights from this year:
January
This month we had an all-congregational meeting. Traditionally we have just one of these per year, but due to many important issues our congregation was exploring, we had an extra meeting this year. Issues that were discussed included Changing our organization’s name, the Ministerial Evaluation, reports from the Stewardship Committee, the Defeat the Deficit Taskforce, and the Finance Committee. You can find the minutes from this meeting here: https://firstunitarian.us/church-documents/annual-special-meeting-minutes-and-annual-reports/ under Special Meetings.
February
For the first time our congregation hosted the Love is Love Dinner, a valentines themed event where we celebrate love in all its wonderful forms. This event ended up selling out and was a total success. You can learn more about that event by checking out this blog post: https://firstunitarian.us/2024/01/29/love-is-love-dinner-date/
March
This month our community hosted The Sea The Sea Concert. Chuck E. Costa and Mira Costa, is a Nashville based (via Upstate NY and WV) indie folk-pop duo featuring what Bob Boilen (NPR’s All Songs Considered) calls “excellent harmonies” & Huffington Post calls, “Two of the loveliest male-female voices you might ever hear this or any other year.” You can learn more about that event over on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1376300346328211
April
This was a big month with both our Spring Ingathering and the reinstatement of our annual Trivia Night! At our ingathering 9 folks decided to officially become members of First Unitarian Church! This was record setting for our Spring Ingatherings! Our trivia event was themed to Halfway to Halloween and included four teams playfully battling for the title of winner. You can learn more about this event here: https://firstunitarian.us/2024/04/27/a-spooky-success-halfway-to-halloween-trivia-night-at-first-unitarian-church/
May
Leading up to our Annual All-Congregational Meeting, this month we had a series of meetings all centered on “What’s in a Name?” The point of these groups was to explore more in depth the possibility of changing our organization’s name. To see what happened at the All-Congregational Meeting, check out the documents page here: https://firstunitarian.us/church-documents/annual-special-meeting-minutes-and-annual-reports/ Note the minutes from these meeting are still in Draft form and will not be approved until the next all-congregational meeting.
June
This month General Assembly for the Unitarian Universalist Association met to take the final vote on the revisions to the Article 2 bylaws. In prep for this event, Rev. Byrd Tetzlaff, Rev. Chip Roush, and Dr. Louise discussed what this revision would look like and to see what members of our community wished to have submitted as our congregation’s vote on the issue. You can learn more about that discussion here https://firstunitarian.us/2024/06/17/voting-to-revise-article-2/ and the final outcome of the vote here: https://firstunitarian.us/2024/07/03/article-2-revision-officially-passes/
July
In July we had to bid farewell to our Minister of 11 years Rev. Chip Roush. Together we celebrated all the many contributions he made to our community with a cake and party after he preached for the last time in our sanctuary.
August
This month First Unitarian Church tabled at Downtown South Bend’s Art Beat! This art festival celebrates all kinds of artistic expression featuring local artists from around our community. We had many excellent conversations with a variety of folks from throughout our community. Many people commented on our sign that read “God Optional Church.” Some with surprise and curiosity while a few folks were a little doubtful. We had several discussions including how a non-dogmatic church can exist and what its like to be with a community that priorities connection over agreement. You can read more about the event here: https://firstunitarian.us/2024/08/14/unitarian-universalists-at-art-beat/
This was also the month that Gen XMZ started their Dungeons and Dragons group. Learn more about that here: https://firstunitarian.us/2024/08/20/dungeons-and-dragons-at-first-unitarian/
September
For September we had a series of meetings called Congregational Conversations. The purpose of these conversations was to listen to what the congregation is looking for in a minister. Questions that were asked included:
1) Why did you first come to this Church?
2) Why do you stay here?
3) Why is this Church important?
As of the writing of this post, a report about these conversations is available in the members only section of the website.
October
This month First Unitarian in partnership with SoUUnds hosted Francis Luke Accord. This South Bend based music sensation was a musical experience not to be missed!
November
Our 47th annual service auction took place just at the start of November this year. The theme this year was ‘Friendsgiving’- for friends building community and giving! This party includes music, decorations, good food, and drinks! The event was a major success and contributed significantly to the financial well-being of our community. Learn more about it here: https://firstunitarian.us/2024/11/11/celebrating-generosity-a-look-back-at-our-47th-service-auction/
December
This month we welcomed 7 new members to our congregation! It was a joyous occasion filled with wonderful people deepening their connections to one another. You can read more about this ingathering here: https://firstunitarian.us/2024/12/12/celebrating-new-beginnings-at-first-unitarian/