Connections - BJ'sBlog

Connections, BJ's Blog Page

(comments may be directed directly to BJ (revbj@ushartford.com)

8/30/08 Neighborhood Networks :The Little Red Hen is Calling YOU!

Our entire church community has been broken down geographically into what we are calling "neighborhood networks," and soon, you'll find YOUR neighborhood companions in the new membership directory.

This listing will help us as we continue to grow in Southern New England hospitality!

Your USH Neighborhood will thrive as you seek each other out and begin to get acquainted by getting together in some fashion. Who will gather phone numbers/emails? Who will host a potluck? Who will organize a circle supper or a Small Group Ministry (SMG) to happen in YOUR neighborhood? Who will brainstorm the various service, support, socialization, and spirituality opportunities for your neighborhood?

Our pastoral care system will be calling on you by 'network' when someone in your region needs our caring attention, like a ride or a casserole delivered.

Our RE program will be finding ways to help your children become better acquainted with families who live near you.

Our membership sub-council will be calling on you in 'networks' to help with greeter/usher functions.

You might find someone with whom you can car pool.

New members might be paired with mentor members in their neighborhood.

8/16/08 blog

Hello all you curious or experienced web surfers who care for the Unitarian Society of Hartford.

I received my giving statement record today from our treasurer Martha Page, and was impressed with her diplomacy and directness. I clearly have things to learn from Martha, as you all know that one of my core spiritual disciplines is learning how to be less direct and more diplomatic!

At any rate, I was reminded of a financial truth by her comments. A key first step in knowing how to be fiscally accountable and good stewards of resources that Life has given us, is to know how much money comes in, and when….AND how much goes out, and on what!

Imagine how difficult it might be for you in trying to manage your monthly budget if your regular source of income was paid to you on a random basis, rather that on a steady and reliable basis of the same amount monthly, or however often your pay cycle runs. Imagine how irritating it might be to get those $50 overdrafts from the bank from just trying to pay your grocery bill or water bill. Imagine how scarey it might be to get 90% of your pay in the first month of the year, and trying NOT to SPEND it all by the 7th month!

Now, lucky for us, most of us don’t have much trouble with knowing how much comes in to our personal financial accounts or when, but some of us are less clear on…..what percentage of our personal budget is spent on maintaining a home, personal care and clothing (that pedicure costs HOW MUCH?), food and entertainment (Is a $50 bill for one person at a restaurant in your food line item….or your entertainment line item?.)

Then there are all those expenses that come due only once or a few times a year—insurance, auto registration expenses, taxes, vacation, holiday gifts. It can be a surprise to add all those up and divide by 12 to see how much must be set aside from the monthly income to cover those ‘surprise’ items.

Can you say at this moment how much truly discretionary income you have each month—money you are completely free to spend, after covering all the needs of your family. Do you consider your charitable giving to be in the ‘discretionary income’ pile….or does it come out at the beginning of the pay period along with the power bill?

I’m writing to advocate for something which will help our beloved society to move ever nearer the kind of financial stewardship that we KNOW we are capable of.

Would you give serious consideration to dividing your pledge by 12 and then having that amount directly removed from you checking account by the bank each month, and sent to USH? Or you might do as I do, and have the amount removed from your Visa card monthly. (I do it that way because I love piling up airline flight ‘points’ AND because my parents still speak to me now as they did when I was a teenager about giving to God first, and about how financial institutions should pay ME interest instead of me paying THEM interest!)

I hope you’ve had a splendid summer, and am hungry to be with you all again.

Best, Rev BJ

Let us know of any comments, errors and corrections - thanks (revised 8306/08)