Find Hope Here!

2025–26 Stewardship Campaign

$117,393 pledged as of April 8, 2025!

We are thrilled to have celebrated the beginning of our 2025-2026 Stewardship campaign, “Find Hope Here,” at our kickoff party on Sunday, March 30th. Spending time in fellowship together dreaming up creative new ways to serve our community is a powerful antidote to the feelings of powerlessness and grief we are all struggling with during this time of national and international tumult. 

Last year, your pledges supported work that has laid the foundations of a new era of growth for UUCL. Your contributions enabled us to hire a fantastic new settled Minister and a Religious Education Director. We have seen what extraordinary work this team can do. Now, it is time to build on these extraordinary strengths and reach more of the people who need the kind of community we have spent the past many years building. 

Your Stewardship Team decided on this year’s theme because we all agreed that what we have at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Lawrence–from the vibrant conversations we enjoy during Program, the spiritual nourishment we give and receive in Worship, the learning our children do in Religious Education, and all the tiny beautiful moments of community and solidarity we experience in between–is deeply worthy of sharing. In this time of collective despair and rampant cruelty, we want more people to know that they can Find Hope HERE at UUCL. 

To achieve this goal, we need your help. Specifically, your pledge this year will go towards the following three goals:

• Community Outreach and Membership Growth: Expanding our programs and messaging to reach more individuals in need of support and connection who can also find hope at UUCL.
• Radical Welcome: Ensuring everyone who walks through our doors feels safe, valued, and included.
• Supporting Our Staff: Providing cost-of-living increases for our dedicated employees, who are essential to our mission.

To achieve these goals and reduce our operating deficit, we’re aiming for a 6% increase in total member contributions. I am asking that you consider making a pledge or contribution for the budget year that runs from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Please make your pledge by May 4. 

With sincere gratitude,

Your Stewardship Team
Mary Holm, Sheyda Jahanbani, Rilie Kafer, and Rev. Nori Rost