The Board, OMC, and Nominating Committee met for our Annual Retreat on Saturday January 25, 2025. This report summarizes our discussions.

What We Accomplished in 2024

• Fixed building exterior; made decisions together
• Hired New Settled Minister 2024!
• (In 2023, continuing in 2024): $2.3 million for the Capital Campaign, including supplemental fundraising
• Under budget for repairs & updates; leftover $ for interior, thanks to our contractors
• Hired new RE Coordinator
• All Elective offices filled
• Church attendance is up!
• Revived the newcomer lunch!
• Managed finances well
• • • Pledges being paid at 95% or better.
    • balanced budget
    • no major cuts needed due to a successful 2024-25 Stewardship campaign
• 25-26 Stewardship launch successful, about 30 people at the Leadership Party,
• Stewardship team fully staffed
• New format for the weekly eblast.
• “No Rehearsal Christmas Pageant” was held, involved many, inclusive, fun
• More children in attendance
• Tech Crew functional
• Improved technical aspect of Zoom service; included zoom participants more actively/consciously
• Recorded services are now regularly being put on to YouTube!!
• Hosted our partner church visitors from Transylvania (Romania).
• Resurrected or continued in-person activities & programming: open mics, small groups; after service lunches
• Hired new RE director
• Made space for previously unheard (as loudly) voices; youth – POC – LGBTQIA
• Renovated and improved youth room
• Improved/clarified policies on disruptive behavior
• Congregation approved several updates to the Bylaws
• Congregation passed a right relations covenant.
• Board passed a suspension policy.
• Installed the Right Relations Team
• Service Auction was held in November 2024, added $9006.
• Again participated in the Interfaith Pride Booth and the Pride Parade
• New members formally welcomed in church on two occasions.
• Social Justice Council and the Homeless Concerns group meeting regularly; Hygiene kits and sandwich making for homeless continued, as well as advocacy for the non-emergency vans in San Jose to be fully staffed.  PACT (People Acting in Community Together) and SURJ (Showing Up For Racial Justice) both came and spoke to the Social Justice Council. Social Justice Council continued to lift up the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band
• Pastoral Associates working very well
• Had one very successful Service Is Our Prayer Day
• The front doors were fixed
• Inclusion of Guitars Aloud in the monthly music planning sessions
• Had session and service on the new Article II of the UUA Bylaws
• Began more seriously addressing Building security with detailed lockup procedures and a designated lockup person list; rekeyed entrance to office area; made outdoor  ramp lock more secure.
• Continued staffing Welcome Table and Coffee Hour
• Splitting roles on OMC working well (Building, Personnel, Membership & Connections)
• Weekly UUTheVote sessions held June-October, generating over 4000 letters and postcards to voters!

What we wanted to do but didn’t get to

• Attract MORE families and young people
• Finalize rental policies (still in progress)
• College outreach
• Keep improving communication between OMC & Board, & between leadership & congregation – add “UPDATE” section to newsletter??
• Expand communication/meeting structure to be more productive/not talk over each other.  (ps, pretty much normalized at the OMC…)
• Committee on Ministry, https://www.uua.org/leaderlab/handbook/ministry/committee/functions
• Expand RE Committee & begin Adult RE classes
• Implement electronic locking system – was extensively evaluated, and deemed too expensive at this time
• More tables in front of the church and in HPH
• Outreach to tech community/possible college interns

Concerns/Wonderings

• Will congregation step up or will political climate make us passive and discouraged
• Need more volunteers
• How can we support/highlight strengths/loves, gifts of Rev Matthew?
• Getting clarity about roles and expectations
• Concern about losing focus on expressed hopes for increased/more spirituality
• Conflict resolution – did we learn from the past?
• Will we refuse to change and grow? Will our minister and/or leaders burn out?
• Will we grow enough to remain a viable community?
• Are we too inwardly focused?
• Will our governance structure continue to serve us?

Aspirations/Hopes/Dreams/Looking forward to 2025

Items getting at least 5 votes at the retreat

• Lively RE programs and increased populations
• Increase awareness & participation in social justice activities
• Clean up books/greater financial clarity/building up finance team
• Update website & editing processes, establish communications team
• Partner with other local UUs in justice work, R.E., etc.
• Finalize & implement rental policies & rates
• Revise membership directory with easily usable database; evaluate Servant Keeper (alternatives)
• Regular visitor events/new member events
• More leadership development opportunities
• Another Service Auction in 2025 – BIG $ goal!
• Another strong Stewardship campaign (in progress)
  • Bring Music Director up to 20 hours and/or increase hours for Music staff and for RE

Other hopes/dreams/aspirations

• Continue being part of the SJ Jazz Festival
• Continue monthly special collections
• Continue open mic nights (after Rick leaves on his trip!)
• Intergenerational activities
• Finish interior of building
• Install 1 elec lock on ADA door so renters don’t need a key
• Respond to the current political climate
• Take care of the building better
• Improve connection with PACT
• Expand adult RE:  spiritual practices class beginning, Starting Point will be happening for new UU’s
• Improve garden in front of church
• Membership Sunday twice a year
• Partner church tea/fundraiser maybe May?
• Keep small groups strong
• Minister will guide us to growth, a deeper engagement with our values, more programs that touch people deeply; honoring needs of all people.
• Increased energy to all programs, esp resistance to new federal policies
• Predictable costs
• Nom Com to work with Rev Matthew on leadership training
• Justice for incarcerated people
• Revive the play
• Clear communications with Third Street/combined events?
• Increase rental income (by spiffing up the place)
• Continue/expand mutually supportive working relationship between the Minister, the Leadership & the Congregation.
• Continue with Minister as central inspiration and direction