Joining with Brighton UCC

4/15/2012

I've created this page to provide a forum for information and discussion on the proposal to join with Brighton UCC.

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12 Comments

Holly Bauer-Mergen

4/17/2012 05:29:52 am

On April 1, 2012 the congregation of the Brighton UCC church voted to merge with our church. About 13 of the BUCC members are interested in finding a new church home with us in Spencerport. (Others will likely be looking at other churches, especially those closer to their homes.)

While there are still many legal questions to be investigated, we as a church need to have the discussions about what this means to us and what our spiritual, church family path will be.

As indicated in the letter to all church members, I hope you will join us in one or all of the discussion opportunities, especially the potluck dinner with the BUCC members.

Holly Bauer-Mergen

4/29/2012 05:52:56 am

We have discovered, in discussions with a lawyer, that "merger" is not the correct term for the administrative process that we are considering, because our church will not be dissolving as a corporation. Consequently the term I will be using (until we have another "legal jargon") is "joining with" the Brighton church.

steven price

5/9/2012 05:59:56 am

Terrific idea Holly!
I hope folks utilize this resource.

Holly Bauer-Mergen

5/9/2012 11:17:29 am

Tonight (May 9) we had a potluck dinner with Spencerport Congregational UCC members and Brighton UCC members to get acquainted and talk about what this process is about. After dinner the BUCC folks shared their journey to this point and their legal issues (briefly) and Pastor Nancy and I shared the legal perspectives from our church's point of view (i.e., we're "receiving" their members and assets if the vote is a "yes" on Sunday and the rest of it waits on them). The Reverend Steve Price of the Committee of Ministries of GVA then facilitated a discussion with all of us, using the model of pre-marital counseling. Below are my notes from that discussion:
(The original document used italics and underlining to separate sections - but the blog doesn't support that formatting, so if you have questions, please let me know.)

Pre-marital counseling – why did BUCC decide on Spencerport UCC?
• Compassionate
• Taking care of
• Like family
• Like people in our church
• Very comfortable, treated like home, remarkable difference in everyone’s comments about Spencerport
• Feels like a fit
• Make-up of congregation similar to BUCC
• Be part of a family, would be missed

Spencerport – your ministry was recognized

[Spencerport member who attended BUCC service – sensed their closeness, they were very welcoming]

Spencerport – how did it feel to be picked?
• How would it feel if I were in the same position, losing my church?
• Understand the pain
• How to get them involved in church functioning? Not just in the pews
• It was very validating viz. growing this church?
• Exciting but a lot of responsibility – relationships require work
• Confusing about what the path would like?
• Patience with each other

What happens after the honeymoon? What do you do to deal with the problems? How do you set up the kinds of communication?

What qualities do you see in the other that are valued?
Spencerport
• Active and passionate about their church
• Active when it would be easy to back out – tenacity
• Impressed when some of the members were doing their own preaching - courage
• Organization and follow-up through – laity strength
• Energy

BUCC
• Sense of humor – not taking themselves too seriously
• Caring
• We do like pastor
NOTE: She will wear a heavy yoke for awhile
• Comfortable and caring, welcoming, paying attention to details, openness
• Pastor Nancy is a Duke fan

What is your communication style when there is an issue?
BUCC
• Business – good people; phone tree (reminds people of e.g., activities); prayer tree
• Most of people coming have been in leadership role Ellen is our go-to person. We’ll have to pay attention to the new people we need to communicate with.
• Ellen’s view – “walking directory” center of phone trees; work together
• Ellen had been Council president position for many years – strong foundation

Spencerport
• Work out solution; no talking behind your back
• If there’s a problem, approach from place of love; don’t let things build
• We’ll need a new phone directory (Board of Membership has been planning it – waiting for this to happen.)

No gossiping – go to source; how will communication benefit? Look how styles might have worked or not worked in past. Look for unhealthy patterns.

What church traditions do you hold dear?
Spencerport
• Congregation runs church
• Shaking hands
• Don’t have to be a member to participate
• Eating together - e.g. Lenten dinners
• Music program
• Memorial services in sanctuary – focus of church support after death in a family
• Holiday services

BUCC
• Halloween party with piñata for entire family
• The way church looks at Christmas
• Passing of the peace – goes on for a long time – big part of who we are
• Communion – children welcome – receive grapes as symbol of Christ’s love
• Scripture-based sermons and study
• Congregation makes decisions
• Discovered that liked some change as did own services – worship service enhanced by doing different things

Recognize that traditions are different; be careful of “that’s the way we’ve always done it”;

What will it look 5 years from now?
• Eliminate we/they
• “This will be the hardest job we’ve ever had” – to be one
• I want my children to be safe and know they’re taken care of – the church family takes care of them
• Church will grow with others
• Can’t picture our lives without each other

NOTE: BUCC Council has to maintain membership until all the paperwork is done.

Holly Bauer-Mergen

5/14/2012 05:28:28 am

At the special congregational meeting on May 13, 2012, the congregation voted (60 yes's, 0 no's, 1 abstention) to approve the motion to receive the members and assets of BUCC with the requisite legal documents that are subject to the review by legal counsel and officers of this church. BUCC has invited our congregation to join them for their last service on June 3, 2012. Details will be supplied shortly.

Holly Bauer-Mergen

5/19/2012 09:53:48 am

The Council voted on May 15, 2012 to cancel services at our church on June 3, 2012 so that our congregation may join the BUCC for their last service of celebration and remembrance at 1095 East Henrietta Road at 10:30. We are putting up sign-ups in Fellowship Hall for carpooling, or coordinate your own.

Wendy Vonhold

5/27/2012 03:57:55 am

We are so pleased that everyone will be joining together for our last service at 1095 East Henrietta Road. We look forward to worshiping with our new family.

Holly Bauer-Mergen

6/4/2012 11:44:36 am

The service of celebration and remembrance at Brighton UCC was lovely. Several of us tried to do a count of folks from Spencerport attending the Brighton service and the estimate is about 50. It was so nice to be able to share the time with our new family members and get a "flavor" for their traditions and get to know more people at the reception afterwards. I had a lovely chat with the Reverend and Mrs. Remsen, who reminded me of the work we now have ahead of us to transition people and "stuff," and all the decisions we will need to make over the next several months. Brighton UCC Council members have to retain their BUCC membership for legal purposes, including all the remaining decisions that need to be made on their end.
At the Cabinet meeting tonight (June 4, 2012) it was recommended that a Transition Committee be set-up with members from both churches to make decisions/recommendations/request help for tasks/etc. (This is awkward - we still need to talk about two entities because of the legal and practical decisions that need to be made, but we are one now, so please pardon me when I go back and forth!)
June 10th will be the first service in Spencerport when our new family will be in attendance! Welcome!

Holly Bauer-Mergen

6/10/2012 03:40:36 am

Today (Sunday, June 10, 2012) was a special day in our church - the first church service in Spencerport to welcome our BUCC family to their new home! Some BUCC folks visited for the first time today and are still going through the difficult decision of where they're new spiritual home might be; in some cases, the distance to Spencerport is an understandable major consideration.

In my welcoming this morning, I continued the analogy of a marriage: We've dated and gone through the courtship, including "pre-marital counseling" (with Rev. Stephen Price at the poluck dinner). We're now engaged! However, we now have more to do. We need to plan the "wedding," keeping in mind that many of the BUCC folks must retain their membership at Brighton for a time for legal reasons; we will talk about what (and how many) celebrations we'll have for the "wedding." The other thing we need to do is "merge households," with all the practical and emotional issues that go along with merging households. (I used the example of my husband and I moving into my childhood home and his question about 'why are the glasses in the cupboard to the right of the sink?' - my answer was 'because that's where they've always been.' The cups are still there, but I no longer remember what used to be on the second shelf to the right of the sink, where all the tea now is.)

A Transition Committee, comprised of both BUCC and Spencerport members, has been formed and will figure out the "to do" list. However, they'll be asking for help from everyone when it's time to do it! So please consider how you might help as we go along.

Pastor Nancy

6/10/2012 11:30:33 pm

I was so sorry to miss the first Sunday of our new togetherness. It was good to be with brothers and sisters of the New York Conference, but now I'm home and looking forward to sharing with my "homies" again for a while. I will see you all on Sunday, and look out over our expanding congregation!

Holly Bauer-Mergen

6/13/2012 08:11:10 am

A Transition Committee has been formed to tackle all aspects of the joining of our two churches. (The first meeting is scheduled for June 27.) The Transition Committee is comprised of Tom Coburn, Don Darrohn, Cheryl Ellsworth, Ellen Kerns, Marilyn Lenz, Betty Ann Riley, Gwen Tappendon, and Wendy Vonhold. This group is tasked with creating the “to do list.” They will then call on all of us to help in the “doing.” I hope we can count on you to be one of the “doing” volunteers.
I will continue to blog about happenings and will ask the Transition Committee to do the same. A bulletin board in Fellowship Hall has been set aside to post the blogs in paper for those of you who do not have access to a computer.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to call me, Pastor Nancy, or anyone on the Transition Committee.

Holly Bauer-Mergen

6/13/2012 11:59:12 pm

Well, part of transitioning is learning how to spell new names, so I'll correct the typos now: it's Ellen Kern and Gwen Tappenden. Sorry! :-)

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