[CoC] Update on the Climate Resilience Study Group

[steven gold]

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.


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.


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.


The five options are:

   -

    Continue incremental improvements after each flood.
   -

   Make substantial resilience improvements and buy the best possible flood
   insurance.
   -

   Raise the church building at its current location; move the church
   building to a new location above future floods.
   -

   Sell the church building and build or rent space above future floods.
   -

   Share rental or acquired space above future floods with other
   organizations aligned with UCM's mission and values.

The members of the CRSG have been organized into five small groups, each
assigned to research one of the five options.


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 not
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.


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.


Please get in touch with Paul or Steve if you have any questions about this
information.
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