“Stewardship” refers to our practices of caring for our community, particularly with an eye toward our long-term thriving.  Our amazing community has a strong culture of stewardship, and that has allowed us to navigate the past few years with remarkable grace.  We’re well-situated to rebuild in the coming months and years, thanks to our collective responsiveness, creativity, curiosity, generosity, flexibility, dedication, goodwill, steadfastness, faith, and joy.  Perhaps you have other descriptive words! 

Our stewardship campaign is an opportunity to reflect on our resilience and dream together about our future.  It will take place throughout March and into April, with the following activities:

• March 6: Stewardship Kickoff Sunday Service, “The Dance of Value”
• March 8 – 20: Stewardship Conversations in small groups [select a session and register at https://tinyurl.com/StewardshipConversations]
  
• March 21 – 31: Pledge Drive, the time to return your pledge card
• April 3: Stewardship Roundup Sunday Service, “A Life of Abundance”
• April 10: Annual Meeting

Financial stewardship is a key component of our resilience and care.  To that end, as part of our stewardship campaign, we will share information about our financial needs and invite you to renew or adjust your annual pledge. 

But we value many other types of contributions, too: participation on committees, questions and insights during coffee hour, tidying the kitchen and shoveling snow, reaching out to a member in need, warmly welcoming a newcomer, formal and informal leadership … This year, our stewardship campaign begins with small group conversations to express our appreciation for all the gifts we have received from the fellowship–the fruits of past contributions of our members.  Then we’ll reflect on the kind of future we are looking forward to.  From this place of possibility, we’ll each assess how we can contribute, financially and otherwise, in order to bring a beautiful future into being.

Sign up for a small group conversation here contact Chris Bailey at meadbailey@gmail.com or (785) 341-8997.  All sessions held at the Fellowship will have childcare available by request–just email Sandy Nelson, at dre@uufm.net, if childcare would help you attend.  Your group facilitators will be sharing notes from your conversations with the Finance Team, the Board, and Pastor Isa so that we can “listen in” on your collective wisdom and incorporate your perspective into planning for the future.  The amount of money you pledge will figure into the budget we’ll vote on at the Annual Meeting.

Let us come together in purpose and in joy to conjure a world that truly reflects our values.