Becoming a Member of Circle UU Fellowship
Becoming a member of Circle Fellowship is as simple as signing the book. There are no other formal requirements. We hope that if a person decides to join Circle Fellowship they will want to be an active member and participate in dinner discussions, social justice or environmental work, work parties, present a program; perhaps eventually serve on a committee or on the board (we discourage participation on the board for at least a year after joining so that the new member has an opportunity to learn more about us). As a lay led Fellowship we have a lot to do, and our members' help is most important.
We would hope that, at a minimum, a new member will contribute financially enough to
pay for the annual dues that we pay per member to the Unitarian Universalist Association
($20)and to the Unitarian Universalist Heartland District ($54) of which
we are a part. To this point Circle
Fellowship has not done an
annual pledge drive as many churches do; we count on the generosity
of our members to meet our needs.
Because we do not have a professional staff, our expenses are relatively low. Our budget typically would require an average donation of $400 per member (not family) per year. Obviously some will not donate this much, either because it is a hardship or because they simply choose not to, and some will donate more. And donations at this level provide a fairly minimal budget.
Additional funds will allow us to complete our plans for accessibility, including widening doors and hallways, putting in a handicapped accessible bathroom, remodeling the east side porch as a new entry and coat room, and installing a system for assisted hearing. We also hope to enlarge and improve our Religious Education program, both children's and adult--RE materials are quite expensive, and we need to purchase additional hymnals and other music materials. Someday we may even have an endowment fund!
Whatever gifts our members are able to offer to Fellowship to help us offer our programs, activities and events to the our own and the wider community is greatly appreciated!