It is the end of the year, and life at UUCOV is hopping.

And we want it to stay that way.

What will it take to continue this fast pace? What will it take to continue to welcome new members?

Well, welcome. Welcome with both a big and a small w.

Big W Welcome is systemic. Are we set up so that people of all kinds can join in the joy here at UUCOV? LGBTQ+ people. People with disabilities. Middle aged and younger people. People of all races.

We are pretty good about this, but we must begin thinking through how younger working people might be welcomed, given that our meetings are almost all during traditional work hours to avoid driving after dark. Auditing our campus for Welcome problems should be a fun task, done every year or so by a rowdy group corralled by the Board, and charged with looking for barriers to inclusion.

Small w welcome is more personal and is hugely important. This kind of welcome is up to every one of you directly, every week.

This welcome includes things like:

• Introducing yourself to someone standing or sitting alone
• Inviting new members into events, personally
• Helping to make sure that new members understand which big events, like the auction, impact multiple social events, or will be attended by almost everyone
• Making your group, Team, or event understandable and findable to all

We are so lucky to have the opportunity to welcome people into the UUCOV community over the coming year, so let’s focus on doing it well!

Warmly,

Rev. Amy