of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Columbia SC Sept 10, 2001
Members Present:
Andrea Derrick
William Meller
Dave Dickey
Kevin Meridith
A.G.
Christina Pandimos
Cindy Harper
Patrick Price, ex-officio
Joe Long
Margaret Weck
Morgan Maclachlan
Joan Watterson
Visitors: Carita Barr, Gertrude Edge, Don Griggs, Dave Sparrow.
Call to order: Dave Dickey called the meeting to order at 6:25 pm and Joe Long read the opening words.
Minutes of previous meeting: The minutes of the June 18th meeting were provided and read. A word was changed and the Building and Grounds Committee was added to the list of Committee Liasons. Kevin moved to accept the minutes as amended; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
Fresh Look Committee: Dave Sparrow gave an update for the Fresh Look Committee. He outlined plans to discuss re-covenanting at the service on October 21st. He would explain why it is time that the congregation recommit to their beliefs. A tentative date of November 11th was designated for the spiritual re-commitment service. Dave also discussed a survey that he has and would like to distribute. The survey would cover such things as how members would like to volunteer and how they would want money to be spent, including how they might allocate money to various fellowship needs and categories. There was some discussion as to whether a survey that covers such items already exists. There is a survey that Gertrude Edge manages, but it was determined that this survey asks different sorts of questions. The issue was raised as to whether or not the surveys could be combined, but the general sentiment was that they serve two different purposes. A member did state that she would prefer to do one survey. The information about the Fresh Look Committee's Survey will be posted in the Unigram so that members will be clear about how the survey is different from the one Gertrude manages.
Fellowship Cleanup, use of space, and storage needs: Carita reminded members present about cleaning day on the 29th beginning at 10:30 as posted in the Unigram. She then described her concerns about the cleanliness and general appearance of the social hall. She noted that there were paint spots, etc, that should be cleaned up. She stated that she would be willing to furnish shelving for the walls inside the stage for storage of Bazaar items, crafts, etc, but that she would like help to clean up and clear away clutter. Carita also stated that she would like to use the space where the bookstore used to be to display beautiful and attractive things that have meaning to members of the Fellowship. She suggested that tables in the social hall be used for display purposes also. Patrick noted that RE should be part of the discussion about the use of space, since they currently use the room that used to house the bookstore was. There was some discussion of a mobile display center and the fact that if such existed there would have to be someone who would be willing to consistently maintain it. Morgan noted that issues of space might better be addressed at a co-council meeting. The feasibility of shelves was then discussed, both behind the stage and in the RE closet. It was also suggested that large Rubbermaid tubs might be used for storage. Dave suggested that we go ahead with the notion of putting up shelving and offered to find folks to help with cleaup. Carita reminded members present about the need for publicity with the Bazaar, as it is the 1st Saturday in December.
Minutes on the Web: Don Griggs presented guidelines he developed for publishing minutes on the web. There was some concern about how we will know whether members will not want to be mentioned in the minutes. There was some discussion of sensitivity to members of groups, such as CUUPS, that might have concerns about people outside the fellowship knowing about their participation in activities. One member stated that she would like to have her name removed from the minutes. There was also a concern about draft minutes being forwarded before being approved by the board the generally policy would be that this is acceptable, but that it is up to the discretion of the minutes-keeper, namely the Board Secretary, whether draft minutes would be sent for posting on the web. There was a motion to accept the policy for posting minutes on the web it was seconded and passed unanimously.
Treasurer's Report: Joe noted that he would email the Treasurer's Report financial reporting is currently a problem because of software issues.
Canvass Training: Dave noted that Canvass Training will occur on November 3rd . The training will be for the Board and all leadership. The goal is for the training to be two-prong. The first training will be an all-day event and will involve just the leadership. The idea will be to brainstorm and to bring everyone into alignment with a common view of the canvass process and to gather information to select a canvass team. At the second meeting, people will actually be trained to do canvassing. If this option of two training dates is not possible, everything will have to be condensed into one weekend, with the mission of getting people to buy into common goals. There was some discussion of selecting a Canvass Committee Chair and having a year-round Canvass Committee. It would be made clear that the chair would be supported by a team, make the job a less-formidable one than it was in the past. It was suggested that Pat Mohr be asked to be Canvass Chair. Morgan moved to authorize a date to ask her. The motion was seconded and Dave offered to contact her.
Sabbatical: The issue of the use of the minister's discretionary fund was discussed. Patrick explained that there is $32.44 in the account with none available because this was money given to the fellowship toward a laptop and other items for the sabbatical. Patrick used some of the money to assist a member in buying groceries. Patrick went on to explain options for the discretionary fund: 1) leave the account empty; 2) do a special collection (which will yield between $500 and $900) and make the money available only to members of the congregation. Joe would sign checks, but there would have to be someone to take requests; 3) Do the special collection and make the funds available to folks within and outside of the congregation. Patrick recommended option 2. There was some discussion about who should take requests it was suggested that the caring committee might be an option, but Patrick suggested that this was not really a caring committee function. Morgan suggested that the person/persons have a background in social work or something similar. Patrick stated that he has not been able to help anyone outside of the congregation for four months. It was suggested that the Executive Committee select a person to take requests for funds. Morgan made a motion to authorize the Executive Committee to develop a plan to distribute funds, restricting distribution to members and friends for the duration of the sabbatical. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
New Business: Kevin indicated that there was currently no report for the Committee Council. Gertrude mentioned that it is time to have another survey. Dave noted that we will be clear about distinguishing between this survey and the Fresh Look Group's Survey when it is time for theirs. The Board gave the go ahead for Gertrude's survey. It was noted that there is a change in the chair of the Social Action Committee Sandy Chubon will now be chair.
Finance Committee: There has been a change in the way counting is being done the person who does the counting will also be responsible for doing the depositing. Peter loaded Quickbooks on the computer and Jill was pleased with the software. There is work now to take care of pledge statements.
Staff Reports: The minister's Report was read and the motion was made to accept as amended. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously. There was a brief discussion of the Ministerial Relations Committee. The MRC will be functioning while Patrick is on sabbatical. There are three people on this committee with 3 year rotating tenures. The minister selects two members and the board selects one. There is currently a search for possible candidates. It was noted that the Board did not have the RE Director's report. The Administrator's report was read. The motion was made to accept the report it was seconded and passed unanimously. It was also noted that Laura provided enough information on her report.
The Board went into Executive Session.
Forum: The Forum would like to meet with the Board. It was determined that members of the Forum should come to the Board rather than vice versa.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned around 8:15 pm.
Christina Pandimos
Secretary, UUFC Board of Trustees
Summary of September 10, 2001 Minutes
Motions passed:
1. The August 13th Board Meeting minutes were accepted as amended.
2. The policy for publishing UUFC Board Minutes on the Website was accepted.
3. Pat Mohr will be contacted by Dave Dickey about being Canvass Chair.
4. The Executive Committee will develop a plan for distribution of the funds in the Minister's Discretionary Fund.
5. The Minster and Administrators reports were accepted.
Action Items:
1. Carita will begin cleanup of the social hall and put up shelves with assistance from members that Dave will help find.
2. Further discussion of use of space for display will be addressed with RE.
3. Dave will contact Pat Mohr about being Canvass Chair.
In the event of discrepancies the paper copy of the minutes as contained the the board minutes binder shall be the official version. This binder is maintained by the administrator in the congregation office.
Your comments/corrections are welcome. Email to Donald Griggs at dgriggs@chaliceweb.org