|
Board Agenda Request Form (doc) (pdf) NOTE: Save the Board Request Form to your computer. It may then be filled out online,
|
Board of Trustees Report
|
Back when you elected me to be your moderator, I chose Transparency and Inclusion as my overarching goals in my work with the Board of Trustees. The Trustees have served admirably with open-hearted energy to support our community. I have the deepest respect and feelings of gratitude for them all. Our new Treasurer, Nikki B., has hit the ground running and is bringing her considerable knowledge and enthusiasm to bear as well!
Now that we are approaching the half year mark of life during a pandemic the issues of Transparency and Inclusion have become even more important to me. We are challenged to share and reach out to our folks in multiple ways. We are all at different points with our technical knowledge and forms of communication. Many members are busy each week and month checking in on each other, others are focused on producing the high quality worship services that we are blessed to have every Sunday! During the upcoming weeks we have two distinct challenges where we want to be sure we are transparent and inclusive, namely, our budget which needs to be approved by the members and the decision about changing our name. Transparency and Inclusion means making sure that everyone is informed... so, for example, the board will be approving a budget document at their Sept. 6, Board Meeting to then bring to the congregation. We will of course share this information electronically. We will mail to all members an overview of the document. With a direct request, |
we can mail a complete document to you as well. Similarly there will be a mailing to everyone, using the United States Postal Service, about the final process for our decision about a name change.
As we have been working our way through the Name Change Question this winter and spring, I have become aware that there is another facet to Inclusion that I hadn't really considered deeply. That is the role of listening to each other. We can do a survey to collect people's thoughts and ideas, we can call individuals and ask them questions. The thing that makes a multi-ethnic, diverse community desirable to me is the synthesis that can happen from combining different points of view. We need to listen to each other, to learn what is important to others in the group. Not just express what is important from our own vantage point and try to sway people to accept one person's personal vision... I think of that as the "majority rules" way of doing things with one result winning over other suggested solutions. I believe we have committed to a vision and practice of including all points of view and finding ways to create a solution that speaks to the most important values of our community. Our breakout rooms after the Sunday services this month have provided some opportunities for people to hear each other, but there is still a need for a wider listening session. There is the potential for synergy when we are really hearing each other and searching for ways to accommodate each others' desires, and comfort zones. I look forward to having you join us as we try to accomplish these goals. — Fern C., Moderator September 1, 2020 |