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The Unitarian Universalist
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UUCP
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In Focus: Tom Gundling
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Tom Gundling is a past UUCP Board Vice-President and Chair of the Growth Task Force,currently serves as occasional sound person and member of the choir. He has taught in our Religious Education program and generally helps out where possible. Tom encourages others to learn about how our congregation functions, and find a niche that excites them. "We make this community of faith in a very literal sense. What we contribute becomes part of the whole, and the reward is that you see your efforts having an effect." Though Tom never saw himself in a leadership role in a spiritual community, in 2000, he found himself filling a sudden vacancy as Trustee on the Board for the balance of the church year. In 2001 he became Vice President. The UUCP has been operating over the last year or so with many unanticipated internal and external changes. Internally we experienced significant turnover on the Board, the resignation of our minister and subsequent rejection by the UUA Extension Ministry Program. Externally, the 2000 presidential election and the attacks on September 11th have challenged our congregation and community like never before. Tom said, "The job of the Board is to steady the ship during an insecure time. Our task is also to facilitate the transformation of UUCP from a relatively small, informal group, to the larger and more potent organization that we envision for our future." The good news from the Board is that we have made significant organizational changes in our structure that will allow us to mature as a congregation and get to the point where UUCP can become a more significant force in our community. Tom stated, "We have a wonderful part-time minister and increasingly impressive lay services. In a few months we will be in a new, more appropriate, and spiritually enriching space. I feel as though we have turned a corner, and the future is indeed bright." Tom and his wife Sally joined the UUCP in 1997 after investigating some other local UU congregations. They had been exposed to UU principles earlier that year when attending a UU wedding in Austin, TX. "We were both raised as Catholics, although not in a strict sense. However as adults, this belief system was not consistent with who we were as people. There are several reasons we joined the UUCP, but mainly Sally and I agreed that we wanted to raise our children in some community of faith." Almost a year ago, a survey of our congregation determined that growth was a high priority for the UUCP. With all of the multi-tasking within our congregation, the leadership felt that a group solely dedicated to the issue of growth was necessary. In June, the "Growth Now" plan was created and approved by the membership. During a meeting over the summer, the Board decided that one of its members should chair what became known as the Growth Campaign Coordinating Task Force. Arriving a little late for that meeting Tom found out that, "In my absence, it was unanimously agreed that I would serve as chair." (Let this be a lesson to anyone arriving late at meetings…) Some of Tom's joys in working on the Growth Task Force include, "watching the committees, the Board, the minister, and basically everyone becoming aware of how we look to newcomers." He sees us making ourselves more attractive and welcoming to newcomers with professionally run RE, structured and moving Sunday services, new functions on the part of Membership (e.g. the membership table), and our website. Tom believes, "This is no small feat, and we should congratulate ourselves!" His frustration is working within the constraints of limited resources to implement many of the great ideas people have shared regarding how to grow our congregation. Tom feels, "We must be patient and remind ourselves of why we congregate in the first place." The congregation can help to further the goals of Growth by continuing to foster an environment that allows individual voices to be heard and letting people know that "they can be themselves." The Task Force can always use more input and contributors to the mission of growth. Tom feels, "As a congregation we need to be aware that we are all at different points in our journey and have different spiritual needs. I am completely optimistic about our congregation's future. It is a great group of people who, despite obvious differences, share a fundamental vision. That vision is of a compassionate, inclusive society where diversity is valued - not feared. If we are sensitive to each other, and remain cognizant of our mission in our individual interactions, we'll be irresistible." |
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