A long way….
Monique Lewis, President, Board of Trustees
When I started attending this church in 1981, we were still meeting downstairs in what is now the nursery. There were about 40 folks who came on a Sunday. The upstairs part was being built as we didn’t have the money for both floors at the same time. We were paying on two mortgages. For many years, our Director of Religious Education was a volunteer and from six to ten children attended Sunday school classes. Many settled and interim ministers lent us their talents and we grew. Over the years, we had pot lucks, Mother’s Day picnics, plays, parties, and all manner of get-togethers. We formed committees, a board of trustees, hired an administrator, and put out a monthly newsletter. Back then, we were not very well known in the community.
Fast forward twenty years and you find us still having the great get-togethers, only more of them. More folks joined and we refined our committees, and our dedication to service projects for the wider community. Interfaith Hospitality was one of our biggest programs that served the homeless in Chattanooga. We paid off our mortgages, increased our efforts to welcome visitors and new members, and looked to the future for more growth.
Here we are now in 2017 with a total of 141 voting members. We have expanded our communication to include a website, a weekly online newsletter, and a Facebook page. Our activities and values are profiled on the airwaves of WUTC. The social justice committee has put us in the forefront of community activities, challenging us to share our time and talents with those that need us. In these uncertain times, more folks are coming to check us out and yes, there is still a lot to do. We must find a better formula for integrating new members into the congregation while their own church needs are being met. Continued improvement to our space may ensure our ability to host regional U.U. workshops as well as promoting new rentals. As our numbers grow, event scheduling will become more complicated and therefore, we must continue to improve this process.
We have a lot of dedicated members and friends that are willing to help move our church forward. Fortunately, this has been the case for many years and we are lucky to have a solid foundation. I think you will agree that we have come—a long way.