<div dir="ltr"><span id="gmail-docs-internal-guid-6266fb17-7fff-f1fd-d4a0-da9d47c9e392"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Rev. Joan and the Steering Committee of the UCM Climate Resilience Study Group (CRSG) are writing to you, as the Chair of a UCM committee, to make sure you are aware of the work that the CRSG is undertaking, including, importantly, a covenant that is being confirmed and signed by all leaders in UCM: Joan, the Board, the ET, the CRSG and UCM Committee Chairs.  The CRSG is co- chaired by Paul Ohlson and Steve Gold; other members of the Steering Committee are Brenda Bean and Susan Koch.  Nine other members of the congregation are also participating on the CRSG. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The CRSG was authorized and charged by the Board this past fall and is a direct outgrowth of the work done by last year's Board to engage the congregation in thinking about what actions our church should take to address the challenges of climate change, primarily but not exclusively future floods.  The core principle driving this is our commitment to UCM's ability to continue to most effectively carry out its mission in the future. From the ideas generated last year, five options have been developed.  The CRSG will research each of these five options, identifying their costs, opportunities and challenges, with the goal of bringing their findings to the Board by the end of calendar 2025.  </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The Board will, during that same timeframe, develop a decision making process to bring to the congregation for approval to be used to select which option(s) the congregation wants to move forward to implement.  This process will include ample time and methods for members of the congregation to become informed about, examine and discuss the results of the CRSG's research.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The five options are:</span></p><ul style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px"><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;margin-left:11pt"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:16pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> Continue incremental improvements after each flood.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;margin-left:11pt"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Make substantial resilience improvements and buy the best possible flood insurance.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;margin-left:11pt"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Raise the church building at its current location; move the church building to a new location above future floods.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;margin-left:11pt"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Sell the church building and build or rent space above future floods.</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="list-style-type:disc;font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre;margin-left:11pt"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:16pt" role="presentation"><span style="font-size:11pt;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Share rental or acquired space above future floods with other organizations aligned with UCM's mission and values.</span></p></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The members of the CRSG have been organized into five small groups, each assigned to research one of the five options.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The covenant, noted in the opening paragraph, is a critical component of this effort.  A matter of great concern to the CRSG is that this effort </span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;text-decoration-line:underline;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">not</span><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"> lead to any fragmentation among or perception of winning or losing by any members of our beloved community.  To address this concern, it will be essential that all involved remain objective and neutral, refusing to align with or recommend any particular option to anyone until the CRSG has completed its work and the Board brings it to the congregation.  To that end, a covenant has been developed which we ask you, as a Committee Chair, to confirm and sign as have all members of the Board, the CRSG,  and the ET.  Then, with the same good information available to all, we can together engage in a shared process of exploration, discussion, and discernment that will lead to a decision by the congregation as to the direction for our future.  The covenant document is below.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">All four members of the CRSG Steering Committee will be present at the CoC meeting on Jan. 21.  They will present the above information to those attending, and ask that they adhere to the covenant, whether or not they are the actual chair of the committee they are representing.    </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><br></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">Please get in touch with Paul or Steve if you have any questions about this information.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">  </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="font-size:11pt;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="border:none;display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;width:480px;height:640px"><img src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfeim3PNCxTkLmYVSNdT6Ms7eZOLVbJyg7RlurRHmMZ1bZfUA24YkV0G0R2x-QQCBjffK7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