175th Anniversary Congregational Gift
UU Society of Geneva
What’s an Anniversary Celebration without a Gift?
Throughout our history, UUSG members and friends have marked important anniversaries by making a special Congregational Gift to our beloved church — most notably, donating the funds to build a parsonage (today’s Pioneer House) on our 50th anniversary in 1892.
This year as we celebrate the 175th anniversary of UUSG, we are continuing our long tradition of generosity to each other in the form of a Congregational Gift — not to build something new, but to preserve the priceless record of our past.
Preserving the treasures of our history in digital format.
Our church archives are filled with historic photographs, records, correspondence, publications, and ephemera. The vast majority of these items are paper, and all are vulnerable to loss by fire, storm or decay over time. For the past six years, the UUSG Heritage Team has been painstakingly sorting and storing these precious documents. But unless something is done to permanently preserve them, they are in danger of being lost forever.
The solution is digital archiving — scanning and converting the paper originals into a digital format that will endure for centuries. Having a digital archives of our most important historical photos and documents will put UUSG technologically far ahead of mid-size UU churches and churches of other denominations in our preservation efforts. Members and friends of all ages can participate in creating the digital archives. The digitization project is also a perfect complement to the history book to be published by the Heritage Team during this anniversary year.
We are seeking a total of $3,000 in donations to purchase the archiving software, train people to use it, and provide ongoing service and tech support.
If you treasure our church’s proud history and want to ensure that it is preserved for future generations, please support acquisition of the software with a generous donation to the 175th Anniversary Congregational Gift campaign. The campaign was formally announced to the congregation on May 21. You make make a donation in two ways: a check in the offering basket, payable to UUSG, and write “Congregational Gift” on the memo line or a checked mailed to UUSG, PO Box 107, Geneva, IL 60134.