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1998 Letters from the President
 President's Pulse
by John Iacoletti
December 1998
ACLU FILES SUIT AGAINST COMPTROLLER
ON BEHALF OF ETHICAL CULTURE SOCIETY OF AUSTIN
That's how the press release from a few days ago read. How they got to that point is a
long story, which some of you are familiar with. I'll try to recap a brief version for
those of you who are not familiar with the case. Back on June 24, 1996, the Ethical
Culture Society of Austin applied for, and was granted, religious tax-exempt status with
the State Comptroller's office. The next day, following a newspaper story with the
headline "Godless Group Gets Religious Exemption", the Comptroller John Sharp
personally revoked the exemption stating that he has never granted an exemption to an
organization that did not require the worship of a supreme being.
Why should this concern us as Unitarian Universalists? Because it could just as easily be
us. Our religion has a long tradition of tolerance and of affirming the "free and
responsible search for truth and meaning". We don't require our members to subscribe
to a particular creed or religious test. We do not require the worship of a supreme being
either.
Regardless of how you might feel about religions automatically being tax-exempt, the
government should not be favoring one religion over another and giving special treatment
to those that meet some narrow notion of what one person considers "religion".
This kind of thing threatens religious freedom for all of us.
I would like for Live Oak to join with other liberal religious voices in the Austin
community in support of the Ethical Culture Society. What happens here today will have
repercussions for years to come. Please talk to me if you would like to help.
In Community,
John
November 1998
The severe flooding that struck Central Texas last weekend hit a little too
close to home this time. The Nolan family live in McQueeney not far from
the Guadalupe River, and their home was devastated by the flood waters.
As they sort through the mud and muck, and put their lives back together,
I got a lump in my throat seeing the Live Oak community spring into
action, bringing down food, drinking water, and supplies, and doing what
they can to help salvage personal memories and clean up in the aftermath.
This is what our community is all about. Thank you to all of you for
your outpouring of love and support. I know how much it means to Barb,
Rick, and Jenna.
Also on my mind this month is that it's canvass time again. As you
contemplate your spiritual, social, and financial commitments to our
church community, I invite you to take some time to do a little
visioning for what you would like to see us accomplish in 1999.
More space perhaps, or reasonable salaries for our hard-working staff?
More programming opportunities for our ever diversifying population?
More social action service and outreach? Think about what makes the
church meaningful to you and share your thoughts with your canvasser
when she or he comes to call. And get your reservations in for a
wonderful evening of merriment, good food and drink, good friends, and
entertainment as we kick off the 1999 canvass with our legendary Canvass
Dinner on November 7th. Believe it or not, this is not a pot-luck! All
you have to do is show up and have fun. You do not want to miss this!
In Community,
John Iacoletti
October 1998 A HEALTHY VIBRANT COMMUNITY
This is really an exciting time in the evolution of the Live Oak community. We are
well into the transition between small church and medium-sized church. This point was
really driven home for me at the last new member induction. For the first time since I
have been involved in church leadership, there were some new members joining who I did not
know well enough to be able to give a description about where they came from, what they
did for a living, what the names of family members are, and so on. In one sense it's sad
to lose some of the intimacy of a small community, but on the other hand it's also
exhilarating to witness our community expanding to meet the needs of a wider, more diverse
population in northwest Austin.
Like any evolutionary step, we are encountering some stumbling blocks along the way.
The most common bit of feedback I hear from visitors is how friendly and welcoming we are
to them. This is something that Live Oak has always excelled at. It comes naturally to us,
and it's particularly impressive to me when I see so many UU congregations struggling with
how to be welcoming to visitors. As we grow, we need to continue our fine tradition of
welcoming visitors, but also to make sure we attend to the "care and feeding" of
our current members and friends. In a bigger church, it's not always so obvious that
somebody has not been around for a while. I invite you to go through the current directory
and notice who you haven't seen in awhile, and give that person a call to say that you
miss her/him!
Karen Rinehart-Morgan has done a wonderful job getting a young adult group started at Live
Oak. How would we like a similar group started for folks of retirement age, or single
adults, or a men's group? My vision is that every visitor who walks through our door will
find a group (or several), that he or she can connect with and feel a sense of belonging
with, in addition to the sense of belonging with the larger group and with Unitarian
Universalism.
Another sign that we are a healthy, vibrant community is that we have many more great
ideas, dreams, and visions than we have people able to work on implementing them! What
this tells me is that we have a great untapped pool of talent just waiting for an
opportunity and an invitation to contribute. Please spend some time over the next couple
of weeks brainstorming your own list of "wouldn't it be great if Live Oak did . .
.", and then attend our committee fair on Sunday October 25th right after the
service. Stop by the tables of the various church committees, have a snack, and find out
the many different ways the church can benefit from your special talents, interests, and
skills. And while you're at it, let me know how Live Oak can continue to make you feel
like you are valued, and that you belong.
In Community,
John Iacoletti
September 1998 - Youth programming -- The best kept secret in the district
I have been involved with youth programming in one way or another just about every
year that Live Oak has been in existence -- both at the high school and middle school
levels. I was raised in the UU church in Albuquerque, and I literally fell into the high
school group there at a time in my life when I desperately needed a place to belong. There
I found a group of people (and two caring and skilled advisors) who accepted me the way I
was and welcomed me unconditionally. This experience turned what is often an awkward and
painful time for many teenagers into a time that I look back upon with fond memories, a
life-changing experience with dear friends I have never lost contact with over the years.
So youth programming is very important to me. It's a way to try to give some of that back,
and to make a difference in young people's lives.
One of the things I've done several times as a youth advisor is to accompany the youth
to district-wide weekend conferences (called "rallies"). We have a
geographically huge district: I've driven to Dallas and Fort Worth, but also to Tulsa,
Oklahoma City, and Little Rock, Arkansas! After forgoing a shower and sleeping on the
floor in a church classroom for a weekend, I've been nominated for sainthood by several
parents. But here's the secret: I do it as much for myself as I do for the youth! We have,
in the Southwest District, some of the most insightful, talented, creative, caring people
right there in our high school groups. I can say without hesitation that the most
spiritual worship services I have ever participated in have been youth-planned and
youth-led at rallies. And I can't say enough about the wonderful people we have in the
district who give their time, energy, and hearts to be youth advisors. These people
understand, intuitively, the right balance between youth-empowerment and adult-guidance.
They understand how to nurture and cultivate leadership skills in young people, and they
know that youth are capable of amazing things when they have the right kind of environment
and support. I am privileged to be counted as one among these advisors, and it is worth
driving ten hours in some cases to spend time with them and with the hundred or so youth
who show up to learn, worship, play, and BE with each other for an all too short period of
time. If this group of young people represents our future, then the future is in great
shape indeed.
In Community,
John Iacoletti
August 1998 - All the President's Lunches
It started out as a simple idea a couple of years ago: Roger Sessions (then president
of Live Oak UU Church) and Drew Bridges (then president of First UU Church) would get
together once a month or so to have lunch and chat. When I became vice-president, Roger
invited me to come along. By that time, Drew was the past-president and Daesene Willmann
was the new president of First Church. After we got to know Daesene, Drew stopped coming.
Daesene's vice-president was unable to attend, but the three of us (Daesene, Roger, and I)
kept up our monthly lunches and talked about everything under the sun: church leadership,
UUA current events, Internet mailing lists. We compared notes on decision-making by
steering committee and consensus, and decision- making by church board and voting. When
the high-schoolers of our two groups jointly planned and conducted a weekend youth rally
in Austin, Roger and I (veterans of many youth rallies) were able to help Daesene
alleviate some concerns that the First Church board had. Together we arranged our
first-ever pulpit exchange, where our ministers swapped churches for a Sunday. And we've
shared many of our joys and concerns, both personal and congregational. I have found
myself looking forward to these lunches.
Last month, Roger attended his last President's Lunch to say "so long", and
Jennifer Swan attended her first (to say "hello"!). And much to my delight, Mike
Pore (the new president of the Austin UU Fellowship) came along as well. Next month, the
presidents and vice-presidents of all 3 societies are planning to attend. What a wonderful
testament to a unified UU community in Austin! While our lunches don't involve agendas,
minutes, and very many business decisions, what we gain in mutual support, camaraderie,
goodwill between our congregations, and just plain "hangin' out with a great group of
people" is priceless. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
In Community,
John Iacoletti
July 1998 - On the shoulders of giants
I have shared with some of you that my biggest fear about taking over the job of
President is whether I will be able to write newsletter articles as good as Roger's!
As I reflect on the responsibility that you have entrusted me with, I must honor the
people who came before: Grace Elinsway and Barb Kemper-Nolan, who led the way in this bold
new concept in church governance: consensus and shared leadership, and who saw us through
both the elation of getting our first full-time minister and the sorrow of having to see
her go. Dale Todd-Thompson who led us through an exciting year of growth and the search
for a new church home, and Roger Sessions who saw us through a period of great change
where we saw our church burn, and yet our flexibility and unity of purpose made us
stronger as we passed through temporary meeting spaces into our own building, and were
very lucky to find and be found by Rev. Chuck Freeman. I was surprised last year to
discover that I was elected to vice-president when I was out of town, but working with
Roger all year was a real treat. Roger, with his gentle moderating skills, has taught me a
great deal about how people can solve problems with win-win solutions and mutual respect.
I am really looking forward to working with Jennifer Swan, who is such a wonderful and
enthusiastic advocate for how our community really changes lives.
To all who came before me, my job is easier because of you. Thank you from the bottom
of my heart for all you have done (and continue to do!) for Live Oak UU church. And thank
you to all the rest of you who make the church work. You are the reason I can afford to
worry about mundane things like newsletter articles.
In Community,
John Iacoletti
 March 1998
by Roger Sessions
I can't believe two years have gone by. It seems barely yesterday I wrote my first
President's Letter, which I titled "From My Heart". In that letter I
talked about my favorite thing about this church, that everything everybody does, they do
from the heart. Regardless of whether they are singing in the choir, teaching in the
religious education program, painting the walls, serving coffee, or being President, they
do it from the heart. We don't do things perfectly, but we do everything with feeling.
It makes it a lot of fun to work with this group. No place else are people as quick to
forgive your mistakes and complement your successes. I have been blessed to work with some
wonderful people in my role as President.
Of course, Janet Van Sickler is the real backbone to the church. She creates the
newsletter, the Orders of Service, answers the phone, administers the children's program,
and makes sure that everything runs day-to-day. I'll never even know half of what she
does, but I know how quickly we would miss her if we ever had to face life without her.
Being President gives me an excuse to meet regularly with Chuck. After a lifetime of
knowing Unitarian Universalist ministers, I can truly say that I have never felt as close
to a minister as Chuck. I don't know what winds blew Chuck our way, but I am thankful for
this little miracle.
John Iacoletti has been a great support. Nobody has a better overview of this church
than John, and there is nobody more qualified to take over as President. He and Jennifer
Swan (as our new Vice President) are going to make a dynamite team. We are in for some
great years.
Everybody that comes to the steering committee makes the governing of this church fun
rather than a chore. We make hard decisions, but always have time for a few laughs, and of
course, the great Live Oak potlucks. Those of you who haven't been to a steering committee
yet - I hope you plan on this soon. It really differentiates our church.
And thanks to all of you. This is a special church made up of special individuals.
Together we have created a great institution that has incredible potential. I don't know
where we will be in five years, or how big we will be, but I know that we will always be a
warm and welcoming place where strangers can find a home. Some things will never change.
So it's time to say good-bye. Of course, I'm not going anyplace. But the second Sunday
won't seem the same without writing this column. It's been a wonderful two years for me.
I'm grateful for this opportunity you all gave me.
From my heart,
Roger Sessions
March 1998 - Big, Part II
Do we want to grow, or do we want to stay small? The last Steering Committee started
with people on both sides of the issue. What do you do when you have two groups with such
differing opinions? Most churches have a simple answer: you vote. One group wins and one
group loses. At the end you may have divided your community, but that's the price you pay
for progress.
But Live Oak isn't most churches. When we are faced with tough decisions we fall back
on our most basic commitment as a community: our commitment to consensus. Through
consensus we say that our relationships to each other are more important than any
institutional decisions we might make. Through consensus, we affirm our most basic respect
for each and every individual in this community.
As we went around the room and discussed our feelings on growth, every person was
listened to with care and attention. It didn't matter if you were a new or an old member,
if you were a child or an adult, if you were a board member or not. All that mattered was
that you were there and that you cared about this issue.
Some had experiences with larger churches that were not welcoming. They feared that if
we grew, we would become like these large, cold churches. These people reminded us that
our value is in our character, not in our size.
Some were new to this church. They told us what a difference finding us has made in
their lives. And as we looked at their faces, we all knew what a difference they have made
in our lives. If we stop growth now, what future lives will we never share in?
Some people had been in large churches that were still warm and accepting. They gave us
hope that a church could be both big and intimate.
Several people described the pride they feel in this church. They told us we have an
important message to bring to Austin. They reminded us that part of why we are here is to
make a difference to the world. In the end, we were able to come to a decision that
encompassed all of these ideas: we want to find a way to grow and still preserve
everything that makes this church special. We spent at least an hour coming to this
"simple" decision.
Was it an hour well spent? I am sure that everybody in the room would say it was. We
felt reunited as a community. It's a wonderful experience to go through the consensus
process, especially on difficult issues. It truly brings people together.
So this will be the challenge of the next Steering Committee meeting: to discuss models
that will allow this church to grow and still be the Live Oak that we cherish. Does this
mean multiple services? Enlarging the sanctuary? Building a new building? I don't know
what decision we will reach. But I know how we will reach it. And I know how positive the
decision-making experience will be. I hope that you will be there to share it.
Roger Sessions
February 1998 - Big
In 1998 our church will become big. We will not be among the very largest of the
world's Unitarian Universalist churches. By UU standards, a large church is over 500
members, a number that the Baptists would consider small to middling. But we will be well
on our way. We will no longer be a small church.
What does it mean to be a big church instead of a small church? The difference has to
do with the general rule of thumb called The Rule of 50. The Rule of 50 says that one
person can be intimate with about 50 people at any given time. At the end of 1997 we had
85 official members, about 50 of whom were very active. This meant that based on The Rule
of 50, at the end of 1997 one could be intimate friends with every active church member.
Now we are faced with a reality that is not altogether comfortable. In 1998, as our
membership continues to grow, we will almost certainly exceed 50 active members. The Rule
of 50 tells us that once this happens, we will have grown beyond the point at which we can
be good friends with every active member in the congregation. Of course, we could decide
to stay small, to become constricted, to be unwelcoming to new potential members, to
discourage active participation. But this is not really a possibility for us. We genuinely
love seeing new faces. We treasure the notion that we are offering something unique to the
world. There is no prouder moment for us than when a new member says what a difference it
made to find this community. Being warm and welcoming is part of our collective psyche.
Giving up our warmth would be to give up our soul.
So it would seem that we are faced with one of two unwelcome choices. The first is to
shut out new members. The second is to give up intimacy. What are we to do?
Fortunately, there is another choice. We can grow and still maintain intimacy. But we
do need to give up something, and that is the idea that we can be intimate friends with
everybody in the church. We can grow and maintain intimacy by creating multiple intimate
groups of 50. You can think of this not so much as growing to more than 50 active members,
but as growing to more than 1 clump of intimate friends.
The nice thing about this form of growth is that it scales well. It works not only for
100 people, but for 150, 200, and beyond. Using this model of growth, we can become the
largest UU church in the world. We can be a church with great programs, unlimited
resources, one that is a source of pride to ourselves and to the community. We can have
all this, and still be a church where every single member feels connected, welcomed, and
fully treasured. This is our challenge for 1998: to understand this model for growth and
to nurture our groups of 50. When you think about how we should grow, don't think of a
church in which everybody knows everybody intimately. Think of a church that has many very
intimate groups. This must be our new model. This is how we can get big while staying
small.
Roger Sessions
January 1998
Nineteen-ninety-seven was the year we turned five. There is something special about
turning five. It feels like we have become established, like if we can make it to five, we
can make it to ten. And if ten, why not 20, or 25?
What will the church be like when it reaches 25, twenty years from now, in the year
2017? Perhaps that will be the year the first baby will be born at Live Oak to a baby born
at Live Oak. Little Emily, perhaps? Will Chuck be performing her marriage ceremony in the
year 2017? How many of us will be there to celebrate her day? What do you think, Jenny and
George, are you ready to be grandparents?
I wonder what the church will be like when that happens. Try to extrapolate based on
all the changes we saw in 1997, and it will make you dizzy.
In 1997, we moved into our own new building. One year ago, we were paying $2000 per
month rent. Today we own a building worth around $600,000 that comes close to paying for
itself. At this rate, by the year 2017 we will be housed in a gorgeous church complex
housing multiple sanctuaries, meditation gardens, community service centers, and a
full-time school! And perhaps we will even be able to buy Janet her dishwasher!
In 1997, we increased our membership from about 71 to about 95, a 33% increase. This is
about the same growth as the year before. Do you realize that if we continue our current
growth rate until the year 2017, we will have 28,000 members when we celebrate our 25th?
We are going to need our gorgeous church complex! (And our dishwasher!)
In 1997, we went from a 1/8-time minister to a 1/2-time minister. I hope we can
increase this to a 3/4-time position a year from now. If we continue this, by the year
2017, Senior Minister Freeman will be presiding over a small army of ministers and
ministers-to-be. Perhaps somebody who grew up in this church will be among them. Heather
Barnett? Did everybody see her at the pulpit the other week? Not unreasonable, no?
In 1997, we had two new babies born in the church, Emma Lia Mariner and Alyssa
Hamilton. Welcome. We love you. This is a birth rate of about two babies per year for
every 100 members. At this rate, by the year 2017 we will have a baby born every two days,
and Alice will be running a full time sewing circle trying to keep up with the baby
blankets!
In 1997, we hired a part-time music director, a part-time office administrator, and a
part-time RE administrator. In total, this amounts to about a 1/4 position, and at this
rate of growth, by the year 2017 it may take 100 staff positions to keep this church
running. We may even have to break down and buy Pam a computer to help with the payroll!
It doesn't stop here. By the year 2017 our church school will be larger than Westwood
High School and our kids will be averaging 5290 trips every Sunday to the Texaco station.
Rebecca will be directing a 3000-member choir (probably still with only two tenors). We
will be on at least the tenth revision of the Live Oak Church Cookbook, with several of
you still not having quite gotten around to sending in your recipes. The Live Oak Coffee
House will be the premier concert stop in Texas. Our annual church retreat will have to be
televised. Our weekend escape will no longer be held in Padre Island, it will BE Padre
Island.
We will be serving 2000 gallons of coffee each Sunday, have 7000 members at a typical
steering committee meeting, be making 100 trips a day to the dumpster, be buying toilet
paper by the trainload, be running our Green Machine 24 hours per day,..., ARGH!!!!!
Somebody, wake me up!
Ah, yes. The year 1997. Wasn't that a nice, quiet, peaceful year? Who would have
guessed where it would lead?
Roger Sessions
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