January 12, 2010
Wy'east Board minutes -- January 12th, 2010
Present were Alex, Karl, Tode, Susan, Elizabeth, and Mark
First we did check-ins.
The minutes from December were approved.
In this month's Treasurer's report, we reviewed the financial data from both October and November. We are beginning to be in reasonable shape financially, in part due to more pledges coming through (which are roughly on track). We also now have the December bank statement, and will be reviewing that in February. For now, it appears there are no expenditure hotspots -- glaring unexpectancies. And when all the current checks have cleared, our bank balance should be at least something over the $10,000 mark.
We have hired a second Religious Education teacher. Her name is Ashley McAllister. She comes to us with a background of being both an RE teacher as well as someone who attended the UU congregation in Bellingham, Washington, for the last year or more.
After a long, democratic wordsmithing process, the proposed covenant for Wy'east will be presented to the congregation for an up or down vote on Sunday, January 24th, by Anders. Mark will be coordinating with Anders as to how this presentation will be made.
There will be a new member ceremony during the service on February 14th. The new members are Brooke, Carol, and Marie.
Tode will complete this year's congregational certificate process and have the paperwork in to the UUA by the upcoming deadline.
Yvonne has been one person on Susan's pastoral care radar. Also, Bruce has been laid off of work temporarily.
Susan is looking at doing a quarter-time ministry at Wy'east, the change coming about for personal reasons that have little to do with her position with us. She will be speaking with Linda Kaufman, a consulting minister with the PNWD, on how to go about creating a quarter-time ministry that both honors the limits of those hours and also accomplishes what needs to get done. So far, Susan sees that job as including one sermon a month, one Chalice Circle Service a month, working with the Ministerial Committee, working with the Board, and writing a monthly column for the Wy'east newsletter.
Then we had a wide-ranging discussion, including understanding the dynamics of what typically goes on with a congregation our size vis-a-vis the minister -- i.e. what roles do the minister, congregation, and board play. We spoke of figuring out ways to free up the Board's time so that we do less detail-oriented work, and more visioning.
In terms of picking up the loose pieces resulting from Susan's reduced hours, Tode said he would take on meeting with the Connections Committee (membership) on an every other month basis.
Other pieces that need to be picked up include: bi-annual path to membership classes; pledge conversations; greeter trainings; meeting with newcomers at services; deciding who should do lay leading, and then working with them; the canvass (which Debra has already agreed to lead again this year); and working on having more music on Sundays.
Several things that Susan has been doing that are not necessarily going to be picked up (unless someone steps into these roles) are the meditation sessions prior to services, and the informative after-service sessions that she scheduled, such as with the person from the Oregonians Against the Death Penalty group.
There is an upcoming pastoral care item that we already know about. Katy is going have an operation. With Susan's reduced hours, the members of Wy'east will be doing more taking care of one another.
Alex and Elizabeth will be tracking on fundraising (Carol and Jo have already signed on to head up the Cole Porter evening on March 6th.) Tode will be following up on pledge payments.
We spoke again about having a Board retreat, although the content of that retreat now may not be so much on The Almost Church Revitalized book, as the Harvest The Power curriculum, a UU developing leadership course, that we may undertake along with other small congregations in our area.
The next Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 9th.
Minutes by Mark A