November 8 was the first meeting of the UUSM Board of Directors following their day-long retreat, so the topics began with a synopsis of some of the highlights. The board looked closely at its own covenant and decided to make some changes to make it fit the sensibilities of the current board. At the retreat, the board also discussed “Big Rocks”— the stumbling blocks to UUSM success. These included mission and vision, an organizational protocol, stewardship, and leadership development.
The minister and the board are making every effort to make their activities known to everyone. The minister’s report is available as a link within the Weekly Announcements in the week before the second Tuesday board meeting. The links within this report work for getting to sub-reports. The board agenda is similarly available, but the links do not work for non–board members. Most of the board documents for an upcoming meeting are available in the members’ section of our website. These do not include late additions and the links do not work yet. A work in progress.
There was a discussion of a template for committee charters. The current charters are available under Governance, within “About Our Church” on the website.
Plans are being put in place for the Stewardship Committee calendar and how it will mesh with budget development. There is a plan to do an every-member campaign to gather input on what is important to each of us.
Our intern minister, Robin Stillwater, asked that the board authorize her to officiate at rites of passage. This was quickly approved. Robin also reported that a vigorous Young Adults group is developing. The charter for the restricted funding to support it was approved and will be put on the website with other charters.
The Treasurer’s Report was prepared by our administrator, Nurit Gordon. A board member noted that a large proportion of our pledging is not monthly and it is easier to budget if more of us give in monthly fashion.
After investigating the appropriate service animal and emotional support animal policies nationwide, and how other UU churches approach these situations, Margot Page submitted a proposal that addresses both circumstances. It was approved and will be available in the Policies section of the website and at the visitors table.
