OUR PLANS for now…

As many of you may know we own Fellowship Hall and leased the Sanctuary from a group called the Old Conejo Road (OCR). This lease will be up in June of 2024, and OCR has sold the building. Our last service in our current Sanctuary at 3327 Old Conejo Road will be June 16th. We will have online services on June 23 and June 30th as we transition to begin holding services in the social hall (downstairs) of our Fellowship Hall (3331 Old Conejo Road) starting in July. The first service onsite in Fellowship Hall will be Sunday, July 7th at 10am. The current plan will be to hold all of our events in Fellowship Hall so don’t be surprised if you see things moving around as we freshen up our building in the next months. 

We are actively looking for a buyer for Fellowship Hall as well as searching for alternate sites for our new home in the case that it sells.

Based on interactive meetings over a six-month period, Chalice members identified certain priorities to have in a future location:

1. Room to grow to meet our congregational needs and space to host joint community service work with other like-minded non-profits in fulfillment of our UU mission.

2. Versatile outdoor environments for gatherings of the whole congregation, dedicated children’s play spaces, meditation and tranquility gardens, and plots for garden projects.

3. Improved visibility in the community with larger permanent signage and the capability to host community activities on the property with event-related temporary signage.

We know that uncertainty is difficult and ask that we be gentle, kind and listen deeply to one another throughout this time of change.

Who is leading this?

Our site visioning team has been restructured into two strong teams more able to focus their work and they each meet twice a month.

• Search Team: led by Ellen Smith, Andy Pletcher, and Claudia Barton with Matt Chapa, Sandi Boyd, Brian Pletcher, Spencer Pletcher, Scott Ellison, David Barker, Merlin Snider, and Floyd Martin as team members. Their goal is to search for properties, work with a realtor, and explore other pathways to finding a home including the possibility of purchasing the sanctuary or renting a temporary home.

• Finance Team: led by Randy Slentz, Peter Schlaus, and Don Cooper with Sandi Boyd and Matt Chapa as team members and Frances Pardee as needed doing her magic in the background. Their goal is to establish pre-qualification, secure a loan and explore alternative financing.

• Leaders of each team form a leaders group: Randy, Don, Peter, Ellen Claudia, Andy, Matt, Rev Nica, and Annie Barker. Their role is to connect the two groups, track and present to the board as they progress and decisions need to be made.

The board held its board retreat and this year we invited COSM (Council on Shared Ministry) and the leaders of the search and finance teams and together we welcomed Randy as OUR captain of the ship. He brings his professional skills in project management, he will lead us, keep us on track, make decisions, complete tasks and basically steer our ship!!!

What are we looking for in a new home?

Our potential new home should meet at least two of the three major desirable attributes discerned by the Fellowship members in communication with the Site Visioning Team:

1. Room for Chalice to grow

2. Versatile outdoor space

3. Improved visibility in the community

How can I get involved?

If you have special skills in organizing and moving, Please reach out to Randy Slentz at slentz.rand@gmail.com to find out how you can help.

Who can I contact for more info?

If you see someplace that might make a great new home for Chalice, you can contact the Site Visioning Search Team at SVTsearch@chaliceuu.org

Should you have any inquiries or concerns, we encourage you to reach out. Look for the members listed above, or email below:

General – SVT@chaliceuu.org

Search Team – SVTsearch@chaliceuu.org

Finance Team – SVTfinance@chaliceuu.org

FAQ’s from May 2, 2024 Letter to the Congregation:

Dear Chalice Members and Friends,

We wanted to update you on what’s going on with the sale of our buildings, our purchase or rental of new properties, as well as address potential questions you may have.

All is well. We are still in transition. Please join us for our May 19 service: Anchoring Ourselves in Times of Change to get a sense of how we are doing, what we need now and to get more information about our move. We also invite you to join us for a Congregational Meeting after the service that day which will explain all that’s going on and give a chance for us all to discern together and listen to one another. 

Meanwhile, here are answers to some questions you may have, and updates on the current situation.

What is happening with our Site?

The OCR building, our Sanctuary, has been sold and is in escrow, but our lease continues through June 30. 

Meanwhile, Fellowship Hall is also on the market through a new realtor.

What will we do once the Sanctuary is sold?

We will continue to worship in the Sanctuary through June 16 and have special services planned to prepare us for the move. We will use the last 2 weeks of June to move worship into Fellowship Hall while we have 2 special services on zoom, one for General Assembly and the other with the Flaming Chalice International Foundation. During those 2 weeks, we will decorate our FH, install lights, sound, monitors, move furniture etc. It will be beautiful! 

Our first in-person service in Fellowship Hall will take place July 7, with a congregational celebration after service that day. Fellowship Hall will seat 80 – 90 people, with an overflow opportunity to watch on screens from our new lounge (former childspace) with Chalice friends, or in your pajamas from home. If worship works well there (which we expect), we will continue there until FH sells. Children’s Religious Exploration will move into our YRUU room upstairs.

What will happen if Fellowship Hall is sold before we have found another place to buy?

If FH is sold, we will be in a much stronger position financially to put an offer on a new property should we find one. Time is on our side. When Fellowship Hall sells, we have an interim plan. We are finalizing an agreement to lease space at the United Methodist Church of Westlake Village, should we need it. This would be a temporary move. Meanwhile, we are continuing our active search for places and land to buy. 

Rental Service Times

The main question, if we are to rent at another church, is that our service would likely have to take place at 4 pm in the afternoon. Though this is a substantial change in our routine, we see it as a great opportunity to share meals together after service, have classes in the afternoons and/or evenings, and give families time to spend their day together and then join us later in the day. We would love your input on this, to assess everyone’s willingness to adapt to this change temporarily.  Please take this brief survey here: Chalice Rental Survey 

Have we found anything to buy?

We are looking for properties that inspire us and meet our long term vision and criteria. Our goal is to find our permanent new home, so we only have to move once more. So far, for reasons of zoning, cost, availability, or size we have not found something suitable. We are discovering that properties within the Conejo Valley are generally more expensive than locations along the 23 Freeway to the Moorpark area or in Camarillo.  It is challenging to find places with all 3 of our criteria – room for growth, more visibility and outside space – in our price range, so we may end up needing more funds to help us achieve our dreams. However, we are confident we will find something given the time and once we have the funds available after selling Fellowship Hall.  

How can we help?

• We will need all hands on deck to help us pack up, paint, and move out of the Sanctuary. We have a transition team preparing for that move. There are work days planned to prepare Fellowship Hall on May 11 and 18. Please reach out to SVT@chaliceuu.org if you can help.
• Please continue to spread the word and look for possible venues for us. *
• If you are in a position to be able to offer financial support for the purchase, we welcome any and all contributions. It would help increase the range of possible properties we could consider.

How can we stay up to date with what’s happening?

• Check our weekly News & Notes on Fridays. 
• Randy Slentz, is available in the Sanctuary after services most Sundays for you to ask questions. 
• Attend our May 19th Congregational Meeting after service.
• You can also express any concerns to myself, the Board, or members of the Site Visioning Team. Email SVT@chaliceuu.org.

We Are Chalice!

We, the people, are Chalice, no matter where we are. We have an incredible, dedicated team that meets weekly to work on this under the oversight of the Board. And we have a great new realtor. We will figure it out together. This is an important next step in our growth and spreading our Chalice mission. Though our buildings are important, we, the people, are Chalice.

We look forward to seeing you at the service and meeting on May 19 but hopefully also before. Meanwhile, please take our survey here: Chalice Rental Survey 

As ever, the Board and I are here for you should you wish to meet or have concerns. We are embarking on this exciting next chapter together, my friends.

In faith and hope,

Rev. Nica Eaton (Minister@Chaliceuu.org)

The Board (President@Chaliceuu.org) 

Site Visioning Team (SVT@Chaliceuu.org)

* The main criteria we are looking for are properties under $5 million, though we can currently only afford $3 million, unless there is rental income on site. We need at least 2 acres of land, if we wish to build something. We need at least 3000 sq ft for our Sanctuary and 4 – 5000 for classrooms, meeting spaces and offices. Ideally we want to be within 15 minutes drive from the intersection of the 23 and 101.

 FAQ’s from March 1st Letter to the congregation

What is happening with our Site?

The OCR building, our Sanctuary, is on the market at a listing price that is more than the Fellowship can afford. We hear they have an offer at their full listing price.

Our Fellowship Hall is also on the market, and though we’ve had an offer, it was not what we expected or need. We are holding out for the right offer.

Why did we not buy the Sanctuary?

The price was higher than we can afford, without doing a Capital Campaign. The congregation asked us not to have another Capital Campaign. Plus our current Sanctuary didn’t meet any of the 3 criteria the congregation voted on as important: outside space, room to grow, and greater visibility. We are trying to meet at least 2 of those criteria in our next home.

What will we do if the Sanctuary is sold?

Our lease continues until June 30 for the Sanctuary, so we will continue to worship there until that time. Meanwhile, we are working on finding space to lease, either at the United Methodist Church of Westlake Village or somewhere else. This would be a temporary move, if we haven’t found another location to buy by then. We are still in negotiations with UMCWV, but in principle, they are open to sharing space with us and hold similar justice perspectives. Also, we are very experienced at online services, after 2 years of doing that during COVID. So we always have that option temporarily, or to meet in a park. Meanwhile, we are continuing our active search for places and land to buy. 

What will happen if Fellowship Hall is sold before we have somewhere else to go?

If FH is sold, we will be in a much stronger position financially to put an offer on a new property should we find one. Meanwhile, we can worship in the Sanctuary and hold meetings there as needed until the end of June. We would set up a pop up tent outside the Sanctuary for our RE classes on Sundays. We will have to bring in coffee on Sundays. Our staff can work from home during the week.

Where will we put our things if we don’t have a new space to go to?

We are looking into renting storage space somewhere to store our belongings. If you’d be open to temporarily housing one of our pianos, please let us know.

Have we found anything to buy?

The Site Visioning Team has identified several properties that have been of interest and have inspired us, but for reasons of zoning, cost or size have not been viable. We are finding that properties within the Conejo Valley are generally more expensive than locations along the 23 Freeway to the Moorpark area.  There are some possibilities which we are exploring. We are continuing to look at a range of properties from land on which we could build and create an eco-ministry of sorts, to buildings with higher visibility in shopping malls, to commercial buildings etc. It is challenging to find places with all 3 of our criteria in our price range, but we are confident we will find something given the time and once we have the funds available after selling Fellowship Hall.  

How can we help?

Please continue to spread the word and look for possible venues for us. Please let the Site Visioning Leaders know should you identify any possible properties for us. The main criteria we are looking for are properties under $5 million, though we can currently only afford $3 million, unless there is rental income on site. We need at least 2 acres of land, if we wish to build something. We need at least 3000 sq ft for our Sanctuary and 4 – 5000 for classrooms, meeting spaces and offices. Ideally we want to be within 15 minutes drive from our central spot at the intersection of the 23 and 101. 

If you are in a position to be able to offer financial support for this move, we welcome any and all contributions. It might help increase the range of possible properties we could consider.

When will we move?

We will definitely move out of the Sanctuary by the end of June. We will move out of Fellowship Hall as soon as we have a good offer and close escrow. That may happen quickly. When it does, we will need all hands on deck to help us pack up and move out. We have a transition team preparing for that move.

How can we stay up to date with what’s happening?

Starting Sunday March 17, Randy Slentz, the leader of our Site Visioning Team, will have a brief Q & A in the Sanctuary after services each Sunday for you to ask questions. You can also express any concerns to myself, the Board, or members of the Site Visioning Team. Email SVT@chaliceuu.org.

Don’t Worry!

Please remember, Chalice has moved successfully many times over the years, and each move has led to a stronger new incarnation for our congregation. This is an important next step in our growth and spreading our Unitarian Universalist mission. We have a very thoughtful, experienced team managing this effort under the oversight of the Board. All will be well.