This summer marked a number of significant changes for the UUSM Board of Directors. First, at our 96th Annual Congregational meeting, held on Sunday, June 29, five new board members were elected, along with a new member for the Leadership Development and Nominating Committee. New Mission & Vision Statements for the church were also approved. Then, in August, the resignation of newly re-elected Board Treasurer Rebecca Crawford brought some additional changes to the board roster.
Annual Meeting
On Sunday, June 29, Board President Eileen McCormack called the Annual Meeting to order at 12:48 p.m. and announced a quorum of 84 members present. Election officials were appointed, then Denise Helton and Gretchen Goetz read the Covenant of Right Relations and reviewed the Right Relations Guidelines, Agreements, and Remedies. Eileen also led the process to approve Robert’s Rules of the Meeting, and the minutes from the June 16, 2024 Annual Meeting, June 16, 2024 Special Meeting, and May 18, 2025 Special Meetings, all of which passed without discussion.
Rev. Kikanza Nuri-Robins, co-chair with Julie Nyquist of the Mission & Vision Team, presented the proposed new Mission & Vision statements. After Jeremiah thanked the team members – including Bettye Barclay, Cheryl Barnett, Trish Brassard, Alan Carey, Jerry Gates, Lois Hutcheinson, Judith Martin-Straw, Karen Hsu Patterson, Sarah Robson, and Larry Weiner – Pat Gomez moved and Jerry Gates seconded a resolution to adopt the new statements:
Mission – We are a sanctuary for the liberal spirit, cultivating joy, inspiration, and beloved community. We awaken the conscience of people of all ages through ministry, education, music, art, and service. We live our values of love, justice, and compassion out into the world.
Vision – We are a beacon for love, liberal religion, and multigenerational community–acting in solidarity for social justice, championing peace locally and globally, and living in harmony with the natural world. We are a diverse and inclusive beloved community welcoming all people who share our values.
There was no discussion, and the resolution passed by acclamation.
Next, Congregational Awards were presented to several members of the congregation who this year, said Elieen, “went above and beyond with long hours, love and commitment.”
Brad Hutchinson was honored with the Distinguished Service Award, presented to “a congregant who has shown an extraordinary level of dedication and service to the congregation.” Presenter Barbara Kernochan lauded Hutchinson’s work on the Facilities Committee and his “tremendous and vital work on our UU the Vote campaign” throughout the last year. Kernochan said Hutchinson also “put in many hours in less visible ways, including managing logistics and securing matching grants,” and is “now sharing that knowledge with others in our congregation, to make UU the Vote an ongoing, community-based effort.”
Next, Jeremiah presented the Distinguished Leadership Award to Julie Nyquist, who “has been a leader in this community for many years. Among other things, she leads our Women’s Plus group” and “co-chaired our Mission & Vision team this year, which is helping us to meet an important developmental goal. She’s also famous for her kindness and warm hospitality. As an example, during the terrible fires in January, Julie turned a small lunch that she had planned for a Mission and- Vision Circle into a major effort that fed everyone who showed up to service that day, offering comfort in community when we needed it most.”
Rebecca Crawford presented the annual Unsung Hero Award to Dan Patterson, whom Rebecca thanked for his role leading our community’s ushers. “Dan does the scheduling and the gentle reminding,” said Rebecca, “and will take on extra services himself when coverage is needed. In addition to their visible duties, our volunteer ushers make sure that we know how many people are attending our services and that the collections are accurately counted. And Dan’s quiet, dedicated leadership is vital to those efforts.”
Finally, Eileen presented a special award to Beverly Alison for her extraordinary dedication to our community’s Art Wall. “For decades,” said Eileen, “Beverly used her boundless energy, creativity, organizational skills, powers of persuasion, and connections in the art world in service to our community. Nearly every month, Beverly would arrange for an artist to share their work in Forbes Hall, oversee the hanging and display of the art work, and host opening and closing receptions. This is a fundraiser for the congregation, but more than that, it’s become part of our identity, adding beauty to our space and feeding our imaginations. Since Beverly took a step back from the Art Wall last year, we’ve had an entire new committee form to carry on her work. This is testimony both to the tremendous amount of work that Beverly put into the Art Wall, and to its importance to our community.”
Following the awards, Rev. Jeremiah presented his annual Minister’s Report, in which he spoke warmly of “the creativity, vitality, commitment, and love of our beloved community,” saying that it has been a “great privilege to serve with you as one of the ministers in the long lineage of the ministry of this historic congregation.”
“In just the last congregational year,” said Jeremiah, “we’ve had to steer our ship through unexpected and disruptive changes in our wider culture. Dreams went unrealized and our worst fears were sometimes made all too real. Devastating fires caused terror, destruction, and loss that was once unimaginable. This has been a congregational year perhaps like no other and despite it all this community is spiritually alive! We’re flourishing and we continue to meet the moment–day by day, week by week, month by month – with a fierce love, a gentle compassion, an open heart, unassailed and unafraid — mounting a resistance to the forces in this world that threaten life and liberty, and continuing to minister to each other and our badly hurting world.”
Jeremiah also reviewed the past year’s worship offerings, religious education development, the church’s various committees and their projects and efforts, staff and board leadership, and more. In conclusion, he said, “We’re making a difference within these walls and out beyond our sanctuary in the community with our neighbors and our friends in so many ways and this is all possible because of you.” (To read Rev. Jeremiah’s full remarks, click here.)
Next, in her annual President’s Report (click to read their full remarks), outgoing Board President Eileen McCormack concluded her third term by talking about UUSM’s unfolding work to seek a new settled minister, and the many efforts we’ve made to reach our developmental goals, including reviewing and revising the full spectrum of our congregational policies, a multi-year process in which our Policies Refresh Team is taking a “patchwork of policies that developed organically and sometimes messily over the decades and turning them into something understandable and cohesive.”
Eileen also talked about UUSM’s Animal Ministry’s plans to explore the adoption of “a green, vegetarian, and/or vegan commitment at congregational events,” the teams stepping up to maintain the Art Wall and UU the Vote efforts, and additional community involvement opportunities still available in Stewardship, hospitality/coffee hour, communications, and religious education. Eileen also lauded the efforts of our new Director of Religious Education, Jessica TenHave-Place, our new administrator, Alfie Wilkerson, and Music Director Saunder Choi, Reverend Jeremiah, the Leadership Development and Nominating Committee, the Settled Minister Search Committee, and the UUSM Board of Directors. Eileen closed by looking ahead to the congregation’s coming centennial, and looking back with gratitude to all those who have supported her board leadership. (To read Eileen’s full remarks, click here.)
The leadership reports were followed by the presentation of candidates for the Board of Directors election, and the collection of ballots.
While the ballots were being counted, Treasurer Rebecca Crawford also gave her annual Treasurer’s Report, reviewing a successful pledge drive, reasons the budget is increasing, and details of grants and other funding sources. She also presented the 2025-26 church budget, which was discussed and then approved by acclamation.
Next, the departing board members – Barbara Kernochan, Shanna Shaked, Norm Richey, Audrey Erbes, and Trish Brassard – were acknowledged…and then the election results and new board members were announced:
- Vilma Ortiz – President.
- Sue Bickford – Vice President
- Rebecca Avery – one year of Member-at-Large term (for seat formerly held by Shanna Shaked)
- Jef Travis – Member at Large
- Anne Bridgins – Member at Large
- Jila Tayefehnowrooz – Member at Large
They will join the following continuing board members:
- Eileen McCormack – Past President
- Linda van Ligten – Secretary
- Larry Weiner – Member at Large
- Cassie Winters – Member at Large
Also, Wendi Gladstone was reelected to a second two-year term on the Leadership, Development and Nominating Committee, where she will work with continuing members Robbert Schalekamp, Erik Paesel, John Zinner, and Haygo Salibian.
The new board members were officially installed, and after closing remarks in which Eileen expressed her deepest gratitude for their steady kindness and respect over the years, the meeting was adjourned at 2:29 p.m.
Additional Board Changes
While the election results were official as of the election date, there were a couple of changes to our Board later in the summer. Rebecca Crawford resigned her position as Treasurer, effective August 31, so the Leadership, Development and Nominating Committee appointed Sue Bickford to take over that position, and Karl Lisovsky to take over Sue’s elected position as Vice President. The current board for the coming year is now:
- Vilma Ortiz – President
- Karl Lisovsky – Vice President
- Sue Bickford – Treasurer
- Linda van Ligten – Secretary
- Eileen McCormack – Past President
- Larry Weiner – Member at Large
- Cassie Winters – Member at Large
- Rebecca Avery – Member at Large
- Jef Travis – Member at Large
- Anne Bridgins – Member at Large
- Jila Tayefehnowrooz – Member at Large
