Developmental Minister Annual Report 2021

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Developmental Minister Annual Report
UU Fellowship of Manhattan, Kansas
April 15, 2021
Rev. Jonalu Johnstone

The COVID pandemic tremendously shaped the year for UUFM, as it did for everyone.  We have conducted virtual services throughout the year, held two congregational meetings on Zoom, conducted our annual holiday sale on Facebook Marketplace, and moved almost everything on-line.  Our only consistent in-person events have been outdoor gatherings of children and families organized by DRE Sandy Nelson.  These have been weekly on Saturday afternoons, as weather permitted.

At last year’s Annual Meeting, members voted to approve the vision statement, but rejected the proposed mission statement.  Leaders regrouped, revised, consulted, and proposed a new statement that with slight modification received approval at the special congregational meeting in the fall.  The new mission statement is:  A diverse, evolving spiritual community acting for a better world.  I see signs that UUFM is living into both the mission and vision.

Despite technical glitches along the way, we have adapted well to on-line worship.  Many thanks to all who worked on tech throughout the year:  Dick Beeman (our newest assistant tech!), Amy Betz (our newest lead tech!) Jeff Brown, Katie Kingery-Page, Les Loschky, Mark Mayfield, Rob Morrison, Mark Mosher, Jessica Sievers, and of course, Doug Walter, who in addition to learning the lead tech role in no time at all, trained others and kept us all calm and grounded.  We have a unique approach to planning and producing our services, a strong collaboration between lay leaders (conveners, Sunday Services Committee, and tech team) and the minister that combines the best of traditional fellowship and traditional church approaches.

With COVID and considering our UUFM financial position, we agreed to reduce my time this year to 3/4, from fulltime.  I’ve appended the plan agreed to by the Board last May at the end of this report.  Since July, I have taken a week off each month to restrict my working time, have reduced my number of Sundays preaching, and relied more on lay leadership.  Folks have risen to the challenge, and, at least from my perspective, the year has gone well.

The other staff change to note is that over the summer, Troy Fisher resigned from his long-time position as custodian.  We were lucky to have his consistency and reliability for so many years.  As we move towards re-opening the building, we will be moving to a cleaning service.

Racial justice–or injustice–has been a national, denominational and local theme this year.  Following the murder of George Floyd, protests broke out across the country and around the world, including in Manhattan, where 2000–yes, that is two THOUSAND–people showed up to support Black Lives Matter.  Though I did not attend (I was still staying home in the pandemic), many UU’s did.  UU’s on a continental basis took a stand, supporting an Action on Immediate Witness–Amen to Uprising https://www.uua.org/sites/live-new.uua.org/files/aiw_b_version_2.pdf.

Also, the Action of Immediate Witness Address 400 Years of White Colonialism https://www.uua.org/sites/live-new.uua.org/files/aiw_a_version_2.pdf passed.  “Undoing Intersectional White Supremacy” https://www.uua.org/action/process/csais/undoing-intersectional-white-supremacy/2018-2022-csai-undoing-intersectional continues to be the Study Action Resolution underway.  In a related matter, at the UU General Assembly, the Commission on Institutional Change (CIC) presented its report. Responsive Resolutions passed addressing the pandemic and making the Journey Towards Wholeness Team into an accountability team, in accord with recommendations from the CIC.  Our association finds itself in the same place as the nation, a place of transition and ability to change quickly and drastically.

Here in our congregation, we endorsed Black Lives Matter by congregational vote and have plans to post a BLM banner.  Our Racial Justice Team spent the year studying the report from the UUA Commission on Institutional Change (Widening the Circle of Concern) and will bring recommendations to the Board in the next couple of months. During the summer, the Team sponsored a well-attended book study of Ibram X. Kendi’s How to Be an Anti-Racist.  Many thanks to all who participated, especially Judy Nickelson, Marisa Larson, and Kathy Swenson.

The year continually demanded agility and flexibility. UUFM responded well.  A committed core continued to attend Sunday services regularly, including members locked in at Meadowlark Hills and visitors from coast to coast.  However, many families with children drifted away, with promises to return when we are back to “normal.”  We recognize the need, when we return to in-person services, to continue a virtual option that involves people unable to be physically present.  We even added six new members during the year!

We can be proud that through this challenging year we have met our budget and maintained operations.  UUFM benefits from its sizable cadre of committed members, truly in covenant with one another.

Let me report on our activities together during the past year, organizing them once more around our developmental goals:

Strategic Action to Create Strong, Visible, and Socially Active Presence

  1. Congregational Participation in Social Justice work Despite finding ourselves in challenging times in terms of the pandemic and political uproar, UUFM members and friends have shown up for a number of significant events and causes, including:
    1. BLM rallies
    2. People’s Forum for County Commission candidates
    3. Conversations on Race and Reconciliation
    4. Coalition for Equal Justice
    5. Manhattan Alliance for Peace and Justice
    6. League of Women Voters
    7. Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA), including their Racial Justice Seminar and Legislative Advocacy week
    8. Numerous individual efforts through Shepherd’s Crossing, Fairy Godmothers, and more
  2. Specific congregation-wide efforts.
    1. Vote to affirm Black Lives Matter.
    2. Creation and maintenance of a Blessing Box and Free Library outside Wonder Workshop. (Thanks especially to Doug Walter and Dan Swenson; also to everyone who contributes to it.)
    3. Helping Hands offerings to various groups.
    4. Happy Kitchen has not been operating this year, but is heading towards re-opening. (Thanks to Tom Phillips for leading this effort)
  3. Inside our congregation.
    1. The Racial Justice Task Force has been studying UUA Widening the Circle of Concern to see where we need to address racial justice within our own congregation and community.
    2. Our new Social Justice co-chairs will be Deirdre Greeley and Kathy Swenson.
  4. Ministerial involvement Because this is one of our priority goals for developmental ministry, I continued to spend significant energy in the area of social action, though in new and different ways.
    1. Served as chair of MAPJ Board, where I worked with the county transparency campaign (increasing transparency of the County Commission; incuding moderating People’s Press Conference and making a statement at the County Commission), involvement with development of a Strategic Plan, and helping to move MAPJ into becoming a hub of local progressive organizations, while maintaining the commitment to community organizing.
    2. Co-chaired Coalition for Equal Justice (which grew exponentially this year) with Dr. Lorenza Lockett. (New co-chair will be Megan Hartford), including an interview with the Kansas News Service
    3. Though Pride was very low key this year, I was interviewed by KSNT about Pride in coronavirus times.
    4. Provided training to Crisis Center volunteers on Religion and Domestic Violence
    5. Attended on-line meetings of the Clergy group of Kansas Interfaith Action, as well as legislative Advocacy Week.
    6. Moderated People’s Forum for County Commission candidates.
    7. Served on the planning committee for Conversations on Race and Reconciliation: Listening to Local Voices and provided tech assistance for 2 major community conversations.
    8. Spoke at Riley County League of Women Voter’s Annual Meeting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRhUU1PYebs
    9. Provided video for the KIFA Vigil at WEALTH (environmental) Advocacy Days at the legislature https://www.dropbox.com/s/b7acvn9powtg9ad/WEALTH%20UU.mov?dl=0
    10. Spoke at a KSU class on religious diversity and design
    11. Was greatly honored to receive the Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Committee’s Spirit of the Community award.

Full-time Ministerial Leadership Model

  1. Sunday Services.
    1. We tackled copyright issues as moving to on-line services required new understandings, and we increased our on-line presence throughout our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=uufm+mhk
    2. Christmas Eve bowled me over this year! With all the work and energy required for Sunday services, my thought was to do something small and simple. Yet, so many people came forward with ways to be involved. It became so much more than I could have imagine. Sandy Nelson’s video of some of our youngest children singing “Jingle Bells” in their separate homes. Renea Brown’s recordings of her piano students who are associated with the congregation. So many volunteer readers. The voluntary cooperation of so many in our congregation truly lifted my spirits, especially as I coped with a bout of COVID myself during December.
    3. Monthly meetings with conveners continued for service planning and engagement with our themes. We continue to profit from using Soul Matters as a resource.
    4. Summer services came through a cooperative among nine different congregations, each supplying one recorded service. We supplemented with our regular connections on Zoom and a local convener, but were able to give our tech crew and service planners a well-deserved break. We will participate in a similar cooperative this summer.
    5. I participated in Peter Bowden’s Video Ministry Academy and added regular social media videos to encourage Sunday attendance and engagement with our Facebook page.
  2. Participation in leadership.
    1. Currently we have the following official committees operating: https://uufm.net/committees/
    2. I continued to lead a Chalice Circle and organize group facilitators for occasional check-in meetings.
    3. I pulled together meetings of our Caring Team and coordinated on membership with Shirley Hobrock.
    4. I participated in other meetings, as requested, or where I felt I could be useful.
    5. I worked with Barb Gutsch in Salina to help revive the Southern Cluster of the MidAmerica Region of the UUA.
  3. Staff supervision and support.
    1. I led monthly staff meetings.
    2. All staff received annual evaluations. All are performing satisfactorily, despite the extra demands of the time and moving completely offsite.
    3. Worked with the ad hoc HR Committee (Chair, treasurer, and Kathleen Oldfather, as HR representative) to review benefits
  4. Pastoral Care.
    1. With informal interactions severely limited due to the pandemic, I did twice weekly drop-in Zoom sessions. Usually 1-2 people would attend, though there were sessions when no one came, and we had as many as 8 show up on a given day.
    2. For the first time this year, I sent all members (and a few friends) holiday cards in December.
    3. Sandy Nelson and I sent Beloved Community cards to all members (and a few friends) in February to celebrate our connections consistent with the Soul Matter theme.
    4. I made phone calls, particularly to check in on people we have not been seeing.
  5. Rites of Passage.
    1. I officiated one wedding outside the congregation.
    2. I dedicated Rio Benavides, child of Ruddy and Mac.
    3. With great sadness, we said good-bye to Dick Cattell and Margene Moss, though there were no formal memorial services.  That is part of what has been difficult in these times.
  6. Other
    1. I continued my Good Offices work with the UU Ministers Association.

Grow in Ways to Support Our Goals

  1. Membership growth.
    1. New members included: Mary Beth Reese, Lorn Clement, Lynn Ewanow, Mac Benavides, Ruddy Benavides, and Karen Hummel
    2. We did hold one formal Path to Membership class, while Shirley and I made other informal contacts.
  2. Social Media, Outreach, Communications:
    1. As noted above, I added regular videos to our Facebook page. We have 443 likes and 484 followers on our Facebook page, up from 402 likes last year.  Holding stable, we have 130 members on UUFM Coffee and Conversation.  Our Instagram has 282 followers, up from 210 last year.  By using Soul Matters social media tool box, we get UU content out to all these people regularly.  Thanks to Taryn Warren and Katie Kingery-Page for posting these.

Coming Up

Another year of experimentation! We’ll figure out how to get back to together in person, while maintaining virtual connection.  And, if all goes well, you will have a new minister.

My last Sunday will be July 18.  I leave with mixed feelings.  I have dearly loved being your minister.  This congregation is healthy and strong with an amazing mix of great people, multi-generational and skilled.  I confess it has been a hard year, though you all have made it easier than it would have been otherwise.  As the days move forward, I hope to find opportunities for personal good-byes to many of you.  Please contact me if you want to set something up.

Many blessings now and going forward,

Jonalu Johnstone, Developmental Minister

Contact Jonalu at revjonalu@uufm.net.

 

Plan for Reduction of Time to ¾ (proposed and accepted by the Board in 2020)

  • Sunday Morning Services
    • During the current fiscal year, I preached 35 times (including 2 pulpit exchanges). The UUA recommendation for full-time ministry is 30-35 times a year. I also assisted with several other services and often attended when I was not sharing a reflection, sometimes contributing through Joys and Concerns. I propose dropping the Sundays where I am speaker to 26, and will propose specific dates for the year to the Sunday Services Committee at its meeting on Saturday, May 2.
    • I will continue to meet with conveners the month prior to their scheduled services to explore the theme and plan services.
    • I will be available to assist in planning, but expect to be present less often on Sunday mornings when I am not speaking.
  • Community Presence/Social Action
    • This area seems the obvious one to drop back my involvement. I expect this will be a transition rather than break. I will continue involvement but less intensive involvement as I transition out of leadership in:
      • Coalition for Equal Justice. I have acquired a co-chair, who will be sole chair by January.
      • Manhattan Alliance for Peace and Justice. I am working with the Nominating Committee to solidify a plan. I’ll go off the board next spring.
      • Little Apple Pride. I plan to leave the leadership team.
    • Ministerial Role in the Congregation
      • Develop lay leadership for the Racial Justice Team
      • Have minimal involvement with mission and strategic plan
      • Continue other roles.
    • Time and Presence
      • Knowing my own personality and difficulty in keeping from working, I suggest that I be “off duty” one week out of each month.  I’ll be clear about the times I am not available, and will not keep office hours or coffeehouse hours or zoom hours during those times.  I will likely spend many of those weeks out of town, which will help to clarify the boundary. Generally, this will be towards the end of the month.  I’ll map out the specific dates once we’ve established an agreement on when this will go into effect.
    • Starting Date
      • Normally the assumption would be that the change would begin with the new fiscal year, June 1.
      • However, if we receive the PPP loan, then my time should not be decreased until 8 weeks following receipt of the loan (if I understand the regulations correctly).  We should be hearing about this soon.

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