It’s Important Work
As you probably know, Horizon is guided by policy governance. We refer to our published Bylaws and Policies as we work to achieve Horizon’s mission and vision.
Additionally, Rev. Lora and the Circle Coordinators develop the annual goals for the church, and the board prepares its own goals as well. All the goals were presented virtually this year at the Ingathering Coffee Hour on August 30.
One of the board’s goals is to “Continue to improve board communications to and with the congregation.” This will be a little harder to do in our current virtual world, so we’re taking most of it online—newsletter, website, Zoom—for the foreseeable future.
We wrote several tasks to support this communications goal, one of which is to provide a monthly article for the newsletter. Another is to communicate and publish Horizon’s Ends Statement policies (Policies 4.1 - 4.6), as well as provide a link to the current month’s board meeting minutes on the web site. (Click the link above and scroll down that web page to access the link to the minutes.)
A member of the board will write the article and, within the article for the next few months, feature one of Horizon’s Ends policies. These policies resonated with the board after we read them at our board retreat, which is why we decided this was a good time to reread and share them with the congregation.
At this point you may ask, “What the heck is an Ends Statement?” According to The Governance Coach, Ends is a unique concept in policy governance. Columinate, a national consulting cooperative serving mission-driven organization, says Ends are written policies that describe the purpose of an organization—why it exists. Ends don’t describe activities, programs, or services we provide, but rather the intended results of our efforts.
So, as a reminder as to why we do what we do, I hope you’ll take the time to read and think about each of these Ends policies, starting with our Global Ends Statement and Policy 4.2—Spiritual Development. It’s important work we do.
Global Ends Statement
Horizon Unitarian Universalist Church is a liberal religious community where all may grow through worship, education, service, and fellowship—a community that encourages lives of integrity, service, and joy.
Spiritual Development
The spiritual lives of our members, friends, and visitors grow as we:
support the free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
develop personal and communal worship practices through diverse services, which are multigenerational, multiracial, and utilize a variety of modalities.
foster religious dialogue free of dogma and open to differing values.
offer relevant, thought-provoking experiences and sermons that inspire us to be better
people and to reflect on our lives and our connections within the community.
embrace a wide range of creative, artistic, and musical experiences that move, uplift, and sustain us.
come together to share and honor important events in our individual lives and the life of our church.
— Carolyn Moore, Horizon Board of Trustees President