Annual Report 2015 - Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church

Transcription

Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church
2014-15 Annual Report
2013-14 Annual Report Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church
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Table of Contents
Governance Model .............................................................................................................................................................. 6
Live Oak Ideas Process Map ............................................................................................................................................ 7
Live Oak Feedback Process Map ................................................................................................................................... 8
2014-2015 Minister’s Annual Report ......................................................................................................................... 9
A. Executive and Finance ............................................................................................................................................... 13
1.
Board of Trustees and Policy Committee ................................................................................................. 13
a. Nominating Committee .................................................................................................................................... 14
b. Executive Team................................................................................................................................................... 15
c. Finance Committee ............................................................................................................................................ 16
d. Stewardship Committee .................................................................................................................................. 17
e. Endowment Committee ................................................................................................................................... 20
f. Denominational Affairs Committee ............................................................................................................. 21
g. Healthy Community Team .............................................................................................................................. 22
B. The Five Ministries ..................................................................................................................................................... 23
1. Congregational Life ................................................................................................................................................ 24
a. Membership Team ............................................................................................................................................. 24
b. Fun and Fellowship Team............................................................................................................................... 25
c. Pastoral Care Team ............................................................................................................................................ 26
d. Library Team ....................................................................................................................................................... 27
e. Groups .................................................................................................................................................................... 28
2014-2015 Bookstuff Annual Report ......................................................................................................... 28
2014-2015 Bookworms Annual Report .................................................................................................... 28
2014-2015 Church Ladies Lunch Group Annual Report .................................................................... 29
2014-2015 Everyday Relationship Chalice Circle Annual Report .................................................. 29
2014-2015 Hiking Club Annual Report ..................................................................................................... 29
2014-2015 LOUUPY (Live Oak UU Parents & Youth) Chalice Circle Annual Report ............... 30
2014-2015 Men’s Linguistic Society Annual Report ............................................................................ 30
2014-2015 Parents of Young Children (PYC) Chalice Circle Annual Report .............................. 30
2014-2015 Quest Annual Report ................................................................................................................. 31
2014-2015 Wisdom Circle Chalice Circle Annual Report .................................................................. 31
2014-2015 Women’s Labyrinth Ritual Group Annual Report ......................................................... 32
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2014-2015 Women’s SoulCollage® Annual Report ............................................................................. 32
2014-2015 Women Together Chalice Circle Annual Report............................................................. 32
2. Spiritual Life ............................................................................................................................................................. 33
a. Worship Team ....................................................................................................................................................... 33
1.) Soundboard ................................................................................................................................................... 33
2.) Sanctuary Flowers ...................................................................................................................................... 34
3.) Worship Setup .............................................................................................................................................. 34
b. Music Program .................................................................................................................................................... 35
1.) Live Oak Choir ............................................................................................................................................... 35
2.) Music Team .................................................................................................................................................... 36
c. Chalice Pathway Team...................................................................................................................................... 36
d. Labyrinth Team .................................................................................................................................................. 37
3. Religious Education ............................................................................................................................................... 38
a. Religious Education Program (Children and Youth) ............................................................................ 38
4. Community Outreach ............................................................................................................................................ 43
CROP Walk:........................................................................................................................................................... 43
ESL: .......................................................................................................................................................................... 43
Hands on Housing:............................................................................................................................................. 44
Hill Country Christmas Bureau ..................................................................................................................... 44
Hill Country Community Ministries:........................................................................................................... 44
Homeless Outreach: .......................................................................................................................................... 44
Immigration Action: .......................................................................................................................................... 45
NAMI Walk: .......................................................................................................................................................... 45
Prison Outreach:................................................................................................................................................. 45
Share the Plate: ................................................................................................................................................... 45
UUSC: ...................................................................................................................................................................... 46
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ESL: English as a Second Language ........................................................................................................ 47
5. Administration and Operations ........................................................................................................................ 48
a. Facilities Team..................................................................................................................................................... 48
1.) Lockup Team ................................................................................................................................................ 49
2.) Technical Response Team ........................................................................................................................ 49
3.) Green Team .................................................................................................................................................... 50
4.) Congregational Safety Team ................................................................................................................... 50
5.) Kitchen Team ................................................................................................................................................ 51
6.) Aesthetics Team ........................................................................................................................................... 51
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b. Administration .................................................................................................................................................... 52
1.) Church Administrator ................................................................................................................................ 52
2. Communications Council............................................................................................................................ 53
a.) Newsletter Team ..................................................................................................................................... 54
b.) Website Team .......................................................................................................................................... 54
Governance Model
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Live Oak Ideas Process Map
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Live Oak Feedback Process Map
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2014-2015 Minister’s Annual Report
Minister: Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford
First Year of Ministry with Live Oak UU Church
This has been an exciting year. In the first sermon that I gave as your called minister, in August, I
explained that my top priority for this first year was to get to know you, as a church, and as
individuals, and that I wanted to see “what works, what’s broke, and what works broke.”
I feel like we really have been able to get to know each other, and I’ve appreciated you telling me
your stories. Over the course of the year, we’ve tweaked some things, improved some things, and
imagined new horizons.
Counseling & Pastoral Care
I have worked closely with the Pastoral Care Team as we’ve examined all the ways that pastoral
care is provided in a church. Live Oak has an extremely well-organized system that will continue
to serve us well as it grows in membership. In addition to meeting one-on-one with members who
requested ministerial care while they were in the hospital, dealing with personal crises, or coping
with grief, we have expanded the pastoral care that we experience as a community, through events
such as the Blue Christmas service and the upcoming Grief Walk on the labyrinth. In February, I
introduced “Tea with the Minister,” which has proven to be a popular way for me to informally
meet and chat with individual members.
Practical Arts
It has been a pleasure to work with the Policy Committee and Executive Team this year. I’ve been
able to witness the high degree of commitment and creativity your church leaders bring to Live
Oak, whether they are working (for hours) to find the best and most ethical way to structure our
pledge to the UUA, or brainstorming how to become a “culture of yes,” that embraces innovation
and growth.
With these teams and with other leaders at Live Oak, I’ve shared readings and notes from the
book, The Myth of the 200 Barrier: How to Lead through Transitional Growth (Kevin Martin); we
will continue discussing ideas from that book to help us as we transition to a program-size church
model. As we move away from methods Live Oak has outgrown, we will continue working with
teams to help them clarify responsibilities and boundaries, establishing criteria for projects and
events that are delegated to subteams, and then supporting the creative fulfillment of those
projects.
Organizational Ministry
Membership and Sunday attendance have grown over the past year and I’ve been proud of the
work Live Oak has done to integrate new members and help them feel connected. This growth has
afforded us the opportunity to think about what hospitality means to us, and to act accordingly,
whether it means parking in the back, sitting in the front and sides of the sanctuary, sprucing up
the building, or following the “rule of three” – taking the first three minutes after the worship
service to greet someone new, and invite them into the fellowship area for coffee.
As Chief of Staff, I meet individually with the Administrator, Music Director, and Director of
Religious Education weekly; we also have a monthly all-staff meeting. All three are invested in the
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success of Live Oak and are considering how the overall growth of the church will change their
areas of responsibility, and what skills or knowledge they will need to support our future work. It
can be a challenge, having a new supervisor every couple of years, and I’ve appreciated their
flexibility and collaborative efforts.
Much of the work that I’ve done this year has been in helping Live Oak to create structures and
processes that will help us as we grow. Size-wise, Live Oak has been what is called a “Pastoral
Size” congregation, but because of the ministerial transitions, has been operating in the “Family
Church” model, a model where everyone knows each other and there’s an “all hands on deck”
approach. Live Oak has outgrown this model, and is growing swiftly enough that we need to begin
operating under a “Program Size” model. What this means is that we need to be more deliberate
and explicit with our communications, and have clear steps and authority so that anyone –
whether a new member or a long-timer – knows how to make things happen at Live Oak. To that
end, the Policy Team approved a “New Ideas Process” where all ideas go to the Executive Team,
which checks to see if the idea fits the mission of the church and if it requires a policy change, and
then funnels the idea to the appropriate ministry team, which is empowered to act on their own
authority with the idea. We have been using this process since autumn, and the Executive Team is
committed to a maximum 48 hour turn-around.
In the same vein, the Policy Team approved a “Healthy Communication Process” (see pg. 8) in
order to provide a method of feedback for all members based on principles of covenantal right
relations. To support this, a Healthy Community Team was formed (see separate HCT section pg.
22).
The methods in which we communicate are also vitally important. In January, I convened a
brainstorming session with all parties interested in the communications of the church: website,
newsletter, social media, etc. From that meeting, subteams formed and have been changing and
streamlining these vehicles for greater efficiency.
Personal and Professional Growth
I’m blessed with having really terrific teachers in my life. I meet every two weeks with Dr. Ken
Shuman, an expert in Bowen Systems theory to continue my education in that area. I meet
monthly with Rev. Christine Robinson, the senior minister of First UU Church of Albuquerque, who
is my professional mentor.
Teaching
Religious education is booming at Live Oak! I participated in the fall parents’ round table meeting
and RE Tune-up meetings; the latter was facilitated by Natalie Briscoe, a Congregational Life staff
member from the UUA. Based on those meetings, I outlined a new set of Religious Education
program goals:
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Nurture Unitarian Universalist identity
Support ethical character development
Promote religious literacy and tolerance
Foster a sense of belonging to our church community
Encourage compassion and social conscience
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Based on these new goals, I worked with the Director of Religious Education (DRE) to create a new
job description and professional goals for her. This was adopted in February.
For adult religious education, I offered a class in January: “How to Own Your Religious Past.” The
class was well-attended, and I am hoping some of the participants will be willing to teach the class
to others in fall 2015.
In the spring, we offered 6-week Chalice Circles based on materials I developed called “The Big
Questions.” We had 4 of these Chalice Circles and I will be assessing how the groups worked so
that we can do a larger rollout of these Circles in fall 2015.
Worship
In October, I met with the Worship Team for a worship retreat where we brainstormed ideas for
liturgy and crafted a new mission: “We offer opportunities for growth and inspiration through
community ritual.”
The worship service has changed in my attempt to have services that reflect that Sunday’s theme
through all of the readings and music, showcase some of the musical talent at Live Oak, and are
more consistent in length. My goal has been to have a mix of pastoral, prophetic, and educational
sermons, with an emphasis on applied theology – “This is what Unitarian Universalism says about
this topic, and here is how we can apply it in our lives.”
We have continued Live Oak traditions that serve the church well, such as the Water Communion,
Dia de los Muertos, and the annual Choir service, and have experimented with what may become
new traditions: a Bread Communion in November, a Blue Christmas vespers service, and a
“Burning Bowl” service at the New Year.
Denominational Activities
I am active in the local and national Unitarian Universalist Association and have enjoyed the
support I’ve received for that here at Live Oak. Weekly, I am co-host of The VUU, a Unitarian
Universalist webcast and monthly, I meet with my Central Texas UU Colleagues. I attended the
yearly SW UU Ministers’ Association retreat; I will be attending General Assembly in June in
Portland, Oregon, and I will be attending the Southwest UU Summer Institute in July, where I will
be one of the worship presenters. I also serve on the UUA’s Presidential Search Committee, which
is charged with nominating candidates to be President of our Association.
Prophetic/Community Outreach
As the new kid in town, I’ve worked hard to begin building relationships with leaders in the Cedar
Park, Leander, and Austin areas. I attended meetings of the Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce, the
Leander Area Planning team, the Austin iAct Interfaith group, and have served as a panelist for an
Austin Independent Business Alliance event. I meet often with Rabbi Marie Betcher of
Congregation Shir Ami and Rev. Mary Wilson of the liberal UCC Church of the Savior.
I’ve taken part in several events this year, attending the Austin Pride Parade and festival,
participating in the Transgender Day of Remembrance at Austin City Hall, attending the Faith Day
Rally at the capitol with other LOUU members, and recently, meeting with LOUU member Jeanne
Kyser, Rev. Jim Rigby, and various Muslim and community leaders to discuss an Interfaith
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Dialogue event. This grew out of an action that LOUU President Alice Sessions and I took on behalf
of Live Oak: issuing a statement condemning the Islamophobic remarks made by Texas
representative Molly White.
Within Live Oak, I have preached on current justice issues, especially in regards to racial inequity.
As part of that focus, many members joined me in an experiment of wearing “Black Lives Matter”
pins for two weeks. We met afterwards to discuss our experiences and our own reactions. For
many of us, it highlighted the racial privilege we usually have but are often unaware of.
We have been without an Outreach chairperson this year, but as I’ve noted the outreach that is
going on through members of Live Oak, I am intrigued to consider unique ways of supporting
community and justice involvement. The metaphor I have used is “burning coals” – a burning coal,
left by itself on the hearth, will grow cold and go out. But piles of burning coals heaped together
keep each other burning hot. We have so many members with their own burning coals, who are
already doing powerful things in the world. What would it look like, if Live Oak committed to
helping each member discern their own burning coal, and empowered and equipped them to
make the world better in that particular area? This May, we’ll be having a brainstorming meeting
with all interested parties to discuss this.
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A. Executive and Finance
Committees report to the Board of Trustees/Policy Committee as does the Executive
Team. During the Transition period the Interim Transition Team also reported to
the Board of Trustees/Policy Committee.
1. Board of Trustees and Policy Committee
a.) Nominating Committee
b.) Executive Team
c.) Finance Committee
d.) Stewardship Committee
e.) Endowment Committee
f.) Denominational Affairs Committee
g.) Healthy Community Team
1. Board of Trustees and Policy Committee
2014-2015 Board of Trustees and Policy Committee Annual Report
The Policy Committee is made of the Board of Trustees plus church members who commit to
regular attendance and participation in the church governance. The members of the Board of
Trustees are elected at the May Congregational Meeting.
At the May 2014 the following members were elected:
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Alice Sessions, President
Sanjiv Sarwate, Vice President
Amy Thomas, Treasurer
Becca Gagnon, Secretary
Bob Moyers, Assistant Treasurer
Clint Miller, Trustee (two year term)
Barbara Coldiron, Trustee (two year term)
Jen Swan (Trustee) continued a term that will expire at the May 2015 Congregational Meeting. In
addition, the Policy Committee consisted of Phillip Russell and Tina Thomas. The Policy
Committee met on the second Sunday of each month with the exception of May 2015.
The Policy Committee is charged with determining church policy and ensuring that this policy is in
accordance with the vision and mission of the church. All meetings are advertised in advance and
are open to all members and friends of Live Oak UU Church. Meeting minutes are posted on the
church website.
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The PC worked this year to institutionalize policy governance with in consultation with Rev.
Joanna Crawford. Activities included:
1. Formalizing the agenda format of consent, discussion, and action items. Consent items are
minutes from the previous month and follow up on action items, reports from Finance,
Facilities, and Ministerial Search committees, as well as reports from the Minister and DRE
in advance of each meeting. This allows the governing body to know what’s going on in the
church and raise issues for discussion that may need to be addressed at the policy level
without getting bogged down in minutia.
2. Establishing a monthly discussion based on the book The Myth of the 200 Barrier, led by
Rev. Crawford.
3. Naming a Mission Committee led by Barbara Coldiron who developed the proposed new
mission statement “Embrace Joy, Enrich Connections, Encourage Growth, Empower
Dreams”
4. Set up an ad hoc Policy Manual Committee led by Alice Sessions working to develop the
Live Oak Policy Manual.
The policy committee was also involved in some way with these activities this year:
 Retreat in August to set priorities for the year
 Mission statement lunch and congregational discussion in April
 Planning, work-shopping, presenting, and passing the annual budget, to support the growth
in membership.
 Facilitated semi-annual congregational meetings
For more information about participating in our church governance, please contact President Alice
Sessions, VP Sanjive Sarwate, Secretary Becca Gagnon, or the persons holding their respective
positions following the May 2015 Congregational Meeting.
a. Nominating Committee
2014-2015 Nominating Committee Annual Report
Chair: Sharon Fitzpatrick
Members: Tim Buckley, Jon Durbin, Kathi Lunny, Julia Mitschke
Mission Statement: The mission of the Nominating Committee is to identify and recruit
candidates for elected positions and to publicize upcoming elections.
Accomplishments: The Nominating Committee publicized the upcoming May Congregational
Meeting elections with several newsletter announcements. We recruited a new Board Secretary,
Treasurer, two Trustees, Assistant Treasurer, and two Nominating Committee members. We
presented the list of candidates to the April Policy Committee Meeting and published the list in the
April 19th newsletter and announcement sheet.
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b. Executive Team
2014-2015 Executive Team Annual Report
Convener: Reverend Joanna Fontaine Crawford
Members: Donna Durbin, Doug Martin, Phillip Russell, Mike Schultz, Janet Van Sickler,
Staff: Diane Stepakof-Fay, Church Administrator
Duties of the Executive Team: (Sections 8.4 and 8.5 Live Oak UU Church By-Laws)
The Executive Team is accountable to the Board of Trustees in consultation with the Policy
committee. The Executive Team shall be responsible for:
 ensuring that staff and volunteers carry out the policies and programs of the Church as identified in the
strategic plan
 supervising staff and lay leaders
 approving the selection of program team chairs
 removing program team chairs when warranted
 overseeing Church programs
 overseeing the administration and operation of the church
The Executive Team shall recruit and supervise program teams that shall run the programs of the
church. Program teams shall be chaired by active members or staff.
In policy style governance the Minister works with a small team of lay members to oversee the
programs and operation of the church. This model gives the Minister the opportunity to give
leadership to these areas but not have to do all the work that is done to nurture the programs.
The lay members on the Executive Team have changed. Mike Schultz & Donna Durbin joined in
fall 2014. Phillip Russell joined in March 2015. Doug Martin & Janet VanSickler will be stepping
down in May. Diane Stepakof-Fay, Church Administrator, continues to meet with us providing
vital information and follow-up for certain issues.
Accomplishments:
Program Council
Quarterly gatherings of the Program Council have continued: May 27, 2014; August 26, 2014;
January 27, 2014; October 27, 2014; April 28, 2015. These meetings draw about 15-20 leaders of
various Teams, Groups, Committees and Board. They have proved to be an important
communication tool because of the give and take of conversation.
Personnel Handbook
The Personnel Handbook was approved by the Policy Committee in October, 2014.
Liaison with Policy Committee
Members of the Executive Team attended a portion of the Policy Committee retreat in August,
2014 and attend monthly Policy Committee meetings whenever possible. A joint Policy and
Executive Team retreat will be held at UBarU May 22-24, 2015.
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Established the "New Ideas" process, approved by the Policy Committee
This process (see New Ideas Process Map on pg. 8) allows any member of Live Oak to conceive an
idea, decide whether they want to be actively involved with its fulfillment or merely pass on the
idea to others, and have it get to the appropriate ministry team. This process "pushes power
down" to the volunteers willing to do the work, giving them the authority to make decisions in the
areas they are responsible for.
Annual Report of the Congregation
The 3rd Annual Report, a document containing reports from the Five Ministries, Board
Committees and program staff is in your hands.
c. Finance Committee
2014-2015 Finance Committee Annual Report
Co-Chairs: Jon Durbin and Sharon Fitzpatrick
Current Regular Members: Mark Anderson, Alice Hammer, Bob Moyers (assistant treasurer),
Doug Martin, Jonathan Sheets (new treasurer candidate), Amy Thomas (treasurer)
Mission Statement: The Live Oak Finance Committee is responsible for monitoring income,
spending and the financial health of the church. Finance provides the Policy Committee with
recommendations related to financial policies and procedures, the annual budget, capital
expenditures, contracts and any other financial matters.
Accomplishments:
 The Finance Committee continued monitoring the financial health of the church. This has
been especially critical during another budget deficit period. Diane does an excellent job
with rentals, but the loss of regular renters over the past years has hurt.
 The capital replacement fund stands at approximately 50% of its $30,000 target. The
concern is mitigated due to the ABM contract which includes A/C and boiler
repair/replacement. This contract was expanded and amended this year (joint effort with
Facilities).
 Made a recommendation to transfer the very small 2014 surplus to the capital replacement
fund. This was approved by the Policy Committee.
 Developed a GIFT policy and procedures. GIFT is the replacement for the old UUA dues; it
is based on giving the UUA a percentage of our expenditures. The policy was approved by
the Policy Committee.
 Gathered input and prepared the 2015 budget for presentation to the Policy Committee;
developed a high level presentation for the congregation.
 Have worked on establishing a credit card option for making payments through Live Oak.
The process has been tested but documentation is not complete.
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Updated Cash Handling form, clarified end of year processing and improved documentation
of Capital Funds.
Brought the Yule Fest childcare fund into the regular capital fund process; approved
continuing the Sauber Fund as an open fund which can receive donations for capital items
related to the music program.
The assistant treasurer is coming to the end of his bylaws-allotted fourth 1-year term. He
has developed an Assistant Treasurer Procedures Manual to ease the transition to a new
person. He’s also developed many automated processes which will reduce the time needed
to complete the tasks.
The budget amounts have been added to QuickBooks which will allow improved reporting
and reduce the impact on the Treasurer.
d. Stewardship Committee
2014-2015 Stewardship Committee Annual Report
Co-Chairs of Stewardship Committee
Jon Durbin and Grace Glenn have been co-chairs of the Stewardship Committee since July 2013
(two campaigns). Jennifer Swan worked on the committee along with the co-chairs
Theme of 2014 Pledge Campaign
The Stewardship Committee selected the theme “New Beginnings: What is Your Dream for Live
Oak UU’s Future?” as the theme for the 2014 pledge campaign in keeping with the recent hiring
of Rev. Joanna Crawford.
Launching the Fall 2014 Campaign
Because of the continuity of the co-chairs, the fall 2014 campaign was launched much earlier than
the previous year, becoming nearly a year-long program of awareness. It was officially kicked off
with the mailing of a packet to members and friends of Live Oak. The packet consisted of a cover
letter, a report with graphics that informed readers of the Live Oak expenditures for the past year,
a pledge form, and an invitation to the stewardship brunch. The committee did not include
suggested donations. Instead, members were asked to give until they felt good.
Pledge Form
The Stewardship Committee used a simple paper pledge form which asked members to write in
the amount of their yearly pledge. A locked collection box was made available for members to
deposit their forms.
Online pledges were forwarded to the co-chairs who printed the completed forms. Toward the end
of the campaign we allowed members who do not come to the church to make their pledge by
email. These email pledges were also printed.
The use of a paper form turned out to be successful because
 no pledges were lost,
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Robert Moyers, the assistant treasurer, reported that it was easy to transfer the data from
the paper form to the database, and
there is a paper record of the pledges to refer to in case of discrepancies.
Publicity
Besides an every-member mail out, the Stewardship Committee made the pledge campaign visible
to members through the use of
 large posters in the narthex and fellowship hall,
 articles in the newsletter
 testimonials at the Sunday service
 the oak tree exercise in the fellowship hall for three Sundays, and
 the stewardship brunch.
The oak tree exercise was an interactive activity that asked members, including youth, to write
their names on leaves and pin them to branches that displayed programs and activities they
participate in on a large tree poster displayed in the fellowship hall. Also, members were could
add any programs not listed. This had the added value of showing visitors the multitude of ways
to become involved in the Live Oak community.
Stewardship Sunday – October 5, 2014
October 5th was chosen as Stewardship Sunday. The focus of the service was on stewardship.
The Stewardship Brunch
The stewardship main event was a brunch following the Sunday service. It was served family style
with a host at each table. Childcare was provided for babies and toddlers. Families were invited to
enter first to assure that they could sit together. Approximately 160 persons attended and were
served promptly.
The brunch was organized by Alice Sessions and Tina Cordes. The Brunch Team worked at a
disadvantage because they were not able to use the kitchen on the Saturday before the brunch as
Shir Ami was using the facility for an event. This constraint that required that the brunch be
catered and delivered on Sunday morning.
Shir Ami left the tables and chairs out in the fellowship hall after their event which facilitated set
up and decoration early Sunday morning. An army of volunteers made the event a success by
decorating, hosting tables, participating in the program, providing childcare, and cleaning up.
Table hosts were asked to lead a discussion at his or her table on members’ dreams for the future
of Live Oak. All members were encouraged to complete their pledge forms before they left the
fellowship hall.
The Brunch Program
After the meal the children were escorted outside for play time. The Live Oak youth, under the
leadership of Chelsea Surfus, watched and played with the children.
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The program after the brunch consisted of presentations made by members. These emphasized
personal stories about the importance of Live Oak to their lives and/or how generous pledging can
make a difference.
Cost of Stewardship Campaign
The cost of the fall 2014 pledge drive was approximately $2,000.
Collecting the Pledges
Many pledge forms were placed in the pledge box before the stewardship event. By the end of the
stewardship event most of the pledge forms had been completed. After the event the stewardship
co-chairs contacted the remaining persons/friends by phone or email. This exercise resulted in a
few more pledges and in getting an update from persons who were choosing not to pledge for
2015 or who had decided to leave Live Oak.
Pledge Results
Pledges from the 2014 fall campaign totaled $209,899 from 113 pledge units. This was an
impressive increase of over $42,000 with only 5 more pledge units than last year.
The statistics on the pledged amounts are the following:
 Average pledge was $1,874 ($300 higher that previous year)
 Median was $1,110
 First quartile was $485
 Second quartile was $1,200
 Third quartile was $2,080
Stewardship Committee Activities in 2014 and 2015
In order to keep the membership informed of the status of completed pledges, the stewardship cochairs display a graphic that demonstrates the cumulative actual versus pledged income. This
graphic is displayed in the fellowship hall and is updated monthly.
Membership has been increasing and Stewardship assures that new pledges are collected and
recorded. As of 4-20-15, there are 10 new pledge units with pledges (partial year) totaling $8,400.
Stewardship Campaign in 2015
The co-chairs have notified the Policy Committee president that they did not wish to continue as
the Stewardship co-chairs for another year. They requested that replacements be found before the
fall 2015 stewardship campaign. The co-chairs plan to stay on the Stewardship Committee to
provide mentoring and guidance to the new chairs.
The Stewardship event is scheduled for October 3, 2015.
Submitted by Jon Durbin and Grace Glenn, Co-chairs
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e. Endowment Committee
2014-2015 Endowment Committee Annual Report
Chair: Sheryl Mackey
Members: Sarah Swords, Jon Durbin, Alice Hammer, Lee Bruns, Andrew Callinan, Mark Anderson
Mission Statement: The Endowment Committee supports the Endowment fund as an outreach
mission of Live Oak UU Church by engaging in responsible investing of the Endowment funds.
When sufficient funds are available, we solicit, vet, and recommend funding of grant proposals to
charitable organizations that strengthen the Unitarian Universalist denomination through
congregational growth, as well as social and environmental action initiatives.
Accomplishments: After the Bylaws amendment to permit the size of the Endowment Committee
to be between 5 and 7 members, the committee was increased to 7 members. There was also
some turnover so there are now a number of new members.
The committee agreed that there was a little over $20,000 available for grants in 2014. A request
for proposals was sent through various lists and the Southern Region staff and e-newsletter
resulting in a number of applications being submitted via the online application on the Church
website.
Our review of the applications focused on the following: how well they meet our application
criteria, the importance of the need addressed, the level of innovation of the program, the
program’s sustainability, and the proposal’s potential for impact.
The committee chose to fund the following organizations’ programs for 2014:
•$15,000 to UU World of Children
In 1997, the Greenville UU Fellowship voted to start a UU Montessori pre-school and day care center
(UU World of Children) as part of its Fellowship. The Live Oak endowment grant was for
construction of an outdoor classroom and nature garden for the Montessori School. From Bill
Schulze, “The school is at maximum enrollment now, and things are going well. We could not
have gotten where we are without your grant. The parents, many low income, can't believe that
their children are in such a special place now. It was special before, but the appearance did not
match the quality of the program. Your grant helped make it possible.”
•$4,800 to UU Friends Retreat Foundation (UBarU)
With completion of the Dwight and Marie Brown Center, there was a requirement for State
certification. The Live Oak endowment grant was for water projects to assure an adequate, reliable
water supply and to get UBarU in compliance. The grant plus additional funds that have been
raised are being spent for a new pump and water level gauge at the bottom of the well, a cut off
valve, chlorination system and pump house.
•$1,900 to Literacy Council of Williamson County
Because of the success of their ESL program, the profile of students attending is shifting to include
students at what would be called an “Adult Basic Education” level (Project Moving Up). This
requires different materials and instructional methodologies. The grant was used to purchase
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instructional materials, evaluation materials, and teacher guides. These materials are NOT
consumable so they will have a very long useful life.
Future Plans: The committee has recently welcomed Mark Anderson (replacing Dale ToddThompson), Sheryl Mackey (replacing Susan Meitz), Andrew Callinan and Alice Hammer (2 new
positions) to our committee. Next steps include reviewing the various members’ tasks on the
committee, particularly to cover technology support, investment advice and preparing for the
2015 grant process.
The most recent Endowment snapshot (3-31-15) has the current fund balance at $407,854,
compared to a CPI-adjusted original Endowment balance of $389,834, leaving $18,020 available to
fund grants. The committee never funds the full amount available since markets fluctuate
continually and will make a final decision as to the amount available prior to initiating the grant
process in early summer.
f. Denominational Affairs Committee
2014-15 Denominational Affairs Committee Annual Report
Committee Members: Mary Scheffler
Mission: Raise awareness of the larger faith within Live Oak.
Goals: A team goal is for the members of Live Oak to be more aware that we are part of the UUA
and the newly formed Southern Region. Another goal is for the Heart of Texas (HoT) cluster of
congregations to interact more. The cluster includes congregations in Waco, Corpus Christi, San
Antonio, Victoria, New Braunfels, Kerrville (2), San Marcos, Belton, Georgetown, Cedar Park and
Austin.
General Assembly Six adults and four High School Youth attended the General Assembly in
Providence, Rhode Island in June 2014: Rev. Joanna Crawford, Patti and Jamil Bissar, Donna
Durbin, Mark Anderson, Emerson Kendall (Youth), Robert King (Youth), Keri Spiller (Youth), Erin
Sullivan (Youth), Chelsea Surfus (Lead Youth Advisor)
SWUUC Summer Camp at U-Bar-U
Live Oak was represented at summer camps in 2014.
Dwight Brown Leadership Experience
The orientation meeting was attended in March 2015 by Rev. Joanna Crawford, Phil and Becca
Russell, Laura Cavanaugh, and Sanjiv Sarwate.
SWUUC Fall Leadership Conference
Four Live Oak members attended the Fall Leadership Conference in Glen Rose, TX in November
2014: Mark Anderson, Patty and Jamil Bissar and Donna Durbin
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SWUU Women's Conference
Live Oak had more women attending this conference than any other church in the SW Conference
in March 2014 in San Marcos.
SWUUC Spring Business Meeting
Three Live Oak members attended the Spring Business Meeting in New Orleans in April 2014:
Mark Anderson, Jon and Donna Durbin. Mark Anderson presided as chair of SWUUC. SWUUC was
dissolved at this meeting.
Heart of Texas
Cluster Alice Sessions, Policy Committee president, attends monthly meetings or conference calls
with other cluster presidents. Members of Live Oak attended both the women's and men's spring
and fall retreats at UBarU.
Southwest UU Summer Institute
Patty Bissar and Jon and Donna Durbin served on the SWUUSI staff in July 2014 with assistance of
Jamil Bissar.
g. Healthy Community Team
2014-15 Healthy Community Team Annual Report
Members: Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford, Barbara Coldiron, C. T. Goss, Clint Miller, Becca Russell,
Niranjan Sharma, Jennifer Swan
Scope of Team:
 Conflict resolution
 Covenanting
 Teaching and modeling healthy communication
 Committee on ministry (while Rev. Joanna in preliminary fellowship)
 Safe congregations team: serves on an as-needed basis when dealing with issues of sex
offenders in the church
The Healthy Community Team was formed in the fall of 2014, as approved by a vote of the Policy
Committee.
Accomplishments:
Created the Healthy Communication Process for members to provide feedback about Live Oak in a
healthy, covenantal method.
Established a safe congregations policy.
Currently adapting former disruptive behavior policy to approved Healthy Communication
Process.
As required by the UUA, will provide an evaluation of Rev. Crawford for renewal of fellowship.
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B. The Five Ministries
“With the participation of the members, the Live Oak UU Church can achieve our
vision and carry out our mission to have a successful congregational life, and reach
out to the greater community. Member participation is the church's central priority,
and members are encouraged to participate through our five Ministries: Spiritual
Life, Religious Education, Congregational Life, Community Outreach, and
Administration and Operations. Program and operational teams will be grouped
into one of these five ministries.”
1. Congregational Life
a. Membership Team
b. Fun and Fellowship Team
c. Pastoral Care Team
d. Library Team
e. Groups
Bookstuff
Bookworms
Church Ladies Lunch Group
Everyday Relationships Chalice Circle
Hiking Club
Live Oak UU Parents & Youth (LOUUPY)
Men’s Linguistic Society
Parents with Young Children Chalice Circle
Quest
Wisdom Chalice Circle
Women’s Labyrinth Ritual Group
Women’s Soul Collage
Women Together Chalice Circle
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1. Congregational Life
a. Membership Team
2014-2015 Membership Annual Team Report
Chair: Laura Cavanaugh
Members: Donna Durbin, Grace Glenn, Diane McCormick (Joined 01/15), and Pat Van Sprague
(Resigned 01/15); with help from Amy Dark, Mary Hengstebeck, Hella Holoubek, and Al Weber
Mission Statement: The Membership Team promotes fully committed membership through
welcoming, informing, recognizing, and integrating all those seeking a liberal religious home.
Accomplishments:
Greeting
Greeters welcomed 176 visitors as well as members each Sunday and at special services. Visitors
are no longer asked to fill out the Visitor Card when they first visit. A new version of the Visitor
Card designed to gather more and clearer information about the visitors will be published soon.
The new card incorporates changes suggested by Amy Dark. Several new greeters joined the team,
five of which are new members. More greeters (four or five) are scheduled each Sunday to help
accommodate the increased number of attendees. The Team now acts as back up in taking the
attendance count. The “About Membership” webpage has been revised with newcomers in mind.
The Visitor’s Brochure was written and is offered to visitors at the Visitor’s Table.
A literature holder with the Visitor’s Brochure, OOS announcement sheets, and church calendars is
now by the side entrance. The literature holder was suggested by Mary Hengstebeck.
The greeters this year have been: Cat Amador-Locher, Phoebe Becktell, Amanda and Audrey
Callinan, Jen Carroll, Laura Cavanaugh, Theresa Coffin, Kristina Donna, Donna Durbin, Jon Durbin,
Ryan and Alaina Farley, Sharon Fitzpatrick, Grace Glenn, Mary Hengstebeck, Hella Holoubek, Kathi
Lunny, Stephanie Martinez, Mike Scott, Pat Van Sprague, and Tracy Wolfram.
Newcomer Orientation Tour
A tour was offered the first Sunday of each month. Tours now commence after the service lets out,
instead of at noon, to avoid losing prospective tour takers.
Path to Membership
Path to Membership classes were held in October 2014 and February 2015, with the next planned
for June. In 2015, three or four classes will be offered, instead of the usual two. In the last 12
months, 39 new members have joined. Attrition rate for these new members has been very low,
only two having resigned. The Path class is now more interactive. The New Member Registration
Form and New Member Interests Form were revised to better capture new members’ information.
The Team now acts as the single point of contact for new members during their first year.
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New Member Recognition Ceremony
Two Recognition Ceremonies were held, with the next scheduled for June. There will similarly be
additional ceremonies (three or four), following the added Path classes. New members now sign
the Membership Book as part of the ceremony. Taken by Al Weber, photos of the ceremony and of
new members and their families were posted on the membership bulletin board.
New Member Luncheon
This year, new members and several established member were invited for lunch following the
New Member Recognition Ceremonies. The purpose of the luncheon is to assist in integrating the
new members.
New Member Coffee Hour
The Coffee Hour is a new program in 2015. Quarterly, new members who have joined in the last
12 months are invited to coffee before the church service, in order for the Team to assess their
integration and provide any assistance they might need. Members from different Path classes are
able to meet and share information.
Going Forward: Due to the increase in visitors and prospective members, the Membership Team
is looking to add new team members and recruit people to help with specific tasks. The Team
plans to further improve its webpages to attract and inform newcomers. More effective methods
of tracking visitors and monitoring integration of new members are being sought.
b. Fun and Fellowship Team
2014-2015 Fun and Fellowship Team Annual Report
Co-Chairs: Carolyn Dower, Grace Glenn
Members: Tina Cordes, Amy Dark, and Niranjan Sharma
Activities
Fellowship activities at Live Oak have been organized directly by the FFT, by other groups with
the assistance of the FFT, or by others under the umbrella of the FFT.
The major fellowship activities at Live Oak during the past year have been the following:
 Occasional Circle Potluck Suppers
 Second Sunday Lunches at the church after the service, September to April.
 Coffee Hour after the service every Sunday
 Sunday Lunch Bunch that meets at a local restaurant on the first, third, and fourth Sunday
after the service
 July Vacation to Ruidoso, New Mexico
 Welcoming Party for Rev Crawford
 September Beach Vacation Weekend to Padre Island
 Camping Trips in the fall and spring
 Halloween Party and Labyrinth Walk
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
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Christmas Eve Party
Valentine’s Karaoke Chile and Chocolate Party
Easter Egg Hunt
Group hikes and walks
The FFT provides cakes as a farewell event for very active members who are moving away.
FFT parties and activities are funded by donations for the Second Sunday Lunches.
c. Pastoral Care Team
2014-2015 Pastoral Care Team Annual Report
Members: Theresa Coffin, Rev. Joanna Crawford, Mary Hengstebeck, Mary Scheffler, Pat Van
Sprague
Mission: The Pastoral Care Team provides compassionate care and practical support to members
and friends of the congregation during life transitions, hospitalizations or other crises.
Accomplishments:
The Pastoral Care Team continues to
 provide meals as necessary;
 coordinate visits to patients in the hospital or other facility;
 coordinate rides to appointments, church and other transportation issues;
 maintain awareness of members with ongoing needs;
 welcome new babies with a yellow rose;
 send cards or emails or just chat with folks who need support or who have suffered a loss;
 monitor and publish to the J&C email list the Joys and Concerns cards submitted during
worship.
Other accomplishments:
 Mary Hengstebeck and Doug Martin again coordinated the Day of the Dead remembrance.
 The team has successfully incorporated three new members this year: Pat Van Sprague,
Rev Joanna and Theresa Coffin.
 We have found our 10-minute “training” sessions at the beginning of each meeting to
improve our skills as Pastoral Care Team members helpful and plan to continue them.
 We provided routine pastoral care during the summer (time between Rev Linda’s
departure and Rev Joanna’s arrival). We developed a contract with Betty Skwarek to
provide any emergency pastoral care needed.
 We continue to update documents, keep the web site up-to-date and expand our Pastoral
Care Resource Guide.
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We created an Angel Ride Team to provide rides to and from Sunday service for those who
want to attend but who do not have transportation. Pat Van Sprague accepted responsibility for coordinating this team.
We have begun discussing the ways that our existing pastoral care processes will have to
change as Live Oak grows. We came to an agreement that we will need to flexible and
willing to change through each transition. We documented some suggestions in meeting
minutes. We are optimistic that we can make the change with joy.
d. Library Team
2014-2015 Library Team Annual Report
Chair: Carolyn Dower
Members: Donna Durbin, Grace Glenn, Mary Scheffler, Danielle Sullivan
Mission Statement: The mission of the Live Oak Library is to provide books and/or helpful
resources, especially spiritual, including significant books on Unitarian Universalism for the entire
congregation, young and old.
Accomplishments: The committee has categorized all adult books with a Dewey Decimal number
and entered them into a data base called Library Thing that one can access on the computer. New
books are categorized and entered as they come in. We keep the books shelved and organized.
Link to Library Thing: http://www.librarything.com/home/LiveOakUU. The login ID is LiveOakUU
and the password is elsalido2003.
Funds for new books and supplies are raised by selling used, donated books from the congregation
on a cart in the Fellowship Hall. We may earn from ten to 20 dollars a month. Books are checked
out using a sign out sheet and the honor system. Between 5 and 20 books are checked out per
month. Six new books were purchased in 2012 through April 2013. Many times we get 'keeper'
books that are donated. These are usually non-fiction/spirituality books. Books for children with a
message are keepers! Funds were spent this past year on adding bookends and book labels.
The Live Oak Library shares space with the ESL folks and PFLAG. There's also a puzzle exchange
shelf for jigsaw puzzle fans.
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e. Groups
2014-2015 Bookstuff Annual Report
Convener: Sheila Hoogendam
Members: Antaro Burke, Sylvia Davis, Carolyn Dower, Jenny Prennace, Chris Shulman, Lyn
Whitcomb
Accomplishments: We meet bi-monthly to study and read aloud a book together focusing on
Buddhism.
2014-2015 Bookworms Annual Report
Members: This is an open group, established in 1997 which meets monthly to discuss books we
read. Six to eight is the typical meeting attendance. The person who selects a book hosts the
meeting and leads the discussion.
Mission: The purpose is to read member selected fiction and non-fiction books and meet to
discuss them. The meetings also provide an opportunity to get to know one another better.
Accomplishments:
During the past year we have read:
May – Any Book by recently deceased Gabriel Garcia Marquez
June – “Knocking on Heaven’s Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death” by Katy Butler
July – no meeting
August – “And the Mountains Echoed” by Khalad Hosseini
September – “Unbroken: a World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption” by Laura
Hillenbrand
October – “The World’s Strongest Librarian” by Josh Hanagarne
November – “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” by Haruki Murakami
December – “The Girl Who Fell From the Sky” by Heidi Durrow
January – “Children of the Jacaranda Tree” by Sahar Delijani
February – “the accidental” by Ali Smith
March – “Where’d You Go, Bernadette: A Novel” by Maria Semple
April – “Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home” by Nando
Parrado
A webpage is maintained on the Church website which lists the recent and near future books we
are reading. A Yahoo group is maintained to communicate with interested readers.
We participated in Live Oak life by providing food for the Second Sunday meal on March 8th.
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2014-2015 Church Ladies Lunch Group Annual Report
Facilitator: Nancy Mason
Members: LOUU women and friends; attendance varies and all are welcome. Membership is not
required or expected.
Mission Statement: The primary purpose of this group is to enrich connections and provide an
opportunity for fellowship and deepening of friendships.
Accomplishments:
Changed the name to Church Ladies Lunch.
Picked a new location since Brick Oven was no longer available. We are now meeting at IHOP at
183 & 620.
This group provided set up, clean up and food for a second Sunday all church lunch fall 2014.
2014-2015 Everyday Relationship Chalice Circle Annual Report
Contact Person: Sybil Vosler
Members: Tina Cordes, Louise Farina, Pat Hallander, Nancy Mason, Kimberly Ono, Pat Van
Sprague, Sybil Vosler
Mission Statement: Our mission is to provide a welcoming, safe place to discuss our everyday
problems and events in our lives, and to provide friendship and emotional support.
Accomplishments:
We provided dishes for a First Sunday Lunch and we have been reading and discussing Twelve
Steps to a Compassionate Life by Karen Armstrong. Our goal is not to “accomplish” but to just be
there for each other.
2014-2015 Hiking Club Annual Report
Co-Chairs: Tim Buckley and Hella Holoubek
Members: 25 church members are on the mailing list
Mission Statement: To explore unpaved hiking trails in the Austin area.
Accomplishments: An average of 5 to 10 hikers have been meeting on Thursday morning at 8:30
am, when the weather permits. A log of hikes is maintained on the Clubs webpage. The hikes are
3-5 miles on unpaved trails, often on rough terrain with climbs and descents. Participants are
expected to bring adequate clothing, snacks/lunch and water and be able to negotiate rough hilly
terrain. Tim and Hella select the trails and send an e-mail to the group in advance.
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2014-2015 LOUUPY (Live Oak UU Parents & Youth) Chalice Circle Annual Report
Facilitator: Sheri Smith
Members: Pam Farley, Ryan Farley, Shawn Fike, Mike Guentzel, Cindy LaGreca, Susan Laronde,
Dawn Miller, Clint Miller, Sanjiv Sarwate, Liz Schwab-Fike, Sheri Smith, Shawn Smith
Mission:
 To provide support for Live Oak members and friends who are currently raising children in
late elementary or middle school,
 To foster long-term relationships among our members and their children, and
 To encourage involvement with and commitment to the entire Live Oak UU community.
Accomplishments:
The group has met monthly since January 2014
As our service to the church, we worked with the PYC group to provide the Second Sunday lunch
in February.
2014-2015 Men’s Linguistic Society Annual Report
Facilitators: Tim Buckley and Jon Montgomery (1st UU Austin)
Members: Monthly meeting attendance averages 15 members
Mission Statement: To build a connection between the men with in our church and men in the UU
community.
Accomplishments: Men's Linguistic Society (aka: Men's Group) gathered for lunch each a
month. At each meeting, there was a discussion on a topic of interest to a member. Attendees are
Live Oak men joined by men in the local UU community. A special effort has been made this year to
reach out to new members of Live Oak church. It is a lively discussion and the world's problems
are resolved!
Topics this year included: Bucket Lists, Failures We Learned From, Affordable Care Act,
Possibilities for Unlimited Free Energy, What goes into a decision?, Bonding Between
Generations, The Value of Disruption, Plasticizers, Torture Report, Income Inequality, Living Space
Downsizing, and Genealogy.
2014-2015 Parents of Young Children (PYC) Chalice Circle Annual Report
Facilitator: Alyssa Goss
Members: Ashleigh Barcuch, Amanda Callinan, Christopher Carroll, Jen Carroll, Tonda Dysart,
Alyssa Goss, CT Goss, Julia Mitschke, Haley Norman, Kelly Schubert, Beki Siele, Amy Thomas, Jason
Thomas, Bart Blacha, Amanda Callinan, Allison Leigh, Livy Knox, Emily Chappareal, Randa Moore,
Brian Knox, Marie Mullings, Bryce Ellerbroek, Cory Ellerbroek, Theresa Coffin, Lawrence Behar,
Heather Malkawi, Meredith Stricker
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Mission:
 To provide support for members and friends who are currently raising young children,
 To foster long-term relationships among our members, and
 To encourage involvement with and commitment to the entire Live Oak UU community.
Accomplishments:
 As our service to the Church, PYC provided the Second Sunday lunch in February.
 We also encouraged our children to bring gifts to Santa at our Christmas Party. These
items were donated to Toys for Tots.
 We have met twice a month (now once a month) and discussed a variety of topics including
family rituals, nutrition, screen time, spirituality and tolerance.
 We welcomed 14 new members and anxiously await the birth of a new baby.
2014-2015 Quest Annual Report
Convener: Sheila Hoogendam
Members: Antaro Burke, Sylvia Davis, Art Prennace, Jenny Prennace, Larry Smith and Lyn
Whitcomb
Accomplishments: We meet bi-monthly to share the issues of our lives and our spiritual Quest.
2014-2015 Wisdom Circle Chalice Circle Annual Report
Facilitator: Mary Scheffler
Mission: To meet and discuss topics of interest to retired individuals.
Accomplishments:
 Developed deepening friendships.
 Discussed a variety of topics of interest to this group of retired people.
 Assisted in providing food for monthly church luncheon.
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2014-2015 Women’s Labyrinth Ritual Group Annual Report
Facilitator: Linda Webster
Accomplishments:
The Women's Labyrinth Ritual Group meets the second Sunday evening of the month, from September through May. We are an open group for women high school age and older. Each month we
focus on a different theme. For example, this past year we have walked to honor the ancestors (in
November 2014) and to reflect on the gifts of the darkness (in December 2014). In February, the
Austin Tara Circle taught us the 21 Qualities of Tara Dance Meditation, as well as the White Tara
Dance. We extended a special invitation to men, women, grade-school age children, and teens to
join us in sacred dance. The Tara Dance Meditation celebrates the wisdom, compassion and power
of Green Tara, which we can foster in ourselves as well. The Women's Labyrinth Ritual Group is
facilitated by Linda Webster
2014-2015 Women’s SoulCollage® Annual Report
Chair: Sue Ann Kendall
Members: Martha Nethers, Nancy Mason
Mission Statement: Creating collages from random images that reflect our souls.
Accomplishments:
We met monthly in the Fellowship Hall. We created collages with meaning for ourselves and our
spiritual paths. Our gift to the church is that our materials are available to anyone who wants to
use them.
2014-2015 Women Together Chalice Circle Annual Report
Facilitator: Mary Scheffler
Members: Pat Hallander, Pam Leonard, Barb MacLeod, Juanita Moshier, Pat Van Sprague, Vera
Vasudevan
Mission: To meet and discuss topics of interest to women.
Accomplishments:
 Developed deepening friendships and provided support for each other.
 Discussed topics of interest to women.
 Assisted in providing food for monthly church luncheon.
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2. Spiritual Life
a. Worship Team
1.) Soundboard
2.) Sanctuary Flowers
3.) Worship Setup
b. Music Program
1.) Live Oak Choir
2.) Music Team
c. Chalice Pathway Team
d. Labyrinth Team
a. Worship Team
2014-2015 Worship Team Annual Report
Chairperson: Kathi Lunny
Members: Carolyn Dower, Becca Gagnon, Rebecca Maze, Niranjan Sharma and Mary Scheffler
Mission Statement: We offer opportunities for growth and inspiration through community ritual
Accomplishments:
 Coordinated all aspects of the services.
 Held a Saturday Worship retreat to brainstorm liturgical elements and develop new
mission statement.
 Tightened up service to shorter length.
 Made greater use of guest and member musicians.
 Developed a yearlong sermon series, “The Seven Dimensions of Wholeness”
 Added new traditions to liturgical year: Bread Communion, Blue Christmas Vespers,
“Burning Bowl” New Year service.
 Reviewed on a monthly basis the flow and effectiveness of past services.
 Engaged speakers for Sundays that the Minister was away and for the summer.
 Balanced prophetic, pastoral, and educational services.
1.) Soundboard
2014-2015 Soundboard Team Annual Report
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Chairperson: CT Goss
Members: Dennis Anderson, Lawrence Behar, Emily Chappalear, Ryan Farley, Heather Malkawi,
Phillip Russell, Sanjiv Sarwate and Mike Schultz
Mission Statement: To enrich Sunday Services
Accomplishments: The soundboard team grew by several members in the past year. Our biggest
challenge is in scheduling the operators on a given Sunday with enough advance notice for the
printing of the bulletin. We may need to move from a voluntary sign-up method to a proactively
scheduled method.
2.) Sanctuary Flowers
2014-2015 Sanctuary Flowers Team Annual Report
Chair: Georgia Weber
Members: All the many members of the congregation who contribute flowers
Mission Statement: To enrich the Sunday worship service with flowers that are contributed by
volunteers who share their reason for providing them in the order of service. This very personal
touch at each worship service builds community connection.
Accomplishments: Successful and consistent continuation of the Live Oak tradition of weekly
sanctuary flowers at Sunday services. The chairperson e-mails the volunteers who sign the sheet
in the narthex, both to remind them and to clarify what they want printed in the Order of Service
as their reason(s) for providing flowers. Sharing of personal family news and "milestones" by the
volunteers contributes to community connection. The many who donate flowers are appreciated
by the Flower Team and by all in the congregation.
3.) Worship Setup
2014-2015 Worship Setup Team Annual Report
Chairperson: Kristina Donna (Resigned 4/15), Laura Cavanaugh (As of 4/15)
Members: Laura Cavanaugh, Kristina Donna (resigned 4/15), Kathi Lunny, Stephanie Martinez
(no longer active), and Amy Thomas (joined 4/15)
Mission Statement: To help create a pleasurable worship service by insuring the functionality
and aesthetic appearance of the chancel and sanctuary.
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Accomplishments: The Team set up and cleared the chancel each Sunday and for special services
in accordance with the needs of those performing the service and according to regular set up
procedures. Procedures were changed in accordance with the new service.
Upcoming: The Team plans to update its webpage and recruit up to 3 more team members.
b. Music Program
1.) Live Oak Choir
2014-2015 Live Oak Choir Annual Report
Director: Rebecca Maze
Members: 27 members
Mission: Enhancing the service through choral and vocal music.
Accomplishments:
This year we have increased our membership by six. This is the largest choir membership we
have ever experienced since the choir began. The larger number allows for flexibility in each
singer’s schedule, because they do not have to be present for every service during which the choir
sings (usually 3 per month).
We have done several pieces with drum and guitar accompaniment this year. Recently we hired
an accompanist, and that will be a permanent position during the next school. We have also made
contact with a volunteer drummer who is free to play with us as needed, and have had a very nice
set of drums donated by the Kendall family.
We continue to expand our repertoire by singing in different styles and different languages. Rev.
Joanna has a great familiarity with pop music, and we have added some of that style to our
collection.
There have been small group performances as well as the choir as a whole. This allows some of
the members to work independently, which they enjoy and benefit from.
Our communication methods are slowly being updated. We now share a google doc with our
yearly schedule on it. I would like to continue to expand our methods of communicating, so that
people can easily access information about the coming service music, as well as details of
rehearsal times, etc. I continue to enter much of their music into a music notation program so that
they can study their parts at home.
Last summer we sang at an Austin Retirement home as a social action project. We sang for the
minister’s installation recently, and presented our Choir Service May 3rd. This annual service
includes either a large choral work and readings, or 6-7 pieces of vocal music and readings, on a
particular topic. The topic this year was “Sexuality and Spirituality; a Sacred Entwinement”. Rev.
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Joanna presented readings from a variety of sources including UU historical figures and poets, the
Hebrew Bible, and UUA information about the OWL program. There was a Maypole dance after
the service with accompanying fiddle music, now a tradition.
2.) Music Team
2014-2015 Music Team Annual Report
Convener: Rebecca Maze, Music Director
Members: Bill Dower, Becca Gagnon, Jeanne Kyser, Kathi Lunny, Bob Moyers, Rachel Sartin
Mission Statement: Enriching lives through music in our church and in the broader community.
Projects:
Improvements in Acoustics: We have been working to find the right person or persons to install
2 microphones above the stage, fix a monitor outlet, and install a new volume control knob in the
crying room. On May 7th, 2 contractors came and examined the job, and I expect to hear a quote
from them as soon as they price the parts. We are hoping to get that done very soon, now that we
have found what appears to the best technicians for the job.
Sauber Memorial Funds: Almost depleted, we will use this fund to pay for the above repairs and
additions to the sound system. The Finance Committee has allowed this fund to continue, so I
expect the Music Team to begin working on fund raising projects soon.
Musical Groups: Funkatonic has presented 2 services this year, including the readings used as a
sermon. Various church members have volunteered to play violin, guitar, piano, and drums.
Guest Musicians: volunteered or hired to play for worship services--from outside our church.
This year our guests have performed on the Indian Tabla and Harmonium, Piano and Trumpet,
Classical Guitar, Violin, Cello and a Mandolin Orchestra.
Due to the many changes which a new minister involves, we have had more musical performance
pieces included in the order of service this year. It has opened up more opportunities for
musicians in the church, but has also required more time for preparation. The music team has not
met as frequently as we need to, but we will meet in one week, and have lots of things on our
agenda. There should be more activities to report on next year!
c. Chalice Pathway Team
2013-2014 Chalice Pathway Team Annual Report
Co Chairs: Hella Holoubek and Alice Sessions
Members: Alison Dieter, Richard Furney, Karen Sharma, Niranjan Sharma, Judy Snape, Sue
Buckley, Jeanne Kyser
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Mission: The mission of the Chalice Pathway committee is to support a contemplative, serene
environment that welcomes memorials as well as life celebrations and benchmark achievements.
We envision that, by cultivating our natural environment, where we bring the ashes of our
departed we root ourselves ever closer to our church.
Accomplishments: We have had another interment. A group of volunteers replaced the lattice
panel behind the stage with good solid cedar boards. We added two inches of crushed granite that
we had not been able to afford when we started three years ago.
d. Labyrinth Team
2014-2015 Labyrinth Team Annual Report
Chairs: Linda Webster and Mike Schultz
Mission: The Labyrinth Team provides opportunities for earth-based spiritual enlightenment (for
both groups and individuals) and community celebrations.
Accomplishments: The labyrinth team held the following community labyrinth walks:
2014:
June 21st – Summer Solstice
Sept 20th – Fall Equinox
Oct 25th – Halloween Party and Labyrinth Walk
Dec 21st – Winter Solstice Walk
Dec 31st – The New Year’s Eve walk was cancelled due to weather.
2015:
Feb 7th – Bridget’s Day walk
March 14th – Labyrinth workday
March 22nd – Labyrinth birthday celebration
Also, the labyrinth team had the following accomplishments:
 A new labyrinth flag marking the path to the labyrinth (thanks to the generosity of the Vetters


family in memory of Laurel Vetters, for whom this labyrinth was a special place).
Maypole on labyrinth last year was a special event to welcome Rev. Joanna during candidating week
Firepit in Feb. for Brigid's Day walk
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3. Religious Education
a. Children and Youth
1.) 2014- 2015 Director of Religious Education Report
2.) Religious Education Team
a. Religious Education Program (Children and Youth)
2014- 2015 Director of Religious Education Report
Director of Religious Education: Patty Bissar
Director of Religious Education Mission: To make Religious education one of the top two reasons
that families come to Church.
CLASSES:
For the Summer Program the Elementary classes participated in the GUUEST Program (Gifted
Unitarian Universalists Expressing and Sharing Talents. The over-arching theme comes from one
of our Sources – Wisdom from Prophetic Men and Woman. The Pre-K class used the Rhinos and
Raspberries Stories. We hired a graduate student from St. Edward’s University to facilitate the
Pre-K class. She is a friend of one of our long time member families and she had heard such great
things about Unitarian Universalism; she was eager to dive in, plan and get oriented with the DRE
and prepare for the lessons each Sunday. Twenty six plus Volunteers and Staff Members served to
run the Summer Program. We had three Summer Coordinators who helped oversee the Program
on Sunday Mornings along with the Director of Religious Education. We have many visitors in the
Summer and the Coordinators helped provide extra support for our teachers so the DRE can focus
on visiting families. The G.U.U.E.S.T. program was enjoyed by the children who especially liked
making and creating things during the lessons.
The Fall, Winter and Spring Programs had the following five (5) classes:
Pre-K; Kinder, First & Second; Third-Fifth; Middle School (6,7 & 8th grades) and High School.



The Pre-K Spirit Play class uses stories that focus on “Me and My World.”
The elementary Spirit Play class uses stories from the Liturgical year.
The upper elementary, Chalice Club, used the curricula “Moral Tales,” “Wonderful Welcome”
and “Signs of our Faith” from the Tapestry of Faith online Unitarian Universalist curriculum.
The model for the elementary classes was entitled Way Cool Sunday School. This is a rotation
model where there was a different theme each week, exploring the different gifts people have
to offer to their community on week one, moral dilemmas week two, Social Action Sunday
on the third week and ways we practice our Unitarian Universalist Faith on week four. The
lower elementary had story lessons on the second and fourth Sundays then joined the upper
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


elementary on the first week for Wonderful Welcome, (while half of the lower elementary
attended Children’s Choir) and on the third week for Social Action Sunday.
The Children and Youth Choirs expanded this year to have three separate Choirs: Acorn
Choir, Sapling Choir, and Branching Out Choir for Youth. Patty Bissar, DRE consulted with
Live Oak’s Music Director, Rebecca Maze and volunteer Choir Directors, Sheri Smith and Liz
Schwab-Fike to create an improved program and to be sure safety guidelines were followed.
The Middle School class used the Religionnovation curriculum created by Live Oak’s own
Kirby Kendall. The class spent the year creating their own Religion looking at the various
elements of the major religions of the world. The class used a consensus process to make
decisions, reviews elements of the world’s religions and is grounded in Unitarian
Universalist faith.
The High School class used the “You the Creator of Social Justice” curriculum and discussed
various social justice issues. They planned and held a fund raising event, Yule Fest, to raise
money to fund trips and projects. In the spring they participated in a two day maintenance
and beautification project in conjunction with the Facilities Team and the Green Team. They
also planned the annual Youth Worship Service held in May, which included a Bridging
Service for our Senior High Youth and Eight Grade Youth.
REGISTRATION AND ATTENDANCE:
We had 101 children and youth registered in the program this year. The current breakdown is as
follows:
Nursery
11
Pre-K
17
Kinder – First Second - Fifth
23
26
Six - Eighth
11
High School
13
AVERAGE ATTENDANCE for Summer and Fall 2014 and Winter/Spring 2015
Summer
Fall
Winter/Spring
26
36
49
SOCIAL ACTION: Our social action projects were headed up by the Children’s Social Action Team,
Jen Carroll and Cindy LaGreca, who consulted with the DRE. The projects and lessons the children
participated in this Church School Year were: Guest at Your Table, Homeless Helpers Project –
assembly and sale of food bags for the homeless, random acts of kindness, school supply sale, Civil
rights awareness, both voting rights and marriage equality, Birthday in a Box for children at Hope
Alliance, Animal Shelters and puppy mill awareness. The class held a bake sale and craft fair to raise
money for their chosen charity – the Wildlife Conservation Network. They raised $430.50!
CONTINUING EDUCATION:
In response to projects that came out of the R.E. Tune Up, Patty Bissar, DRE facilitated and the R.E.
Team hosted three Lunch and Learn workshops for teachers, assistants and caregivers in our
program. The topics included: Classroom Management, Stages of Faith Development and Out of the
Box Religious Education (looking at unique ways to do Religious Education).
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We were able to send four individuals for Our Whole Lives (OWL) Training. Dawn Miller and Areen
Bissar were trained in the 7-9th grade and 10-12th grade level. Chelsea Surfus and Keri Spiller were
trained in the Young Adult / Adult level.
SPECIAL EVENTS: These included: Water & Bubble Day & Hot Dog Lunch in August ( a summer’s
end celebration, fun day and water awareness event), The Holiday Pageant - Las Posada in
December.
DENOMINATIONAL EVENTS:
CONGRUUITY CONFERENCE - The Cluster’s annual CongrUUity Social Action Conference—was held
in Corpus Christi Texas, hosted by the UU Church of Corpus Christi. Patty Bissar, DRE co-hosted this
Middle School Cluster Conference with Lauren Cantatori-Causey, DRE. Youth from five of our
Cluster Churches and their Advisors attended. The Theme was “Taking Care of the Earth.” . Twenty
28 Youth and ten adult advisors learned about issues of environmental awareness by attending the
Earth Day, Bay Day Fair in Corpus and visiting the Science Museum.
YRUU PROGRAM –Advisors and Youth attended four District Rallies and hosted the October, 2014
Rally at Live Oak UU Church.
SW LREDA (Liberal Religious Educators Association) CONFERENCE
Patty Bissar, Director of Religious Education served on the planning team and co-hosted the
conference with four other Directors of Religious Education from our District. The theme was
incorporating music in our R.E. Programs and was held at U Bar U Conference Center. The Theme
speaker was Nick Page, nationally known musician and song writer.
SWUUSI (Southwest Unitarian Universalist Summer Institute) Patty Bissar, Director of Religious
Education served as the Director of Children and Youth Programs at this annual camp in July, 2014
at Sequoya State Park in Oklahoma. The Theme was “Sowing the Seeds of a Spirited Life.”
2014- 2015 Religious Education (Children and Youth) Team
Committee Members: Director of Religious Education, Patty Bissar; Religious Education Chair,
Dawn Miller; Youth Services Coordinator Chelsea Surfus; Danielle Sullivan Youth Parent Liaison;,
Michelle Peterson, Elementary Parent Liaison; Beki Siele, Parent Group Liaison, Tonda Dysart,
Technical Consultant; Keri Spiller, Childcare Coordinator
OUR MISSION IS TO:
 Provide Religious Education that builds an affirming and loving community.
 Teach Unitarian Universalist values and history and respect for the values and traditions of
others.
 Foster cooperation rather than competition, and
 Encourage a spirit of service and inquiry in all facets of life.
ADMINISTRATION AND PLANNING
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The Team took an in depth look at all the areas of responsibility that the R.E. Program requires.
Dawn Miller, R.E. Team Chair created a chart to reflect these. The DRE and the Team discussed
these areas and honed the descriptions to make the work of the program more manageable and
allow the DRE to have more of an oversight position. A parent meeting was held in September to
allow any member or friends of Live Oak to engage in a discussion about the R.E. Program. Notes
were made of the discussion to bring forward at the R.E. Tune Up in November. On November 1
and 16, The R.E. Team hosted a RELIGIOUS EDUCATION TUNE UP – with Regional Consultant,
Natalie Briscoe. The Tune Up was a process to look at our R.E. Program in depth and then create
plans and projects for the near term and long term future. We held a day-long Saturday workshop
on Nov. 1st, and then wrapped up the Workshop in a 3 hour session after lunch on Sunday, Nov.
16th. Three projects were taken up by Congregation Members at the end of Part Two. These are:
1) Mentorship Program, headed up by Barbara Coldiron, where children and youth who want to
participate will be matched with a mentor; 2) Library books for the classrooms, headed up by
Alyssa Goss who will work with Carolyn Dower, Library Team Chair; 3) Classroom painting
project, headed up by Christopher Carroll who will work the Facilities Team to paint some of our
rooms. Other ideas came out of the meetings, which The R.E. Team and DRE will work on. One in
particular that was implemented is the Lunch and Learn meetings scheduled for 2015. There was
also detailed Vision work done regarding individual grade levels, which will be used in future
planning for our Program. A big thank you is in order to all that gave us the gift of their time and
input during this Visioning process!
COMMUNICATION
There were four major changes this year to improve communication. First was the creation of
Members Pages by Dawn Miller, R.E. Team Chair. In consultation with Patty Bissar, DRE, Rev.
Crawford and Mike Schultz, Web Team Chair, Dawn set this up and had it linked to the main Live
Oak website under the “Education” tabs. She prepared a Beta Test plan for the RE Team, received
feedback, and made suggested edits. The R.E. webpage has a Volunteer page, which helps staff
events and let people know of opportunities to serve in the program. There are plans to have a
Teacher Resource area on the site. Second was Tonda Dysart, R.E. Team Member set up online
registration. Dawn Miller, R.E. Team Chair set up a Q R Code , which was posted around the campus
to help facilitate access to the online form. When one can point to the QR Code on the wall and
easily set a new family on the process of getting registered, there is quite a sense of pride in this
new process set up by our Team Members. The online form is also accessible from the website.
Third, Beki Siele set up a Facebook group - Live Oak UU RE. This group is used to promote events
and improve communication. Fourth was the Team started offering net meeting format so that those
interested could attend the Team meetings via the internet or by phone. This began in November.
SPECIAL EVENTS:
WATER AND BUBBLE DAY was September 7th. This fun filled event, which was hosted by the R.E.
Team, is our annual celebration at the end of the Summer Semester. The children had an enormous
amount of fun learning a little about water awareness, and then participated in both cooperative
and competitive water games with the Middle School and High School Youth helping to monitor the
various stations. This was followed by a hot dog lunch and movie for the children.
SUMMER PROGRAM:
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The Team decided on using the G.U.U.E.S.T. (Gifted U U’s Expressing and Sharing Talents) program
for Summer 2014. Dawn Miller, Michelle Peterson, Chelsea Surfus and Beki Siele served as the
Summer Program Team Coordinators each week to assist the Director of Religious Education. Some
of the topics presented by Live Oak members were: Buddhist Pebble Meditation; photography;
painting; journaling; drumming on the labyrinth, and more. Feedback from the children and adults
facilitating and assisting was that this was a very enjoyable program.
GRADE LEVEL CONFIGURATIONS AND CURRICULUM:
The Team determined class/grade level configuration for the Fall with the following levels: Pre-K;
Kinder, First & Second; Third-Fifth; Middle School (6,7 & 8th grades) and High School. The 3.4.5th
grades- Chalice Club class used Moral Tales and Signs of Our Faith, Tapestry of Faith curricula. The
Middle School class used Religionnovation (creating your own religion). The High School Class
curriculum was determined by the DRE and Lead Youth Advisor in consultation with the Youth.
They chose to look at justice issues and how UU’s can make a difference. This was coupled with
fund raising for Youth events and planning of the annual Youth worship service. Both of these
endeavors are leadership building experiences for our Youth ready to take on the responsibilities.
TEACHER INGATHERING / ORIENTATION:
This year, The Heart of Texas (H.O.T.) Cluster DRE’s, along with Regional Consultant, Natalie Briscoe,
planned and held our first Austin Area Teacher Training. Natalie presented the basics of Liberal
Faith Development in the morning segment. In the afternoon, Patty Bissar, DRE, presented Ethics
and Safety in our Religious Ed Programs with a presentation prepared by Jon Porter, Attorney at
Law who teaches this topic to doctors and nurses at several locations in the US. There were several
breakout groups in the later afternoon. One was Spirit Play basics, presented by Patty Bissar, DRE.
Chelsea Surfus held a Youth Advisors’ discussion group.
BUDGET AND STRUCTURE
The proposed budget was prepared with the assistance of Mark Anderson, who has consulted with
Patty Bissar, DRE and the R.E. Team. The budget was presented to the R.E. Team, who approved it
for submission to the Finance Team. The bulk of the budget discussion was on Training funds for
the various opportunities the Region and Clusters provide. Our growing Religious Education
program needs to have continuing education for our volunteer staff.
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4. Community Outreach
a. Community Outreach Council
(CROP Walk, English as a Second Language, Hands on Housing, Hill Country Community
Ministries, Homeless Outreach, Immigration Action, NAMI Walk, Prison Outreach, Share the Plate,
UU Service Committee)
1) English as a Second Language
Community Outreach Council Annual Report, 2013-2014
Team Leaders:
• CROP Walk-Sharon Fitzpatrick
• ESL-Mary Hengstebeck
• Hands on Housing-David Fitzpatrick
• Hill Country Christmas Bureau – Sharon Fitzpatrick
• Hill Country Community Ministries-Sharon Fitzpatrick
• Homeless Outreach-vacant
• Immigration Action-Tim Buckley & Larry Smith
• NAMI Walk-vacant
• Prison Outreach-Alison Dieter
• Share the Plate- Sharon Fitzpatrick
• UUSC Reps-Larry Smith & Tim Buckley
Mission: To live our UU principles through acts of service to the community that are relevant,
compassionate and just.
Accomplishments and Statistics:
CROP Walk:
Members: None at the current time
Mission Statement: To lead actions of compassion beyond the Live Oak community by working in
conjunction with Church World Services and other churches in the Leander/Cedar Park area to
raise fund to eliminate hunger one step at a time.
Accomplishments: A Live Oak team participates in the CROP Walk annually. We fielded only a 2person walking team this year: Sharon Fitzpatrick and Sue Buckley. This was a disappointment
since we’ve had up to 15 walkers in past years. However, it was the spring campout weekend.
I contacted Shir Ami to see if they would like to participate. Rabbi Marie responded that they
would be interested next year.
ESL:

See separate report
Page 44
Hands on Housing:

Live Oak participated in the all UU events with First UU on October 25, 2014 and May 2, 205
Hill Country Christmas Bureau
Members: Beth Rogalski of Shir Ami, Tim Buckley (aka Santa)
conjunction with the Hill Country Christmas Bureau to provide Christmas gifts to those in need.
Accomplishments: For the second year Live Oak has partnered with Shir Ami on this project.
Live Oak members set up a Giving Tree and hang tags that list items requested. Last year there
were complaints about the cost and types of gifts requested. This year Live Oak worked
successfully with the Hill Country Christmas Bureau to address these complaints.
The visit by Santa to the Parents of Young Children at their December meeting added to the
collection and were donated to HCCB, along with the gifts placed under the Giving Tree.
Hill Country Community Ministries:
Members: None at this time
conjunction with Hill Country Community Ministries to help our neighbors in crisis and those
living in poverty in southwest Williamson County and northwest Travis County.
Accomplishments: Live Oak continues to support Hill Country Community Ministries although at
a lower level this year. We generally donate two caseworker shifts per week: caseworkers
interview clients to determine eligibility for services. Hill Country Community Ministries is an
annual recipient of a Share the Plate collection. In addition, individual members donate plastic
bags, toothpaste and toothbrushes, miniature shampoos and hand lotions, food and Thanksgiving
turkey funds which the team delivers.
Homeless Outreach:

For the past year, we have continued to supply teams to prepare meals for homeless men at the Austin
Resource Center for the Homeless (ARCH) on the 5th Sunday and 5th Tuesday of each month. We have
also delivered some donated items.
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Immigration Action:
Facilitator: Tim Buckley
Members: 17 church members are on the mailing list
Mission Statement: To build connection with and provide support to the immigrant community.
Accomplishments: The Immigration Action Team conducts business through an e-mail group and
meets only when the need arises. During this year our emphasis has been to communicate current
immigration information through e-mail only.
NAMI Walk:

Live Oak members joined Wildflower UU and Austin First UU for the annual NAMI Walk. The National
Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is a non-profit organization formed to offer services to individuals
and families across the country affected by serious mental illness.
Prison Outreach:

Since August of 2013, the committee has been asking for signatures on birthday cards once a month,
which we send to death row prisoners at the Polunski unit in Livingston. They have been very glad to
get some sign that people have not forgotten them, and some of them have written to Live Oak thanking
us and asking for more correspondence from anyone willing to write to them. Some of them get no
mail other than the cards. A very successful project.
Share the Plate:
Members: None at the current time
Mission Statement: Share the Wealth of Live Oak
Accomplishments: Between April 2014 and March 2015 Live Oak shared $7291.20 with other
501(c) 3 organizations.
Recipients:
2014
 Round Rock Serving Center
 Descending Eagles
 UBarU
 Casa Marianella
 No More Deaths
 CASA
 Hands on Housing
 Hope Alliance
 Any Baby Can
2015



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CASA of Williamson County
Volunteer Health Care Clinic
Casa Marianella
There have been a couple of minor tweaks to the program in 2015. Members of Live Oak are being
encouraged to submit candidate recipients. Sharon is attempting to ensure that there is a Social
Justice minute the first Sunday of each month to briefly describe that month’s recipient.
UUSC:
Unitarian Universalists Service Committee Team
Local UUSC Representatives: Larry Smith and Tim Buckley
Members: 25% of church membership are UUSC members
Mission Statement: To encourage the Live Oak UU Congregation to support the UUSC and its
mission to advance human rights around the world.
Accomplishments:
 Reached our goal this year of receiving the Creating Justice Banner because 25% of the congregation
became members of UUSC.
 Wrote informational articles on UUSC in church newsletter
 Information table set up after church services
 Conduct the annual Guest at Your Table fundraising campaign
 Coordinate activities with Youth Group and DRE
 Monitor UUSC local membership
We are excited about the new UUSC Justice-Building Program which is specifically designed to help
individuals and congregations become more effective in their own justice work regardless of issue
or location.
Page 47
a. ESL: English as a Second Language
2014-2015 English As a Second Language Annual Report
Team Facilitator – Mary Hengstebeck
Teachers (2014 - 2015): Alison Dieter, Christopher Carrol, Cynthia Roberts, Don Gier, Jayne Polly,
Jeanne Kyser, Joe Nesheim, Jon Durbin, Judy Snape, Lin Pastore, Liz Brannen, Mary Hengstebeck,
Minor Crager, Neitha Engert, and Sybil Vosler. Two thirds of the volunteers are LOUU members or
friends.
Other Support –Tutoring a former student who is taking ACC classes: Mary Scheffler; creating tab
dividers for notebooks; Harry Polly, Alice Hammer, Phoebe Becktell, Jen Carrol: help with student
parties: Alice Hammer, Susan Klinkspor: Log Library Books and record team notebook ideas:
Diane Boehman Kim Ono
ESL Mission Statement
Teaching every day English to adults who speak another language.
2014-2015 Highlights
Between June 2014 and May 2015 we have served 140 students from 15 countries in Leander and
Cedar Park. During the year we offer 4 sessions. Of these current students :
Started Started Started Started 1
2
3
4
2012
2013
2014
2015
Session Sessions Sessions Sessions
2.88% 13.67% 54.68% 28.78% 45.32%
43.17%
4.32%
7.19%

We teach 4 sessions a year. Within a session we teach 10 classes. Eight of the classes meet
1.5 hours twice a week. The other 2 classes meet for 45 minutes once a week. Morning and
afternoon classes are taught in Leander and at the church. Evening classes are only taught
at the church. Many of the students attend multiple classes during the week.

The English as a Second Language program works in partnership with the Literacy Council
of Williamson County. They have provided training, and student materials.

Students have the opportunity to receive extra help before and after classes in writing
assistance, computer tutoring, or pronunciation help.

Purchased additional books to support Very Beginning and Beginning students

Purchased IPAD and IPhone applications to help students create sentences and improve
their pronunciation

Instructors created a new student notebook that maps more closely to the student LifePrint
series

2 students are studying to become citizens.

5 of our intermediate students are also taking classes at ACC

Teachers report enjoying their interactions with the students. Most of them have taught for
more than 1 year showing their commitment to the program and students.

During our monthly team meetings, teachers share teaching tips and enjoy getting to know
each other.
Page 48
5. Administration and Operations
a. Facilities Team
1.) Lockup Team
2.) Technical Response Team
3.) Green Team
4.) Congregational Safety
5.) Kitchen Team
6.) Aesthetics Team
b. Administration
1.) Church Administrator
2.) Communications Council
a.) Newsletter Team
b.) Website Team
a. Facilities Team
2014-2015 Facilities Team Annual Report
Chair: Dave Fitzpatrick
Members: Jamil Bissar, Sue Buckley, Tim Buckley, Tina Cordes, Jon Durbin , Sharon Fitzpatrick,
Jeanne Kyser, Mike Schultz, Diane Stepakof-Fay, Janet Van Sickler, Vasu Vasedevan
Mission Statement: Facilities Team is responsible for maintaining and enhancing Live Oak's
physical facilities, as well as bringing in rental income.
Accomplishments:
 Standard maintenance projects included replacement of ballasts and lights on a room-byroom basis, investigating and correcting excessive natural gas consumption, replacing
ladies room toilet seats, repairing and repainting the Acorn Building siding, and
patching/repainting flaws on various walls.
 Upgrade projects included a major upgrade to Room 205 (a triple room), including
removing the damaged folding doors, de-cluttering the space, replacing the whiteboard,
patching, priming and painting the walls, and preparing the room for future carpeting.
Rooms 210 and 212 were primed and painted by the youth group working with Facilities
Team volunteers. Facilities purchased a coordinated set of (used) furniture and converted
Room 111 into a second downstairs informal meeting room.




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Safety-related projects included planing the North entryway to Acorn Building (again) to
allow full door swing, and placing door swing warning signs inside the first floor men's
room. See the Kitchen Team report and the Congregational Safety Team report for other
safety-related items.
Hands on Live Oak (HoLO), held every six months, spruced up the building/grounds.
Continued multi-year computer/network upgrade. See the Technology Team report.
Beautification projects got underway as Sue Buckley accepted the position of Aesthetics
Team Chair. See the Aesthetics Team Report.
Non-accomplishments/Problems:
 The playground fencing project was delayed, pending the priming and painting of the adjacent
Acorn Building wall, now completed.
 Parking lot repairs are pending contractor cost estimates, as they may exceed volunteer
abilities. Visitor parking signs are pending a decision and volunteer availability.
 Spring and Summer vacations take a large toll of volunteer availability. We are recruiting
for LOUU Summer Handy Helpers to be on call for repairs.
1.) Lockup Team
2014-2015 Lock-up Team Annual Report
Chairperson: Mike Schultz
Members: Tim Buckley, Sharon Fitzpatrick, Brian Winklemann,
Mission Statement: Securing Live Oak's facilities.
Accomplishments:
Every Sunday afternoon, a team member locks up the building and assures that lights are out and
room doors are secured after a busy day with many people using the building.
2.) Technical Response Team
2014-2015 Technology Response Team Annual Report
Chairpersons: Mike Schultz, Dave Fitzpatrick
Mission Statement: Supporting Live Oak's computer and technology needs.
Page 50
Accomplishments: In the past 12 months, the Technology Response Team had the following
accomplishments:
 Restored failed hard drive on server machine.
 Performed an inventory of the computers that Live Oak owns.
 Sharon Fitzpatrick proposed a Computer Plan for Live Oak.
 Acquired a new computer for the new minister and installed it.
 Acquired a new computer for the administrator and installed it.
 Attempting to diagnose internet connection issue for church.
3.) Green Team
2014-2015 Green Team Annual Report
Chair: Hella Holoubek
Members: Sue Buckley, Alison Dieter, Kristina Donna, David Fitzpatrick, Stephanie Kendall, Jeanne
Kyser, Kathy Lunny, Gerrie Smith, Becky and Matthew and Gabe Southard, Donovan Wengler.
Mission Statement: The mission of the LO Green Team is to maintain the garden near the front
door in order to provide an attractive and welcoming entrance to our church.
Accomplishments: We are planting and maintaining the front yard. This is mature landscaping
now, we do not need to add much except in the planters in front of the door. Dominic Perez, with
the help of his son, spend two full days trimming the big hedge.
4.) Congregational Safety Team
2014-2015 Congregational Safety Team Annual Report
Chair: None: reported by Dave Fitzpatrick for the Facilities Team
Members: None
Mission Statement: Congregational Safety, a subteam of Facilities, is responsible for analyzing
congregational safety problems, planning solutions, recruiting and training a volunteer
fire/emergency team, and testing/training with appropriate drills.
Accomplishments:
Facilities volunteers mounted four zippered Fire/Emergency bags to the back of the Table
Closet door. These bags are for the Fire/Emergency evacuation team, each containing a
reflective vest, flashlight, and walkie-talkie. The emergency bullhorn is mounted to the
adjacent wall. The Table Closet is never locked, and is therefore always quickly accessible
in an emergency
Non-accomplishments/Problems:
Since Nancy Decker moved, we have not had a chair for Congregational Safety, nor any
emergency drills. Recruiting attempts through the Bulletin have drawn no recruits.
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5.) Kitchen Team
2014-2015 Kitchen Team Annual Report
Chair: Dave Fitzpatrick
Members:
Mission Statement: Kitchen Team is responsible for maintaining and operating the Live Oak
kitchen in a safe and sanitary manner, and for training users in safe kitchen operation.
Accomplishments:
 Replaced the old refrigerator, which was not maintaining safe temperatures for food
storage.
 Provided kitchen training to a number of renters and Live Oak members, including Sunday
coffee volunteers.
 Following an incident with natural gas, we made several safety-related changes. We
purchased and installed a combustible gas detector. Revised the Kitchen Checklist to stress
safety with gas, made the checklist mandatory to be filled in, signed and turned in to the
Administrator at the end of kitchen use. Stapled checklist copies to the money-handling
papers for the convenience of Sunday coffee volunteers.
 Passed our kitchen hood safety inspection with flying colors.
6.) Aesthetics Team
2014-2015 Aesthetics Team Annual Report
Chair: Susan Buckley
Members: Works in conjunction with the Facilities Team
Mission Statement: To make our church’s physical environment vibrant and welcoming.
Accomplishments: The team is responsible for decorating public spaces in the building and
assessing the usefulness and desirability of artwork or furnishings donated to the church. A
procedure for approving donations of furniture or decorations to Live Oak has been completed.
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b. Administration
1.) Church Administrator
2014-2015 Church Administrator Annual Report
Diane Stepakof-Fay, Church Administrator
Accomplishments
Communications:
 Compiled and sent out the weekly e-newsletter.
 Worked with the Newsletter Team that came out of the Communications Council. In April
2015, the e-newsletter format was redesigned to be smart phone friendly. The new format
consists mainly of links to information on the website.
 Learned to add to and edit the website.
Finance:
 Made entries into Quickbooks.
 Printed checks weekly.
 Provided monthly reports to Treasurer.
 Issued 1099s.
 Run payroll through ADP monthly.
 Worked with a Quickbooks consultant to learn how to enter budget information.
Facilities:
 Scheduled building use. There are approximately 60 individual events each week.
 Acted as liaison to our eight long term renters: Congregation Shir Ami, True Jesus Church,
Bryan Sunderman: Guitar Teacher, Lea Detlefs: Violin Teacher. Gouri Karmakar: Tabla
Teacher, Vidhya Mani: Indian Dance Teacher, All Things Spiritual, and kidsActing,
 Cultivated two new summer camps: Robotics Academy and Austin Film & Maker Camp
 Worked with three summer camp programs in 2014: Abrakadoodle, kidsActing and
Curious Einstein.
 Met with individual renters to write lease agreements, issue keys and do building
orientation. Coordinated Sound Board operators for those renters requesting it. Live Oak
hosts approximately 30 recitals a year plus an increasing number of private events.
 Answered rental inquiries and showed the building to potential renters several times a
week.
 Maintained a list of needed repairs for volunteers to do.
 Met monthly with the Facilities Team.
 Held several Building Use Trainings for key holders and other members.
 Coordinated two “Hands on Live Oak” workdays.



Page 53
Scheduled electricians, plumbers, pest control, AC/Heat maintenance & repairs,
groundskeeper and any other needed repairs.
Purchased building, janitorial and office supplies. Working on converting to automatic
paper towel holders and soap dispensers.
Currently coordinating the replacement of carpet in some upstairs rooms.
Database:
 Continued to use PowerChurch to record information about members, friends and visitors.
 Developed a new system for tracking RE attendance.
 Created and issued a new directory.
Team Support:
 Attended Executive Team meetings once a month.
 Attended Facilities Team monthly meeting.
 Attended Program Council meetings quarterly
 Attended Communication Council meetings.
 Attended Staff meetings once a month.
 Attended special meetings on various issues as they arose.

2. Communications Council
2014-2015 Communications Council Annual Report
Convener: Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford
Participants: Kristen Anderson, Tim Buckley, Theresa Coffin, Steve Collins, Amy Dark, Alyssa
Goss, CT Goss, Dawn Miller, Bich Ngo, Rob Sartin, Mike Schultz, Diane Stepakof-Fay and Chelsea
Surfus
On-going Agenda:
Church Office communications, Yahoo and Chat Groups, Website, Facebook and Twitter, Monthly
Newsletter
Accomplishments:
 Bulletin Boards defined and updated.
 Weekly electronic newsletter has been converted to a smart phone friendly format by the
administrator using Constant Contact
 Yahoo and Chat groups are being used minimally as all official communication is going into
the weekly electronic newsletter.
 Website updates are constant and it is getting much more functional use.
 Facebook and Twitter are set up and being utilized
Other forms of communication still in use:
 Announcement sheet in Order of Service
 Chat Yahoo Group – minimal use and mainly for non church items.


Page 54
Announce Yahoo Group – minimal use
Other Yahoo Group Lists
a.) Newsletter Team
2014-2015 Newsletter Team’s Annual Report
Chair: Tim Buckley
Members: Theresa Coffin, Amy Dark, Dianne Stepakof-Fay
Mission Statement: To provide news and announcements about the church in an electronic
format.
Accomplishments: The team met and developed a plan with the goal of transitioning the
newsletter from a format designed for print media to a format that can be accessed via e-mail with
links to the website for more in-depth information. Basically our desire is to lead readers to
information rather than provide all information.
b.) Website Team
2014-2015 Web Team Annual Report
Chair: Mike Schultz
Members: Tim Buckley, Amy Dark, Bich Ngo, Rob Sartin, Diane Stepakof-Fay, Tonda Dysart
Mission Statement: Maintaining Live Oak's presence on the World Wide Web.
Accomplishments: During this year, more members of the congregation have become involved
with maintaining the church website. The recent emphasis has been to work with individual team
leaders on updating the team webpages with the goal of converting to the latest version of Drupal.
A decision has been made to maintain the church’s administrative files on a Google Drive.
Therefore, setting up the drives and working with members has occupied a great deal of time but
in the long run, it will be a better method of linking the church business into the website.
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Annual Report 2015 - Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church

Transcription

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