Strategic Planning is how we turn our dreams into reality. The plans are aspirational – we are aiming for our very best, most wonderful idea of what/who First Universalist can and should be in the next 3–5 years.

Like all of life, strategic planning is about making choices and setting priorities.

The plan will be anchored first to our mission and vision:

Our Mission

“We are a sanctuary for spiritual growth, community, and connections, building the world we dream about together.”

Our Vision

“As Unitarian Universalists, our congregation is a mosaic of diverse generations, backgrounds, and identities, where we can bring all of who we are, and who we hope to become. Through arts, exploration, and justice, we cultivate possibilities, ministering with those who share the journey.”

And, like the Mission and Vision process, it comes to life through your input.

Our Strategic Planning Process

In order to create a plan for the next 3–5 years, our church community will be asked to participate in a series of focus groups and listening sessions. Our process and timeline is outlined below:

• Kickoff (September 14th) – Sharing our ideas with others in a round-robin conversation called “The World Cafe”.
• Listening Phase 1 (September, October 2025) – There will be multiple opportunities in focus groups and listening sessions to share your thoughts and ideas about what’s most important to you.
• Analysis and Synthesis (November 2025) – The committee will work to identify themes and synthesize the information.
• Reflection back to Congregation (December 2025)
• Listening Phase 2 (January 2025–February 2026) – The committee will gather once again with focus groups to take a deeper dive into aspirations collected in phase one and identify priorities.
• Synthesis (March, April 2026) – The committee will work to identify themes and synthesize the information.
• Preliminary draft (May, June 2026) – Developing a first draft for review and mulling over responses.
• Listening Phase 3 (July, August 2026) – Gather feedback about the preliminary draft and make adjustments.
• Refine and Redraft (September 2026) – Present the plan at Fall 2026 Congregational meeting for vote.

• Christian Onsager – Co-Chair
• Gene Drumm – Co-Chair
• Katie Edwards – Staff Lead
• Beth Fleming
• Xander Trullinger
• Mimzy Tackney-Moen
• Mary Raynard
• Pete Christensen
• Nancy Bolt
• Dee Sweeney – Board Liaison

Members can login to Church Center to access the directory.