June 24-25, 2008
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

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General Assembly
June 25-29, 2008
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

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Dear Companions in Faith,

To everything there is a season, says the age-old preacher Ecclesiastes. Here in Florida we know a different set of seasons than customarily taught. We have wet, dry, fire, and hurricane seasons to go along with fall, winter, spring, and summer. [By the way, has your congregation updated its hurricane emergency preparedness plans of late?]

Many Florida Unitarian Universalist congregations have yet another season: that time of the year when our congregations swell with our beloved snow-birds and winter guests or shrink as they go north again. This creates confusion for our identities and for our governance and programming. In “season,” many congregations need a so-called Program Church model for their work; out of “season,” a Pastoral or Family Church model is more appropriate. Just asking Who is our membership? itself can be daunting.

Florida is not totally unique. Arizona has a similar pattern. Our Cape Cod and Maine congregations have just the reverse, swelling in summer, ebbing in winter.

It is tempting to think of our ministries as part-time, with “real” church occurring only “in season.” The reality is that Continue Reading »