Board of Trustees

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 Minutes

Church Social Hall, 7:00p.m.

 

Present:

Elizabeth Breeden                        Ruth Douglas                                     Brian Haluska                  

Nick Laiacona                               Dave Stoner                                        Sally Taylor

Mark Usry                                     Mary Beth Wiley                               David Takahashi Morris            

Leslie Takahashi Morris            Leia Durland-Jones                                                    

 

Absent:  Shelly Canterbury, Elizabeth Bouldin-Clopton and Josie Loyd

                                           

 

Board of Trustees Focus for 2004-2005

§         Leadership/Communication: Strengthening leadership development and fostering better communication between the leadership structure and the congregation, and within the congregation.

§         Community/Inclusiveness/Outreach: Support the continued growth of a sense of the church as one community, inclusive and reaching out to a diverse wider community.

§         Vision/Mission: Make mission and vision central to Board work; foster a deeper awareness of the relationship of our mission to congregational life.

§         Growth -- Planning/Response: Take leadership in congregation's planning for and responses to growth.

 

Set Up – Ruth Douglas

 

I.                   Welcoming Activities (7:00 p.m.)

 

A.     Devotions – Sally Taylor

B.     Check-in

 

II.        Opening Meeting (7:20 p.m.)

 

A.     Review of agenda- added volunteer list for installation, vote to accept donation of new rug for sanctuary.

B.     Minutes from August 10, 2005 were approved as written

C.     Assignment of process chair - Sally

 

III.       New Business

 

A.     Long Range Planning Group/Facilities/Capital Campaign preliminary discussion with aim of preparing committee charges and plans for October meeting – The Board discussed: the need to develop charges for each committee to ensure no overlaps in responsibility, the need to determine where the congregation is on the issue of growth, how do members of the congregation understand the overcrowding issue, and the need for membership development plan and financial projections before borrowing from the UUA for expansion/remodeling.

 

      The Board passed a motion to send the charges back to a subcommittee of

      David, Elizabeth, Josie, Mary Beth and Mark to prepare for the next board

      meeting a description of Facilities and Long Range planning Committees.

 

      The Board asked that Ruth, Leslie and Shelley have a report on the charge for

      the Capital Campaign Committee by the November Board Meeting.

 

B.     Fund raising policy vote  - The Board voted to approve the policy with the following changes: In the Emergency Requests for Fundraising Section,  insert after the first close parenthesis the following phrase – “or acute pastoral need (individual or family)”. In the final paragraph, strike the word twice and replace it with the word “thrice”.

 

C.     Policy on what constitutes a church group – The Board approved the definitions of Church Groups and Contributing Friend with the following changes: Defining Church Groups – point two, add after the word decisions ‘and be part of one of the councils of the church’; point three, strike the word ‘generally’ from the first sentence and add an ‘s’ to groups in the second sentence; and, point four after the words ‘new members’ add ‘at least once per year’. Contributing Friends – after the words ‘Contributing Friend’, in the fourth sentence add ‘for religious or philosophical reasons’ and in the fifth sentence strike the words ‘If there is evidence that they fulfill the model of sustained service/contribution to the community’ and capitalize the word ‘Their’.

 

D.     Governance- preliminary discussion and formulation of small task force to prepare proposal for October on how best to explore this issue – the Board approved a Task Force of Ruth, Josie, Sally and the ministers to prepare a talking paper for the Board to discuss at a later meeting. No date for presentation was set.

 

E.      Treasurer Report, including discussion of six-month budget – The Board received the report. The Board further discussed this item as part of the conversation to take place on Sunday, September 18.

 

F.      Charlottesville Area Interface Sponsoring Committee – The Board approved of TJMC-UU participating in this organization.

 

G.     Board task force – management system for U House – The Board established a task force of David, Mark and Ruth (to ask Trudy Rohm as well) to meet to determine the best method of management and maintenance for U-House.

 

H.     Added agenda item – The Board approved the acceptance of the donation of a new rug for the sanctuary.

 

I.        Added agenda item – The Board was asked to volunteer to assist at the co-minister installation in October. A list was passed around the meeting.

 

Break – Mark – 10 minutes

 

IV.       Old Business/Reports

 

A.     Approval of final proposed bylaw changes – The Board approved the bylaw changes with no modifications.

 

B.     Volunteers to help with congregational meeting: set up table for distribution of handouts and agenda - Brian, getting material from office to table - Brian, microphone work – Mary Beth and signing up members – Elizabeth and Mark

 

C.     Policy for submission of reports and action items to board – The previous policy was discussed and the Board voted to approve the following: Everything for each Board Meeting must be submitted to Cheryl by close of business on Thursday of the week before the Board meeting. Cheryl will then bundle all submissions and forward them on to the Board via email. Everyone will print their own package for each Board meeting. The ‘penalty’, if any, for failure to meet the deadline for submission was not determined.

 

VI.       Questions pertaining to received reports

 

            Program Council

 

            Administrative Council – to prepare guidelines and policies for those who rent

            church space

 

            Ministers

 

VII.           Check in – how did the meeting go? Sally reported on her observations about participation and management of the meeting. Good participation from most, time on each topic was reasonably complied with.

 

VIII.        Adjourn

Next Executive Committee meeting: October 5, 2005, 7-8p.m., church

Next Board of Trustees meeting: Wed., October 12, 2005, Social Hall, 7:00p.m.

 

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Tentative Agenda Items for Future Board Meetings:

 

October Meeting:

Safe Congregations presented by a member/members of ministerial committee)

Space use data, policy and potential fees

Long Range Planning Committee/Facilities/Capital Campaign – vote on proposal

Governance – vote on proposal on how to go forward

Penalty, if any, for missing the deadline for submission of reports for Board Meetings

 

November Meeting:

 

Mollie Michie report to be submitted by Sally – helping the Board to understand the churches relationship, history, etc. with MM.

Capital Campaign Task Force Report