Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbia

Board of Trustees

Minutes of December 18, 2013 Meeting

Attendance

Trustees present:  Ivy Coleman (Co-President), Robin Scherer (Co-President), Regina Moody (President Elect), Buzzie Kelly (Secretary), Bob Whitaker (Treasurer); Members at Large: Sandy Chubon, Marc Drews, Caroline Eastman, Jerry Moore, Phil Turner; Ex-Officio Member: Ann Johnson (Past President).

Call to Order and Establishment of Quorum

The meeting was called to order by Ivy Coleman (Co-President) at 6:42 p.m. She noted a quorum was present.

Reading and Check-In

Phil Turner read a selection from the blue hymnal about commitment; all present gave brief personal updates to check in.

Approval of Minutes

On a motion from Phil Turner, seconded by Jerry Moore, the minutes of the November 20, 2013 meeting were approved.

Reminder to Board

Board members were reminded to read the document “Balancing Acts: Keeping Children Safe in Congregations,” which is available on the UUA website and on a printed copy in the announcements notebook (which is kept in the mailbox outside the Administrator’s office). There is also a sign-off sheet in the notebook, where Board members should sign once they have read the document.

Treasurer’s Report

Bob Whitaker (Treasurer) handed out the Treasurer’s Report and the Budget Variance Report and reported that there is likely to be a shortfall of around $4,000 – $5000 in pledge receipts at the end of the year. People usually catch up at the end of the year, but since statements weren’t distributed at the end of this year, it’s likely people didn’t know if they were behind (although Bob noted that no one had asked about their pledge balance). It was suggested that the absence of Neal Jones (our minister) may have caused attendance to decrease, but Ivy Coleman checked and that doesn’t seem to be the case. Bob noted that we are also behind last year in plate collections. In spite of the shortfalls, there is still a positive variance of $3,146.

A discussion of possible ways to make paying pledges easier included: a system for automatic withdrawal from a member’s account (the UUCC doesn’t offer it, but individuals can arrange such a withdrawal from their bank); direct payment via the website (Bob noted there would be a cost for setting up and running such a system—the UU Church of Tallahassee has reported their expense at about $1,000/year); and making sure pledge envelopes are in the pews (this is the duty of the Administrator, but in her absence on medical leave no one has kept it up). Buzzie Kelly (Board liaison to the Membership Committee) will ask that committee to be responsible for making sure envelopes are in the pews before services.

Shandon Holiday Tour of Homes

Regina Moody (President Elect) reported that 85+ non-members visited the UUCC during the Shandon holiday Tour of Homes on December 9 and felt it was a great outreach for our congregation. There were refreshments and music; Ron Edge played his accordion and along with Gertrude Edge led a sing-a-long. Jerry Moore noted that the people he spoke with often had no information about Unitarian Universalism at all or had misconceptions, such as believing we are a cult. A number of people said that that they had seen through our patio doors various activities, such as Tai Chi, the Coffee House, Thanksgiving dinner, and other events, thus arousing their curiosity.

It was noted that there was no cost for inclusion in the Tour of Homes booklet, so the $150 requested from the Publicity budget for payment for inclusion was not necessary. Therefore, the Publicity budget remains at $325. Robin Scherer (Co-President) suggested that in light of the lack of knowledge about UU in the community, we should consider what kinds of publicity we might want to engage in, and urged Board members to be more vocal about our religion.

Christmas Eve Service

Regina Moody reported that she has spearheaded the kid-friendly service to be held on December 24 from 7-8 p.m. Richard McLeod will play the piano, Donald Griggs will operate sound.

Families Helping Families

Marc Drews reported that three families (including 15 individuals and 4 adults) received a total of 52 gifts—all in a 10-day period. Marc thanked the generosity of the congregation for moving so quickly and felt that everyone involved did an excellent job.

Website Progress

Caroline Eastman (Board liaison to the Technology Services Committee) reported that the Committee has agreed that the UU needs a new router, due to the limited and periodic access to the internet in the building. The cable company has confirmed that the problem isn’t their modem but the router. Caroline will address the issue at the next Committee night and have the committee put together a list of the most important specs.

There continues to be minor progress on the website.  Caroline reminded Board members to check out other UU websites and pass on ideas to her.

Reports (Safe Congregation, Administrator, DRE, Staff bonuses)

The Safe Congregation/Disruptive Behavior group will meet after the holidays. It was noted that there should be some strategy in place to inform the membership about the policy.

Administrator Andrea Dudick came into work for one hour on December 16 and has started physical therapy this week. She will continue coming in as her health permits and will work on the Member Directory and the deposit report. A list of all the duties of the Administrator is being compiled.

Both Lisa Eason (Director of Religious Education) and Kate Noel Wells (RE Assistant) will be out of the office December 23-27. It was noted that the deadline for the next Unigram is Friday. Staff bonuses were distributed as requested at the previous Board meeting.

Congregational Meeting

Buzzie Kelly (Board Secretary) provided a list of the items that need congregational approval. In addition to electing the members to serve on the Endowment Committee, a number of bylaw changes need to be voted on. Regina Moody suggested that the changes in the bylaws be postponed until the annual congregational meeting in June in order to give the Board time to clean up any confusion in the current bylaws and present a coherent proposal to the congregation. A bylaws ad hoc committee will be formed at the January Board meeting.

Therefore, the Congregational Meeting on January 12 will be very brief, just a vote on the candidates for the Endowment Committee. A minimum of 15 days prior to the meeting Buzzie will prepare an announcement to be posted on the bulletin board in the social hall, included in the Unigram and Order of Service, and read as an announcement from the pulpit.

Other Leadership Issues

Ann Johnson (Past President) reported on several issues addressed by the Leadership Development Committee (LDC). Bauer Westeren (Chair of the Social Action Committee) has asked for help with that committee. He has had difficulty organizing activities; he is willing to be involved in social action projects. The LDC has divided the tasks: Share the Plate for 2014 is being organized by the Finance Committee; lining up volunteers for Transitions and other opportunities will be handled by Tom Clemens; and the NAMI Walk will be organized by Mike Walker. In June the LDC will seek a new chair for this committee. Ann will ask Joan Watterson (Chair of the LDC) to send a list of the Social Action Committee assignments to Robin.

Regina noted that no work days have been scheduled for some time by the Landscaping Chair. The status of the Publicity Committee was also raised. Ann will ask the LDC to discuss what is happening with Landscaping and Publicity.

Ann noted that John Charbonnet, who heads the Outdoor Interest Group, will be leaving on an extended trip in January, and will put an “ad” in the Unigram to see if someone is interested in leading the group in 2014.

Truthful Tuesday

On a motion from Ivy, seconded by Bob, the Board approved by email that the UUCC support Truthful Tuesday by signing on to be a coalition partner, thereby expressing our compassion through our advocacy and our support for fully funding Medicaid and public education and by supporting voters’ rights.

Truthful Tuesday is an event being organized by South Carolina progressive organizations to rally at the state house on January 14 (the beginning of the legislative session). Robin will submit an article to the Unigram explaining Truthful Tuesday and the Board action.

Interfaith Harmony Month

Hayes Hampton, an organizer of Interfaith Harmony Month, requested that the UUCC participate in the event. This would involve having a UUCC-sponsored activity being listed in a calendar of events as part of the Interfaith Harmony Month (January).  It was decided that Robin will ask Kate Noel Wells, Chair of the Worship Committee, to select an event being held at the UUCC for inclusion and notify Mr. Hampton.

Handicapped Accessibility

Buzzie Kelly (Board Secretary) asked why the automatic opener on the new front doors is not yet operational. Regina Moody (Board liaison to the Building and Grounds Committee) will ask the committee at the upcoming committee night to assess the situation and gather bids for making the automatic opener functional. The B&G Committee will be asked to present the bids at the February Board meeting. Caroline noted that the entire building should be assessed for handicapped accessibility, and although there was general agreement, it was decided to hold off on this.

Adequate HVAC for Library

Buzzie requested that an adequate heater/air conditioner be installed in the Library. Regina will ask the B&G Committee to assess that situation and inform the Board of any necessary action.

Action Items

Below are the action items to be followed up at the next Board meeting.

1. Buzzie Kelly (Board Secretary and Board liaison to the Membership Committee) will ask the Membership Committee to be responsible for making sure pledge envelopes are in the pews for the service.
2. Caroline Eastman (Board liaison to the Technology Services Committee) will ask the Technology Services Committee to make a list of requirements for a new router.
3. * Caroline will ask the Technology Services Committee to create an “open house” meeting in 2014 to train committee chairs who were unable to attend the Committee Night Training to learn how to access and update their committee’s web page. [carryover from previous Board meetings]
4. * Board members will check other UU websites and bring or email suggestions to Caroline for redesign ideas for the UUCC website. [carryover from previous Board meetings]
5. * Caroline will continue to provide an update on the website at Board meetings. [carryover from previous Board meetings]
6. * Caroline will investigate what visitor information can be gathered for the website and will explain it at the next Board meeting. [carryover from previous Board meetings]
7. * Robin Scherer (Co-President) will ask Andrea Dudick (UUCC Administrator) about the origin of the Lifetouch photography/directory project and will report to the Board at an upcoming meeting. [carryover from previous Board meetings]
8. Buzzie will prepare an announcement of the January 12 congregational meeting no later than December 27 to post on the bulletin board in the social hall, include in the Unigram and Order of Service, and be read as an announcement from the pulpit.
9. An ad hoc committee to revise the bylaws will be formed.
10. Ann Johnson (Past President) will ask Joan Watterson (Chair of the Leadership Development Committee) to send a list of the Social Action Committee assignments to Robin.
11. Ann will put an “ad” in the Unigram to see if someone is interested in leading the Outdoor Interest Group in 2014.
12. Robin will submit an article to the Unigram explaining Truthful Tuesday and the Board action.
13. Robin will ask Kate Noel Wells, Chair of the Worship Committee, to select an event being held at the UUCC for inclusion as part of Interfaith Harmony Month and notify Hayes Hampton, the organizer of the event.
14. Regina Moody (Board liaison to the Building and Grounds Committee) will ask that committee to gather bids for making the automatic front door opener functional and to present the bids at the February Board meeting.
15. Regina will ask the B&G Committee to assess the functionality of the heater/air conditioner in the Library and report its findings to the Board.

Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 9:16 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by Buzzie Kelly, Secretary