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Planning FAQs
“Our small group became familiar with UUSC through my early Sunday worship service. I will be doing this until I get too old to talk!”
—Pat Hullum
All Souls, Fla.
Guest at Your Table 2011-2012
Have questions about planning a congregational celebration of Guest at Your Table? Find answers here! We encourage you to carefully review the following information, as well as your Planning Booklet, to help you coordinate a successful and meaningful program.
Q: How do I obtain a planning packet?
A: In an effort to lessen our environmental impact in all areas of our work, we are providing planning materials and additional resources in electronic form. Planning packets can be downloaded from this website, and you can print them as needed.
If you do not have adequate access to the internet or a personal printer, you may contact UUSC Volunteer Services to request a planning packet be sent to you by mail.
Q: Will UUSC send me my church boxes and other materials automatically?
A: No. Because supply needs may change from year to year, it is important to place an order for the Guest materials that will work best for this year's program in your congregation. We recommend one box or donation envelope per family, one Stories of Hope booklet per family, and one poster per congregation. If you have any questions about ordering, e-mail UUSC Volunteer Services or call 617-301-4366.
Q: To become UUSC members, do participants have to make a gift in addition to the contribution in their box?
A: If the contribution in their box reaches membership level or higher it earns the participant (and family members, if applicable) UUSC membership. In other words, Guest at Your Table gifts are membership gifts. Please indicate which membership types have been earned. If a participant is only a few dollars short of a membership-level gift, please encourage that supporter to increase the amount of the gift so that UUSC membership can be awarded.
Annual UUSC membership rates are $40 for an individual, $75 for dual membership, $20 for a senior, and $10 for a youth/student.
Q: If someone asks me about how the donations are used, what do I say?
A: Donations made through Guest at Your Table are unrestricted funds, which means that UUSC will use them where the need is greatest. Visit the "How Donations are Used" page to see some tangible examples of where and how UUSC puts donations to work.
Q: I organized a unique activity that worked really well in my congregation. How can I share it with others?
A: We love to share Guest at Your Table activities with other organizers! E-mail a description of your activity (and photos!) to volunteerservices@uusc.org. We love hearing about creative activities that our coordinators develop. Please indicate permission by individuals shown in your photos to share the images online. Read about others' special events on the "Inspiring Guest at Your Table Activities" page.
Q: How is UUSC working to make Guest at Your Table more environmentally friendly?
A: We have created several options to honor the environment while conducting Guest at Your Table:
- Order materials using our convenient online form! We save paper by not printing order forms or automatically sending printed planning packets. (Those without Internet access can place an order by phone.)
- We encourage you to reuse last year's boxes if you have extras. You may wish to order a few of the new boxes in order to show your congregation pictures of the new guests, who are featured at uusc.org/myguests.
- Consider incorporating multimedia resources into your service. This can help you showcase UUSC's human-rights work without the need to print images.
- When you wrap up your program, you can give us feedback online rather than printing out the evaluation form from the planning packet and mailing it.
Additionally, this year UUSC is reusing Guest boxes from last year to augment our stock of new boxes. Congregations are urged to save boxes left over from this year's program for next year.
Learn more about what UUSC is doing to make Guest at Your Table more environmentally friendly.
Q: Can Guest at Your Table donations be made online?
A: Yes. Individuals can make Guest at Your Table donations using our online form. This option may be especially useful for those unable to be physically present at church during Guest at Your Table time. This option can also greatly simplify the tallying process, especially for large congregations.
Q: I have a question that is not answered here or in my Guest at Your Table Planning Booklet. Who should I contact?
A: Please call 617-301-4366 or e-mail UUSC Volunteer Services. We will be happy to help you!
