April 2022

Beloved members and friends of the UU Church in Cherry Hill,

This has been an amazing year of transition for our UUCCH community.  We have (nearly) come through another year of the Covid-19 pandemic, and (nearly) completed the renovation on the Sanctuary, Commons and East Terrace.  We have honored the deep commitments of prior generations, and prepared our spaces to meet an evolving future.  Now, more than ever, this church community is essential to us, and your membership support is vital as we build our future as a beacon of liberal faith in South Jersey.

Our devoted staff of Developmental Minister Rev. Margret A. O’Neall, Lifespan Faith Engagement Director Paula Gribble, Director of Music Ministry Natasha Steinmacher and Administrator Mandy Skalski have once again supported the vitality of our church community through this second pandemic year, leading the way into reopening with care and attention to safety, health, engagement and connection.

The theme for our annual giving campaign this year is Honoring Our Past and Building Our Future, acknowledge the strengths of this church as we create new patterns and traditions to build a future of connection, trust and abundance.  As we live into the values of community, trust, love and learning, there is so much we can do among our members and in the wider community.  With your financial support, we will continue to fairly compensate our staff, meet our financial obligations in the community, and to care for our buildings and our beautiful grounds.  Social justice and outreach remain central to our identity, and we are using technology in new ways to touch the lives of people who need this faith.

We are seeking a budget increase of $35,000 for the year that starts July 1. If we have 100% participation in pledging this year where everyone gives at their own level, we can meet that goal.  Any pledge should reflect the circumstances of the pledger, so if you are in a time of financial uncertainty, please make a modest pledge, something that you can afford.  Every pledge, no matter the size, is important and valued.

And if you are in a solid financial position this year, please consider making a substantial increase in your annual pledge, since there are some among us who may have limited financial capacity in this time.

We recognize that some of our members are in a time of significant financial uncertainty or hardship.   Others in our community are fortunate to have secure and solid financial resources.   We can accomplish our goals if we receive the following pyramid distribution of increases:

We encourage you to pledge and set up your payment online by clicking on “Give” at the top of the uucch.org website, to make life simpler and more predictable for us all.  Guidance on this will be provided in the coming days.

We appreciate your generous support of UUCCH.  Please contact Mandy (info@uucch.org) if you have any questions, or if your membership status has changed, so that we may have clear, updated records.

In gratitude, Your Board of Trustees and Pledge Campaign Leaders,

Diane Baker-Hallowell, Ed Fox, Paul Asman, Ken Ewan, Pam Anderson, John Nielsen, Louise Kelly, Ken Slight, Rohn Hein, Mandy Skalski, Rev. Margret