The UUSM Board of Directors met on Tuesday, October 11, to hear reports from church staff and committees, and to discuss various aspects of the church’s operations.
Board Members attending the meeting included Vice President Norm Richey, Treasurer Vilma Ortiz, Secretary Larry Weiner, Members at Large Michael Monte, Linda van Ligten, and Siobhan Braybrook, and Past President Beth Brownlie. Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae also attended. Board President Eileen McCormack was absent.
Chalice Lighting, Opening Reading and Check-in – Norm Richey and Vilma Ortiz
Norm called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Vilma read the Second Principle, the Second Source, and a reading from the gray hymnal. The Church theme for the month is “Courage,” and Board members checked in with a personal and theme-based check-in. The Board also read the “Process Observations” documents.
Membership – Norm Richey
Norm reported there have been no changes in church membership since the September meeting. There are 256 current members.
Standing Monthly Reports & Board Minutes
Standing monthly reports were noted, but not discussed. A motion was made by Beth and seconded by Larry to accept the Standing Reports. The motion passed unanimously.
A motion was made by Siobhan and seconded by Abby to accept the September Board minutes as written. The motion passed unanimously.
Minister’s Report – Rev. Jeremiah Kalendae
Jeremiah gave an introduction about many topics and then spoke in greater detail about Worship Life, Pastoral Care, the Reproductive Justice is Life Rally, the Bylaws Refresh Task Force, the Leadership Development Team, Consulting Ministry/Kikanza, the Committee for Shared Ministry, the Intersectional Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Commission, Mandated Reporter Training, the COVID Steering Committee, Opening Hearts: An Embodied Practice Circle, the Santa Monica Interfaith Council, and the UCLA Hospital Ethics Committee. He concluded by saying he believed that the new church year is off to a strong start without the stress and burden of the past two years. He called us to celebrate the spaciousness of our lives and acknowledged the Board for its dedicated service to our beloved liberal religious home.
Treasurer’s Report – Vilma Ortiz
Vilma said that much is going on, as per our budget, and the biggest concern is that our income from rentals is still very low. She recommended we put stewardship on the agenda for the November board meeting, focusing on creating a conversion for abundance and a strategy for jumpstarting next year’s stewardship campaign.
There was a brief discussion of the progress on the repairs to the Arizona Lobby, and Abby reported that things are pretty much on schedule, with the contractors predicting the project will be done by the end of the year. Abby said that in her experience, however, this might be a bit optimistic.
Pastoral Care Team Charter
The Board discussed the newly revised Pastoral Care Team Charter.
Abby moved and Beth seconded that the board accept the Pastoral Care Team Charter. The motion passed unanimously.
Intersectional Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Commission
The Board discussed appointing Amy Brunell as a member of this Commission (to advocate for Beloved Conversations).
Larry moved and Beth seconded that Amy Brunell be appointed to the IARAO Commission, and the motion passed unanimously.
Spanish Language Hymnals
The Board discussed authorizing the purchase of 60 Spanish language hymnals at the approximate cost of $1,000. Jeremiah said that if the Board decides this is a good idea, he would contribute $500 of the cost from his discretionary fund.
Abby moved and Beth seconded that the Board authorize the expenditure of $500 for the purchase of 60 Spanish language hymnals for the congregation, and the motion passed unanimously.
Healthy Congregation
The Board discussed reinvigorating the Healthy Congregation Committee (formerly known as Right Relations). The consensus was that this is a very good idea.
Adult RE Committee Liaison Report
Larry reported that he attended the Adult RE Committee meeting, where major topics of the discussion were how to best publicize what the Adult RE ministry makes available, along with calendaring practices to help avoid multiple events at the same time. He said there was also talk about bringing the Healthy Congregation approach to the issue of calendaring.
Leadership Seminar update
Norm talked about the launch of this program, which will be held Saturday, October 15 from 10-5 at the Catholic Church on 7th and California. After the launch, there will be monthly meetings from now until June to move the work forward.
New Business
The Board discussed several new items this month, including a possible letter updating the congregation on the accomplishments of the developmental ministry and updating the developmental ministry goals, a possible upcoming Board retreat, the Thanksgiving potluck luncheon, and the restarting of Second Sunday Suppers or Second Sunday Luncheons. All of these items have been added to the Bike Rack.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 8:38 p.m.
Notes for this report were provided by Larry Weiner, Board Secretary
