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by Kathy Brutinel
Board Of Directors
President
If photos were included in the Venture, you would have to endure baby pictures, partly to help you fully appreciate my new granddaughter and party to explain why I’m having a hard time gearing up for the “church year.” The August 18 Board meeting was a boost, however, as we discussed where to focus the Board’s attention this year.
Last year we studied the final report of the Discovering Directions Together Task Force, honed in on your visions, and formulated goals. The resulting document, Visions and Goals, may already be on the website or will be this fall when we transition to a web-based Venture and an enhanced website.
Out of a total of 22 goals, the Board will focus on the following three in the coming year:
1. Recruiting, developing, training, and supporting leadership who can serve the congregation in responsible and creative ways in a changing cultural climate.
We have an unusual number of vacant leadership positions this year. I’m not sure whether these vacancies represent an anomaly or a trend, but in either case we need to identify ways to encourage creative, thoughtful and energetic leaders to imagine and build our future.
Some of the “church literature” I have been reading suggests that younger generations can be put off by the ways that the “baby boomers” have organized church life: too many meetings, too many rules (often unspoken), too little spontaneity, too much talk, too little action. In addition, our organizational culture has been deeply influenced by its white, Protestant, middle/upper class roots. If we want to attract and keep young families and a more ethnically and racially diverse membership, we need to both mentor new leaders and be open to different approaches to governance and programs.
2. Organizing to work in concert on issues of justice, inclusiveness and environmental sustainability.
Our Social Justice Council Task Groups are doing remarkable work in this area, but a question arose toward the end of last year that is not in the purview of an issue-specific group: whether the congregation should take public stands on issues of social or environmental justice. At the second social justice workshop in May we had a lively “fish bowl” conversation on this question, with strong opinions on both sides but no resolution.
At our August meeting the Board decided to take time to study how the UUA handles resolutions of public witness and how other congregations approach this question. Rev. Hepokoski will explore the idea of public witness from the pulpit and we will encourage discussion and solicit feedback from the congregation. The UUA provides excellent guidance on public witness, with a special focus on maintaining the strength and cohesiveness of the congregation when raising potentially divisive issues. You can read the document, “Considering a Congregational Resolution?” on the UUA website.
3. Maintaining our building so that it is safe, efficient, comfortable and welcoming.
Our Property Committee is populated with heroic, hard-working people, but - to be blunt - we have ratcheted down the funds necessary to adequately maintain our building for many years, choosing instead to invest in excellent staff and
programs.
Your comments made clear, however, that the safe, efficient, comfortable and welcoming character of our building affects your perception and enjoyment of our programs and activities. Consequently, the Board will be looking at all of the outstanding building issues, prioritizing them, and considering how best to fund improvements that support your vision of what our church can be - to us and to the community.
I see a challenging but exciting year ahead!
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