Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia

Board of Trustees

Minutes of February 19, 2014 Meeting

Attendance

Trustees present:  Ivy Coleman (Co-President), Robin Scherer (Co-President), Regina Moody (President Elect), Buzzie Kelly (Secretary), Bob Whitaker (Treasurer); Members at Large: Sandy Chubon, Marc Drews, Caroline Eastman, Jerry Moore, Phil Turner; Ex-Officio Members: Linda Brennison (Finance Committee Co-Chair), and Ann Johnson (Past President).

Call to Order and Establishment of Quorum

The meeting was called to order by Ivy at 6:34 p.m. She noted a quorum was present.

Reading and Check-In

Bob Whitaker (Treasurer) opened with a reading and lit the chalice; all present gave brief personal updates to check in.

Approval of Minutes

On a motion from Phil Turner, seconded by Jerry Moore, the minutes of the January meeting were approved.

Candles of Community

A recent visitor to the UUCC had written a letter complaining about a particular Candles of Community. This had been brought to the attention of the Board at the January meeting and it was decided then to let the Worship Committee handle it.  However, unknowingly, the Shared Ministry Committee assigned one of its members to discuss the complaint with several of the people who had spoken at that service in question, causing some distress and confusion to those addressed.  During the Board discussion, it was suggested that the response to this one letter of complaint from one occasional visitor was an overreaction by the leadership. The Worship Committee is planning to conduct a survey to address the matter.  Caroline Eastman wanted to know if the entire service was going to be included in the survey; it was believed that only people’s thoughts about the Candles of Community would be surveyed.  Ivy Coleman (Co-president) will follow up with the Worship Committee to clarify their plans.

Interfaith Harmony Month

After a brief discussion, it was concluded that the UUCC did not have any scheduled events that fit into this activity and so participation was deferred for this year.

UUCC Directory

Ivy will prepare an announcement for the pulpit, Order of Service, and Unigram explaining the delay in the printing and distribution of the new UUCC Directory but will note that it is being prepared and will be available to members both in print and on line.

Leadership Seminar

Sandy Chubon attended the District leadership event sponsored by the UU Church of Augusta on February 8 and reported that the seminar leader Maggie Lovins presented a great deal of information in a short amount of time. Although the presenter sent copies of all her overheads and handouts, Sandy suggested that in the future more than one person attend such events, as it is helpful to have multiple people receive the information.

Member Profiles

Robin Scherer (Co-president) requested that Board members look at the profiles on the UUCC website and those who have not yet done so email her information for their own profiles, which she will post. If there is no photo or if you prefer a different photo, email her a jpeg, which she will post.

Website Activity

Caroline Eastman (liaison to the Technology Services Committee) will ask the committee to offer an “open house” meeting in 2014 to train committee chairs who were unable to attend the Committee Night Training in 2013 to learn how to access and update their committee’s web page. Board members were reminded to check other UU websites and suggest to Caroline redesign ideas for the UUCC website (especially the home page). Caroline will continue to provide an update on the website at Board meetings and will investigate what visitor information to the website can be gathered and will give an interpretation at an upcoming Board meeting.

Financial Reports

Bob handed out the Treasurer’s Report and the Budget Variance Report. It was decided he will no longer hand out printed copies of the reports but will email electronic copies prior to the Board meeting for review. The income shortfall fell back in January to $5,311 after a December rally in pledge receipts. However, as expenses continue to be lower than expected, there is still a positive variance of $3,638 (which is about half of last year’s at this time). He suggested that the underspending might mean the UUCC is not accomplishing some of its goals. The guest minister line is already $1,000 over budget and there are still speakers for upcoming services. Ivy suggested the upcoming speakers are mostly members and friends, which will not cost anything. As of January 31, the Board reserve was $5,878.

Committee Reports

CYRE noted that the microphone wire used during Candles of Community is a problem; several people have tripped on it. The committee requests a solution. Ivy will contact Donald Griggs about the possibility of using a wireless microphone for Candles of Community.

Lisa Eason (Director of Religious Education) requested that someone take over coordination of the kitchen clean-up after services. After some discussion, Sandy offered to take over the responsibility, and will get with Lisa to learn how to run the SignUp Genius program, which allows volunteers to sign up on line. Sandy will also prepare announcements for the Order of Service and the Unigram requesting volunteers.

The question of Committee Night cleanup was also raised. At one time the responsibility was supposed to be handled by one different committee each night, but this has not worked out. Karen Sundstrom has requested help with the cleanup, as she seems to be saddled with the job most nights. Robin will ask Karen to give her a list of cleanup pointers (such as rinsing one’s own plate and putting it in the dishwasher), which will be posted and presented as reminders on committee night.

Phil Turner reported that the Endowment Committee has elected a Chair (Phil), Financial Secretary (Justin Young), and Recording Secretary (Tim VanDenBerg). The next meeting is scheduled for March 23, where Justin will bring a proposal for investing a portion of the gifts in a fund other than the UU Common Endowment Fund.

Old Business

Jerry Moore reported that the votes for Share the Plate have been tallied but not yet reported to the congregation. There was some confusion about the charities chosen, as it has been the practice to give to the Minister’s Discretionary Fund and the UU Service Committee, leaving only 10 slots to be voted on. Jerry will put together a report for the Board, listing the charities selected, which will then be announced to the congregation.

Bylaws Changes

On a motion from Phil, seconded by Bob, the Board voted to create an ad hoc committee to update the bylaws to be voted on at the annual congregational meeting. It will be chaired by Sandy Chubon. Proposed changes will be reviewed at the May Board meeting in time for their publication prior to the congregational meeting, tentatively scheduled for June 15.

After her tenure as Board secretary in June 2014, Buzzie has volunteered to review all the UUCC bylaws in order to identify inconsistencies and confusion.

Policy Manual (old business)

Regina Moody, President Elect, reported on the status of the creation of a policy manual for the UUCC. She has contacted the Athens Georgia UU, which has posted its policy manual on their website, to ask for assistance as we move forward with the project. Although the contact from Athens reported that their on-line manual is out of date, he is willing to help. Regina is currently gathering all the policies that have been mentioned in Board meeting minutes since 2003. At the next Board meeting, her committee will present a Policy on Policies, which will help direct the process.

Employee Manual (old business)

Ann Johnson (Past President) asked about the status of the employee manual, which has been in the works for several years. Because the Personnel Committee members change every year, continuity of the process has been challenging. The plan is to incorporate recommendations from the UUA into the manual. Robin noted that when she was Chair of the Personnel Committee the committee felt there were several pieces that were worrisome and she recommends that the committee sit down with an attorney to go over the manual. Ann recommended that the committee wait until the Safe Congregation Policy was finalized and adopted.

Membership Report

Bob reported that the Membership Report to the UUA can be viewed on the UUCC website. Information included in the report includes total operating budget ($239,000), average weekly attendance (172), average weekly RE attendance         (94), and the number of voting members (212).

The membership roster is in need of revision, as some individuals have stopped coming or have not contributed the minimum of $78 per year or received a waiver. When Neal Jones (Minister) returns from his sabbatical, Ivy and Robin will discuss the issue with him and report at the March Board meeting. In the past, Neal has spoken to individuals who are behind on their pledges or who may be experiencing financial difficulties. He is expected to go over the list with the Membership Committee Chair to remove individuals who should no longer be considered members. Bob Whitaker raised the question of why people leave the UU and wondered if the Membership Committee has a process for following up on individuals who stop attending.

New Business

Dave Crockett and Judy Turnipseed have requested that the UUCC sponsor a workshop with John DeGraaf, author of Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic. DeGraaf, who has been a guest on the Turnipseed radio program, will be visiting the area in March and Dave and Judy are willing to pay 75% of the costs. It was suggested that by charging a fee, the workshop could be self-funded. However, Phil supported making it a free event, as it fits in nicely as part of the adult RE program. On a motion from Phil, seconded by Ivy, the Board voted to approve up to $300 from the discretionary fund to support a workshop by John DeGraaf, with the suggestion of making it self-funding and coordinating with adult RE. Robin will notify Dave and Judy of the Board’s action.

Pledge Drive

Linda Brennison (Treasurer) reported on the progress of the 2014 pledge drive. She handed out samples of the material that will be handed out on Sunday, March 9, the date of the pledge drive kick-off. The day will include a celebratory lunch, welcome back to Neal, door prizes every 10 minutes, and a silent auction. In previous years, the auction has earned several thousand dollars. There hasn’t been a large increase in members since last year, so the goal for the 2014-2015 fiscal year will be the same as last year’s goal: $230,000. The Finance Committee will mail pledge information to individuals who don’t pick them up on March 9.

The Mountain

Neal has indicated that he will attend this year’s retreat at the Mountain, scheduled for April 4-6.

Sandy urged the Board to try to send three people to Southern Unitarian Universalist Leadership Experience (SUULE) taking place August 2-8, 2014. The cost for two people to attend the week-long event is $1,300, and a third person can be added for an additional $550. Linda indicated that money can’t be carried over from one fiscal year to the next, although she will look into how that might be done. She suggested the funds might be put in the Board reserve to be spent in the next fiscal year. Ann said she can just suggest that the Leadership Development Committee request more money in the next fiscal year in order to cover another person’s registration.

Action Items

Below are the action items to be worked on prior to the next Board meeting:

1. Ivy Coleman will follow up with the Worship Committee to clarify if their survey of the service will include more than questions about the Candles of Community and what other actions they are planning.
2. Ivy will contact Donald Griggs about the possibility of using a wireless microphone for Candles of Community.
3. Sandy Chubon offered to take over the responsibility for kitchen clean up after the services. She will get with Lisa to learn how to run the SignUp Genius program, which allows volunteers to sign up on line. She will also prepare announcements for the Order of Service and the Unigram requesting volunteers.
4. Robin Scherer will ask Karen Sundstrom to give her a list of cleanup pointers (such as rinsing one’s own plate and putting it in the dishwasher), which will be posted and presented as reminders on committee night for attendees to assist with cleanup.
5. Jerry Moore will put together a report on the Share the Plate results for the Board, listing the charities selected, which will then be announced to the congregation.
6. Robin and Ivy will speak with Neal when he returns from his sabbatical about the process for handling individuals who fall behind on their pledges or who may be in financial difficulty.
7. Robin will notify Dave Crockett and Judy Turnipseed that the Board approved up to $300 from the discretionary fund to support a workshop by John DeGraaf, with the suggestion of making it self-funding and coordinating with adult RE.
8. Linda Brennison will look into whether money from one fiscal year can be carried over to the next fiscal year.
9. Ann will suggest that the Leadership Development Committee request more money in the next fiscal year in order to cover another person’s registration at SUULE in August.
10. (ongoing) Ivy Coleman will prepare an announcement for the pulpit, Order of Service, and Unigram explaining the delay and noting that the new UUCC Directory is behind schedule but is being prepared and will be available to members both in print and on line.
11. (ongoing) Board members should email Robin Scherer information for their on-line profiles, which she will post on the UUCC website. Send a jpeg of a photo if desired.
12. [ongoing] Caroline will ask the Technology Services Committee to create an “open house” meeting in 2014 to train committee chairs who were unable to attend the Committee Night Training to learn how to access and update their committee’s web page.
13. [ongoing] Board members will check other UU websites and bring or email suggestions to Caroline for redesign ideas for the UUCC website.
14. [ongoing] Caroline will continue to provide an update on the website at Board meetings.
15. [ongoing] Caroline will investigate what visitor information can be gathered from the website and will explain it at the next Board meeting.
16. [ongoing] Robin will ask Andrea Dudick (UUCC Administrator) about the origin of the Lifetouch photography/directory project and will report to the Board at an upcoming meeting.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 9:19 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by Buzzie Kelly, Secretary