This year, MLUC invested in the spaces and systems that hold congregational life together—transforming the McGinness Room, planting 406 native species in the grounds, and updating the signage throughout the building to identify exits, First Aid kits, NARCAN, and AED locations.
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Building and Grounds | Gardeners | Safety Team
Building and Grounds
This year, we continued our efforts to care for our building, completing several projects that help our building better serve our shared life together. These projects were funded from reserves the congregation set aside about ten years ago specifically for building improvements and capital needs. We are grateful for the foresight and generosity that made this phase of building renewal possible.
McGinness Room—A Renewed Gathering Space. Once a room that often felt more functional than welcoming, McGinness is now a flexible space filled with light and a sense of warmth. The updates reveal more of the room’s original character and create a calm, inviting setting for spiritual gatherings, group meetings, and a wide range of community events for both the congregation and the wider community.
More Flexible Central Spaces for Connection. Our Atrium, Fireside Gallery, and lobby areas have a new look and layout that mix flexible café-style seating, casual conversation spaces, and areas for shared activity. These changes are meant to create more ways for people to come together—across generations—to gather, share stories, and build the relationships that sustain our community.
Restroom and Kitchen. Renovation of the first-floor restroom by the stairs is moving into the permitting stage, after a year of working to balance building and code constraints and costs with the congregation’s goals for privacy, safety, inclusion, accessibility, and a more welcoming design. The current plan reflects significant progress within those realities. Construction will begin once approvals are secured and scheduling is finalized.
We are also replacing the aging kitchen floor with a safer, more durable surface that supports food service and easier cleaning. We have plans to address other needed updates, including refinishing the kitchen cabinets, a simple update to the men’s restroom, and a handrail for improved accessibility on the chancel steps in the Main Meeting Room.
Together, these improvements grow out of our ongoing commitment to steward this building with care as a place where people of every generation can worship, learn, and be together in community.
Gardeners
The gardens and grounds at MLUC are maintained through a combination of volunteer efforts and professional landscaping—with several gardeners caring for specific areas throughout the year and others helping out where needed: weeding, planting, raking, and the hundred small tasks that keep the property beautiful.
The most significant project this year can be counted: 406 native plant plugs, 11 species, one garden area transformed. Working with Land Studies to remove invasives from the area across from the parsonage, the team planted Wild Columbine, Seersucker Sedge, Goldie’s Wood Fern, Stonecrop, Bluestem Goldenrod, Foam Flower, White Wood Aster, Christmas Fern, Appalachian Mountain Mint, Virginia Bluebells, and Prostrate Blue Violet—all sourced from Northcreek Nursery. It will take three years before the plants fully thrive. Many gardeners came out to help.
The annual leaf-raking and soup lunch day kept the composting cycle running. Church school kids helped plant a new Paw Paw tree in the backyard. A plant sale with Anthea’s Perennials was held in May.
This year also brought a leadership transition: Lisa Evans stepped into a co-leadership role alongside Leslie Bass following Christy Parry’s departure. Looking ahead, Lisa is launching Weekly Wednesday Gardening Days for volunteers. Discussions about the next area to transform—likely a section of the Memorial Garden—will begin soon, with a proposal to the board expected by fall.
Safety Team
The MLUC Safety Team was appointed by the Board of Trustees to help safeguard the physical security of our congregation, staff, and visitors—proactively assessing threats, recommending preventative strategies, planning emergency responses, and fostering a culture of safety awareness throughout the building and community.
This year the team focused on several concrete improvements: updating signage throughout the building to identify exits, First Aid kits, NARCAN, and AED locations; refreshing evacuation plans and procedures; and conducting safety inspections of the building and grounds using Unitarian Universalist Association Safety Checklists, with recommendations for areas needing attention.
Eighteen members and staff completed CPR and AED training this year. Looking ahead, the team is developing a training packet for Greeters and Ushers—designed to prepare them to be both welcoming and watchful—with de-escalation training included. A full training day is planned for fall 2026.