Transcript of Eileen’s President’s Report at the Annual Meeting on June 29, 2025
I’m excited to be here at our 97th Annual Meeting, as we work together to shape our future as a community. We have a lot to look forward to during the next congregational year. The Search Committee is just beginning its work in the search for our next settled minister, and will need our enthusiastic support. We’re still working on reaching our developmental goals as we enter this new year. For example, our Policies Refresh Team is completing its comprehensive overhaul of our policies. I’d like to thank Patricia Wright, John Zinner, and Barbara Kernochan for their ongoing work on this project. They’ve taken a thoughtful approach that involves first researching best practices on policies, and then bringing the numerous stakeholders in for discussion and refining the proposed policies, before finally submitting the revised policies to the board for approval. They’re taking our patchwork of policies that developed organically and sometimes messily over the decades and turning them into something understandable and cohesive. This is a major developmental goal.
Another thing to look forward to in the coming year is that, with the support of the Board, the UU Animal Ministry of UUSM plans to engage the congregation in an approximately year-long Study/Action Issue of the possibility of the congregation adopting a green, vegetarian, and/or vegan commitment at congregational events to institutionally advance environmental, animal, and climate wellbeing in concert with our UU values which call upon us “to protect Earth and all beings from exploitation.”
I’d also like to highlight some of the places where we’re seeing many hands making lighter work, and how this will help take us into the future. Our Art Wall and UU the Vote efforts have been championed by strong leaders — Beverly Alison and Brad Hutchinson — who are both being honored by our community with awards today. This year, we’ve seen many congregants step up on these initiatives, for the Art Wall as a newly formed Committee, and for UU the Vote as a more informal team. Our congregants are carrying these precious efforts forward in a sustainable, community-based way. I’d love to see something similar happen with Stewardship in the coming year. Denise Helton and Grechen Goetz, our amazing Stewardship co-chairs, could also use some support from our community. Truly, if you’re looking for a way to get more involved, there are so many opportunities. Just a few ideas of many: Hospitality/coffee hour is a great way to meet new people. Communications needs writers, editors, and web developers. And RE can always use more volunteers.
Speaking of Religious Education, we are thrilled with the progress of our dedicated, creative Director of Multigenerational Religious Education, Jessica TenHave-Place. Jessica joined us a little over a year ago as a highly qualified religious educator who most recently served at a liberal Christian church. She has delivered quality programming while developing wonderful relationships with our kids and families. Even more exciting, Jessica has found a place not just with us, but with Unitarian Universalism more broadly. She just served as one of our congregational delegates at our national General Assembly. And we are proud to be sponsoring her as she prepares to become ordained and credentialed as a UU minister.
It’s also been a joy to see our new Administrator, Alfie Wilkerson, who started with us in February of this year, get to know our community. It was hard to say goodbye to our longtime beloved Administrator, Nurit Gordon, when she retired. It was a comfort to know that Nurit felt like she was leaving us in good hands. After seeing Alfie’s organizational skills, creativity, and eye for detail in action, I’m convinced her confidence was well-founded. Alfie is already working on ways to help us expand our event rentals, and is, in his always kind and welcoming manner, getting us unimaginably organized.
I can’t talk about our two new senior employees without a shout-out to Saunder Choi, our award-winning Music Director. Earlier this month, Saunder saw one of his choral works performed at the Kennedy Center. In April, he was the recipient of an award from the Philippine National Commission for Culture and the Arts, which is given to outstanding Filipinos who have excelled in international competitions. He’s also made his mark on UU culture by being the music director at a past General Assembly and by contributing to the UU digital hymnal project. I’ll always be grateful to Saunder for his brilliance and sophisticated editing skills in producing the weekly meeting videos throughout our remote period of the pandemic. His work helped our community stay strong during difficult times, and it continues to sustain us. We are incredibly lucky to have him.
We’ve also been lucky to have Reverend Jeremiah, and we should celebrate him as much as possible as we move into the final year of his ministry with us. I have so enjoyed working with him in my three years as our congregation’s president. His bravery, intelligence, and compassion will continue to carry us forward through what may be, in many ways, a challenging year. I have found him to be extraordinarily well-suited to meeting the moment.
It’s odd to have gotten this far into my report and realize that I’m just getting around to acknowledging the terrible things that are happening in our community and our country right now. But we’re here for that, too. We can and will make a difference. We’re out protesting, we’re raising money, we’re organizing at local, state, and national levels with other UUs and interfaith groups. This building has been standing since 1930. This congregation has persevered since 1927. We’re looking at our centennial, fighting fascism, working for social justice, and celebrating what makes us human. On this, my final day of my three years as president of our congregation, I don’t want to spend too much time on what we’re fighting. I just want to say, we’re here for it, and I love us.
In closing, I’d like to share a few more gratitudes. Thank you to the leadership development and nominating committee – Wendi Gladstone, Erik Paesel, Haygo Salibian, Robbert Schalekamp, and John Zinner. They did a tremendous amount of work in finding fantastic slates for both the search committee and the board. Thank you to the search committee, who have agreed to take on this vital work for our congregation — Susan Hendricks, Chela Metzger, Beth Rendeiro, Norm Richey, Shanna Shaked, James Witker, and Cassie Winters. Thank you to the 2024-2025 Board — those who are moving on –Trish Brassard, Audrey Erbes, Barbara Kernochan, Norm Richey, and Shanna Shaked. And thank you those who have agreed to continue — Rebecca Crawford, Vilma Ortiz, Linda van Ligten, Larry Weiner, and Cassie Winters. And one more giant thank you to Reverend Jeremiah.
I could go on forever, thanking individuals who bring so much of themselves to our community. But I will, finally, offer so many thanks to every one of you – everyone who I’ve named, and everyone who I haven’t. You are what makes our community special. It’s been an honor to be the president of this congregation.
Eileen McCormack
Outgoing President, UUSM
