We Can Win This Tug-of -War
More than just a few times throughout my life, I have attended outdoor parties, field days, or family reunions where one of the activities was a tug-of-war. Perhaps you yourself have played that game before: Two opposing teams pull on opposite sides of a long rope with a marker tied around the center. The game is won when one team pulls hard enough to
move that marker a certain distance in the direction they are pulling.
I can remember one time in my youth when I took part in a tug-of-war at a fairly large, multi- generational outdoor neighborhood party. The attendees were of all genders, shapes, sizes, ages, fitness levels, and personalities. The rope was long, and most of the neighbors participated. So we had grandparents, teenagers (I was one at the time), parents, athletes, couch potatoes, and young kids – all pulling on the rope together. This particular game started normally enough. But the teams were sufficiently equally-balanced that the rope didn’t move much – just a few feet either way. As the game wore on, those pulling on the rope joyously encouraged others who were sitting down to come pull for their team. Many of those people joined, even if somewhat reluctantly. Some pullers got tired and had to take a breather, often to come back and rejoin the effort. The game was just a lot of fun – full of laughs and the joy of being in these impromptu groups of old friends and new acquaintances that were putting everything they had into their team effort. The game went on for what seemed to me to be a very long time. And I don’t actually remember which side won. It was
just a lot of fun, and somehow I felt closer to those folks pulling in our direction.
It’s now that time of our church year when we plan our budget for ’24-’25 and really get moving on the Annual Giving Drive effort. The AGD is currently scheduled to kick off on Sunday, March 3rd . (You might say to yourself, “Ah, now I see where he’s going with all this…” Please read on anyway.) As you may know, our dear church has weathered the storms of the pandemic and a ministerial transition over the last several years. We’ve lost some members, but we’ve gained some too. Our dedicated membership has stepped up to keep us afloat financially – responding to our pleas with increased support. And with the arrival of Rev. Audette, it appears to me that our church is turning a corner, in many ways. Excitement is up, RE enrollment is up, attendance is up, average pledges are up, and I feel like our collective church moods are up as well. Together, we are charting a future direction that can make UU Asheville even more of a force for good in this ourselves, our community, and our world.
Still, we have significant financial obstacles to overcome, and even though we’ve been pulling hard on that community tug-of-war rope for some time, we need everyone to pull harder still on our rope. We need every single one of us to step up and lend a hand. On the other side of that rope are increased expenses, aging buildings, and maybe some complacency. On our side of the rope is everyone who participates in our church lives. We’ve got people who have pulled very hard for a long time, and we count on them to continue, and even pull harder, if possible. We’ve got many people who can’t pull all that hard, but together can still make a
huge difference by pulling harder. We have new people on our team, who have just added their strength. We have people who have had to take a break from the rope, but we hope
they can find the strength to grab it again and rejoin our party. The other side is pulling very hard against us, and we need everyone. The wondrous thing about pulling on this rope is that even though it is hard, it is a joyous undertaking – all of us pulling together, smiling, laughing, loving each other and, I hope, pulling that marker far enough to win.
–Clyde Hardin, Board President