Splinters From The Board Archive
We Hire Kathleen Hogue as Director of Religious Education
Dear beloved community,
The Board met September 13 in Forbes Hall. All board members were in attendance along with members of the DRE Search committee. Jerry Gates provided dinner and Emily Hero lit the chalice.
Anti-racist Chalice Lighting
Emily told the story of Gary Tyler, a Black man who courageously survived 41 years of unjust imprisonment at Angola, Louisiana, having been convicted and sentenced to death at age 16 for the 1974 shooting death of a 13-year-old white boy during a protest against integration in Destrehan, LA. Emily lit the chalice for Gary Tyler and others who may have been wrongfully imprisoned through a miscarriage of justice.
DRE Hired
The DRE Search committee, made up of Jo An Peters and Leon Henderson-MacLennan, (Co-Chairs), James Witker, Denise Helton (Personnel Committee), Dan Patterson, Rev. Rebecca, and Nalani Santiago-Kalmanson, was formally appointed on June 14. At Tuesday’s board meeting, Jo An, Denise, Dan, and Nalani gave a brief summary of the process. Five candidates were initially screened by Rev. Rebecca and the top two candidates were interviewed in person and asked to present a story for all ages and training material on how to train volunteers. Subject to approval by the board, negotiation of compensation, and completion of a background check, an offer to be our new Director of Religious Education has been enthusiastically made to Kathleen Hogue and she has accepted. The board went into executive session to address personnel related questions and came out of executive session to unanimously approve the recommendation of the DRE Search Committee. Her offer letter, included in the board packet, was modified to separate the welcoming aspect from some of the legal requirements of employment. Kathleen comes to us from the UU Church of Tucson, AZ and she will be formally and informally introduced into our community. Her summary of qualifications and the job description are included in the board packet. One aspect of the DRE’s role is to support the Our Whole Lives (OWL) program. Beth Rendeiro, who has been so integral to OWL and who will be retiring, will work with Kathleen on OWL’s coordination and facilitation.
Right Relations Moves Forward
Consultant Nancy Edmundson provided a written Right Relations Task Force (RRTF) update to the board. Nancy will be at UUCCSM from September 30 to October 2 for facilitation, training, and dialogue meetings. The board is invited to attend pilot Listening Dialogs on Congregational Life that will take place October 1. The RRTF timeline is essentially on target.
Board Retreat Will Include Conflict Management
The board retreat will take place September 24. A preliminary agenda was distributed by Ron Crane and willinclude a presentation session on conflict management (as distinct from conflict resolution). Other aspects of the retreat will include review of the board packet, review of last year’s goals, and prioritized goal setting for the current year. The retreat will be moderated by a member of the greater UU community recommended by our district.
Bathroom Signage
Beth Brownlie proposed some approaches to gender neutrality vis-à-vis our bathrooms. All but the Forbes Hall women’s bathroom are gender neutral. The board reviewed some proposed signs to appear in the hallway with emphasis on simplicity and clarity as to who and what.
Rhoads Rocks
The board unanimously affirmed Rick Rhoads as our newsletter editor-in-chief. We are grateful to Rick for his willingness to fulfill this role. [Full disclosure: I wrote the subheads, including this one. One of our editors asked me to add, “Fuller Disclosure: The Newsletter Team is overjoyed.”—Editor]
Heart, Soul, Money
The board approved having a collection during the Heart and Soul Services, which take place monthly immediately prior to the Second Sunday Suppers. The funds will be used to defray costs of the services in the absence of a budgetary line item.
RE Consultant Payment
Emmalinda MacLean, RE consultant during our interim period, submitted an invoice that exceeded the amount approved by the board. Some lack of communication may be involved and the board will take it under consideration. Her help during the transition period has been greatly appreciated.
The meeting adjourned at 9:30 pm following check out.
— Patricia Wright
Our First Endowment Fund Established
Dear beloved community,
Your board handled the following items at its August meeting.
Update on DRE search
Barbara Kernochan of the Personnel Committee brought an updated job description for the Director of Religious Exploration (DRE) position, which the board approved. Nalani Santiago- Kalmanson updated the search, stating that the committee received approximately five resumes and were doing a first round of interviews. Committee members will narrow the applicants to the top few and do in-person interviews. They hope to have a DRE hired by the end of September. Meanwhile a group of dedicated parents and volunteers are running our RE program. (The search committee is Leon Henderson-MacLennan and Jo An Peters, co- chairs; Nalani Santiago-Kalmanson, Denise Helton, James Witker, Dan Patterson, and the Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur.)
Board covenant of right relations
The Board had its own “right relations” retreat in June with consultant Nancy Edmundson. At that time we were charged with drafting a covenant of right relations for the board. Kikanza Nuri-Robins and Jacki Weber took the lead on this. The board approved this covenant unanimously. We acknowledge that we have to work on practicing the right relations covenant with each other as well as with the community.
Right Relations Long Range Task Force
The board affirmed the appointment of the members of the long range right relations task force. (President Ron Crane discusses the task force in his column on page X.) The board gratefully thanks these members for taking on this work. They have already started to work with Nancy Edmundson, including reviewing the training materials, and will be meeting soon.
Investment Committee brings motion to establish our first UUCCSM endowment
Our congregation voted overwhelmingly last February to set up an endowment fund with a portion of the funds that were bequeathed to UU Santa Monica. The board appointed the investment committee in March. Co-chairs Steven DePaul and Joe Englemen, along with Jeffrey Ellis and James Duckworth, provided their recommendations in writing to the board and brought a motion to establish our UU Santa Monica endowment fund and invest it with the larger UUA General Endowment fund in the initial amount of $156,000. The motion passed unanimously.
Finance/treasurer update
Our church received a bequest from the estate of Ralph Meyer of $18,500. This money was received and distributed in the “funds” as set forth by our Committee on Money resolutions. We were informed that our church will receive an additional bequest from the Meyer estate in the near future. We are very grateful for this generous gift. On a separate note, the actual pledges received for July are down a bit and we encourage everyone to make their pledges in a timely way to keep our operating budget in the black and to support our wonderful ministry and programs.
Music Committee
The music committee, through the efforts of Leslie Beauvais and Diana Spears, is sponsoring a fundraiser for our Music Fund September 11, after the board-sponsored Second Sunday Supper. Our own Leslie Beauvais is headlining “Leslie and Friends.” Our music fund was very depleted and we have to raise at least $2,000 or more every year, outside of the operating budget, to help cover the basics such as our choir section leaders, printed music, the choir retreat, and guest musicians. Thank you, Leslie and Diana. Suggested donation: $15 or pay what you can. Y’all come!
Discussion regarding how the board can be more involved in and supportive of our community
We had a discussion about how the board can continue and increase its involvement and support across our community’s groups, committees, and task forces, some of which are up and running well, while others are in need of more energy, leadership, or resources. This is an ongoing discussion that the board will take up at the board retreat on September 24 and during the coming year..
Motion to support the UUCCSM “Faithify” crowd funding for the anti-racist legal defense
The board passed a motion to donate $200 to Faithify in the name of UU Santa Monica, for the legal defense fund. In addition the board supports and encourages our community to donate to help them reach the funding
goal of $5,000.
The board would like to hear from our community
Contact any member individually or come to the board meetings, which are the second Tuesday of each month at 6:45 pm in Forbes Hall. We are now posting the executive committee agenda and the board agenda on the members-only section of uusm.org ahead of the meetings. We are posting all board reports as well as the minutes of the meetings as well.
The board is hosting the Second Sunday Supper on September 11 at 5:45 pm. The theme is homecoming. See you there.
Kim Miller (subbing for Patricia Wright)
“We Covenant to Encourage the Best from One Another in Attitudes and Actions”
The Board of Directors met Tuesday, July 12 in Forbes Hall in an open configuration (reminiscent of a chalice) that included the 11 members of the congregation who attended as observers. Jacki Weber provided dinner to the board.
Ron Crane lit the chalice and, in his president’s remarks, made reference to the recent contentious Executive and Finance Committee meetings characterized by rancor followed by repair. He expressed hope for a better future and, to that end, first on the agenda was the board covenant that was initiated at the board retreat and subsequently drafted by Kikanza Nuri-Robins and Jacki Weber. Board members read the covenant aloud followed by discussion. “As directors of UUSM, we covenant to encourage the best from one another in attitudes and actions. We promise to show in what and how we communicate that we care about our church and the members of our congregation.” The entirety of the draft covenant will be posted with the board meeting materials on the members-only section of UUSM.org. The Board approved a motion to accept the draft covenant as a basis for incorporating comments made at the meeting. The challenge of the covenant is to put the words into action.
Dan Patterson and JoAn Peters, members of the DRE search committee, reported on the status and parameters of the search. Denise Helton, chair of the Personnel Committee, briefly explained the process of developing the DRE job description, which will ultimately be brought to the board for approval. The position’s job description has been posted on the LREDA (Liberal Religious Educators Association) website and two responses have been received so far. Advertising the position by word of mouth also helps. We will be looking to hire a full time DRE by August 15. If that does not happen, a “Plan B” can be considered. We will be hiring Emmalinda MacLean, DRE at Emerson UU Church, as a short-term consultant to train our teachers and essentially fill in the gap while we search for a new DRE. The board approved $850 out of existing RE funds.
Rev. Rebecca joyfully announced that Dr. Zanaida Robles, the top candidate for the Director of Music position, has accepted our offer.
Kikanza and I will be acting as a board subcommittee to locate and recommend conflict resolution consultants to work in conjunction with our ongong right relations activities. We will look to the UU Pacific Southwest District for suggestions and possible resources.
Joe Engelman, co-chair of the Investment Committee (IC) briefly presented the thorough and very well thought out charter of the committee. Although recommendations for investments must be presented to the Finance Committee and approved by the board, the IC is “bullish” about investing long-term funds in the UU Common Endowment Fund operated by the UUA and available to all UU churches in the U.S.
The final phase of the board meeting was an executive session to work on the selection of members for the Long Term Right Relations Task Force. President Ron will contact the individuals selected. When final responses have been received the board will take official action to appoint the task force.
— Patricia Wright
Right Relations “Flight Plan” Approved
The first meeting of the new board took place June 14 with 13 guests and Nancy Edmundson, our consultant, in attendance. Nancy lit the chalice in the spirit of new beginnings, love, and belonging. Following a round of introductions and welcome to new board members, President Ron Crane introduced a rigorous timeline for preparing agendas for executive (Exec) committee and board meetings, emphasizing that agendas, consent agenda reports, and minutes will be made available to the congregation in a timely fashion on the members-only website.
The board had received “Proposed Right Relations Process for UUCCSM” and an associated timeline for implementation from Nancy along with the Short Term Right Relations (RR) Task Force, whose charter was to develop a “flight plan” to start the RR process. The proposal was built by Nancy to be responsive to the work of the Short Term RR Task Force. Nancy extended an invitation to the board and its guests to submit questions relating to the process. Questions addressed the process so far, how members were invited or chosen for critical conversations, whether more training is needed before moving forward, and how immediate conflict might be addressed before moving forward with right relations. The importance of hearing stories in a climate of appreciative inquiry before moving ahead was emphasized. There may also be a need for a conflict resolution task force separate from the RR process. This effort will take time (12 to 18 months) because changing habits and culture is not easy. There will be multiple opportunities for members of the congregation to participate in the RR effort.
The proposal for moving forward with RR was approved by the board with the timeline to be adjusted as needed. Also approved by prior email vote was $1,200 for Nancy to conduct the June 17 to 18 board leadership retreat for RR planning, at which a Long Term Right Relations Task Force (LTTF) will be appointed and finalized by July 4. The exact wording of the motions can be found in the board minutes on the members-only section of the website. Board actions and LTTF updates will be communicated to the congregation through emails, newsletter articles, and pulpit announcements.
The process for email voting was addressed. How to conduct email votes is stated in the board’s policies (C2.5: Board Decision Making Outside of Regular Meetings). The level of urgency that might need to lead to an email vote is up to the discretion of the president. In general, hesitancy and discretion in engaging in email conversations was emphasized. The process for responding to requests made of the staff by church members was also briefly discussed and will be revisited at Exec session and at the July board meeting. In the meantime, such requests should be made to the president or to the minister.
Kim Miller gave a brief treasurer’s report. The lag in pledges is offset by income from Dining for Dollars, rentals, and the Garden of Eternity.
A Bylaws and Policies Committee, which existed in the past, has been recreated as a subcommittee of the board. Members are Jerry Gates, Emily Hero, and Rev. Rebecca. The initial task is to determine whether there are inconsistencies in existing bylaws and policies and to update them based on recent changes. Our bylaws and policies are the core of our governance. The Bylaws and Policies Committee will conduct the necessary reviews and report back to the board in one month, following which the scope of the committee may be expanded.
Details and recommendations on the search process for the Director of Religious Education (DRE), Catherine Farmer Loya’s replacement; and the Director of Music (DOM), DeReau Farrar’s replacement, were presented by Catherine and Rev. Rebecca and discussed by all. The board authorized the conduct of a search for both positions and approved the DOM job description. Concern that the DOM job description did not include guest musicians but only piano accompaniment at the 9 am service was expressed because music is so important to the experience in church and most families with children attend the early service.
Catherine’s presence at her last UU Santa Monica board meeting was acknowledged, as was how much she would be missed! There is still time for our farewell to her.
The meeting was adjourned at a timely 9:30 pm following check out.
— Patricia Wright
2015-16 Board Holds Its Final Meeting
The May 10 meeting was chaired by Vice President Dan Nannini, standing in for outgoing President Patricia Wright, who was out of town. We began with chalice lighting and check-in. Our Director of Religious Education, Catherine Farmer Loya, then told us that she will be leaving us. After 13 years leading our youth programs, she has accepted a job with the Tennessee Valley UU Church in Knoxville, TN. Her last day with us will be July 10. We were surprised and sad but also happy that she has found a position that she is excited about and that will take her closer to her extended family.
The consent agenda was approved. Treasurer Kim Miller briefly reviewed the financial reports. The board discussed some details about the Annual Meeting.
Church Administrator Nurit Gordon informed us that General Assembly will take place June 22 to 26 in Columbus, OH. We are allowed seven delegate slots, and five are already taken. Some people, including our minister, plan to attend online.
The board approved the plan for a Faith in Action Fundraiser to take place Sunday, June 5. The board discussed the position of Editor-in-Chief of the Newsletter. Vice President Dan Nannini has been in touch with the newsletter team and reports that they are not in a position to name an Editor-in-Chief at this time. Jacki Weber agreed to function as Acting Editor-in-Chief for the next two newsletters. Since there has been some conflict regarding communication among members of the congregation recently, the Board passed a motion to add Dan Nannini and Dorothy Steinicke as temporary members of the editorial staff. They will join the list of people who review the newsletter pages prior to publication.
The board voted to accept a directed donation from the San Diego Trust Foundation for payment of choir section leaders.
The board discussed the process to be used when receiving letters from members. No decisions were made, but ideas that were raised included looking at UUA resources on the topic, considering this subject as a discussion item at a Board retreat, and bringing up the topic with the Right Relations Task Force.
The board approved a proposal by Fred Kafka, a member of YRUU, to install rectangular awnings over the play area next to the cottage. Fred is undertaking this project to improve his community, so that he may earn the rank of Eagle with Boy Scout Troop 1.
This was the last meeting of the current Board of Directors, and we said farewell to one another, thanking one another for our service, and expressing our appreciation of Catherine and her amazing contribution to our community. Patricia Wright sent a message of thanks to the board, which was read by Dan Nannini on her behalf.
This is also my last Splinters column. I have enjoyed providing this avenue of communication about the important issue of church governance. I’m signing off as your reporter, and I’ll see you in church.
— Cynthia Cottam
Consultant Hired to Help Restore Right Relations in Our Congregation
Many guests attended the April 12 Board meeting. We began with dinner, cooked by our President, followed by chalice lighting and check in. I thanked President Patricia Wright for her two years of service as the leader of our congregation’s governance, and Beth Brownlie thanked her for the many delicious dinners she has made for us.
The first item on the agenda was a presentation by a special guest, Nancy Edmundson from the UUA Pacific Region. She is contracting with us as a consultant to work with us to restore right relations in our congregation. The motion to approve her contract was shared in a Board email blast to the congregation and will be in the Board minutes posted on the website.
The Board passed the consent agenda. We welcomed new members Emma Stashin, Alice Hall, Lauren Movius, Kristina Schauer, Laura Matthews, Jon MacCulloch, Sean Cameron, Tracy Blair and Tyler Melton, and Lorenzo Pelayo. Total membership stands at 337.
The Board then reviewed the FY 2016/2017 Budget as presented by the Finance Committee. It was noted that this final budget differs only in minor details from the budget presented at the Town Hall Meeting on May 3, 2016. The Board approved the proposed budget as presented. The congregation must approve a budget at the Annual Meeting.
The Nominating Committee presented the slate of candidates for the 2016/2017 fiscal year. The congregation will vote on these candidates at the Annual Meeting: President: Ron Crane; Vice President: Jacki Weber; Secretary: Phil Bonacich; Treasurer: Kim Miller; New members at large: Kikanza Nuri-Robins and Beth Brownlie; Nominating Committee new members: Barbara Gibbs and Rick Rhoads.
The Board reviewed special items that will appear on the Annual Meeting agenda. Nurit Gordon, Church Administrator, reviewed the timeline for meeting preparations. The last date for candidates to be nominated by petition is May 2. The agenda will be mailed to all voting members on May 5. Lunch will be available for purchase before the meeting.
The Board passed a Personnel Policy for Employee Grievances, which had been written by the Personnel Committee. It will become part of the Employee Manual posted on our website and appear in the minutes of the April meeting, which will also be posted once they are approved.
Beth Brownlie presented the Pledge Team annual report and reported that the team is pleased with the outcome of its activities this year. Members are committed to continue to work towards increasing meaningful giving for the benefit of our community.
Beth also reported that preliminary steps are being taken to replace the church sign at the corner of 18th and Arizona, which has deteriorated significantly.
— submitted by Cynthia Cottam
UU Santa Monica Will Align Church Year With School Year
President Patricia Wright called the March meeting to order and shared the announcement that our Music Director, DeReau Farrar, has accepted the position of Acting Director of Music at the First Unitarian Church of Portland, Oregon. He is replacing a Director of Music who has been serving for 33 years. His position will begin with the new church year.
The Board passed the Consent Agenda, because board members had received and read all routine reports before the meeting. Vice President Dan Nannini reported that new accounts are being set up, as required by newly adopted resolutions by the Committee on Money. Treasurer Kim Miller reported that the Finance Committee is using a collaborative process to develop the budget for the coming year. This process will include a Town Hall for congregational input. The Board affirmed the appointment of the following people to the Investment Committee: James Duckman, Joe Engleman, Steven DePaul, Jeffrey Ellis. The Board affirmed the appointment of Clayton Fossett to the Finance Committee, effective June 1, 2016.
The Board agreed to continue to discuss plans for a Leadership Development process at future meetings.
The Board passed a policy for Church Office use. The church office, phones, computer, and copier are for church staff and members for church-related work only. Members who wish to use the office space and equipment for personal work may do so for one hour at a time Monday through Wednesday, but church-related work always takes precedence. A sign-up sheet will be available in the church office. Members may not use church facilities or equipment for personal gain.
The Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur and RE Director Catherine Farmer Loya reported that they have worked out a plan to realign the church calendar to create a smoother start to the year in September. The year will be aligned with the SMMUSD school calendar year. We will move to two services at the end of August. The first Sunday in
June will close the church year.
The Board will be meeting in executive session to discuss the report on the Congregational Conversations.
— Cynthia Cottam
Budget Town Hall set for Sunday, March 20, 12:30 pm
The meeting of February 9 began with lasagna, chalice lighting, and check-in. President Patricia Wright described a recent positive experience with the practice of check-out. The Board will be resuming this practice with the hope that each person will describe how the meeting went for them so that they are able to avoid the need for meetings after the meeting.
The consent agenda was approved. We have two new members: Sarah Mae Harper and Hugo Contreras, bringing our total membership to 329.
Sue Stoyanoff, representing the Committee on Ministry, informed us of the format for the Congregational Conversations, which will have taken place on the weekend of February 20-22. The facilitators are members of the Pacific Western Region Congregational Life Staff: Rev. Dr. Ken Brown, Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong, and Rev. Jan Christian. The summary report and recommendations will be written by all three, reviewed by the Western Region Head, and then forwarded on to the Committee on Ministry and then to the Board. The Committee on Ministry is asking for Board members’ help in sending out reminders to the congregation for each person’s focus group appointment. (UPDATE: The facilitators were Rev. Dr. Jonipher Kwong, Rev. Jan Christian, Rev. Ann Hines, Rev. Maggie Yenoki, and Rev. Tera Little. Rev. Hines and Rev. Yenoki stood in Rev. Brown’s place due to his illness. All five will contribute to the report which will be written by Rev. Brown. It will be reviewed by the Western Region Lead, Rev. Nancy Bowen.)
The Board briefly reviewed the plans for the Congregational Business Meeting on February 14.
Treasurer Kim Miller reported that the Finance Committee has begun work on the 2016/2017 budget. They plan to host a Town Hall meeting to discuss the budget with the congregation prior to presenting the final version to the Board. The date for the Budget Town Hall was set for March 20, 2016, at 12:30 pm.
Board members signed up to help the Pledge Team with thank you calls and/or letters.
The Board voted to adopt the interim service animal policy, to be implemented commencing February 14, 2016. This policy had been researched and developed by our Treasurer, Kim Miller, who is a lawyer. The policy was created in response to one or two people bringing what appear to be their pets to church. The policy states that only certified service animals that have proper medical certification with the owner will be allowed on the premises. The owner must keep the animal under their immediate control and restrained at all times. Anyone with a certified service animal is requested to sit in the northwest corner of the sanctuary, close to the side door to the courtyard. The animal may not be on a lap or on the pews or next to another church member. A service animal has been specifically trained to perform certain supportive work to their owner. A common example is a “seeing eye dog.” We cannot accommodate “emotional support” animals, even if the owner has a certification for the animal. The policy will be posted in the foyer of the Church and at the entrance on Arizona Ave. to Forbes Hall. Any disputes will be directed to the Board to resolve at the next regular business meeting, and the animal cannot be on the premises until the dispute is resolved. The Board passed a second motion that various named staff members, the personnel committee, and any interested person will provide input in writing by April 1, 2016. After that input is received, a permanent policy will be drafted for implementation by the Board. The final policy may be the same as the interim policy, or it may be modified. Until a final policy is adopted, the interim policy will apply.
The Board approved a motion to make a request of $2,000 for the 2016/2017 budget to hold a congregation-wide workshop to support Board goals. This request was inspired by the successful Compassionate Communication workshop held last year. If the request is approved, the specific topic will be influenced by the feedback from the Congregational Conversations.
Beth Brownlie made a motion to set up a task force to study a plan for leadership development within the congregation. This motion was tabled until the next Board meeting.
The Board passed a motion to support The FIA Green Living Committee’s completion of the Green Sanctuary application process to become a Green Sanctuary. This would complete a process that we began in 2008 when we became a Green Sanctuary Candidate after congregational and ministerial input. The Committee hopes to re-energize and activate our community towards new efforts of environmental justice. They plan to put a motion on the agenda for the congregation at the Annual Meeting on May 22.
— Cynthia Cottam
On January 12 the Board welcomed back the Rev. Rebecca Benefiel Bijur after her sabbatical leave. We heard a brief check-in, and we will all hear more of her stories in the months to come.
The Board passed the consent agenda. We have one new member, Elaine Roark, which brings our total membership to 333.
At the last Board meeting, the Board decided to devote this January meeting to a full consideration and vote on the resolutions put forth by the Committee on Money. The Board made a few changes in wording for the purposes of clarification, including details about which funds are appropriate for short- or long-term investments. These minor changes were accepted as being in keeping with the intention of the Committee on Money, which was represented at the board meeting by Steve White and David Olson. One set of resolutions, supported by both the Board and the Committee on Money, will go before the congregation for a vote at the Congregational Business Meeting to be held Sunday, February 14, following the second service at 12:30 pm. The full text of the resolutions will have been discussed at the Town Hall meeting held on January 17, and any questions answered. The full text will be sent to the congregation prior to the February meeting.
The Board then turned to the subject of bricks for the Garden of Eternity. The Board passed a motion to extend indefinitely the minimum donation of $500 for a basic engraved brick.
The Board affirmed the nomination of Vilma Ortiz and Steven DePaul to the Finance Committee.
The date for the Annual Meeting is now set for May 22 at 12:30 pm, following the second service.
— Cynthia Cottam
Congregational Assessment Scheduled for February 20 to 22
President Patricia Wright used her check-in at the meeting of December 8 to deliver gifts to the Board members: a book consisting of “daily meditations for living with love, healing, and compassion.” The book was written by Mary Mackenzie, the woman who led our compassionate communication workshop in October. Patricia also thanked Emily Hero for her work on the Thanksgiving Feast.
Patricia spoke briefly about church governance. There are many different types of church governance, but they are all basically responsible for accomplishing certain things. The Board adopted a governance wish list last year, consisting of goals we wish to achieve by looking at our governance processes. Our governance task force members are Barbara Kernochan, John Zinner, Rhonda Peacock and Rev. Rebecca Bijur. Due to the significant issues before the Board and congregation at this time, governance will have to wait its turn.
A congregational assessment will be conducted by UUA regional staff the third weekend in February.
The consent agenda was adopted after the Garden of Eternity Policy and the Bid Proposal were moved to the discussion agenda.
The December 6 Town Hall meeting to review the recommendations of the Committee on Money was considered a success. The Board agreed to devote its meeting of January 12, 2016 to its own review of the recommendations and to the establishment of an official Board position. The Congregational Business Meeting to vote on the recommendations will take place on February 14, 2016.
The Board discussed, amended and passed the Garden of Eternity Policy.
The Board voted to support the establishment of a Membership Appreciation Task Force, as conceived and recommended by our treasurer, Kim Miller.
Beth Brownlie presented the contract proposal from Network Construction to install the lighting controls in the sanctuary for the amount of $2,720. The contract was approved. Following installation of the controls, the lights themselves must be installed.
Kim Miller presented a motion to authorize the Nominating Committee to establish, subject to affirmation by the Board, an Investment Committee to make recommendations to the Board regarding the investment of UU Santa Monica’s assets. The motion passed.
The Board discussed how it should respond to letters of concern from members of the congregation. We agreed that a response is appropriate and that it should begin with the president and also involve the Board.
Finally, Beth Brownlie recommended that the Board work on developing a clear path to leadership in the church.
— Cynthia Cottam