Support Our Fellowship!

We feel like community is becoming more important every single day. In response to a world around us that is harsh, hurting, and sometimes haunting, coming together at UUFCO has become essential. If our fellowship were just a space where we could bear witness and bring our sorrows, that would be enough. But you know that we are so much more than that! UUFCO is a place that is actively living out our values, as well as being a home for joy, spirit, and light in this time. And, of course, when we say “place,” what we really mean is people. You. All of us. Together.

This year we are certainly doing it all together as we are launching our first ever Pledge-a-thon! On February 1, our audacious hope is to have everyone pledge so that our entire pledge drive happens in one day during this 10 hour event. One day with over 60 different participants in front of the camera and many more behind it. Join us on Zoom via our webpage or come on over to the fellowship in person! We began at Sunday service and will wrap up at 7pm.

Our pledge goal of $600,000 is as ambitious as our method for attaining it. We are aiming for $600,000 to fuel the values and love of UUFCO. Through these pledges, we will craft our budget for the coming year and plan the shape of our future together. Some of the main priorities for our coming year that your pledge dollars will help fund are:

• Responding to our congregational growth and programs with appropriate staffing and communication tools so that we successfully can work together at this new size.Expanding our music program, because we love music and all kinds of it!

• Supporting our young families by offering consistent childcare for fellowship events.

• Caring for our spiritual home, our building and grounds, including fire safety and some repairs of systems that are showing more than a decade of use.

• Supporting our staff with a benefits package that includes healthcare, which increased 19% in cost this year.

Yes, pledges pay for the practical realities of our fellowship life: staffing, worship and music, religious exploration, pastoral care, building stewardship, technology, accessibility, and the thousands of little details that make our vibrant congregation possible.

Your pledge is also a way of saying: This community matters to me. I want it to be here for others in the years to come. When children (and adults!) wonder about the mysteries of life, when newcomers arrive looking for community, when people need acts of care and justice, when tyranny requires opposition, when tears need a place to roll or joy seeks a place to come alive, UUFCO will be that place and we will be those people. And, I am excited to be a part of bringing all that love into the world.

That’s what our Annual Pledge Campaign is really about. It is what your pledge says and supports. Unlike larger organizations, we rely solely on internal support to fund our mission and community programs. Giving to UUFCO is a different kind of gift. It is supporting each other and countless good works that spring from our fellowship.

So, we are inviting you to make your annual pledge. We are often asked by newcomers, “How much should I pledge?” We invite you to take a moment to really consider what this fellowship means to you and to our Central Oregon community and beyond. Then, we ask you to pledge an amount that feels generous and resonates with that feeling. If you would find guidelines helpful, feel free to reference our Pledging Guide.

If you’re able to increase your pledge this year, please consider doing so. Costs rise, and the needs around us rise, too. Of course, if your financial circumstances change later on, you can revise your pledge. We just ask that you give what you can to help us not only sustain our fellowship, but help guide us into our potential. Every pledge is meaningful and every person belongs.

As the Mexican-American writer, Clarissa Pinkola Estes reminds us, “We were made for these times.” The leadership of our congregation has profound faith that collectively, we will rise to the challenges of this time. May we continue to powerfully and generously keep love at the center of all we do. Thank you for all the ways you help make this congregation what it is. Thank you for your pledge and for your part in building a spiritual home that is steady, generous, and full of life.

With tremendous gratitude,

Heather McNeil, Annual Pledge Campaign Chair & Past President
Carolyn Tate, Board President
Rev. Scott Rudolph, Minister