Wy'east UU Community Board Meeting Minutes April 1, 2024
Wy'east UU Community Board Meeting Minutes
Meeting Date: April 1, 2024, 7:00-8:30 PM on Zoom
by Larry Burt, Board Secretary
Final: 04/09/2024
Attending: Diane Arnold (Co-moderator), Kathy Scanlan (Co-moderator), Hank Hadaway (Treasurer), Larry Burt (Secretary), Rev. Leslie Becknell Marx (Minister), Ron Thurston (Membership), Anne Wagner (Committee on Ministry - COM member)
Invocation
Virtual Chalice lighting
Check-in
Previous Minutes: 3/4/2024 minutes were sent for review to board members and attendees on 3/7/2024 and several minor changes were made. No further changes were proposed at this meeting, so we voted to approve them. The minutes were sent to our Administrator Gigi for posting to our web site and archiving.
Minister's Report
Rev. Leslie presented four documents
- Her Minister's Report
- COM members' drafts of our Vision Statement
- Themes from recent Conversation Circles grouped by mission
- Vision themes from question 2 compilation of responses. (Question 1 was what are we doing now that you appreciate. Question 2 was about our vision, what would we like to add/change, what would Wyeast look like then?
Small group interactions were a big request from the congregation, but they haven't really started yet. Forms to help organize these are in preparation and the process will be publicized by Gigi in the Wy'east news this week.
Ron reported only one person has signed up to host a potluck. Also, the "Men's Group" has started, with its second Zoom meeting today at noon.
Vision vs Mission: Vision is "what does it look like if we achieve our mission."
The COM members have drafted vision statements. These will be available at the Sunday potluck for attendees to engage and discuss. This process may need to be extended to another time.
A big question is: What do we want to do about RE space to attract families with young children? Are we serious about this? The draft vision statements don't directly address space issues. A related question is: Do we really want to grow, or do we want to stay small?
Anne introduced Jon B as the newest member of the COM. He will join Anne and Jan as voting members, plus Greg will participate as an unofficial member. Jon has long experience with Wyeast, as he was one of the original charter members.
At the potluck, the COM will gather input about the Vision statement. We'll arrange potluck seating to try to have one COM member and one board member at each table. The board doesn't need to be involved in producing the final draft. That's work for the COM.
Fifth Sunday Service Projects
Kathy Scanlan led a successful project on March 31 at Rahab's, producing Easter Baskets for a social event at the center. The worship committee has planned another Drag Queen story hour for our next 5th Sunday on June 30 as part of our involvement with June Pride Month. We'll have to pay for the Center that day as we only contract for two Sundays per month.
Larry would like help with the coordination for 5th Sundays. He will continue as lead for now and will ask for help through Wyeast Chat. The next dates are Sept 29 and Dec. 29. September will be another Hollywood cleanup, which could be an annual event. For December, we'll work with one of our ongoing partnerships like the Family Shelter or Rahab's, perhaps with a winter clothing drive. Leslie is visiting Rahab's next week and will talk to them about their needs and possible future service projects.
Worship Committee Report
Linda M reported that the committee includes herself, Mark A, and Leslie. Andy L has also expressed interest. The calendar is filled through June and they are working on July and August. They are considering including a related afternoon outing/field trip after some of the summer services, likely at Five Oaks museum and the Confluence Project.
GA and Article II Vote
We need to find delegates to the virtual GA at the end of June. We also need to offer a mechanism for our congregation to help instruct our delegates how to vote on the Article II revisions.
Young Musicians
Kate sent an email asking about having an organization of young musicians participate in one of our services. This would provide them with an opportunity to perform, but we would not be paying them.
Canvass
Bruce M will lead our Canvass this year. He will need board members to support him by reaching out to members.
Budget
Hank reports we are waiting on a figure from the CfPA for our twice monthly space rental. He expects an increase. Also Linda M from the worship committee is providing a speaker cost estimate. Speaker costs include a UUA recorded sermon package where we get 12 sermons for $350. Hank will have the budget ready for the annual meeting discussion and vote in May. Our RE director Kate is asking to reduce her hours and will be leaving as RE director soon.
Nominating Committee & Board Elections
Ron reported that there are still two Board positions to fill. He is resigning from the Nominating Committee after this year. Ruth J will fill his position, joining Diane I and Diane H.
Hank noted that the Treasurer position is especially difficult to fill, as it requires some technical expertise and we want the treasurer to be a member. We considering having our Admin Gigi take over some of the data entry, but she doesn't want more hours. Ron will send a chat asking for volunteers to run for the board. We may be able to run the Board with only 4 members. Diane A will continue another year. There was discussion about Board term of office, currently 2 years but this can be confusing and a barrier as people may only want a one year commitment. Bylaws require paper ballots. Proxies may be given for members who can't attend and count toward a quorum. Question: do we have to provide some kind of virtual/absentee ballots?
Annual Meeting on May 19
According to the bylaws, the annual meeting, including the annual report and board elections, will be run by the Secretary. Last year that was Diane A, who will share the previous documents with our current secretary Larry. The annual report includes reports from all committees. There is also an annual financial statement. We'll also vote to approve the budget and the Minister's contract. May 19 is also Flower Communion, where we'll have a guest speaker. Ron will be out of town May 19, so Larry will open the center and lead the setup.
Volunteer Recognition
This will be at a future date, not added to the annual meeting.
Potluck Changes
Ron reported that he and Linda B and Greg had been trained on use of the dish sterilizer. Starting with the potluck this Sunday, we will no longer provide paper products. Gigi will include an announcement in the email news.
The next Board meeting will be via Zoom on Monday, May 6, at 7:00.
Meeting adjourned at about 8:30.
Action List
Hank: Contact possible treasurer for the board
Leslie: Meet with Committee on Ministry to develop Vision Statement. Visit Rahab's Sisters.
Diane A: Clarify Rose City Park Presbyterian rental procedure.
Hank: Provide Board secretary with previous year's annual report.
Diane A: Provide Board Secretary (Larry) with previous year's resources to plan election and annual meeting.