KUUF Committees
Contact a committee chair if you’d like to join or visit a meeting.
Committee Chairpersons
Adult Exploration - Jill Clarridge
Fun & Frolic Committee - Ginny Sugimoto
Building & Grounds - Brian Watson
Finance - Susan Welsh
Charitable Giving - Ed Looby
Fellowship - Erin Haver
Endowment - Karen Leader Scoott
Social Justice - Marty Bishop
Welcoming & Membership - Ellie Klauminzer
Listening - Marcia Christen
Caring - Karen Leader Scott
Worship - Rosemary Dougall
Media - Katherine Kiyoko Woods
Children’s RE - Melinda Hughes
Social Justice Committee
Would you like to help reduce world poverty, hunger, nuclear weapons or homelessness? Do you actively support LGBTQ rights? Is preserving our degraded environment or fighting racism your dream? If some of these issues are important to you, consider joining the KUUF Social Justice Committee.
Our members can connect you with organizations, events, and educational opportunities. Perhaps you can add to our list of causes and contacts. We also work within our church to support social justice sermons, workshops, and other programs.
We all have different interests, experiences and methods to fight injustice. We require neither uniformity of beliefs nor lockstep adherence to the same methods. However, our liberal social justice activism is informed by the broad ethical and moral principles of Unitarian Universalism.
Welcoming and Membership Committee
Being a newcomer to any community can be difficult until you know the ropes. Warmly welcoming all of us, but especially helping newcomers feel comfortable and welcome is the job of the Welcoming and Membership Committee. We work to make our Fellowship a friendly place via Sunday greeters, ushers, after service hospitality, and New UU Workshops.
Committee members contact visitors who express an interest in the Fellowship. We answer questions and help them connect with committees and others within our Fellowship who can help meet their needs. And we provide information about our principles, our history, and our role in the community, and in the wider world.
Listening Team
The Listening Team at KUUF is comprised of volunteers trained in listening, empathy and expressing with care. They are present after every Sunday service and are available to help support the fellowship when requested. The Listening Team is available to listen to ANY concern or celebration from any member, friend, or guest. They are also available to support conversations between members/friends.
The Listening Team’s intention is to provide a safe, empathic space to meet the needs for support, connection, understanding, clarity, care, consideration, growth, learning, companionship, and respect. It was created to help build and maintain our beloved community. Usually, there will be 2 members available at every service. The members on duty are listed in the order of service and will wear a Listening Team badge.
Caring Committee
The Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Caring Committee is charged with conveying the congregation’s concern when challenging problems arise for any of its members or friends. The group’s mission is to be of service when situations arise such as illness, accident, medical emergencies or bereavement. To contact this committee call the office 360-377-4724.
The Caring Committee currently serves the following kinds of needs:
Congregational concern, through phone calls, visits or by mail.
Short term services, which provide support for homebound members or those recovering from illness or hospitalization. These services may include, providing a hot meal, running an errand to the grocery or pharmacy, or transportation to KUUF services and events.
Maintains a list of community and fellowship resources.
Worship Committee
The Worship Committee works with our Minister, Rev. Victoria Poling, to coordinate our Sunday worship services. We reach out to ministers and community leaders to speak at services and identify congregational volunteers to participate in each service. We are committed to creating transformational worship services that inspire us to act for justice, explore our inner truths, celebrate our community, and live our lives with gratitude and awe.
Media Team
We’re more of an informal group who talk by email and Facebook and meet in person when needed. We manage the website, The Candle newsletter, record Sunday Services, Facebook, and things like that. If you’re good with web/graphic design, writing, editing, or videography and want to join, we’d be happy to have the help.
Children’s Religious Education Committee
The Children’s Religious Exploration (CRE) Committee, along with the Associate Director of Religious Education (ADRE), is responsible for designing, planning, implementing, overseeing and evaluating the religious exploration program at KUUF, inclusive of infants through 8th grade.
The CRE makes, implements and evaluates policy related to religious exploration and reports to the Board of Trustees. The CRE works to reflect the diversity evident in our Fellowship.
Adult Religious Exploration Committee
The Adult Religious Exploration (ARE) Committee offers courses and presentations designed to increase understanding of our connection with our liberal religious heritage: the Jewish and Christian roots from which we spring, the Eastern religious traditions that have nurtured so many; our Unitarian Universalist heritage; the insights of philosophy and science that have expanded our knowledge; and our mystical sense of oneness with one another, our planet, and the universe.
Our guiding purposes are to enhance our spiritual growth, to further religious pluralism, and to empower ethical action.
ARE courses are led by congregation members and outside specialists. Sessions are usually held on weeknights, with some Saturday or Sunday morning or afternoon workshops offered.
Building & Grounds Committee
Keeping our buildings and grounds in good repair is the work of this committee. If you are a gardener, do carpentry, enjoy organizing work parties or working with your hands, this could be the place for you!
Finance Committee
The purpose of the Finance Committee is to provide the Board of Trustees with financial expertise in the form of analysis of and recommendations regarding the financial affairs of the Fellowship. An annual function of the Committee is to gather financial input from Fellowship organizations and individuals and consolidate this information into an annual budget proposal. The Committee suggests procedures for the financial management of the congregation. Committee input is vital to keeping KUUF a financially healthy organization, and your skills and support are welcome!
Fellowship Council
This council serves as the communicating, coordination, and calendar-scheduling clearinghouse for our fellowship. Its membership consists of chairs of the standing committees, as well as representatives of other groups. The fellowship council meets on the second Tuesday of the month in the administration building. It is chaired by the vice president of the board of trustees. Our meetings are lively and interesting. Committees play an extremely important role in our fellowship’s life, and when the chairs get together, the information and ideas flow thick and fast. If you want to schedule an event at KUUF, it’s best to start by either contacting the appropriate committee chair or by contacting administration.
Endowment Committee
This committee oversees the KUUF endowment fund. This is a restricted fund maintained by donations. With congregational approval, it can be used for such things as additions or renovations to KUUF buildings, or the purchase of fellowship equipment. Other potential uses are outlined in the fund’s by-laws.
The committee is composed of two elected members of the KUUF congregation, a liaison from the board of trustees, and a liaison from the finance committee. Donations appreciated.