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May 4, 2021

 Wy’east UUC

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

 

In Attendance: Daniale (Moderator)

Jocelyn (Treasurer)

Arianna (Secretary)

Mark (Member at large)

Craig (Minister)

 

AGENDA:

  • Check-In

 

  • Meeting Minutes-review from 4/6/21 board meeting: Approved

 

  • Standard Reports:
    • Minister’s Report - see below
      • Perhaps we could invite someone connected to Diversity Without Division to speak at Wy’east. Craig will check with the President of a Spokane Congregation
    • Worship Committee Report
      • They are working on filling out the summer calendar
    • Social Justice Committee Report 
      • They are working on speakers for the summer.
      • They hope to get a jump on lining up speakers for next year’s focus.
    • RE Committee Report
      • The yellow folder project is happening now - geared toward younger kids
      • All Ages Movie Chat is suspended until there is more interest (in person)
    • Membership Committee Report *** see below
    • Treasurer’s Report
      • The budget is updated to reflect more pledge income, new line for ministerial search committee, and music
      • The board voted to approve the budget to bring to the congregation at the annual meeting.
      • The board voted to approve the contribution to the UUA that the UUA requested ($4,321).

 

  • Lummi Nation Request
    • Eme asked that we as a board sign on to support the Lummi Nation in bringing an orca, Skk’aliCh’el-tenaut, back from Miami to her native Salish Sea. The board decided to sign, pending Lana’s agreement. [Later Lana agreed, so Daniale signed on behalf of the Board].

 

  • Annual Meeting Prep
    • Daniale made slides and shared them with the board
    • Ari will email the report and last year’s minutes to the congregation this weekend. 
    • We should make clear the link to the annual meeting is the same as the worship link.
    • Ari will ensure a quorum of 20%
    • Nominating committee will co-host to execute polls
    • We will vote on the budget
    • We will vote on social justice items
    • We will vote on new members of the board
    • We will vote on a new member of the endowment committee
    • Daniale will briefly present future plans
      • In July we will form a ministerial search committee
        • We could check with Hank and Lana about the timeline of the last search
      • They hybrid planning task force is underway
      • We may give members an opportunity to write down initial thoughts on the future of Wy’east.
      • See “Other items/reflections” for additional points

 

  • GA Delegates
    • No volunteers yeat
    • Will put in the announcements

 

  • GA/5th principle 5/30 Breakout Room
    • Craig will check if Jay Kiskel can join us

 

  • Other items/reflections?
    • Should we discuss reopening in more concrete terms? Should we decide what threshold we need to cross in order to feel right reopening?
    • We could announce a plan to reopen in September in some capacity.
    • We have the goal of providing online worship, but as a small congregation, volunteer capacity might limit what we can achieve.

 

  • To Confirm when meeting in person: (meeting in Spring?)
    • Board:  
      • Meeting Notes April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May
      • Endowment Committee Members
      • Board Discretionary Fund for Zoom License
      • Contract w/ Jolanda Walter
    • Congregation:  Annual Meeting Notes/voting
  • Confirm Next Meeting Date: 6/1/21, 7pm

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Minister’s Report

1) Sermon preparation, newsletter columns, etc.  Extra column on content warnings.

 

2) Phone calls,  e-mails.  Pastoral calls, Zoom meetings with congregational members/leaders.  

 

3) Colleague consultation.

 

4) Martial arts and Spanish language study

 

5)  UUMUAC meetings.

 

6) 5th Principle Project meeting. The Project’s new book, Used to Be UU: the Systematic Attack on UU Liberalism is now available for purchase:  https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B08ZS4CMB5/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_paging_btm_next_2?pageNumber=2

 

7) Attended most Wy’east Sunday services

 

8) Reviewing Jon Biemer’s new book Our Environmental Handprints: Recover the Land, Reverse Global Warming, Reclaim Our Future.  Congratulations, Jon!

 

9)  Path to Membership class—new member joining on 4-18-21.  Our eighth new or returning member since moving to online services!

 

10) Arranging for guest visit from Alex Emig, LGBTQ activist from the “red” side of Washington state.

 

11) Continued work with Kentucky-based UU/Muslim working group.  Thanks to the editing work of Mehr Hassan,  our video is now ready for GA!  I am the first presenter in the video. 

 

12) Attended Friday Zoom conversation whenever possible.

 

13) Submitted the document “DRAFT Statement of Conscience (SOC) Undoing Systemic White Supremacy: A Call to Prophetic Action” for readability analysis, added brief comments at the end.  If you plan to share the draft statement to the congregation, please share this analysis and commentary—along with the document mentioned below—as well. Both are attached to the email you received that includes this report.

 

14) The UUA draft statement of conscience is grounded in claims made in the UUA report called “Widening the Circle of Concern.” I am also attaching a review of that report by professional statistician, Allan Pallay.  (Unfortunately, the UUA has chosen to not release the raw data for this report for 5 years, so it is not currently available for independent review.) Dr. Pallay’s review has been published in the UU Multi-racial Unity Action Council’s Spring newsletter (https://5aec3e84-7112-4d05-bab2-4660d65d6bfa.filesusr.com/ugd/51a1b4_7099e3603b9f448ba71dc1da0aad7638.pdf) beginning on page 16. UUMUAC’s Spring newsletter contains several articles that you may find informative.

15) Have attended three 90-minute sessions of “Diversity Without Division”, a 6-part workshop based on Irshad Manji’s Don’t Label Me, promoting dialogue across political and cultural divides.  These workshops have been made available free of charge by our Salem and Spokane UU congregation.  2 other Wy’east folks have been attending.  Average attendance has been roughly 70, including UU’s from around the country.

 

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE NOTES

April followed our same consistent patterns with solid worship services (Craig twice + plus very informative presentations on the 2nd & 4th Sundays ) which helped keep our attendance steady in the low 40's range of family units per Sunday.

 

The major event for Membership was the New Member signing ceremony on April 18th welcoming in Kathleen O'Day as our newest member. Kathleen has past UU experience when she lived in New Jersey, has had a career in Science and is very Environmentally Concerned. She has been an active visitor for a long time both at our Sunday Service and our Charlice Circle and I know she will continue to increase her involvement in Wy'east as an active member.

 

 A chat announcement will come out later in May promoting the Small Group meals provided State health guide lines allow it.

 

Visitors who left contact information in April were: Rebecca DesPrez and Heather & Naas Tredoux.  They will be invited to our PTM class in May as we did not offer the class in April.

 

Lilac Meadows, Coffee hour and Chalice Circle events are going strong under good leadership and membership support.

 

Diane I. continues to collect books, gardening supplies  and additional items to support Lilac Meadows and the Women's shelter and has requested that the phone tree callers remind all on their list of this opportunity. 


 

Date
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