Wy'east UUC Board Meeting Minutes December 04, 2023
Wyeast Community Board Meeting Minutes: December 4, 2023, 7:00-8:30 PM via Zoom.
by Larry Burt: Final 12/12/2023.
Attending: Kathy Scanlan (Co-moderator), Diane Arnold (Co-moderator), Hank Hadaway (Treasurer), Larry Burt (Secretary), Marcy Sullwold (At-Large), Rev. Leslie Becknell Marx (Minister), Ron Thurston (Membership Chair),
Bruce Macpherson (CFPA Liaison), Committee on Ministry members: Anne Wagner, Jan Hively, Mathias Quackenbush
Invocation
Virtual Chalice lighting
Check-in
Previous Minutes: 11/6/23 minutes were sent for review to board members and attendees on 11/07/23 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.
Note: Committee and Minister Reports appended at the end
Community for Positive Aging (CfPA) Contract with Wyeast
Bruce met today with the CfPA Executive Director Amber Kern Johnson to discuss the Wyeast contract for use of the building. The CfPA thinks that we are not paying a fair amount of rent for the last few years. Through April 2020, we used the building year-round for a fee of $139 per Sunday or $599 per month. This included storage in several areas of the building. The contract was year to year, with the center and church able to give 60 days notice of change.
With the pandemic restrictions, we weren't able to use the building for services, but kept our storage for equipment. Per our previous Treasurer D'on, from May 2020 to February 2022 we paid $150 per month for one Sunday. Then from March 2022 to the present, we are paying $250 per month for two Sundays. Several times D'on inquired with the board about increasing the amount to account for inflation, but no action was taken.
The CfPA thinks that we should be paying an increased amount to account for inflation, using the CPI (Consumer Price Index), and that we should be paying something for our storage space, which we use full-time, not just twice a month.
After some discussion, we agreed to empower Bruce to offer a higher monthly base rate of $332 (taking into account inflation and the use of storage), to make that amount retroactive to the beginning of this church year (July 2023), and to increase the amount by the CPI annually in July. Going forward we will have a clear written contract in force at all times.
Committee on Ministry (COM)
Our COM met November 9. Jan and Anne chose Mathias Quackenbush as the 3rd member. Jan looked at our bylaws and noted that in addition to a Mission statement, the COM is to develop a Vision statement. The COM will gather information from current and past members. Wy'east has directories going back five years.
This month the COM will plan the outreach to contact past members and invite current members to small group (4-6 person) discussions, beginning in January. Key questions are: Are the individual needs of current members being met?
Why did past members leave?
Rev. Leslie will begin the process with a Ministry-themed service in January. After conducting the small groups and contacting past members, the COM will meet with the minister to develop a vision statement by the end of our Church Year in July.
Hank noted that when the church was down to 25 members 15? years ago, we began Chalice Circles, which helped to bring us back to our pre-pandemic membership of about 60. The Board approved of the COM plan but did not pass a specific motion as it was felt that the COM had been given its charge and was meeting it.
RCP Presbyterian (RCPP)
Next we discussed RCPP. RCPP needs to know our intentions going forward. Do we still want to rent space there? We have been expecting a proposal for an "ala carte" without fixed monthly amount from RCPP, based on Kathy's contact, but haven't received it. Meanwhile we haven't used the building nor paid any rent for several months. Rev. Leslie stated that she does not need space there for an office, because she works from home, and doesn't need pastoral care space as it has been seldom been used and can be arranged elsewhere as needed. We are still considering if we need any other in-person space for game nights or book groups or other uses. As of now, looks like we don't need it, but we'd like to keep the possibility of intermittent use open on an ala-carte basis without a fixed monthly committment. Kathy has a rate sheet which she will send to the board.
Rose City Park United Methodist (RCPUM)
We're still evaluating possible use of RCPUM, as reported on by Larry. Other Board members, Rev. Leslie, and Kate (RE) will try make an assessment visit there. REPUM has some distinct advantages over RCPP, but it's still an older building with lots of hallways and stairways and bathrooms and no simple way to have services and RE and snack/potluck space nearby. Larry is also continuing to look at other locations with more modern and accessible layouts, perhaps further SE as we have many members moving in that direction. For now we're concentrating on making the current space work as well as possible.
Church Management Software
Our Treasurer Hank reported that our current ChurchDB software vendor is discontinuing support for the product as of the end of January 2024. We've been using a combination of ChurchDB for membership tracking, creating directories, etc, and QuickBooks for accounting. It would be nice to have a single package that did both. Church DB has only cost $15 per month, whereas other packages are in the range of $70 and up. Leslie reached out to other ministers and found some are using "Breeze" with Quickbooks. She's forwarding the information to Hank and former treasurer D'on. Hank will order a 14 day trial of Breeze and continue to look at other options with D'on.
5th Sunday Project
Larry reported that the December 31 project is set and has been announced to the membership via Wy'east News. He will also send a reminder each week to Wyeast Chat. The Amazon "Gift List" is lengthy, but we are not the only people using the list. We will each gather items and bring them to Larry and Diane's home at the regular church time on Dec. 31st. We can pick up gifts from members as needed. We'll have some refreshments and visit, then take the gifts to the shelter at about 1:30, the same schedule we use for the monthly shelter meal.
Larry also suggested starting a Community Service Committee. He will include an invitation for members to join in planning and carrying out 5th Sunday projects and report back to the board at our January board meeting.
Speaker and Special Collections Schedule
Larry asked if we might schedule a special collection to coincide with the Drag Queen story hour. Kathy will send us a schedule from the Social Justice Committee. (This is attached at the end of these minutes). We'll discuss at the January meeting.
Recognition
Hank noted that certain members are volunteering in many ways and putting in lots of hours. How do we recognize them as well as everyone else who are also helping as they are able and have time. Perhaps we have an appreciation service at around the time of our annual meeting? We can find a way to recognize everyone, as we all participate in many ways.
Next Board Meeting
The next meeting date was set for Monday, January 8, 7:00 PM. Format will be Zoom.
Meeting was adjourned at about 8:30.
Action List
Bruce: Locate previous building use contracts/agreements. Meet with Amber to negotiate contract. Let Hank know the results so he can write checks.
Hank: Write check to CfPA for November rent. Based on Bruce's negotiation, write check for retroactive amount owed. Continue church software research with D'on.
Leslie: Meet with Committee on Ministry to plan outreach to current and past members.
DianeA/LindaM/Ron/Leslie: Continue Service Format investigation
Kathy/Diane/Leslie/Kate/LindaM?/Matt?: Contact Elsa at RCP Methodist for building tour.
Kate/Linda: Pursue plan for Drag Queen Story Hour.
Kathy: Contact RCP Presbyterian re: building use proposal. Organize supplies in CfPA classroom. Send Social Justice schedule to Board.
Larry: Continue to research other church buildings in the area. Send reminder to wyeast chat re: December 5th Sunday. Ask for volunteers for community service committee.
Committee Reports
Membership: Chair Ron Thurston reported:
The attendance at in person services continues to grow as does the enthusiasm and energy of the congregation. I feel that we will be finishing the year with a solid core of active members and our visitor attendance is increasing.
To that end Diane I., Linda B. and Rev. Leslie will maintain a "Welcoming Table" and will assist in greeting visitors and answer questions that they may have. Hadrian has volunteered to be a greeter on the 1st Sunday so it will be good to have him back participating in our services. Mathias has offered backup greeter support so the membership is beginning to respond to our calls for help. We still need ushers and hospitality volunteers.
Diane I., Linda B., Hank and Rev. Leslie led the Holiday card signing event and we delivered over 100 cards to the Center's staff for distribution to seniors experiencing limited social contact.
Linda Mac. is continuing to gather ideas to better utilize the window in classroom "A" and Diane I., Linda B., Diane H. and Jan H. have been involved in this ongoing project.
Diane I. has created sign-up sheets on clip boards for ushers, greeters, small group gatherings and hospitality. She will set these out for sign-ups at each in person service.
Linda B. continues to organize our Lilac Meadows 2nd Sunday food donation program which is working well and Debra T. keeps the Chalice Circle running smoothly.
One area of concern is Membership Growth. There have been no attendance at my "Path to Membership" breakout room on the 4th Sunday on Zoom. I know that my greeters and myself try to get contact information from visitors and I send out a personal invitation to each visitor leaving their contact info. reminding them of this opportunity. In addition, as Zoom gate keeper I send each new visitor a "visitor information form" to complete. If they do Linda Mac has created a spread sheet where their contact info. appears and I send a "thank you" email on the Monday following the service thanking them for attending and giving them a little more information about us.
Diane I. is also getting information about our service projects to "Star" newspaper for circulation in our district. If there are any additional ways you can think of to attract visitors, please let me or a committee member know.
RE (Religious Education): No new report.
Treasurer: Hank Hadaway reported at the end of November:
Account Type Previous Bal Deposits Withdrawals Ending Bal Difference
CHECKING 12.652.43 6,660.69 5,787.54 13,515.58 863.15
MONEYMARKET 51,596.65 63.19 0.00 51,659.84 63.19
Worship: No new report
Minister: See Committee on Ministry report below.
Committee on Ministry: Mathias Quackenbush reported:
Notes from Meeting on November 9, 2023. Present: Jan Hively, Rev. Leslie Becknell Marx (on the speaker-phone), Mathias Quackenbush, Anne Wagner
Initial thoughts
Mathias is happy to have been asked to join Jan (Board Rep) and Anne Wagner (Minister’s Rep) as the third member of the Committee on Ministry (CoM).
Anne liked David Brooks’ presentation at the SAGE event about the idea of being a “weaver”-- “promoting functions that will weave our community more tightly together.” It would be nice to feel more mutual knowing -- developing a sense of a tight-knit community fabric.
Jan appreciates what she’s noticed as the mutual-aid functions offered by members of the congregation that contribute to the sense of community. She also appreciates the age and gender diversity among people who are active in the congregation.
Jan noted that the bylaws expect us to help the congregation develop a Vision statement, in addition to the existing Mission statement.
Leslie highlighted the distinction between “Committee on Ministry” vs the prior common understanding of it as “Committee on the Minister.” She hopes for more shared ministry, and for a broader picture of “Why do we exist and how are we doing?”
How are we doing?
As Leslie took on the assignment as part-time Minister a year ago, it seemed important to “do some kind of pulse check,” though without a sense of urgency. Leslie convened an online workshop in March 2023 about what we all want from Wy’east, coming out of the pandemic. The metaphor was: “We had a garden, there was a flood. How does it look now, and how might we want it to look different?” She learned a lot from the session.
The workshop also gave Leslie a chance to express appreciation for Zoom, for the Board, the Worship Committee, and Volunteers. Leslie has missed having more opportunities to get together since last March. This may have changed with the monthly potluck having returned since COVID.
Who should we reach out to?
One challenge noted: We are missing young people. Wy’east’s roots are as a multi-generational community- now we have very few children. There is concern about friendliness of the space for children.
Church attendance is down across different faiths and across the board. Ron seems to feel that we’ve done pretty well with on-site attendance but the virtual attendance has dropped. Anne said that numerous friends she had made in the congregation are no longer attending.
We all are enthusiastic about engaging people in small groups and/or 1-on-1.
It seems that we should reach out to people who have historically been with us in addition to those who are currently actively attending? Welcoming people to the congregation who are new to Portland also feels powerful.
Leslie wants to encourage group conversations as more community-oriented, vs. “consumer-oriented market research.” We care about what others care about.
Ideally, the conversation groups would meet both in-person and via Zoom.
We can reach out to folks and invite them to scheduled small group meetings. We can ask our questions one-on-one if they say they aren’t able to participate in a group meeting.
What’s the ideal size for a small group? Probably 4 – 6 participants. Could we convene the discussions as a multiplatform worship service? Schedule them after the service? Maybe offer a choice of multiple times? It will be important to offer auditory privacy for each group meeting. It might be good to “prime the pump” with a couple of initial questions when we reach out to people.
We will want to have some subsequent reflection on what we heard, perhaps via a worship service centered on us at the Committee on Ministry. Leslie commented that we are coming up on a year since she became Minister. This seems like a natural time for reflection.
Ideas about Questions for the Small Group Gatherings
We can frame a question around the mission statement, such as
- “What brought you to Wy’east?” “What were you hoping for when you came to Wy’east?” “What was missing or confusing for you, as a new member of the congregation?
- “What’s important to you now about Wy’east?” “What keeps you coming?”
- “What could happen that would enable us to more fully realize our mission?” “What do you envision?”
- Action-oriented - “What seed might we plant together today that would make the most difference to the future of Wy’east?”
- Reflection on the experience of hearing from others - “What’s emerging for you?”
There would be a different set of questions for people who have stopped attending.
We might introduce our plan for small group gatherings by saying:
“Members/Friends- We value being an open community, and also the responsibility/covenant that comes with participating in our congregation.”
We would expect this process to set the stage for a Vision Statement. We might affirm a goal for having a draft Vision statement to vote on at the end of the church year. Leslie noted that she will be focusing on one UU principle each month for the remainder of the church year. The theme in December is pluralism, and in January is Justice.
Timeline
Mathias and Anne both feel anxious about trying to have conversations in December. They would feel more comfortable with starting the process in January. Leslie expressed support: “The capacity of the committee is the most important factor.”
There was consensus on meeting with the Board to discuss the plan on December 4. We will then plan the outreach beginning in January at our CoM meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 7 at Jan’s house, 12 – 2 pm.
Outreach
There was consensus on going back before the pandemic, possibly to 2015-16. Mathias has directories back to 2018. Hank may have earlier versions. We should ask people if there’s anybody else we should talk to. Anne will check her records to make a list of past members/friends to include. We should consider the possibility of engaging the group in a visual or kinesthetic exercise to accompany the group process. Perhaps a collage?
Jan will send a copy of these notes (initiated by Mathias) to the Board Members. She has already asked her Board contact, Larry Burt, to put us on the December 4 agenda. Mathias will make the presentation and Anne and Jan will try to be present.
Social Justice: Kathleen provided the Social Justice calendar of speakers and special collections through next summer.
