North Unitarian Universalist Congregation Board Meeting Summary

May 17, 2008

Budget/Land/Mortgage options

The congregational meeting to discuss the land purchase and refinancing options will be held tomorrow (May 18) after service. The Building Exploratory Committee recommends purchasing 2.6 acres, which is how much Delco originally offered in October. By purchasing the smaller amount of land, which based on the architect's estimate is all that is needed for the size of church we want to build, we would have enough money left in the capital fund to pay off the Nielsen House and we would simply need a variance from the zoning board. Since this is the middle way - continuing on our growth path, with hope but without a large burden of debt - it makes a lot of sense. Our goal is to leave a church that is viable 50 years down the road and while we may have slower growth, it will be paid for. Also, it is possible that we will still be able to buy the remaining land as it will likely be available since the only access is through our property. The question was raised: are we in a location that is too conservative, but Susan explained that congregations typically have a large geographic spread and pull members not just from the immediate neighborhood, so moving to a completely new area would likely not provide us with more members. The final point was made that we cannot choose to stay the same – we will only grow or shrink.

Ways and Means process

Instead of a committee, what we need is a method for coordinating fund raising projects. In the past, only Board members have initiated fund raisers, but we need to start channeling money making events from the general community. The question is: should the Board be a gate keeper, or could a single person acting as a Ways and Means coordinator be given authority to schedule events? David will try to find someone to fill this position. Once we have a coordinator, we will need to get the word out, via the newsletter and announcements, that we are looking for fund raisers.

Rental Policy

The only official “rental policy” that we have is Article XIII of the bylaws and our rental contract, but there is nothing which specifies how to determine what is acceptable use of our facilities. We need to be careful with our relationships in the community, especially since our name may appear on publicity for events. While letting people into our space is not an endorsement, it is an implicit acceptance, so we need standards that are more clearly defined. Chris and Koralleen volunteered to propose new language to help clarify the bylaws that deal with this issue.

Finance Committee members

David contacted the Finance Committee members to determine their current status. Since there are currently only two active members, plus the Board treasurer as a de facto member, the committee needs at least 2-3 more members. The required time commitment and responsibilities are not very large as the committee only meets once a month for about an hour and prepares the draft budget in the fall.

Vision Team project

There was no progress to report, however David will talk to Joan and Susan this week.

OMD Annual Meeting / GA Meeting attendance

We need to reach out and participate in the democratic process of our movement, something we are not currently doing much of. Some of the benefits would be cross-fertilization of ideas and increased enthusiasm and energy. At a minimum, the Board president plus one additional member should be attending these meetings. To that end, we should plan to add a budget line item to help fund the expenses that would be incurred. Also, many congregations have A Denominational Affairs Committee whose job is to follow district and national events.

For now, Susan will start to publicize, in the newsletter and order of service, a summary and/or website link for the events she receives notices about. Also, David will write up an announcement regarding this year's GA, including information that there are four official delegate positions open to anyone who can attend the meeting. Note that next year, GA will be held in Salt Lake City and a new UUA president will be elected.

OMD Anti-Racism / Anti-Oppression workshop

David passed out a copy of an email regarding this workshop which will be held on Saturday, May 31, from 9 – 4 at Cuyahoga Valley National Park's White Pines location.

UUA Presidential Race

The two candidates in the upcoming election of UUA President are Laurel Hallman and Peter Morales. David passed out an email regarding nomination petitions and asked all Board members to take a look at both of the candidates (they each have a web site). Next month we will discuss which candidate we will endorse.

CLL Agreement

Allison has completed her initial training and will be commissioned in October. Next month she will speak at the Board meeting and we will have a chance to ask questions and discuss expectations, on both sides, regarding her ministry.

Other New Business

A member of the Social Action committee had asked if the Board meeting minutes could be made available on-line for review. Because of concerns about possibly too much sensitive information being published that anyone could access, it was decided that Lynn will put together a summary to be posted and that we will make it clear that the complete document is available at the church.

Chris will talk to the Buildings and Grounds Committee about folding screens for in front of the restroom doors.

Scott knows of someone who might be interested in using our building to teach Tai Chi classes; however we would want them to be handled in a similar fashion to how the yoga classes are currently offered.

David will send out forms for the Board's evaluation of Susan's performance.