Revenue

Canvass & Contributions

Pledge income for 2014, based on input from the Stewardship Committee has been budgeted at $275,000, less 6% for doubtful pledges.  This is an increase from the original canvas goal of $260,000 for the year.

Non-Pledge Contributions and Sunday plate have been increased by 3.0%.

Rents

Apartment Rent for two of our apartments has been increased by 2.5%, to reflect the terms of the renewed leases for our current tenants.  The rental on the third apartment has been increased to the market rate of $2,500 per month, for nine months of the year, beginning in September 2013.

Other Rent has been adjusted by removing the rent currently paid certain outside groups and adding rent from First Acoustics.  The net impact is zero. 

Rent from Ceremonies has been keep even with the amount budgeted in prior years.

Endowment

We have received CPA reviewed financial for the years ended June 30, 2010 and June 30, 2011.  Using those financial statements, we have been able to adjust the principal investment amounts for our restricted funds, and therefore been able to more accurately calculate the principal amount of our unrestricted funds.  As of March 31, 2013 unrestricted principal was $2,943,145 and the restricted principal balances, as a group was $767,224.

As of March 31, 2013 the congregation had an outstanding loan in the amount of $228,500, related to the work performed on the sanctuary roof in 2010.  The board has determined that it was in the best interest of the congregation to repay that loan in full prior to the end of the current fiscal year.  This reduced the amount of investable unrestricted principal to approximately $2,714,645.  The repayment of the above referenced loan has resulted in a reduction of $9,140 per year in endowment income.  However, it will save some $34,800 per year in debt service payments.

Further, based on the congregational voted of May 2012 the prudent draw rate for FY 14 has been reduced from 4.5% to 4.0%, times the average fair market value of the underlying principal, over the past 13 calendar quarters.  To some degree this reduction in prudent draw has been offset by increases, over the past twelve months, in the market value of the endowment’s underlying investments.

Program & Congregational Fundraising.

In the interest of conservatism, the revenue anticipated from the 2014 Auction has been reduced to $9,000, from $12,000.  This lower amount is consistent with actual results from this event over the past two years. The majority of the other components of this income category are consistent with 2013’s budget.  Note that the income from the Folk Concert Series {First Acoustics} has been eliminated as this program will be privatized during FY 14.

Expenses

Professional Leadership

The Senior Minister’s Compensation package has been increased by three percent {3.0%}.

The MRE’s compensation package has been reset to $70,000, based on the current market for individuals with those qualifications and the preferred experience level of the final candidate for this position.

Staff Salaries

Salaries for custodial staff have been adjusted given the anticipated reduction in the number of required hours to be worked, given the proposed hiring of a contract cleaning service for the church.  Custodial staff’s job descriptions will be amended to reduce their janitorial responsibilities and to increase the amount of their hosting duties.  At the same time, the board has increased the hosts’ hourly wage rate to bring it in to line with New York City’s living wage.

Two new positions have been added to next year’s budget:  A Membership and Communications Director and a Substitute Music Director.

The Membership Coordinator will be responsible for all interactions with visitors, new comers, and existing membership.  Duties will include making new comers welcome and coordinating communications with existing members.  This is a part time position.  It is anticipated that this position will be filled as of September 1, 2013.

The Music Director will receive the benefit of one Sunday off per month, as is common practice in church music programs, effective September 2013.  The Substitute Music Director will be hired to coordinate the musical portions of our worship services on those Sundays when the Music Director is off.  

The wages for Sections Leaders has been increased by 4.5%.

Staff Compensation (non-salary)

These expenses are chiefly related to taxes and benefits for the congregation’s staff.  Adjustments have been made on the tax lines to reflect the proposed salary increase for existing staff, these lines have also been adjusted for the payroll taxes related to the proposed new hires mentioned above.

Staff health insurance has been increased by ten percent {10%}.  While the actual increase, if any, in FY 14 premiums are still unknown; this projected increase is in line with industry averages. 

Congregational Life

Budgets for each committee were provided by committee liaisons, with two exceptions.  The Council did not hear from representatives of two committees and therefore included expenditures at the same levels budgeted for FY 13.

The expenses associated with the Folk Concert Series have been eliminated.  This program will be privatized during FY 14.

Building Related Expenses

Given low rates of inflation the costs related to utilities, phones, insurance, and musical instrument maintenance have all been kept at FY 13 levels.

Janitorial Services has been increase by $12,000.  This increase reflects the anticipated additional expenses related to the utilization of a third party contractor to clean the sanctuary, chapel, RE classrooms, and church office and other spaces on a daily / routine basis.  

Maintenance – Purchased Services this $12,000 budget includes costs related to the services provided to the Congregation by plumbers, electricians and other tradespeople, on an as needed basis.

Maintenance – Projects includes the estimated costs to complete the repairs to the Pinnacle and the front steps of the sanctuary.  In addition, funds are budgeted for the estimated costs of a professional safety survey as well as for contingencies. 

Loan Repayment has been eliminated as the underlying loan has been repaid in full, per the Endowment paragraph above.  This will result in an annual savings of $34,800.

Denominational Expense 

We have kept the level of our contributions to the UUA and the Metro District consistent with FY 13 levels.

General Services

During FY 14 the Congregation will utilize the services of a third party bookkeeping firm.  The estimated cost of this service is $12,000.  The cost of this new expense item will be partially offset by a reduction in the expenses related to the annual review of our financial statements, as the board has identified an auditing firm that will perform this service for $7,500 per year, as opposed to the $15,000 paid in past years.  Moreover, postage expense has been reduced to $2,000, reflecting a decline in the Congregations use of the US Postal Service.  $2,000 for the lease of a computer server has been added, all other General Service related expenses have been budgeted at FY 13 levels.  

Juneteenth has become the tradition for First Unitarian’s first service of the summer, and commemorates the day when the last slaves in the U.S. found out they had been freed.  Juneteenth is traditionally a joyous celebration and time for reflection on the meaning of anti-racism, unity, and what it really means to be fully human. This year we explore a celebration of life in the face of racist killings.

Service 11:00am in the Chapel

Street Picnic and Party immediately following on Monroe Place

This year’s theme:  Celebration of Life from Emmett Till to Kimani Gray

 Luncheon: Pot luck – bring some of your favorite picnic food to share: Salads, casseroles, desserts. Some starter foods will be provided

If you’d like to help with the service or street party please contact or Rita Pearl rpearl112@gmail.com (718-692-0739)

(Sponsored by Weaving the Fabric of Diversity Committee)

Special Guest, Michelle (Micky) Green of the New York State Nurses Association

 For the past year or so we have been hearing about the possible closure of either Long Island College Hospital, and/or SUNY Downstate Medical Center with its schools of medicine and nursing. Although there is currently a stay on the closure of LICH, at this moment it is not certain what will happen to both institutions as Downstate is again under threat.

WFD will host this after service discussion on the possible closure of these local hospitals.  This will be modeled after an “In the Spirit of Truth” type session where we should feel free to voice our feelings about recent planned changes in health care. Some background information will be made available, and some pros and cons may be expressed. Guests from outside the congregation will include Michelle Green of New York State Nursing Association to lend her expertise.  Outside guests will also be welcome to join the discussion.

Our members will be conducting hourly tours with a history of the building and its glorious stained glass windows, almost all of which were designed by Tiffany Studios. At 2:00 p.m., our Music Director, Bill Peek, will give a brief talk on and demonstration of our George S. Hutchings & Co. organ, first installed in 1899 and completely rebuilt in 1999.

So, come join us at any time between 10 AM  and 4 PM on Saturday the 18th of this month. 

As always, ALL ARE WELCOME!

The Board of Trustees formed an Accessibility Workgroup in January 2013 to assess the physical accessibility of spaces that are important to the spiritual and community life of our Congregation, and to recommend a prioritized program of short-term and long-term initiatives to improve access as needed.  The Workgroup has now completed its recommendations, and the Board has endorsed them for approval by the Congregation at the Annual Meeting on May 19.  

Please read the recommendations below, download here, or ask for a printed copy of the report at the Welcome Table in the Undercroft after the worship service on Sunday.

Please vote for the recommendations at the Annual Meeting on May 19.  The meeting will begin at 12:30 and is expected to run  until 2:30pm.  Please stay for the vote, which is scheduled at the end of the meeting.  Childcare will be provided. 

Meanwhile, please send your comments on the recommendations to accessibility@fuub.org.

Please join us in this watershed opportunity to make our spiritual and community life accessible to all of our growing Congregation.

In fellowship,

Brian Dauth

President, Board of Trustees

Download it here: Accessibility_Initiatives_May 1_2013

Two Who Dared: The Sharps’ War tells the story of a Unitarian minister, Waitstill Sharp and his wife Martha who, just days prior to the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia, left their young children in Wellesley, Massachusetts to help save thousands being persecuted in Eastern Europe.
Who were these American heroes? What drove their willingness to put the well-being of strangers over that of themselves and their family?

Because this film is being shown during the commemoration of Holocaust Week, the producers are not charging for rental, but instead are asking viewers for a suggested donation of $10. All proceeds will be sent to the producers. Discussion to follow.

For further information, please contact Marty Bernstein at MartyB@FUUB.org
or 718-788-8698

 FEDADSE (Federation of Associations for the Development of the South-East is an umbrella organization of 8 Haitian “hometown” groups that give direct aid to their home towns in the South-East of Haiti, many of which were hit by the earthquake that devastated Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010.  Projects include building and rebuilding schools, roads, clinics, libraries and bringing computers and computer skills to the community, particularly to students. Sponsored by Weaving the Fabric of Diversity. 

Works of
Henry Purcell, Johann Sebastian Bach,
Antonio Vivaldi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Marielle Murphy, soprano
Melissa Paul, mezzo soprano
K’idar Miller, tenor
Andrew Cook-Feltz, baritone

Choir of the First Unitarian Church
with String Ensemble
William Peek, director and organist

​On Sunday, March 24, we will present our annual Palm Sunday Music Service. This year, we will offer a program of masterworks from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Henry Purcell (1659 – 1695) was the greatest English composer of his day. Like Mozart, he died when he was only 36, yet he produced much enduring and influential music. His Rejoice in the Lord Alway, composed in 1685, is a glorious verse anthem which alternates sections for a trio of soloists, full choir, and instrumental ensemble. Ein unbegreiflich Licht (An incomprehensible light) is a tenor and bass duet from Johann Sebastian Bach’s (1685 – 1750) Cantata 125. This stirring work was first heard in Leipzig in 1725. Antonio Vivaldi’s (1678 – 1741) Beatus Vir, a setting of Psalm 112, was first heard in Italy at about the same time. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s (1756 – 1792) Tantum Ergo, K 142, is a setting of the words of St. Thomas Aquinas. This sublime work for soprano solo, choir, organ and strings, may actually have been partly composed by the Bohemian composer Jan Zach, whose music represents a bridge from the Baroque to the Classical era.
​The Choir of the First Unitarian Church, under the direction of William Peek, will perform with string ensemble. Soloists Marielle Murphy, soprano; Melissa Paul, mezzo soprano; K’idar Miller, tenor; and Andrew Cook – Feltz, baritone will be featured. Join us for this service of beautiful and joyous music!

Topic: Gender Identity

Facilitated by Sean Fischer and Mya Dosch

Join us as we explore the topic of gender identity. Engaging activities and discussion will focus on questions such as: What is the difference between gender and sex? How is gender identity different from sexual orientation? What does “Transgender” mean? How can First U become a more welcoming place for people of all genders? This forum is cosponsored by First Unitarian’s Weaving the Fabric of Diversity and the Rainbow Alliance.