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Board Minutes 12/20/2016

Board Meeting 12/20/2016

Present:

Board Members: Bruce, Barbara, D’On, Jane, Paul

Minister: Rev Craig Moro

D’On determined that we have 46 grey hymnals and 43 teal hymnals on hand. We have 96 chairs, so are just shy of a hymnal for every other chair. She recommended purchase of 12 each of grey and teal hymnals. On Nov. 21 Barbara moved and Jane seconded that we order 12 grey and 12 teal hymnals from the UUA and take the money from the Board Discretionary line item. The motion was approved unanimously via email. When D’On went on the UUA web site to place the order she discovered that the 20% discount for 10 or more copies had expired for the grey hymnals. The board agreed unanimously to revise the order to 5 grey and 12 teal hymnals. D’On placed the order on Dec. 1. Total cost is $312.80. On 12/19 Betty reported that the hymnals have arrived.

●Meeting called to order at 6:58 pm.

●Meeting minutes:

○The corrected minutes of the board meeting on 11/15/16 were posted in Googledocs prior to the meeting by Barbara.

○D’On moves we approve the minutes; Paul seconds. Approved unanimously.

●The Treasurer’s Report

○The Treasurer’s Report was posted in Googledocs prior to the meeting.●

  • It is the secretary’s responsibility.
  • Diane I has been doing it.
  • Barbara and Diane will make sure it happens. Barbara will touch bases with Diane and get in touch with others as needed.
  • It needs to be done before February 1.
  • (Diane has also been managing the UUWorld subscription list.)●
  • The Minister’s Report was distributed via email prior to the meeting.
  • D’On asked about the level of congregational support for an adult RE class on Islam. She didn’t feel it was as enthusiastic as Craig reported.
  • A Path to Membership class is scheduled on Jan 14. All Board Members are invited.
  • Attendance numbers are still up (50 people this past Sunday).
  • Facilities Report:
    • Bruce sent the rent increase proposal to Amber. No response.

●Volunteer Recognition/Set up and take down volunteering○

  • 3 new people pitched in this past Sunday so the seniors could leave in time to get to the senior group meeting. Thank you, Paul.
  • Paul will continue to recruit people and will make a special effort on the Sundays the senior group meets.

●Congregational Leadership retreat followup

○Wy’east Job Descriptions.

■Nothing has happened in the past month.

■Bruce will contact Diane.

■First step is a list of what the jobs/tasks are.

○Chalice Circles.

■Bruce reached out to Karl Arruda, who thought that it was something the Ministry committee could take on.

■Craig offers to meet with the leaders of the Chalice Circles.

○Develop Mission and Vision Statements

■Jane spoke with Sarah S. Sarah was able to find an old mission statement from a 2005 order of service. It is

“Wy'east Unitarian Universalist Congregation provides a liberal religious community, nurtures spiritual growth, and promotes living by Unitarian Universalist principles.”

■This old mission statement doesn’t reflect our social justice focus or our intergenerational commitment.

■Jane also reached out to Tode who had no memory of a mission and vision.

■Should we incorporate an old Mission Vision statement in the 20th anniversary celebration? It sounds like a good idea and, could be a springboard to a new conversation about mission and vision.

■Craig wants to start the conversation with elevator speeches -- probably in the September/October timeframe. That would lead into vision, then mission.

■An idea for the 20th anniversary celebration: a notepad easel on which people could write ideas -- where are we headed/where do we want to be headed? What/Where do we want to be in another 20 years?

○Conversation with the Congregation

■We decided to postpone the size conversation after a service and possibly make it part of a mission/vision process.

■Lead in with a sermon by Craig or Sarah?

■When? In the spring or early fall?

■It is clear from the most recent search packet that the congregation endorses growth.

●20th Anniversary Celebration

○See the mission/vision notes above.

○Barbara will get going in January.

○Jane offers to be involved, especially with the mission/vision portion.

●Written Committee Reports -- do we want them, and how?

○The Annual Report already contains reports from the various committees, though in a somewhat abbreviated form compared to 6-8 years ago.

○It didn’t happen for several years

○D’On would like to see periodic reports from committees, perhaps in the newsletter.

○Some committees want more communication from the board. There’s a sense that the board and committee interactions are too informal.

○How do we think about our organizational structure?

○Should we ask each of the committees what how they would like to work with the board?

○We don’t want to make a committee’s decisions, but we do want to provide the support they need.

○We could invite committee representatives to attend a board meeting and report and let us know what they need. How are things working and what do you need?

○Bruce will reach out to Social Justice for January; Jane suggests Membership for February after the path to membership class.

●Seniors Group intergenerational effort

○The Seniors Group has been considering ways to improve connections across various groups at Wy’east, specifically our connections with younger members of the congregation.

○We have begun an effort to intentionally engage younger people in conversations at the potlucks.

○We are going to organize several multi-generational activities in conjunction with the Connections committee and the Membership committee.

○The first such activity will be to volunteer at the Oregon Food Bank in late February, assuming we can get a date.

○We hope to arrange two more activities in the summer and the fall, including, perhaps, a river cleanup with a local environmental group.

○There is nothing the board needs to do.●

  • Jocelyn has been leading the workshop at First U and is interested in running another class in NE.
    • Would it be open to non Wy’east members?
    • Would we charge? Sliding scale? member/non-member fees?
    • Jocelyn would like a small stipend.
  • The class was well received at First Church.
  • The library at RCPP has been available on Saturdays.
  • We are generally in favor of the idea
  • Bruce will talk to Jocelyn about details.
  • It doesn’t need to come back to the board

●Craig is thinking about having an adult RE class on Islam later in the spring.

●The congregational survey for the search for Craig showed a clear message in favor of growth.

○That means eventual relocation.○

○Who might we join forces with to share a space?

●Next meetings:

○January 10 and February 14, 2017 at 7 pm at RCPP

●Meeting adjourned at 8:40 pm

Respectfully Submitted,

Barbara Smith-Thomas, secretary

 

 

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