BOARD MINUTES 2007

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH IN EUGENE
BOARD Minutes for December 13, 2007, 7pm, SH

The meeting was called to order at 7:10pm followed by check-in.

PRESENT: Olga Turner, Rev. Landale, Sally DeCou, Holly Garrow, Suzanne Whaley, Marta Powers, Michael Mattick, Elliot McIntire, Sarah Hendrickson
ABSENT: David Atkin, Amber Alexander
GUESTS: Marilyn & Nisco Junkins, Gretchen Miller, Karen Gaffney, Patti Hansen

Elliot McIntire provided good words from Shel Silverstein. No business had been conducted between meetings.

REGULAR OR CONTINUING BUSINESS

Membership Committee Report: Nisco Junkins presented a Public Service Announcement regarding welcoming both new visitors and current members during the church service.

Oregon Community of Welcoming Congregations: Marilyn Junkins reported that UUCE was not currently a member of the Oregon Community of Welcoming Congregations due to the fact that the current year’s dues had not been paid. The Board agreed that membership in this group is important as a reflection of our values. Jake Walsh had agreed to fund the dues from the Worship Associates’ budget. Marilyn will contact Jake and provide the information necessary for a check to be issued and sent to OCWC. It was suggested that a process be set up for budgeting dues to avoid this same situation in future years.

Social Justice (SJUUCE) Report: Gretchen Miller reported that the membership of the Committee is increasing and that lots of energy is being generated by members both new and old. Several “old” members have returned to the committee. Jeff Jackson and Gretchen Miller were elected co-chairs of the group.

The SJUUCE long term program includes an “Empowerment Workshop” after the first of the year. The committee will be sponsoring a table at the NAACP dinner in February. [note: the NAACP Annual Dinner is March 8th] An electronic update is being published by Jean Coberly to let people know what events are occurring in the community that might be of interest to Social Justice Committee members as well as the UUCE community in general.

Sarah Hendrickson moved that the Board approve Jeff Jackson & Gretchen Miller as co-chairs of the Social Justice Committee. The motion was seconded by Michael Mattick and passed unanimously.

Building Project Oversight Committee – Finance Working Group: Patti Hansen reported on behalf of the Finance Working Group. She presented a “what if” scenario for purchasing property which demonstrated the need to get the Finance portion of the Building Project Oversight Committee established and ready to respond should a property of interest become available.

Q. Are there implications for the Capital Campaign?
A. Yes. A feasibility study is needed

Upcoming expenses will include
• Feasibility Study
• Capital Campaign costs

The idea of “Angel Investors” is not being pursued at the present time based on advice from banking professionals.

Karen Gaffney further reported that she had spoken with Wayne Clark about the timing of the Feasibility Study. He felt that if there is no actual property, people will be less likely to commit funds to a Capital Campaign. He felt that five times the UUCE operating budget could be raised and recommended connecting with a UUA consultant. Karen will contact Wayne Clark to see who might be available.

Policy on the Use of Church Equipment: Michael Mattick moved that the following policy regarding the use of church equipment be added to the Board Policies:

EQUIP 1. Materials, equipment, supplies and furnishings belonging to the Church should not be borrowed nor lent nor removed from the Church property for other than Church activities.
Elliot McIntire seconded the motion which was passed unanimously.

February Board meeting: The February Board meeting will be held on Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 7:00pm

Finance, Audit, & Budgeting Task Force: Marta, Sarah, and Olga reported on the two meetings held since the November Board meeting. It was suggested that the Financial Oversight Committee be separate from the Budget Committee. Sarah felt that it was important to dispel rumors concerning the existence (or non-existence) of the FAB Committee. The Task Force plans to meet with newly recruited committee members at a date yet to be set.

The Coordinating Council will have a brief workshop on planning for budgets at its December meeting. Marta will be available at the January Coordinating Council meeting to help answer budgeting questions which may have come up between meetings.

Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Marta Powers reported that UUCE is $23,000 in the black but that January through March tend to be lean due to a low cash flow. She mentioned that several donations of stock have come in. The new bookkeeping service (Deb Denton, Denton Tax Services) is satisfactory and that writing checks every two weeks is working well.


NEW BUSINESS

Care Committee: Sally DeCou moved that the Board of Trustees approve Sue Craig and Bob Coleman as Co-chairs of the Care Committee. Elliot McIntire seconded the motion which was passed unanimously.

Board Resignation: Amber Alexander has tendered her resignation from the Board.

Committee on Congregational Ministry and Safety: The Board of Trustees will establish terms of office for the members of the CCMS. Sally DeCou will talk with the committee members to determine who might initially prefer a longer term until a system of rotation is established.

REPORTS [Unless otherwise noted they will be in electronic version only]

President’s Report: Olga Turner reported that she had attended two Stewardship Committee meetings. She said the committee is composed of seasoned veterans and one new person. Their goal is to become a full time committee working year ‘round on stewardship matters. Upcoming Stewardship events include:
• Advance Gifts gathering at Bel Ami (March 9 or March 16, 2008)
• Celebration Sunday at Lane Community College (April 6, 2008)

Minister’s Report
DRE Report- Candee Cole
Executive Committee Minutes
Facilities Council Report- Ken Ross
Membership Committee Report
FAB Committee Minutes

APPRECIATIONS
A. Note of thanks to maria for her work on the FAB Committee
B. Facilities Council for bathrooms
C. Susan Verner for newsletter
D. Nisco & Marilyn Junkins for PSA

The meeting was adjourned at 9:36pm with process checkout.

POSTPONED UNTIL JANUARY, 2008 MEETING
• Board Retreat debriefing
• R.E. Proposal
• Nominating Committee request
• Board Priorities for the Budget Committee
• Finance – Minister’s Discretionary Fund
• Coordinating Council Proposal (Sarah & Rev. Landale)

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH IN EUGENE
BOARD Minutes for November 8, 2007, 7pm, SH

PRESENT: Olga Turner, Sarah Hendrickson, Marta Powers, Michael Mattick, , Elliot McIntire, Sally DeCou, Suzanne Whaley, Candee Cole, Rev. Steve Landale

ABSENT: Amber Alexander, Holly Garrow, David Atkin
GUESTS: Linda Anson, Erik Fisher, David Gilmartin

The meeting was called to order with check in followed by Good Words read by Suzanne Whaley. No business had been conducted between meetings. Adjustments to the Board Agenda

REGULAR OR CONTINUING BUSINESS

Accessibility Committee Proposal: Michael Mattick moved to approve the Accessibility Committee proposal as submitted. Sarah Hendrickson seconded the motion which passed unanimously. [A copy of the proposal is attached.]

BPOC: Linda Anson and Erik Fisher reported to the Board. It was mentioned that clarification may be needed about using our current property as a reference. Erik stated that these references usually were in the context of comparing it with another property and not in the context of staying in the current property.

Planning for nurturing the “grieving” which will inevitably occur when the congregation moves to another building will be carried out by Rev. Landale and members of the BPOC.

The Board was pleased that Karen Gaffney will become the next chair of the BPOC and looks forward to continued interaction with them.

Discussion was held about the need for the BPOC to have access to funds for smaller expense items such as supplies.

Michael Mattick moved that the Board authorize up to $500 from the Future Expansion Fund for BPOC expenditures related to our growth needs. Sally DeCou seconded the motion which passed unanimously

Financial reports: Marta Powers reported that the church had received a $10,000 anonymous gift to the operating fund which helped put our finances at about the same place this year as last. The new bookkeeping service is working out well as the systems are being refined. Money has been coming in for Leadership Development.

Equipment Policy recommendation: The Executive Council recommends policy proposal as written and that the process of introducing a new policy beginning with the November Board meeting. Moved that the following policy be adopted by the UUCE Board of Trustees:

EQUIP 1. Materials, equipment, supplies and furnishings belonging to the Church should not be borrowed nor lent nor removed from the Church property for other than Church activities.

Background: A few times a year the question of our policy regarding borrowing church equipment comes up. After checking with other churches to find out how they deal with this issue, we determined that we should have a policy and the only sensible policy is not to allow borrowing because of safety and liability issues. In addition, borrowers can cause inconvenience when they don't return equipment in a timely manner. Therefore, the Facilities Council recommends that there be a church policy against allowing members to borrow church equipment unless they are in the process of doing work on the church.

Suzanne Whaley will publish the proposed policy in the church newsletter and put it on the December Board agenda.

FAB meeting Report: Olga Turner reported that the Financial Task Force met this past month and will meet again on Sunday, November 11th. The Task Force discussed the structure of finance and budget. The idea is to break into two groups—Financial Oversight Committee for reviewing policy and Budget Committee for budgeting matters. They are working on job descriptions to aid in recruiting.

In the area of check signing, they are looking at a new system in which Treasurer will continue to approve invoices but will not sign checks. The Task Force will recommend a structure.

Start-up /Covenant Event: Sarah Hendrickson reported that the agenda has been published. Membership, Stewardship, SMG, Search, and COCM will be represented as well as members of the Board and the BPOC.

Armed with the knowledge that we will be feeding 14-20 people, Sarah made arrangements with the Board members for bringing food for the luncheon.

De-brief the gathering with BPOC: On Saturday, October 20th, members of the BPOC and members of the Board met to get acquainted and acquire a better understanding of the processes comprising a working agreement between the two groups. Comments included:

• Not a whole lot was accomplished, but group got to know each other better
• Second part of meeting too short
• Appreciated sharing on an individual level
• “We’re in this together”
• Needed more time
• What does the BPOC need to feel supported?
• What does Board need to feel supported?

REPORTS [Unless otherwise noted they will be in electronic version only]

Minister’s Report: Rev. Landale reported that he had recently returned from an Alban Institute workshop in Santa Barbara which concerned Human Resources (staffing issues, personnel) and that he had been quite motivated by what he learned there. He intends to pursue defining staff positions using job descriptions with core competencies in the future. He further wanted to obtain clarity about the hiring-firing policies. He had also attended the PNWD Ministers’ Retreat.

Rev. Landale noted that the church Office Assistant, Sherry Cox, has given two weeks notice so that she can concentrate more on her college studies. Search for a new Office Assistant will likely take place in January.

Listening Groups are being planned for February 17th (a date change). Rev. Landale will work with the Shared Values Working Group of the BPOC to formulate these sessions. If attendance is greater than anticipated, a second session may be planned. These groups will be a feed-back mechanism allowing the congregation to generate suggestions, ideas, and opinions which will be codified and returned to the BPOC.

Rev. Landale reported that Jeff Jackson will be assuming the position of Chair of the Social Justice group. A Non-violent Communication workshop is scheduled for Saturday, February 2, 2008. The first $500 received will go to the facilitator; all moneys in excess of $500 will be split between the church and the facilitator.

President’s Report: Olga Turner reported that she had attended all four sessions of the Newcomers’ meetings and had thoroughly enjoyed the experience. A total of 21 new members will be welcomed on Sunday, November 11.

She further reported that UUCE will be hosting the PNWD Board on the weekend of May 3, 2008. More information will be forthcoming as the date draws closer.

DRE Report- Candee Cole
Treasurer’s Report- Marta Powers
Secretary’s Report
Executive Committee Minutes
Facilities Council Report
Membership Committee Report
FAB Committee Minutes
Other


APPRECIATIONS
~ BPOC Town Hall Meeting
~ Anonymous Donor of $10,000 (to Oregon Community Foundation)

The meeting adjourned at 10:00 pm with process checkout.

FUTURE ITEMS
"Management of Committees" Proposal (actionable item?)
Personnel matters – Rev. Landale
Minister’s Discretionary Fund – Marta Powers, Rev. Landale
COCM names from Rev. Landale

Submitted by Suzanne Whaley

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH IN EUGENE
BOARD Minutes for October 11, 2007, 7pm, SH

Present: Olga Turner, David Atkin, Sarah Hendrickson, Sally DeCou, Holly Garrow, Michael Mattick, Suzanne Whaley, Marta Powers, Candee Cole, & Rev. Steve Landale

Not present: Amber Alexander, Elliot McIntire

Guests: Erik Fisher, Linda Anson, Cindy Pitcairn, David Gilmartin

*** Signifies an action item

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm with chalice lighting and check-in. Good words were provided by Michael Mattick. Adjustments were made to the Board agenda.

No business was conducted between Board meetings

REGULAR OR CONTINUING BUSINESS
Friends of Cambodia (Informational) Pat Bitner had submitted a request to the Executive Committee on behalf of Friends of Cambodia to sell Cambodian crafts for two Sundays. The Board Secretary contacted Ms. Bitner to tell her that due to severe space restrictions in the Social Hall on Sunday mornings the only space available would be on the deck off the Social Hall. The Board feels that in order to meet its commitment to accessibility in the church adding any more tables to the Social Hall would decrease accessibility. The Board concurs with a policy of having non-UU groups use the deck or the space in front of the church for fund-raising as long as the church is experiencing a scarcity of space.

Building Project Oversight Committee Linda Anson and Erik Fisher presented the BPOC monthly report to the Board There was a request from the Board that the BPOC’s monthly report be distributed to the BPOC as well since it sometimes differed from their minutes.

The question was asked whether there had been any feedback to the BPOC from the Congregational Meeting. There had been no feedback reported.

***Having the Nominating Committee nominate members of the BPOC will involve a change to either the By-laws or the Policies.

Accessibility Proposal Cindy Pitcairn and David Gilmartin presented a proposal to form a committee to increase awareness about the ease of access for members of the congregation and visitors. The committee could serve as a resource both for the current building and to the BPOC when the time comes to design a new building. Sarah Hendrickson moved that the Board generally support the concept of an Accesibilities Committee. David Atkin seconded the motion which was passed. Cindy was asked to bring a formal committee charge and description to the November Board meeting.

Gathering with the BPOC The gathering of the Board and the BPOC will begin at 11:45 on Saturday, October 20, 2007. Food was discussed briefly with Board members volunteering various culinary offerings. David and Holly will meet later to flesh out details of the program.

Financial Cluster Update: Marta Powers, David Atkin, John Wagner, Patrick Phillips, and Olga Turner met Monday evening, October 8, for an initial conversation on how to shape the Financial Cluster.
***Olga will type up the notes from that meeting. Some ideas coming from the meeting included
~ Encouragement for the entire group to meet quarterly
~ Questions on how group might fit together
~ Separate the budgeting process from other accounting processes
The next step will be to meet with the FAB, Stewardship, and Endowment Committees.
***Olga, Marta, David, and Sarah will set up a meeting with the FAB group.

Approval of Chairs of the Kitchen Committee
Holly Garrow moved the approval of Robin and Heather Schantz-Mulford as new KitchenCommittee co-chairs. Michael Mattick seconded the motion which was passed.
Background: Kathy Dillon had been chair of the Kitchen Committee, but had to
resign a few months ago. Robin and Heather have been active in affairs of the kitchen and are ideal for chairing the committee.

Committee status of Centennial Committee
Holly Garrow moved that the Centennial Celebration Committee (CCC) should have
full (ad hoc) committee status rather than being a subcommittee of the Archives Committee. The chair, secretary, and treasurer of the CCC are Joy Hainsworth, Jeanette Ruel, and Barb Prentice. Sarah Hendrickson seconded the motion which was passed.
Background: This is a recommendation from the CCC and from John Clay, chair of
the Archives Committee. The CCC will organize and plan, with wide church participation, a special celebration in 2009 in honor of the church's 100th anniversary in September 2009. This effort is too broad to have CCC be a subcommittee of the Archives Committee, which has a limited charge.

Start-up Workshop (aka Covenant Workshop) The workshop will be held on November 11, 2007. Facilitator Rev. Gretchen Wood asks what the Board is supposed to do, i.e., what is “yours, mine, and ours.” There will be an opportunity to clarify goals and rôles. A decision needs to be made as to whether the workshop should be held from 10:00am – 4:00pm or 9:00am – 3:00pm. Sarah will suggest the latter to Rev. Wood.
Other topics for discussion will include
~ The decision to find a new location for the church
~ What kind of ministerial leadership is wanted
~ The transition to becoming a Program Church
~ Committee and volunteer inflation
~ The letter of agreement between the minister and the congregation
The Committee on Congregational Ministry and Safety, Coordinating Council, and Staff will also be included in the workshop. Payment for staff’s time will need to be arranged.

Minister’s Discretionary Fund Rev. Landale proposed that a separate bank account be established for the Minister’s Discretionary Fund. In order to preserve the privacy of the recipients he would be the only signer. The Christmas Eve offering would be specifically designated to go to the Discretionary Fund. Discussion was withheld until the November Board meeting when Rev. Landale and Marta Powers will bring a proposal clarifying the purpose of the account in the form of a motion.

NEW BUSINESS
The April Board meeting was rescheduled to April 17, 2008.
The February Board meeting was rescheduled to February 7, 2008.
***The Board secretary will send out a reminder to all Board members.

REPORTS [unless otherwise noted they will be in electronic version only]
President’s Report- Olga Turner – none
Secretary’s Report – none
Executive Committee Minutes
Facilities Council Report- Ken Ross
Membership Committee Report
Minister’s Report

ASSIGNMENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. A note of thanks to Jean Weick for her many years of service on the Finance Committees

POSTPONED UNTIL NOVEMBER MEETING
A. Board minutes philosophy
B. Financials (place at top of agenda)—to include year-end reports [30 minutes]
C. Rev. Landale to present list of names for the CCMS. The Board will contact the people on the list and ask them if they would be comfortable serving on this committee.
D. Rev. Landale and Marta Powers to present motion regarding Minister’s Discretionary Fund.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:04 pm with check-out.

Respectfully submitted,
Suzanne Whaley, Secretary

CONGREGATIONAL MEETING OCTOBER 7, 2007

A meeting of the Congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene was called to order on October 7, 2007, at 12:20 p.m. by Olga Turner, president. 95 voting members were present thus constituting a quorum.

The president reviewed the two agenda items for the meeting as well as the voting procedure.
Two "official" Parliamentarians were identified as Gil Osgood and Ken Ross. A reminder of
"voting membership" criteria was given.

The president called on Ruth Nelson to present the report from the Nominating Committee. After introducing the current members of the Nominating Committee, she presented the slate of candidates who would replace the three outgoing committee members whose terms ended in 2007, Patricia Christgau, Linda Anson, and Betty Hosokawa.

The slate consisted of Julia Knowles, Kay Crider, and David Pebworth

Ellen Chace moved to elect the three candidates. Marina McIntire seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously by voice vote.

The president then called on Elliot McIntire to present the revised Five Year Plan developed by the Strategic Planning Committee. He briefly described the history of the committee and the five year plan which was originally approved by the Congregation in February, 2007, and which will be revised annually. He stated that “cottage meetings” would be held in the coming months in order to obtain additional input from the members of the Congregation.

Questions and comments from the floor included
• Praise and commendation for the Strategic Planning Committee’s high level of work
• Dismay that the church cannot remain where it is
• Importance of developing lay leadership
• Staffing plan and whether half-time staff receive benefits (Yes, they receive full benefits)

Other questions and comments having to do with budget and issues not specific to the five-year plan were deferred until later meetings.

Martin Lewis moved to accept the report of the Strategic Planning Committee. John Wagner seconded the motion which was passed by voice vote.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:15 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Suzanne Whaley, Secretary

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH IN EUGENE
BOARD MINUTES for Sept 13, 2007, 7pm, SH

Present: Olga Turner, David Atkin, Sarah Hendrickson, Elliot McIntire, Sally DeCou, Holly Garrow, Michael Mattick, Suzanne Whaley, Marta Powers, Amber Alexander, Candee Cole, & Rev. Landale
Guests: Karen Gaffney, Linda Anson, Cindy Pitcairn, David Gilmartin

*** Signifies an action item

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm with chalice lighting and check-in. Good words were provided by Sally DeCou who read from Wayne Dyer. Adjustments were made to the Board agenda.

No business was conducted between Board meetings

REGULAR OR CONTINUING BUSINESS

Building Project Oversight Committee: Linda Anson & Karen Gaffney reported that the BPOC plans to send a representative to each Board meeting.
They asked the Board what is best way to insure that the project is successful.
One recommendation was that the BPOC be a committee elected by the Congregation preferably with staggered terms of office. June, 2008, is earliest time that new members would be needed. The current BPOC chair was selected by Board. This was done on Wayne Clark’s recommendation because UUCE was having so many Congregational meetings in the spring. This would also involve the Nominating Committee since they would be responsible for finding new BPOC members.

Question: How many members are on the Nominating Committee?
Answer: Supposedly 5. Chair this year is only member who is not new.

Question: How long would the BPOC be in existence?
Answer: Approximately two months after the completion of a new building.

Karen felt that the BPOC should talk to Nominating Committee as to how they would prefer to handle finding new BPOC members.

Sarah Hendrickson moved that the BPOC be a committee elected by and accountable to the congregation and which will upon approval of the Board work with the Nominating Committee as to the best way to staff the committee. They will report monthly to the Board and three times a year to the congregation. Holly Garrow seconded the motion which was passed unanimously.

A Town Hall meeting will be schedule after church either on November 4th or November 11th..The Property Search and the Shared Values Matrix Working Groups will guide the Congregation through processes used by these groups to demonstrate how it would “feel” when an actual property is presented.

Febuary would be earliest that property might be presented. Property Search Working Group has added Jet Harris and Scott Maier. Patti Hansen moved to Finance Working Group. The Communications/Public Relations met with Marilyn Milne who presented a strategy.

Installation Task Force: Suzanne Whaley reported that the Task Force had met with Rev. Landale to do initial planning for his installation. No date has been set, but it will be on a Sunday afternoon probably in January or February.

Board Retreat: Michael & Olga reminded the Board of the goal for retreat which is to further refine, understand, and clarify the Board’s responsibilities and priorities

Finance/FAB Update: Marta explained that there was no Treasurer’s report because of the transition to a new bookkeeper who has just been hired. She is working on the timing for receiving the report each month.

FAB update: David Atkin will be involved as Board liaison with FAB. Working with FAB, David, Marta, & Olga will meet to bring Board’s vision of what UUCE finance needs are and to work with FAB to incorporate and refine said needs.

Insurance: The following recommendations were made by the Church Mutual agent:

1) Increase the medical payments limit to $10,000. This would increase the annual premium approximately $20.

2) Increase the Dishonesty coverage from $25,000 to $50,000. This would increase the annual premium by approximately $50.

3) Add coverage for Directors, Officers & Trustees Liability at $1,000,000. This would increase your annual premium by approximately $130. Please remember that I need the following application form completed:

4) Add Earthquake coverage for your building & contents, with a 5% deductible. This would increase your annual premium by approximately $95.

5) Increase the coverage for Legal Defense (suits not otherwise covered by your policy) from $5,000 to $15,000. This would increase the annual premium by approximately $21.

6) Increase the property deductible from $500 to $1,000. This would decrease the annual premium by approximately $315 - which coincidently is really close to the cost of changes 1-5 above.

7) Employment Practices Liability (coverage for the church from claims for employment related issues such as wrongful termination, harassment in the workplace, failure to promote/hire) would be:
$100,000 limit = $85
$250,000 limit = $150
$500,000 limit = $230
$1,000,000 limit = $420
This coverage is subject to satisfactory underwriting review of the following application, and does require that you have an employee handbook and utilize the "at will" statement on employment applications.

Sarah Hendrickson moved to approve recommendations 1-6. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Approval of Minister’s housing: It was moved that the Board approve Rev. Landale’s $46,000 housing allowance for 2007-2008. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Accessibility I: David Gilmartin presented a request to the Board to write a letter of concern to the UUA Board regarding its recent decision to fold the Accessibilities Committee into the the Journey Toward Wholeness Transformation Committee. No motion was forthcoming but Board supports action on gathering more information about situation

Letter from Jeff Jackson-FYI: Sarah reported on a request from Jeff Jackson asking the Board to prepare and sign a letter of support for Eugene/Springfield Solidarity Network/Jobs with Justice (ESSN/JwJ)which was presented to the Executive Committee. The letter would be used in a grant application for ESSN/JwJ. The Executive Committee agreed that UUCE’s support was in keeping with its principles and authorized the preparation of the letter.

NEW BUSINESS

There was no new business.

REPORTS
Find these reports (unless otherwise stated) at this address

Minister’s Report: Rev. Landale presented a request for an additional five hours per week for the Office Assistant.

David Atkin moved to increase the hours worked by the Office Assistant from 10 to 15 hours per week at $10 per hour. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.

Rev. Landale also asked if space rental could be handled by the Office Administrator rather than by consulting with Executive Committee. It was noted that this would simply be a return to previous procedure and policy under which scheduling was done based on church policy with Church Administrator, Minister, and Director of Religious Education collaboratively deciding on the use of rental space.

DRE Report: Candee Cole reported that she has been busy preparing curriculum, and working on playground improvement. She noted that there was a wonderful youth group (Grades 9-12) this year. Due to high attendance the R.E. rooms have been moved around. There are now four rooms which will be more “adult-friendly”. Candee reported that she had led a teacher training for 22 UUs in Des Moines, WA.

President’s Report- Olga Turner – none
Secretary’s Report – none
Executive Committee Minutes
Facilities Council Report- Ken Ross
Membership Committee Report


ASSIGNMENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

APPRECIATIONS
1. Note of thanks to Facilities Council for the Labor of Love Work Party
2. Note of thanks to Al & Norma Landy for their service as co-chairs of Membership Committee

POSTPONED UNTIL OCTOBER MEETING

A. Board minutes philosophy
B. Committee management (Ken Ross)
C. Accessibility proposal (Cindy Pitcairn)

The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 pm with check-out.

Respectfully submitted,
Suzanne Whaley, Secretary

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH IN EUGENE
BOARD Minutes for August 9, 2007, 7pm, SH

Present: Candee Cole, Holly Garrow, Sarah Hendrickson, Michael Mattick, Elliot McIntire, Marta Powers, Olga Turner, Suzanne Whaley
Absent: Amber Alexander, David Atkin, Sally DeCou
Visitors with Presentations: Linda Anson, George Carroll, Jeff Wright

The meeting opened at 7:05 with chalice lighting, check-in, and good words from Michael Mattick.

The April board minutes were approved.

BPOC
Linda Anson reported that the Building Oversight Committee (BOC) has been renamed the Building Project Oversight Committee (BPOC). The committee has come up with some charges. Staffing of the Capital Campaign will be delayed for another month to six weeks (September, 2007) while the committee fleshes out details.

She mentioned a link to the Fresno, California, UU church which recently finished a green building.

Candee suggested the addition of parents with children who have used the RE facilities for some time to the BPOC.

The BPOC has been checking in with “experts” and consultants.

Question: Will the BPOC ask for Requests for Proposals?
Answer: They will probably ask for Requests for Qualifications.

The BPOC wants to move quickly in order to make some decisions in September. They need to have the Board vote for a source of funds to hire a consultant at the September Board meeting.

The SPC want to call a congregational meeting sometime in October (10/7 or 10/14) to present their five-year plan. ***Check with Kim, and set date on church calendar.

George Carroll reported on the Capital Campaign. He noted that the person working on the “Feasibility Study,” might not actually be the same person we’ll use as a Capital Campaign consultant.. Town Hall meetings will continue as well as meetings for congregational votes as may be needed. Discussion should occur in the November-December time frame to reconsider whether to change the BPOC’s reporting structure from the Board to the Congregation.

The Board encouraged continuous reporting from the BPOC. The committee’s intent is to inform both the Board and the Congregation over the next six years.

The Board commended the BPOC for its good work.

Committee on Congregational Ministry
Jeff Wright reported that the committee has changed its name to the Committee on Congregational Ministry and Safety (CCMS). The committee plans to meet with Rev. Landale on August 10, 2007, and will discuss the proposed Congregational Curriculum based on the 1st Principle. He said that Rev. Landale will be conducting two memorial services in the near future and mentioned the possibility of establishing a Pastoral Associates program.

Rev. Landale’s Installation which will take place possibly in January or February needs to be planned. $2500 has been budgeted for the Installation. The Congregation will pay for the guest minister’s travel and lodging.

Recruiting for the Installation Task Force: Candee Cole and Suzanne Whaley from the Board; Jake Walsh and/or Julia Knowles from the Worship Associates; Rachel Cummings and Diane Wooldridge, event planners.

Discussion was held on the Right Relations workshop. Should it be sooner rather than later? There is a template available from UUA on conducting a Right Relations workshop.

Question: Does the CCMS intend to present something dealing with Right Relations before each congregational meeting?
Answer: Jeff Wright will take this to the committee.

The Covenant Leadership Workshop (formerly Start-up) has been scheduled for November 10, 2007. ***Candee will check to determine if there is a conflict with OWL training.

BOARD RETREAT
Michael had e-mailed Janine Larsen to say the Board was wanting to have its retreat on September 14 & 15. In a second e-mail he suggested that Margaret Keip could lead the retreat. ***Michael will contact Janine by phone to tell her that we need and want a facilitator. Anita Cowling was suggested as a backup facilitator.

***Michael will work with Olga and have some information by Monday, August 13th.

T-SHIRTS
The group was willing to let go of the t-shirt idea and will go with buttons instead.

FINANCE, AUDIT, & BUDGET
Marta reported that pledges stand at $313,000 plus. She is working to set up a meeting with Church Mutual agent, Janet Selnes, in September with the FAB and the Board. This meeting will help the Board, FAB, and others better understand UUCE’s insurance coverage. Everyone is encouraged to submit insurance questions to Marta before the meeting. ***Send invitation for 9/6/07 to FAB, Board, and representatives from any committees which might have an interest in the insurance coverage.

Suggestion: Check with other churches regarding bonding, etc. in their capital campaigns.

Marta further stated that $12,000 will be rolled into the reserve fund at the beginning of the fiscal year.

A new bookkeeper, Deb Denton, has been interviewed and hired.

The FAB has created a new check request form and miscellaneous cash deposit form. It is also working on policies and procedures.

Glossary of Funds Task Force
This project began three summers ago. Olga volunteered to restart the Glossary of Funds Task Force in the interest of fiscal management. Elliot said he would be interested in helping. ***Olga will contact Jean Weick and Ruth Nelson to determine if either would be willing to join this task force.

Weddings
Suzanne reported that she had researched what paperwork, if any, needed to be done so that our new minister could conduct wedding ceremonies. The Lane County office which issues marriage licenses said that all that was needed was for the minister to complete the license. No action by the Board is required.

Religious Education
Candee reported that she had consulted with Kathrine Mello and Glen Greening about repairs for the playground. They need $500 or less to use as a starter fund for repairs.

She presented a proposed policy for RE fundraising and for attendance at UU conferences and training sessions. This policy will be reviewed and discussed further at the September Board meeting.

Other Business

Olga reminded the Board of the upcoming PNWD meeting which will be held in Spokane and urged everyone to think about attending.

Ministers’ Reports. (none)
DRE Report
Executive Committee Minutes
Facilities Council Report
Membership Committee Report
BPOC Report
Committee on Congregational Ministry & Safety

Appreciations
Note of thanks to Facilities Council
Sally for hosting retreat

There were no announcements.
The meeting was adjourned at 11 pm with check-out.

Respectfully submitted,
Suzanne Whaley
Secretary

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH IN EUGENE
No Board Meeting in July, 2007

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH IN EUGENE
BOARD Minutes for June 14, 2007, 7pm, SH

Present: David Atkin, Candee Cole, Sally DeCou, Holly Garrow, Sarah Hendrickson, Michael Mattick, Elliot McIntire, Marta Powers, Olga Turner, Suzanne Whaley.
Also present: Judy Sawyer, Anita Cowling outgoing Board members
Absent: Amber Alexander

The meeting began at 6:30 pm with a chalice lighting and good words from Judy Sawyer. There followed a potluck dinner and a chance to offer appreciations for outgoing Board members Anita Cowling, Pam Dillehay (who could not attend due to illness), and Judy Sawyer.

Judy and Anita shared their memories of serving on the Board. Olga and other members expressed their appreciation of Judy, Anita, and Pam’s dedication and hard work. They were then excused from staying for the rest of the meeting. [It was reported that Anita and Judy were seen performing a “dance of joy” in the parking lot.]

The minutes for the May Board meeting were approved by e-mail.


II. BUSINESS DONE BETWEEN BOARD MEETINGS

Finance/FAB Committee meetings (attachment) Marta
The FAB committee is looking for volunteers to join them.

***David and Olga will go through the letter from Anne Taylor and analyze and evaluate to make a report to the board

Our new Pledge Secretary is Barb Berry who is looking toward a long-term commitment in that position. Rachel Cummings will act as back up.

Centennial Celebration Committee: Ken Ross wishes to keep this event alive and actively supported by the board.

Conversation with Wayne Clark: Gil Osgood, Linda Anson, Olga Turner, possibly Rev Landale, Holly Garrow will meet with Wayne Clark during General Assembly on June 23rd.

Insurance update recap: Marta reported that Jack Stevens has gotten numbers and that she will be following up with the insurance agent.

II. REGULAR OR CONTINUING BUSINESS

Board retreat: The date was set for September 7-8, 2007. Rev Landale is available for that weekend. Michael will coordinate food & facilitator. Sally will host.
Start-up weekend with Rev. Landale: November 3 and a backup date of November 10 were proposed. Discussion was postponed until the July Board meeting.


III. NEW BUSINESS

A. Recruitment Task Force/Volunteer Co-ordinator – Marta (5 min)
***Olga will contact Barb Prentice to see if she would be interested in doing this

IV. REPORTS [unless otherwise noted they will be in electronic version only]

A. Minister’s Report- none
B. DRE Report- Candee Cole – would like to be alerted to any disruptions
C. President’s Report- Olga Turner
D. Treasurer’s Report- Marta Powers
E. Secretary’s Report (Good Words sign-up) – Suzanne Whaley (1 minute)
F. Executive Committee Minutes
G. Facilities Council Report- Ken Ross
H. Membership Committee Report
I. FAB Committee Minutes
J. Other

V. ASSIGNMENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Appreciations: Sally DeCou will send notes to the following
~ Pam, Anita & Judy
~ Rachel Cummings for doing deposits for so long

FYI: POSTPONED UNTIL JULY [parking lot]

“Start-up” weekend with Rev. Landale – Olga (5 min)

The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 pm with checkout

Respectfully submitted,
Suzanne Whaley, Secretary

MINUTES OF THE CONGREGATIONAL MEETING of May 20, 2007

UUCE VOTES TO LOOK FOR A NEW CHURCH HOME
On Sunday, May 20, following one last heartfelt discussion of the pros and cons of expanding on our present site or looking elsewhere to accommodate our growth, an overwhelming majority of UUCE members present voted to accept the Strategic Planning Committee's recommendation to search and plan for a new church site and building. The final tally: 131 Yes and 17 No.

Clearly, this decision was not made quickly or lightly, for we all love our lofty, welcoming sanctuary among the trees. And we all owe tremendous thanks to the Strategic Planning Committee, which has, literally, spent hundreds of hours over the past two years to research, discuss, analyze and publicize the results of the findings that led them to Sunday's recommendation and brought us to this point of decision-making. Thanks also are owed to the many others who carefully studied their reports, and provided ideas and feedback to aid them in their efforts along the way.

CHURCH SAYS "AYE" TO NEW BOARD & NOMINATING COMMITTEE SLATES
Also on Sunday, May 20, the church approved by an overwhelming majority the slates recommended by the Nominating Committee.

Elected for two-year terms on the Board were Sarah Hendrickson, Vice President; Suzanne Whaley, Secretary; and Amber Alexander, David Atkin, Holly Garrow and Elliot McIntire, Members-at-large. Those retiring from the Board are Anita Cowling, Judy Sawyer, and Pam Dillehay. Members continuing on the Board include Olga Turner, President; Marta Powers, Treasurer; and at-large members Sally DeCou and Michael Mattick.

Elected for one-year germs on the Nominating Committee were Rachel Cummings, Julia Fishwick and George Koris. Continuing members are Julia Knowles and Ruth Nelson, who will take over as chair from retiring member, Robbie McCosh.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH IN EUGENE
Board of Trustees Meeting
MINUTES
May 10, 2007

Present: David Atkin, Anita Cowling, Sally DeCou, Pam Dillehay, Sarah Hendrickson, Michael Mattick, Elliot McIntire, Marta Powers, Judy Sawyer, Olga Turner & Interim Ministry Team of Margaret Keip and Cecilia Kingman-Miller

Absent: Candee Cole
Visiting Potential Future Board Members: Amber Alexander, Holly Garrow, Suzanne Whaley
Visitors with Presentations: Linda Anson & Betty Hosokawa, SPC; John Wagner, maria, Jean Weick, FAB Committee

The meeting opened at 7:00 with chalice lighting and good words by Anita Cowling.
The April board minutes were approved.

SPC Proposal (attached). Betty Hosokawa explained that this proposal suggests the next steps that need to be taken in the process of finding a larger building or site for the church and preparing for a capital campaign. The SPC will continue its work of moving toward a five-year plan, but they wanted to ensure that the momentum toward the church’s expansion plans is maintained, even during the summer. They also feel it is important to broaden the base of the work for congregational buy-in, and the several task forces they have suggested will accomplish this.
~ Betty then asked the board if it had any questions about the proposal and asked for the board’s approval in setting up the task forces in question. These include the following:

BOC or Building Oversight Committee (needs board approval of chair)
Sustainability Matrix Task Force
Property Search Task Force
Angel Investors Task Force
Pre-Cap/ Capital Campaign Task Force
Financing Task Force
Public Relations/Communications Task Force

~ The Board said it would like a liaison from the board to serve on the BOC, as the board will have oversight of that committee. BOC members will meet twice a month and have two-year staggered terms A representative from the BOC will be on all the other task forces, all of which are task-oriented and time-limited, and report to the BOC. The SPC also has a list of people who they are calling to see if they are willing to serve on the task forces and the BOC.
~ Judy offered to convene a Recruitment Task Force that will meet with Linda Anson, Betty Hosokawa, Marta Powers, and Robbie McCosh to review these lists to be sure they don’t conflict with our immediate need for a new Pledge Secretary.
~ Before the May 20 Congregational Meeting the board will vote by e-mail for the BOC chair, per the SPC’s recommendation, yet to come.
~ It was suggested that Wayne Clark be contacted to see if he will consult with us in to evaluate this structure and help us with advice on the Capital Campaign.
~ After considerable discussion, including the caveat that anyone serving on the BOC and task forces must be a church member, the board approved the proposal as presented, provided that, at the congregational meeting on May 20, the congregation approves the resolution to look for a new church site and building. The BOC and task forces can become active immediately thereafter.
~ Anita asked the SPC to put together an organization chart of the BOC and working groups to include on our website.

Stewardship Report. Michael reported that a first reminder, follow-up calls and then a second reminder letter went out to the top pledgers from last year who had not yet submitted a pledge. The first letter resulted in 19 pledges. Fifty-five letters went out in the second round. So far pledges total $281,067.
~ Cecilia said it would have been OK to take their pledges over the phone to close the pledge gap and sign for them, but that we shouldn’t spend a lot of time pursuing the rest. She also pointed out that the present gap has more to do with our desired income than actual pledges.
~ John Wagner said he thinks there may still be at least another $40,000 in pledges that will come in from the 32 leading pledge units that haven’t replied yet, given that together they pledged about $45,000 last year. Also, he said there is still a very long list of potential smaller pledgers that might add to the total. He thinks we will probably see the added pledges come in by the end of the year.
~ Suzanne said there will be a Stewardship debriefing meeting next Thursday, and she asked for e-mail suggestions on how we might improve our canvass process next year.
~ John pointed out that our budget has increased every year for the last several years, but we haven’t yet cracked the $300,000 pledge barrier yet. We don’t have an accurate tracking system to assess what is happening.
~ Cecilia pointed out that the congregation needs to experience what we have done with the budget as a success. For instance, the church leaders increased their pledges this year, and we are just beginning the hard work of changing the congregational culture to one of abundance and greater giving. Now it is time to focus on next year, and getting solid pledgers to lead that effort.
~ Meanwhile, for this year, a push to pledgers not yet heard from will be made from the pulpit to help make up the shortfall, given that at the June 3 meeting we have to approve a balanced budget. Holly volunteered to organize a phone bank with Cecilia to call those remaining.

Budget Presentation. Expressing frustration with the budget process because the Budget Committee had wanted to include so much more than we have the resources for, John Wagner reviewed the highlights of the revised budget (see attached). He then asked the board to name its priorities so the Budget Committee could finalize balancing the budget. The Board offered the following direction to the Budget Committee, in this approximate order of priority:

~ Use $315,000 as the proposed pledge total.
~ Bring the Music Director position from .5 FTE to .6 FTE, and add the remaining benefits to match the Minister and DRE benefits.
~ Add a one percent pay increase to all other staff positions.
~ Add approximately $1000 back to the RE budget line.
~ Add $1,000 to the copier line for the new copier.
~ Add Administrative Assistant hours as possible.
~ Add to the Consulting line if possible.

FAB Proposal & Treasurer’s Report. As noted in the Executive Committee Minutes, Marta Powers reported that several resignations—Patti Hansen, chair; John Wagner, Budget Chair; and Anne Taylor—have reduced the FAB to two people. For that reason John Wagner had suggested that the Board consider disbanding the current FAB and forming a new committee. Prior to recommending that the Board do so, Marta contacted maria and Jean Weick, the remaining FAB members, to notify them of the impending recommendation. However, Marta sent a misleading e-mail to them, saying the EC had disbanded the FAB, which is not the case.
~ maria and Jean responded with a letter (attached) objecting to this and urging Board consideration of this situation—and saying they were willing to continue to serve on the FAB Committee. maria also said it felt disrespectful to not include her and Jean in any discussion of disbanding the FAB.
~ Given the miscommunication, bruised feelings, and the lateness of the hour, the board agreed to postpone its conversation about the EC proposal to disband the FAB until the June meeting. David suggested that the FAB Committee of two continue as is until the board can reconstitute the committee.

Membership Report. Anita said she has spearheaded a small task group to look into how how to improve our policies and eliminate discrepant or confusing language regarding membership. They will bring this information to the board at a later date, and will want to get Rev. Landale's input later after his arrival.

Centennial Committee – UUCE 100th Anniversary. Discussion postponed.

Board Retreat/Start-up Weekend, etc. The Interim Ministry Team will meet with the Board one last time on June 8 to review the interim year and look forward to what is needed to prepare for our new minister. Olga will check with Steve Landale to set a retreat date with the new board in late August as well as a start-up weekend later in the fall with a PNWD consultant.

REPORTS
GA Delegates. Sally DeCou reported that seven members have volunteered to be delegates to GA in Portland. They are Bonnie Romane, Jeff Jackson, Amy Raven, Norma Landy, Sarah Hendrickson, Nathan Heldt, and Ed Zack. The board agreed that these should all be appointed as delegates. We are still looking for one additional delegate and 4 alternates.

Ministers’ Reports. Cecilia said she and Margaret will write a final report to the congregation. It will be available by June 8 and they will summarize it on their last Sunday, June 10.

DRE Report (attached)
March Board Minutes (attached)
Executive Committee Minutes (attached)
Facilities Council Report (attached)
Membership Committee Report (attached)
Committee on Congregational Ministry & Safety (attached)

Appreciations. Sally DeCou will send notes of thanks to the following:

• Pam Love and George Koris for painting the ramp w/ non-skid paint
• MSC (for last week’s receptions and gatherings)
• Ann Fuller for her four years as FC Communications Coordinator
• Linna Muschlitz for promoting UUCE attendance and volunteerism at General Assembly.

Announcements. Judy Sawyer read a letter sent to us from Ahavas Torah thanking us for our letter of support and concern following the vandalism at their synagogue.

The meeting was adjourned at 10 pm with check-out.

Respectfully submitted,
Judy Sawyer, Secretary

Universalist Unitarian Church in Eugene
Board of Trustees Meeting
MINUTES April 12, 2007

Present: David Atkin, Candee Cole, Anita Cowling, Sally DeCou, Pam Dillehay, Michael Mattick, Elliot McIntire, Marta Powers, Judy Sawyer, Olga Turner & Interim Ministry Team of Margaret Keip and Cecilia Kingman-Miller

Absent: Sarah Hendrickson
Visitors: John Wagner and maria (Budget Committee), Karen Gaffney & Suzanne Reynolds (Ministerial Search Committee)

The meeting opened at 6:40 pm with candlelighting, check-in, and good words from David Atkin. The March board minutes were further corrected.and approved after this meeting.

Budget Presentation. John Wagner introduced what he called the “middle draft” of the prospective 2007-2008 budget by saying this was a challenging budget year, but for good reasons, including both the significant increase in membership and in pledges. That, of course, leads to greater needs and expectations because we want to be able to do more.

Also, the budget process, led by Patti Hansen, was much more involved and comprehensive this year, and the committees responded well to Patti’s new budget forms, and her meetings to explain the budget process.

As of this date, 180 pledge units (out of 305) have responded, for a total of $253,947 in pledges, or an average of $1,411 per pledge unit. (Michael Mattick reported that follow-up letters have just been sent to those who haven’t yet pledged, and follow-up phone calls will be made to the top 40.) Factoring in past pledge history, John estimated that total pledge unit income could add up to as much as $330,000, although we are experiencing a membership growth curve that makes it much harder to predict pledge totals from year to year.

With that in mind, he said there were differences of opinion on the Budget Committee about what the budget total should be. Patti wanted to strive for a budget of $340,000. maria agreed. John set a more conservative estimate of $330,000. Others thought $310,000 was more reasonable. John asked for the board’s input on what a realistic goal would be. A straw poll taken of board members’ projections averaged about $325,000. Given these varying estimates, and the amounts requested, even with a $330,000 budget the Budget Committee will have to make more cuts than this current draft reflects. A $340,000 budget would honor most of this year’s requests.

Marta pointed out that this year’s budget format reflects a bookkeeping system that is different from last year.

John said that one valid way to adjust a budget is to add or subtract the same percentage increases or decreases in every category to be fair to everyone. Judy Sawyer pointed out that it may be more valid to give increases to our priorities, rather than to everything across the board.

John then highlighted the following:

~ Minister’s compensation is in the mid-range for our area of the country. The percentage increase of that compensation includes the total ministerial costs from year to year, including the interim ministers’ and part of the last settled minister’s compensation.
~ DRE’s 5 percent increase is still in the mid-range for that position, but he believes it should be higher. He said his committee doesn’t have a good evaluation method yet for determining merit increases, but they hope to eventually have one.
~ The Music Director’s position is still in development, dependant on an analysis of the time he spends versus the time he is paid for. His compensation should reflect his increased hours, but this needs to be worked out as Tom realizes that the increased time he has spent has been driven by his own desire to enhance the church’s music program.
~ There is lots of justification for adding more hours to the Administrative Assistant’s position, as it is badly needed. That position pays $10 per hour.
~ The Church Administrator’s position currently allows for 35 hours a week at $15.50 per hour. John feels it should be $16 per hour.
~ Repair Reserve (Line 36) and Maintenance & Repairs (Line 37) could be collapsed into a $9,000 budget line.
~ The Board Discretionary Fund, Lay Leadership Development & Conferences, Staff Development and the Church Consulting Reserve Expenses (Lines 71-75) show a significant lack of funding.
~ The Custodian’s annual wages (Line 121) shows an increase, but that does not reflect a pay raise, just a slight increase in hours

maria pointed out that the FAB Committee feels it is irresponsible to cut the bookkeeping and audit reserve funds, because they are both part of good fiscal policy. The amount allocated for bookkeeping in this budget draft is $2,000 (Line 27), when the going rate for such services is $3,500. And a bookkeeper is necessary to get us ready for an audit. At present, no money has been allocated to an audit reserve fund (Line 75) John said, however, that there is disagreement within the denomination and the FAB about the need for an outside audit.

Marta expressed concern about approving a budget increase when we haven’t received all the pledges from this year yet (barely $200,000 has been received to date, down from the $250,000 pledge total). She wants people to be realistic.

John said he would like board direction on our priorities. Suggestions were as follows:
~ Olga: Add money for consultants
~ John: Set staff payroll as first priority, add other priorities, and start back-filling the rest of the budget lines from there in a two-step process.
~ Candee: Administrative assistant is a priority
~ Anita and John: DRE a priority. Check with DRE on what was cut from their line items.
~ Need to better define Music Director’s position. John suggested we might drop the Chalice Choir and its accompanist. (Are waiting for Tom to get back to the board on this.)

John asked that further board priorities (indicated by a 1 to 10 rating) be sent to him by e-mail within the next week or 10 days.

John pointed out in a subsequent e-mail that the proposed expense cuts shown on the budget draft are not the official recommendation of the Budget Committee but are shown this way for demonstration and discussion. Also, this version, even with the number of expense cuts made, is still unbalanced by $4,246 (Line 17).

He also said, “The Budget Committee may try to produce a two-step budget as we did last year: Step one to approve in June based on our best pledge and income estimates at that time, and step two to be reviewed and approved in October, when income is more fully known. This would allow us to produce a conservative and prudent initial budget for approval in June and might allow us to add some things back into the budget in October if sufficient income is generated to do so.”

Olga announced that Patti Hansen has resigned as FAB Chair because of work-related stress and concern about a potential conflict of interest with the board when her partner becomes a board member in June.

MSC Update and Draft Contract. Karen Gaffney & Suzanne Reynolds presented the final revised draft of the contract for the prospective new minister to sign, which the board had approved several months ago with some comments. David Atkin raised the issue of paid vacations and what happens (in terms of payment) if the minister doesn’t take his or her vacation and leaves the job. The consensus was that these concerns could be addressed outside the contract, based on a trusting dialogic relationship with the minister. Ultimately the board voted unanimously to approve the contract as presented.

COM Extension. The board approved Jeff Wright’s request to extend the life of the Interim Ministry on Congregational Ministry and Safety through the 2008 church year. Sally DeCou will let them know.

Church Issues and Dynamics. Cecilia emphasized the importance of empowering the lead givers in the church to take leadership of our stewardship efforts. She offered to begin that process by asking the lead givers for their advice on stewardship. Margaret encouraged all church leaders to attend the UU University, especially the sessions on finance and stewardship membership, and leadership. Cecilia will make a pitch for that from the pulpit.

New Governance Model. David Atkin and Anita Cowling presented a chart showing what the board’s role, the staff’s role and the church membership’s role might look like under a modified policy governance model. They said they might need another meeting in summer to assess what they need to do next before they meet with the new minister in the fall. Anita volunteered to work with the group even after she goes off the board in June. The main question that emerged from this initial exercise was “How can we move in this direction, even though we don’t have enough resources to do everything we want/need to do?”

Upcoming Congregational Meetings. The board agreed to use paper ballots for the elections on April 29 (for a settled minister) and on May 20 (SPC resolution and Board and Nominating Committee elections).

Oren Peterson File. Rev. Margaret Keip will turn over this formerly sealed file, which had been held in the church’s safe deposit box, to the Archives Committee.

Meeting with Ministerial Candidate. Michael Mattick agreed to work with the SPC & Nominating Committee reps to plan a gathering with Rev. Steven Landale on April 26th at the church. A social to meet Rev. Landale will be held at George Carroll's house on Saturday, April 21, beginning at 6:30. Current and prospective board members as well as members of the Ministerial Search Committee and the Committee on Ministry and Safety are invited.

Motion Carried by E-mail: To appoint Elliot McIntire to fill the vacancy created by Pat Christgau's resignation immediately, rather than waiting until the other board members join in June of 2007.

REPORTS
President’s Report. Olga reported that she meet with Candee Cole, the RE Advisory Committee, Tom Sears, and our Interim Ministry Team to discuss staff supervision and job descriptions.

DRE Report. Candee reported that she will send her complete report to the board later, as she lost it through a computer glitch. However, she cited two highlights:
~ The RE Committee changed its meeting time so they could meet on the same night as the FC to facilitate communication. Also Glenn Greening has agreed to be the Facilities Council liaison to the RE Committee. He inspected the playground equipment and found it lacking in safety. They are currently in fact-finding mode to see how to best remedy the situation—either by repairing the existing structures, or purchasing new ones.
~ The young adults are eagerly planning fundraisers to send members to GA.
~ The youth want to host a Cluster Conference in Corvallis on Bridging Weekend.

SPC Report. Elliot McIntire reminded the board about the upcoming vote on the board resolution, based on a recommendation of the Strategic Planning Committee’s resolution to look elsewhere for an expanded church home. He also said, although the SPC’s initial work is done, they want to see the momentum continue. The SPC will send the board a list of things that need to happen now and would like their input at the May board meeting.

GA Delegates. Sally DeCou reported that five church members have agreed to be official delegates to GA in Portland this June. These include Amy Raven, Bonnie Romane, Sarah Hendrickson, Norma Landy and Jeff Jackson. We are allowed seven. It was reported that others are recruiting people on the UU Chat List to attend GA.

Ministers' Reports
Interim Committee on Congregational Ministry & Safety Report
Executive Committee Minutes
Facilities Council Report
Membership Committee Report
Ministers’ Reports

Appreciations will be sent by Sally DeCou to
~ Tom Sears and the Music Committee for the Soiree.
~ Karen Gaffney, Chair of the MSC, for the committee’s hard work in selecting a settled minister candidate.
~ Brian Lewis for the Stewardship Team’s good work.

Announcements. Judy Sawyer will write an item for the May newsletter expressing our appreciation for the donation of 30 extra chairs for the sanctuary.

Postponed Until May Meeting
~ Stewardship Report
~ Discussion of Board Minutes Philosophy
~ Treasurer’s Report
~ Membership Discussion: Referred to a task force for recommendations. Sarah Hendrickson, Anita Cowling, & Ken Ross (if available) will meet with membership committee reps to discuss issues and make recommendations to board at the next meeting.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 with check-out.

Respectfully submitted,
Judy Sawyer, Secretary

Universalist Unitarian Church in Eugene
Board of Trustees Meeting
MINUTES March 8, 2007

For Board of Trustees:
Vice President: Sarah Hendrickson
Secretary: Suzanne Whaley
Members at Large: Amber Alexander, David Atkin, Holly Garrow, Elliot McIntire

For the Nominating Committee:
* Rachel Cummings
* Julia Fishwick
* George Koris

Ministerial Search Committee Report:
Karen Gaffney, “The search process is at the top of the eighth, per Ken Ross.”
The last week in April will be candidating week.
Saturday evening, April 21: event with the candidate, Board, Search Committee, Interim Committee on Congregational Ministry and Safety.
Week of 22-28: meetings with RE, family, youth, several all-church events/ receptions, at least seven gatherings with committee focus
Sunday April 29: Congregational meeting to vote to call the settled minister. Requires a quorum of 40% of membership ( 0.4x 361=144) Hope is for a >90% affirmative vote

Sarah Hendrickson will continue to represent the board on the negotiating committee of the Search Committee, along with Suzanne Reynolds and John Wagner. She will liberally use David Atkin as a resource, given his extensive non-profit hiring experience.

Strategic Planning Committee Resolution
Elliot McIntire presented the following resolution, unanimously and enthusiastically recommended by the entire Strategic Planning Committee, for the congregational meeting and vote on May 20. The board unanimously approved that we endorse the resolution, slightly modified to focus on the all-congregational nature of the decision: The Congregation of UUCE resolves to vigorously pursue finding and obtaining a new location for our physical church in accord with our principles.

Cecilia Kingman-Miller reminded us that change moves all of us at different rates. There will be members of the congregation that will encounter grief in the prospect of moving from our beloved building, and that such sadness should be expected, honored and allowed expression. We should ask for a lot of Grace from all of us.

Goal Setting for the remainder of the Interim Year:
Our Interim Team presented themselves as increasingly “lame ducks.” They are leaving a great deal “under way but yet undone” in anticipation of the arrival of our settled minister, including:

Lay Pastoral Care
Adult RE
Social Action
Interim Committee on Safety and Ministry “covenant of right relations”
Year-long Stewardship
Staff workload and “green/sustainable” approach to human resources

The Interim Team’s current efforts will focus on support for change and easiness with change:

Getting over stresses and conflict history
Governance principle to ease the board’s workload
“all steps toward an envisioned future”
(requiring much “letting go” )
Acting as a mirror through our many changes

Board members invited candid suggestions from both interim team members regarding:

Leadership development
Coordinating Council role
Strengthening program leadership

There was considerable discussion about whether there was sufficient congregational or board need to re-visit and “process” the situation surrounding Jeanne Melis Mills’ departure.

Letter of Resignation:
Pat Christgau’s letter of resignation was read. Concerns were voiced. Olga Turner and Margaret Keip reported on their conversations with Pat. There were no areas requiring follow-up. There was unanimous approval of a letter of collective appreciation and gratitude to Pat for her heartfelt service to our church.

Response to synagogue hate crime and sister UU congregation
Letters of condolence and solidarity were approved for both Ahavas Torah synagogue in Eugene, which was vandalized, and the Holston Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Gray, Tennessee, which recently sustained major losses to their church compound due to a devastating fire, including the entire R.E. building.

Calendaring:
The required vote on the slate of candidates for both the Board of Trustees and the Nominating Committee will be added to the agenda of the May 20th congregational meeting. The bulk of the meeting will be devoted to the vote on the resolution presented by the Strategic Planning Committee.

The congregational meeting for budget approval was set for June 3.
The board approved a general goal of moving toward as few congregational meetings as possible.

Adult RE/ Social Action
Several folks signed up at last month’s committee fair. Sarah Hendrickson, Margaret Keip and Cecilia Kingman-Miller will meet with those volunteers to brainstorm and explore possibilities to prepare for candidating week and conversation with the settled minister candidate.

Coordinating Council
Asked for, and received, board approval of an exterior bulletin board for announcements of current church activities and events, to be located to the right of the main entry and to be “tastefully and artistically designed.”

Fundraising
Action on the draft fundraising proposal was deferred to next year’s fundraising committee. The EC shall approve proposals in the meantime. Blanket approval was given for fundraising activities to defray costs cost for participants in this year’s General Assembly.

Community Supported Agriculture drop site
Approval of the use of UUCE as drop site for Horton Farms, NOT to involve staff in any way, for a trial period of three months and then to be reconsidered.

No Disposable Dinnerware proposed policy
This proposal has generated much conflict of strongly held values, and appears to require more education, consciousness-raising, and community-building, to lead to greater buy-in and ownership. The EC recommended, and the board approved, the concept that, rather than policy, such recommendations become a set of kitchen “procedures and practices.”

General Assembly
Wednesday, June 20 pm to Sunday, June 24 pm.
Sally DeCou will be the board’s point person for keeping track of our delegates. The Interim Committee on Congregational Ministry and Safety will be asked to promote GA and GA attendance from the pulpit and in the newsletter. Many young adults and youth plan to attend. UU University will be offered June 19-20, before the assembly itself.

Cecilia Kingman-Miller will be ordained at Portland First Church on Monday, June 18, at 7 pm.

Other reports attached (see at office or on upstairs hall bulletin board)
Treasurer’s Report
Ministers’ reports
DRE report
Facilities Council Report

Board Stewardship Pledges (with one member missing) is a total of $25,826.

Respectfully submitted,
Sarah Hendrickson, acting secretary

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH IN EUGENE
Board of Trustees Meeting
MINUTES
February 8, 2007

Present: David Atkin, Patricia Christgau, Candee Cole, Anita Cowling, Sally DeCou, Pam Dillehay, Sarah Hendrickson, Marta Powers, Judy Sawyer, Olga Turner, Interim Ministry Team of Margaret Keip and Cecilia Kingman-Miller

Absent: Michael Mattick
Visitors: Patti Hansen, Betty Hosokawa, Herb Matthews

The meeting opened at 7:00 with candlelighting, check-in, and good words from Patricia Christgau. The January board minutes were approved as revised by e-mail.

FAB Fundraising Proposal. Patti Hansen, Chair of the Finance Audit and Budget Committee, presented the following fundraising policy “starter draft” to replace the old one:

• All fundraising on UUCE property, including but not limited to major events, tables, sales, and promotions, require approval and scheduling by the Fundraising Committee (FRC).
• Events benefiting the general fund taking place outside UUCE property, but using the UUCE name, must follow the same approval process.
• The FRC will maintain a fundraising calendar in conjunction with the church calendar maintained by the Church Administrator.
• Groups will submit requests for approval to the FRC a minimum of (3,2,1) months in advance of the event.
• The FRC will use the following Prioritizing Guidelines in the approval process. Events approved in previous years will follow the same evaluation process as all other events.

1. All-church programs (which require use of the majority of the building).
2. Events benefiting the General Fund at 100%.
3. Events sponsored by recognized UUCE committees and/or groups sharing net profits with the General Fund at (10, 20, 30, 40, 50) %.
4. Events benefiting non-UUCE good causes sponsored by a church member, compatible with UUCE values and mission, and sharing net profits with the general fund at (5, 10, 20)%.
5. Requests by outside individuals or groups to use UUCE as a venue for their personal performance or promotion will not be approved.

• The FRC may take exceptional requests to the Executive Committee.
• Each fundraising group will designate an event fund sponsor who will be responsible for the use of the facilities.
• Each fundraising group will designate an event treasurer who will be responsible for managing the event receipts, expenses and any required reporting.
• All fundraising groups will submit an Event Summary to the FRC within one week of the completion of the event.
• The UUCE Treasurer will reimburse receipted expenses, and handle appropriate fund/line item transfers after they receive the Event Summary plus receipts.
• Supporting documentation, including specific procedures, is available online and from the UUCE office.

XXXXX 1. Fundraising Requests
XXXXX 2. Event Sponsor’s Responsibilities
XXXXX 3. Event Treasurer’s Responsibilities
XXXXX 4. Event Summaries
XXXXX 5. Facilities’ Usage Packets

Anita said she felt that individual lay leadership fundraising with no profit sharing should take first priority and that one month’s advance notice was not enough. Candee mentioned that the youth and young adults would be asking permission to raise funds for their own programs. Sarah said she appreciated the concise, accessible format of the proposal.
Anita and Patricia agreed to work with Patti to amend the language of the proposal in accordance with their comments. Meanwhile, in accordance with the board’s policy on policies, we need to consider the upcoming rewrite and publicize it in the newsletter before we approve it.

Strategic Planning Committee & Board Liaison. Betty Hosokawa, chair of the SPC, confirmed the following dates on the church calendar:
• Sunday, Feb. 25 – SPC Town Meeting to present and invite comment on a five-year plan after the second service. Candee said the youth plans to serve a “burrito bar” lunch.
• Sunday, May 20 – Congregational meeting at 12:30 pm after the second service to vote on one of the three on-site space/building alternatives already presented by the SPC. Candee pointed out that this is also “Bridging Sunday” for the youth and said the young adults might want to serve a lunch for this occasion
• Sometime in Fall 2007: Congregational meeting to vote on the SPC’s 5-year plan for the church

Betty said the SPC would like to have another Board liaison to the SPC, if possible, so that they won’t have to send an SPC representative to all future board meetings. She said the SPC meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 7 to 9 pm. She further said that three SPC positions (including Pat’s) will be open in October when Linda Anson and Betty step down.
Olga asked if there is any other support the SPC needs from the Board. She further said that she felt it was time to begin conversation about a capital campaign. Betty pointed out that the five-year plan will include the pre-capital campaign as there will be some expenses associated with this, and they will need to form a building committee in fall 2007 as well. These things will be critical to keep the momentum going.
Betty also said that the town meeting and the congregational meetings will be structured to allow people to respectfully disagree so that everyone feels heard and respected. She also said they would like to have Jeff Wright preface the meetings with his words about “holy conversations” as he did for the last Town Meeting. She also asked Olga to run the May Congregational Meeting voting process, as that is the board president’s responsibility anyway. Betty reminded the board that the SPC is an information-gathering resource for the congregation, not a decision-making body.
The SPC’s overall timeline for the next year is as follows:

~ Sunday, Feb. 25 – SPC Town Meeting on Five-Year Plan
~ Sunday, May 20 – Congregational vote on onsite space alternatives
~ Fall 2007 – Congregational vote on Five-Year Plan
~ Fall 2007 – Building committee formed
~ Fall 2007 – Capital campaign consultant hired (will need budget line item added for this)
~ Spring 2008 – Feasibility Study of building alternatives

The FAB is aware of the need to add a line item in the budget to provide for a capital campaign consultant. This will be separate from the SPC budget. Betty pointed out that the SPC has been having conversations with UUA fundraising guru Wayne Clark all along, and he has provided information as needed, such as that about “angel” investors presented at the last town meeting. Cecilia Kingman-Miller emphasized the importance of letting the new minister settle in before beginning a capital campaign.
Patricia Christgau asked whether the monies in the Endowment Fund would be used for the capital campaign. The answer was “no.”
Betty added that the Five-Year Plan will emphasize our desire to increase the church’s involvement with the larger community and focus outward rather than just inward as we have done in the recent past.

Adult RE Chair. Herb Matthews described his proposal to hold a discussion group on UUA Principles 2, 4, and 6 in the spring. He envisions six or seven sessions, with readings that he has chosen, as well as readings submitted by others in the group.Herb initially thought he would offer his services as coordinator for Adult RE, but he has since decided to try to convene and run the discussion group instead. He said he would staff a table at the Committee Fair to recruit others for a committee and to publicize his program.

Publicity Outreach Proposal (attached). George Beres submitted a proposal to establish a committee to publicize church events, newsworthy activities of individual church members, and church outreach efforts. Olga pointed out that this is not a good time to actively recruit through publicity because of our space needs. She also said she felt the roles and goals of such a committee would have to be thought through carefully in order for such a committee to issue press releases and news items in the name of the church. Others expressed concern about the sensitive nature of such a responsibility. Ultimately, the board agreed that it was a good idea but that it would be premature to launch such a committee right now during this transition time before a new minister arrives and we know what our Five Year Plan will be. Judy Sawyer said she would let George know the board’s decision.

Green Sanctuary Proposal. Amy Raven, acting co-chair of the Green Sanctuary Committee submitted the following revised proposal and addendum:

Green Sanctuary Proposal Re: Food Served at the Church
“That all users of the kitchen facility, whether church or non-church, follow a three-step approach to becoming more "green." First, diners be asked to bring their own plates, cups, bowls and silverware, to take home and wash. Second, whenever possible and practical, use of the church's plates, bowls and silverware be encouraged. Third and only as a last resort, paper plates, bowls, cups and utensils be used that are COMPOSTABLE and specially purchased for that purpose. One such source for these is Treecycle Recycled Paper, with products made from waste of sugar processing. If this third step is utilized, users need to take steps to make sure the plates are indeed composted.”

Green Sanctuary asks that this proposal be adopted as church policy by the Board and be implemented immediately. In discussion, concern was raised about who would clean up for events planned by another committee of the church, such as Strategic Planning, when the meeting occurred after the second service, and food is provided to encourage people to stay for the meeting. This seems to be a need, as members of the committee holding the meeting have enough to deal with without also doing clean-up, if the church's plates et al. are used. One suggestion is that other groups be asked to serve as "kitchen angels," perhaps once a year, and sign up. The Kitchen Committee will have a sign-up sheet at the Committee Fair to seek volunteers for upcoming events that have been scheduled for the remainder of this year.
Thank you for considering this proposal at the next Board meeting.

Meanwhile an alternative proposal was passed around by Betty Hosokawa on behalf of the Strategic Planning Committee, expressing support for a policy along the following lines:

“The UUCE recognizes the cultural, spiritual and community values of breaking bread together. We recognize also the practical benefits of providing food before or at congregational meetings and other gatherings. We want to encourage and support our practices of sharing food and drink, believing that it builds community and strengthens our fellowship. We also, and not secondarily, want to honor the earth and our seventh principle.

“Therefore: The UUCE encourages each person who eats at the church to bring his or her own utensils and take them home to wash, and we will remind members and visitors of this policy at appropriate opportunities. The UUCE is also a welcoming place where people without dinnerware will always be welcomed and food will be shared. The reusable dinnerware in the kitchen will be used when feasible. Since the importance of this practice is widely shared by the members of this church, we will encourage members and friends to share in the preparation and clean-up. We recognize that there may be times when this is not possible or when other arrangements may have been made. In such cases, disposables may be used. Every effort should be made to make them earth-friendly, such as using renewable and non-tree fibers, and then reusing, recycling or composting them.”

A lengthy discussion ensued, with some advocating for adopting Amy Raven’s rewrite, and others arguing for a proposal more like the SPC’s version, couched in the language of UUCE values and offering options in a way that doesn’t sound so definitive.
Anita reported that the Coordinating Council reviewed the Green Sanctuary’s original proposal and was divided on whether to support it as presented. Some were OK with implementing its provisions within the groups they represented and some weren’t. A majority felt the language was too dictatorial, especially given the difficulty of planning, preparing, and serving an all-church luncheon. Therefore, she said that the EC had already agreed that the proposal should be rewritten by a task force comprised of representatives of Green Sanctuary, the Board and the Strategic Planning Committee (given that the latter has been responsible for several all-church luncheons this year).
The upshot was that the board sent both the GS and the SPC proposals to a task force consisting of Amy Raven, Margaret Keip, Sarah Hendrickson, and someone from the Strategic Planning Committee to craft a proposal acceptable to all.

Request to put Springfield UU Calendar on our Website. Judy Sawyer read a memo from Martha Osgood detailing a request from Ruth Duemler to “include the Springfield Fellowship’s discussion topics, dates, and locations in the UupDate.” Martha had asked for board guidance on whether we should do this. She pointed out that UUCE already has a link to the Springfield Fellowship’s website. The board judged that this link was enough. Judy Sawyer will let Martha and Ruth know.

Goal Setting for Remaining Interim Year. As it was getting too late to give this the necessary attention, the board postponed this discussion to its March meeting

Board participation in announcements and welcome. Margaret Keip asked how board members felt about continuing their role as welcomers in the pulpit at Sunday Services. Judy Sawyer, Sarah Hendrickson, Anita Cowling and Olga Turner said they would be willing to do so occasionally if asked, but no one else volunteered. Everyone seemed to agree that for any single board member to do this for an entire month was burdensome—and simply not possible for many.

Policy Governance Training. The board agreed that it would be helpful to understand the principles of policy governance as defined by John and Miriam Carver to see whether they are right for us, and that it is important to learn what those are before the next minister arrives. Margaret Keip agreed to hold a two-hour training on those principles. Sarah Hendrickson offered to host the training with a potluck at her house from 6:30 to 8:30 pm on March 15.

REPORTS

Treasurer’s Report (attached). Marta Powers said, although pledges were way down in January, that pattern is typical. Money is still coming in, we’re doing OK, and the community offerings especially are doing well.

President’s Report. Olga said she will attend the UUA’s PNWD Meeting in Boise from February 16 to 18. Our two ministers will also attend.

Coordinating Council Update. Anita reported that Patti Hansen will make another hour-long presentation on the budget at the next CC meeting on Saturday, February 17. The following month’s CC meeting will be on Saturday, March 17. “Reconciliation development” work on prioritizing use of the church bulletin boards continues, headed by a task force of Amy Raven, Candee Cole, and Norma Landy.

DRE Report (attached). Highlights cited by Candee Cole include completion of the carpet and tile in the RE rooms downstairs; near completion of curriculum development; an overflow of young adults in Room 6; and the need for more teachers. Also, she said that 20 children signed up for the Secret UU Pals program.

Stewardship Report. (See attached) Cecilia Kingman-Miller reported that the new Stewardship Committee had met several times and assigned roles and a timeline. This year’s theme is “We Will Make Our Garden Grow.”
Canvass events were scheduled as follows:
XXXXX March 8 – Board members will be asked to pledge at the March board meeting. Pledge cards will be available.
XXXXX March 11 – Stewardship Sermon by Cecilia.
XXXXX March 17 – Lead Giver Reception for those who pledged $3,000 or more last year. Place still to be determined. Board members will not be invited this time, except for those whose pledges qualify them to do so. Margaret will attend this event.
XXXXX April 1, 10 am – 1 pm: Celebration Sunday, including a Worship Service and brunch, will again be held at LCC’s Center for Meeting and Learning. Cecilia will lead the service. One incentive to encourage attendance, even though Spring Break will not be over until the following Tuesday, is the hoped for announcement of the Ministerial Search Committee’s chosen candidate for Settled Minister

The Green Sanctuary Committee will be asked to encourage carpooling and other forms of “green” transportation.

Ministers’ Report from Margaret Keip and Cecilia Kingman-Miller (attached)
EC Minutes (attached)
Facilities Council Report (attached)
Membership Report (attached)
Green Sanctuary Report (attached)

Assignments. Pat Christgau will send thank-you notes to Sue Craig and Judie Hansen for their work on the auction. Proceeds this year totaled almost $11,000.

Announcements. Marta said we received a thank you note from Food For Lane County for the $1,800 donation from our church to the Grass Roots Garden.

The meeting adjourned at 10:20 pm with check-out.

Respectfully submitted,
Judy Sawyer, Secretary

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH IN EUGENE
Board of Trustees Meeting
MINUTES January 11, 2007

Present: David Atkin, Patricia Christgau, Candee Cole, Anita Cowling, Sally DeCou, Sarah Hendrickson, Michael Mattick, Marta Powers, Judy Sawyer, Olga Turner, Interim Ministry Team of Margaret Keip and Cecilia Kingman-Miller

Absent: Pam Dillehay
Visitors: John Wagner, FAB Committee.

The meeting opened at 7:00 pm with good words by Marta Powers. The December board minutes were approved.

Board’s Budgeting Priorities for 2007. John Wagner, Chair of the Budget Committee, prefaced the discussion by saying that the Budget Committee’s priorities for the coming year are dominated by staff salaries and benefits, including settlement costs for the interim minister, the cost for the interim ministry team, and the cost for the new settled minister. He asked what kinds of things the board judges are most important for the coming year.
- Olga said she hoped that we can hold our own with pledges. John agreed that that was a good goal, because it was last year’s good fortune in receiving unanticipated large donations allowed us to meet our budget and that we can’t count on something like that again.
- Candee said she would like money included to cover lay conference and travel expenses for leadership training, an item that went away and never came back.
- Marta remarked that Tom Sears is working 3/4 time and being paid for half time, so it would be a good idea to ask him how he feels about what he is making and perhaps add to his compensation.
- Sarah would like more administrative help and Candee agreed, though she would like to also see supplemental money for adult religious education and current RE programs.
- Someone added that we should ask Kim if she wants to extend her hours to 40 a week and if so, that we should add that to the budget.
- Marta commented that we are still working on hiring a bookkeeper from outside the church.
- Michael asked whether we will need to budget money to cover the Strategic Planning Committee’s search for new buildings or building sites. John pointed out that we included a line item for consulting fees last year, even though that was left as a zero. (There was an unmet request for $500.) Currently, he said we have the Future Expansion Fund for that rather than a line item. At some point, probably when we begin a capital campaign, we can put it back in as a line item.
- Michael added that he would like to see the church pay for board members to attend the UUA General Assembly.
- Candee mentioned the need for a furniture fund. Marta pointed out that we already have one. We used it to purchase chairs for the sanctuary, but the intent in setting it up was to allow it to be used for other furnishings as well. However, we need a decision-making process for approving expenditures from that fund.
- There was a question about Custodian Matt Kosanke’s supplies. Marta said they come out of the Kitchen/Custodial Fund.
- Judy mentioned the need for Green Sanctuary to have a line item. John mentioned that the Budget Committee is ready to review all committee proposals that they receive on the budget forms that Patti Hansen, FAB chair, passed out. Thus all church programs are now ready to become part of the budget.
- Other areas that need line items include Adult Religious Education (for which no one has put together a comprehensive program) and Stewardship, which we hope will have the same allocation that it had last year. Pat Christgau reminded us that we need to allocate $65,000 - $70,000 for a settled minister.
-In closing, John said there is lots of energy on the FAB Committee, and that they are moving ahead in instituting the right procedures to set up a program budget. Marta said she will have the FAB Committee put the new budget template for church programs on the website, along with a deadline for the completed forms.

Coordinating Council Update.
Upcoming Meetings and Events: Anita and Sarah reported that the CC has lots of energy. Meetings have been scheduled for January 27 and February 17, and the Committee Fair has been rescheduled for February 11. They said some committees are eager and ready to participate, others need shepherding, and some, including Social Justice and Adult RE, are in need of form and function.
- The current Social Justice chair has said she is not interested in the kind of congregation-wide Social Justice Empowerment Project that the UUA proposes, with one or two focuses per year that extend through all facets of the church. The board formed a task force last year that had begun to lay the groundwork for such an initiative. This could begin with the creation of a Social Justice Empowerment Committee to set in motion a “dream catcher” process from a social justice point of view. Sarah suggested we create a display at the Committee Fair to show what such a social justice effort might look like. We also need one for Adult RE. Sarah said she would provide the content for those efforts and Judy said she would create posters and flyers to attract recruits.
- Anita also said the Personnel Committee needs help. It was also pointed out that the Stewardship Committee needs to get up and running and that we still need Fundraising Committee chairs. The FAB will handle fundraising requests until a committee is established. Pat said the fundraising policy is still being written and yet to be adopted .by the board. We also need to find co-chairs for the Planned Giving Committee to replace Monica Frank and Pam Love, who both resigned. Judy will see that Committee Fair visuals are provided for these as well.
- Budget Presentation. Anita also praised Patti Hansen for her presentation to the Coordinating Council on the overall church budget and how to create a committee budget. She said it was a fabulous use of time and a big accomplishment.
- Committee Charges. Sarah said she and Anita are still working on clarifying committee charges. This has proven to be more complicated than people expected. They have reports from some committees and others are still trying to sort out what they need. Some people have lots of documentation, others have little. There’s also the question of the difference between committees, task forces, and affinity groups. There are lots of people doing lots of wonderful things. The trick is, she said, is to figure out what is important. She said it’s also fun, both to see that the CC is meeting more often and working well.
- She says the most contentious issue right now is who gets to put what on the church bulletin boards. We need a policy so we know what we want to achieve before we can decide what goes where and who has priority over our limited bulletin board space. We need to look at the big picture and ask how can people best learn what is going on at church?

Service Agreement/Contract with Interim Team. Because we just received late today the four contracts spelling out the consulting fees and service agreements for our new interim ministry team of the Rev. Margaret Keip and Cecilia Kingman-Miller, the board appointed a task force to come to a mutual agreement and recommend them for board approval as soon as possible by e-mail. These consist of the Interim Ministry Contract, the Pacific Northwest District Consulting Service Agreement, an Addendum to the Interim Ministry Contract between Cecilia Kingman-Miller and the UUCE and an Addendum to the Interim Ministry Contract between the Rev. Margaret Keip and the UUCE. (See attached.) The task force will consist of board members at large David Atkin and Patricia Christgau; Marta Powers, board treasurer, Patti Hansen, FAB chair, and the interim ministry team.

Treasurer’s Report. Marta reported that there was a bump in donations at the end of the year. (See attached report) Also that because expenses are higher than last year (owing to the increase in staff salaries), we need to be mindful about pledges. She also explained to our new board member and ministers that the Reserve Fund is where pledges go that come in after the books are closed for the church year, and that the board voted to create a Carry-over Fund (shown on the balance sheet) from the large donation that was given to us last year, to allow us to use that for this year’s operating funds. Overall, Marta reported that we are still $37,000 in the black for this fiscal year. Marta also clarified that this is without use of the carry-over fund income.

Other Financial Concerns. This confidential report can be reviewed at the office.

Board Retreat. The mid-year board retreat will be held from 9 am to 4 pm at the Trude Kauffman Center at 10th & Jefferson. Thanks to Sally DeCou for arranging this. The cost to us is $175. Marta will bring a check to leave in the center’s office. Patrick sent his regrets, but is too busy to be there. Sarah said she would send Patrick’s sermon to everyone. Board members then signed up to provide food and drink for the retreat. Candee will bring an easel, paper, magic markers, and name tags.

Margaret outlined the agenda as follows:
~ A healing ritual to begin, allowing board members to express how they are feeling in the wake of Jeanne Melis Mills’ departure, and to be heard safely.
~ Ministerial Search Committee members’ questions
~ Review of questions from members for Sunday’s Q&A session with the congregation and the interpersonal dynamics we are experiencing
~ Bring the interim team’s and the board’s near term priorities into focus. In this regard, we must get fairly specific and see what we must do and what we can’t fit in.
~ Work out a schedule for the interim team to be with us
~ What do we do when the ministers are not here
~ Evaluation of interim goals

- David asked about the need for an overarching planning retreat to focus on the coming year. He pointed out that Strategic Planning Committee is focused on a five-year plan and that an open forum for the congregation to ask questions about their progress so far was scheduled for January 21st after the second service. It was suggested that we ask the interim team to meet with the SPC at their next meeting on Wednesday, January 24 at 7 pm, and that we might invite SPC to the board’s March meeting, before the congregation votes on building site options in May. There was also discussion about whether to have a planning retreat.
- A congregational meeting with the SPC is scheduled for May 20 to vote on our various building and/or expansion options.

Ed Zack Presentation. Ed delivered a letter to be given to the board for discussion at the board retreat on Saturday.

Chairs Proposal. The board voted unanimously to approve the purchase of 30 new chairs for the sanctuary, to be paid from the Furnishings Fund, with the balance to be paid from the gift to the church by Estelle Singleton that was initiated by Marta Powers and her brother in their efforts to honor their mother’s (Estelle’s) wishes..

Green Sanctuary Proposal (attached) – Discussion of this was postponed to the February board meeting.

Publicity Outreach Proposal (attached) – Discussion of this was postponed to the February board meeting.

Reports:
~ DRE Report (attached)
~ Endowment Trustees Report (attached)
~ EC Minutes (attached)
~ Facilities Council Report (attached)
~ Membership Report (attached)

Announcements. Judy Sawyer announced that the PNWD 45th Annual Meeting will be held on February 16-18 at the Grove Hotel in Boise, Idaho. Official Delegate Certification Forms are due in the PNWD office by Friday, February 9, 2007. At the present time no board members are planning to attend.

Appreciations. Olga asked Patricia to send appreciations to the following: Patti Hansen for the Budget Workshop with the Coordinating Council, to Dick Loescher for arranging to bring the NVC Workshop to the church, to Monica Frank and Pam Love for their Estate Planning Workshop, and to Ed Zack for creating a bench from the old church sign.

Assignments. Good words for the next few months are assigned as follows:
~ February – Patricia Christgau
~ March – Sally DeCou
~ April – David Atkin
~ May – Anita Cowling
The meeting adjourned with check-out at 10:20.

Respectfully submitted,
Judy Sawyer, Secretary

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