It was a joy to celebrate with you as we welcomed each other back to church at the annual BarBQ and at the picnic after the in-gathering service on Sept. 11.

For those of you who missed the worship service, be sure to ask Wendy about the gift she was presented in recognition of her 10 wonderful years as our settled minister. The gorgeous, handmade, stole selected by the Board has a scene with sky and birds and trees and rivers. It turns out that the gift was so well suited to Wendy's passions that it EXACTLY matches the stole she bought for herself! How amazing is that?

More wonderful news to announce: Sharlotte Eiland will serve as our Clerk finishing out the last year of Rebecca Wright's term; Rebecca is now a member of the Board.

At our Board Retreat in August we selected our two Board Goals for the year:

• Energize the Congregation
• Maintain a balanced budget

We are gathering ideas on how to implement that first goal. We are going to mine the new Vision Statement looking for ideas that we as a congregation are passionate about. We are going to review the church committee structure with an eye to reducing the number of people and committees that run our church, and we are going to review, renew and support the Religious Education program. We plan to hold a conversation with the congregation about the Vision and about how best to implement it.

Our first meeting in September was full of updates. The Green Sanctuary team is hoping to finalize the UUA process this year. The Stewardship Campaign will include UUA and District Dues. The Emergency Preparedness document will be updated and edited. Rental rates, especially for Weddings, will be reviewed. We will also keep a close look on the Town's progress with one-day liquor licenses.

For the first time the Board will take on a social action project as a group. On November 6th Board Members will cook and serve dinner at the Community Café.

Rev. John Gibbons , at the Bedford church, is quoted as saying "the church has left the building!" Well, here we go! Please sign up using Jooners to volunteer for Sunday morning greeting, ushering, decorating, and hospitality. You can always find this link on the home page of our website.

Take Joy!

Cary Browse for the Board
Rev. Wendy Bell, Chuck Agosta, Susie Macrae, Sally Steele, Darrell Wickman, Rebecca Wright