One Service only at 10:00 AM

Last week we examined how our congregational organization can be an expression of our faith. This week we’ll look at some of the other ways individuals and groups in our community are actualizing their faith. Bob Kiefer and Erik Wikstrom will be weaving our worship.

Delegates for General Assembly and the Annual Meeting of the Southeast District

Background: Following both services on Sunday, April 22nd, representatives of the Board offered a well-advertised opportunity for congregational conversation about how TJMC might appoint delegates for General Assembly and for SE District Annual Meetings.TWO church members showed up. As discussion progressed it became apparent that the opinions of these two individuals were sometimes on opposite sides of the topic.

Outcome: It is suggested that a very generic policy be adopted as a “place-marker” in the TJMC-UU Policy Manual. Several conditions influence this recommendation:

1. Until there is deeper conversation among a much larger number of church members, it is impossible to write a detailed policy to accurately reflect the consensus of the congregation about the application process, delegate responsibilities, financial assistance, and stipulations about voting requirements.

2. This is the first year that the UUA and SED have begun to consider electronic participation and voting at meetings. As this opportunity evolves, the appointment of delegates may also need to evolve. Thus, any policy adopted in 2012 will possibly need amendment in the not-too-distant future anyway. Therefore, ….

MOTION - At the meeting held on May 10, 2012 it was moved and carried that the Board of Trustees adopt the following policy:

I. Organizational Structure

A. Board Responsibilities

1-4 (existing)

5. Delegates to UUA General Assembly and Southeast District Annual Meetings — The Board of Trustees shall recruit and select the official TJMC-UU delegates for the UUA General Assembly and the Southeast District Annual Meeting using the following guidelines and procedures.

a. Delegates shall be active members of Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church.

b. Any member seeking appointment to TJMC-UU delegate status must speak directly to a member of the Executive Committee of the Board or must send a letter to the Board President expressing interest and qualifications.

c. Delegates shall be appointed/approved by the full Board of Trustees.

d. The number of delegate appointments shall be based on the membership total reported at the January meeting of the Board and on the rationing formula required by the UUA and SE District.

e. Delegates shall be responsible to inform themselves about the agenda items prior to voting.

f. Should input from the congregation be beneficial to the representation of the church members (example: election of a new UUA President), the TJMC delegates shall attend any formal congregational conversation(s) in order to become informed of the general preference of the group.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church

Unitarian Universalist

BOARD OF TRUSTEES BUDGET MEETINGS

April 23, 2012 and April 30, 2012

In attendance 4/23: Ian Sole, Doug Webbink, Don Landis, Dan Grogan, Jen Lucas, George Jones, Donna Baker, Jean Shepard, Bob Kiefer, Amy Wissekerke, Erik Wikstrom, Heather Garrett

Guests: Burnie Davis (chair of Finance Committee)

In attendance 4/30: Jen Lucas, Amy Wissekerke, Donna Baker, Don Landis, Doug Webbink, Erik Wikstrom, Dan Grogan, Ian Sole, George Jones, Paul Fritz, Bob Kiefer

Guests: Burnie Davis (chair of Finance Committee)

Budget Deliberations:

Process: We decided to begin with income, then move to programs (not personnel related), and then to closed session portions regarding personnel.  The main priorities were mentioned again: fairness and support of our existing staff, implementing staffing changes to better support the congregation and existing staff, and making sure our buildings and IT are properly cared for. An additional concern was to make sure more money was also allocated to programming and outreach, as the pledge drive suggested.

Income discussion: Donna expressed that she fully supports Doug’s ambition to create a balanced budget, and to only use fundraising as a way to increase the amount of income if a credible plan is established. Jean asked about the ethics of counting on endowment income (for the Abrahamse Fund and the Bristol Fund) for use instead of allowing them to grow.

Jen expressed that we could expect more plate cash this year. Now that we have an excellent, settled minister, more people come to church and donate plate cash when they come.  Bob pointed out that pledge shrinkage this year was much more ($27,000 vs. $10,000) than what was budgeted, and that we should perhaps be more conservative about our pledge income. It was suggested that we use the actual pledge number ($442K) instead of hoping that more pledges will come in (they have slowed significantly since the pledge drive ended).  In the end, though, the pledge income amount of $445K was considered a responsible, reasonably accurate estimate.

Programs:

Judging from spending this year, there are some line-items that could be deleted, as follows:

0 for Covenant Groups - none was spent this year

0 for Volunteer Awards - there’s only the Connie Cheetham award, and the cost is just the plaque engraving and postage - this can be rolled into the Board discretionary fund, which is mainly used for awards and gifts to staff.

Music: Amy spoke in favor of keeping the music numbers the same even though not much has been spent this year. This year has been a bit of a blip, with money saved due to Scott’s acclimation as Acting Director of Music, but this is not justification for cutting money for next year. Now that Scott will be a 12 month-employee he will be planning more music requiring professional musicians, ordering music, etc., and will be more likely to use those funds in order to provide for the types of things the congregation has asked for from our music program (outside musicians, coordination of a children’s choir, and so on).

Religious Education: Based on the money spent this year, a tentative amount of $6500 was suggested for RE. Some were against this due to Leia’s scrupulous budgeting and the importance of investing in our children and youth. This suggestion could only move forward if Leia felt it was appropriate and she approved of the number. In the end, the amount for RE was kept at $8,000 as Leia originally requested. Factors influencing this decision were discussion with Leia, consideration of the importance of our children and youth, the desire of the Board to support changes to the O.W.L. program as more training is needed, and our commitment to funding programming based on the pledge drive.

Green Sanctuary: There was previously a line-item for Green Sanctuary (GS) as we were moving toward UUA recognition. Green Sanctuary has now become a part of the Social Action Council. It does not make sense to keep a separate line-item for GS when they are no longer a separate task force and their charge has been fulfilled. Bob spoke to the important work of integrating Green Sanctuary building improvements and maintenance work into Buildings. He felt the money should be put into Buildings, as the work of the GS committee actually has influenced the way we do things, from buying windows to repairs and maintenance. In this case, the line-item funds for GS are actually more appropriate to put into Maintenance and Buildings rather as kept in a separate line-item. In addition, the money previously allocated to GS can be moved to Social Action Council (SAC), which will be increased as well.  To show our dedication to our 7^th principle, what used to be considered GS funds will be moved to maintenance/buildings and the SAC amount will be increased. The GS line-item will be deleted.

Bob suggested, in the future, that capital improvements and maintenance should be combined.

Facilities Planning: A discussion was held about using endowment funds to pay for a one-time cost analysis (probably between $1,000 and $2,000) in order to move forward with the Facilities Plan. With regard to our staffing priorities, there simply isn’t enough money this year to fund this analysis with our operating budget. At the same time, with all the work the Facilities Task Force has done and our rapidly growing congregation and facilities issues it is important to maintain forward momentum. In addition, as a one-time cost, it may not be appropriate to consider it an operating budget expense. It was argued that this is precisely the kind of expense endowment funds are meant to cover, Burnie suggested putting a line-item in the budget with $1 to show the commitment to planning, and then work with Finance and the Endowment Committee in the fall to justify the expense and garner the funding. George mentioned that the Endowment Committee is hoping to move to be more in charge of investments, while the Board of Trustees are the actual trustees of the endowment funds.

Youth/Adult ministry: An increase from $0-$500 is one way that programming is increased. Despite our lack of regular involvement in the Alliance for Interfaith Ministries, Donna spoke to keeping this number or increasing it. Erik suggested we not cut it, and it IS one of the places that we are doing outreach to the community. Bob pointed out that when Social Action collections are also counted, a significant amount of money is going out of the church for outreach. Erik encouraged us to be able to justify $5,000 in programming and outreach (based on the pledge campaign).

Burnie Davis gave input as well. He felt that the commitment to increasing funds for programs and outreach needs to be honored based on the pledge drive promises, and that justifying money spent on administrative staff as an increase in programming was disingenuous. Others pointed out that staff members have particularly asked for administrative support in order to be free to use their time more effectively for programming. Erik made the point that personnel IS programming, as our personnel makes our programming. He said it depends on how the budget is framed - one could make the argument, from a programming perspective, that paying the electricity is paying for programming. Bob suggested that the Board needs to be very clear about the interrelatedness of personnel and programming.

Outreach:

The idea of using a portion of any surplus to fund additional outreach to the community was raised and endorsed by the Board. It was questioned whether the SAC was the best place to put that money. Paul asked that we invite the SAC to tell us where they could use money for additional outreach, and lifted up that our Building Reserves need replenishing, especially when we have future building needs. Burnie pointed out that even if we do not know specifically how extra outreach money might be used, expansion of our existing commitments to the Food Pantry and PACEM would be effective ways to use this outreach money. Many Board members agreed.

Staffing:

Donna asked what the duties of a secretary would be. There are many administrative tasks with which Leia, Robyn and Scott have said they need or could use help. It was also asked if there was any desire to have a full-time ministerial intern, but Bob pointed out that an intern requires more of the minister’s time in supervision. When asked, Erik stated that he felt he would rather see the Director of Business (DOB) position be given more hours than the Secretary position. It was pointed out that it is easier to recruit volunteers and train them to perform secretarial tasks (copying, etc) than it is to find people who can manage IT or buildings, which is what we have been doing.

Burnie talked about merit pay for staff. Finance Committee recommended against merit pay for staff since it appears we can’t afford it. He suggested that a bonus be used instead of adding to the base salary

At both budget meeting dates, a motion was made to go into closed session to discuss personnel matters and the budget. These motions were seconded and unanimously approved.

Closed session outcomes:

4/23/12: The Board decided to make the pension contribution 10% of salary across all positions, in order to be consistent, save money, and follow UUA guidelines. Some staff members were receiving 10%, some 12% and some none.  Also for the sake of consistency, the Board planned to offer pension contributions to all personnel working 20 or more hours per week as they are over the 1,000 hours per year threshold.

4/30/12: Erik will be given a 2% cost of living increase. The DOB position will be funded at 75% (30 hours a week) and Secretary to 50% (20 hours a week). To reflect that we will have additional staff, an increase to the Board’s gift fund, back to $550, was made. Leia was given a merit pay and cost-of-living increase. All other employees were given a cost of living increase as well.

It was moved that we return to open session and unanimously approved.

It was moved that the budget be accepted. The budget was unanimously approved.

Next steps:

The intention to direct some funds from any possible surplus to additional community outreach should be shared with the congregation.

Jen will speak to personnel. Carole needs to get the budget and other items by Monday in order to send it out in time for the congregational meeting. Someone needs to present the budget, as Doug will not be available, and neither will Bob (as future treasurer-elect).

A congregational conversation about the budget needs to happen the Sunday before the meeting (5/13) for folks to have the opportunity to ask questions. This should happen after both services.

Amy still needs to write up a presentation about the term limits discussions. Of note: the staffing changes are also sustainable for next year.

Addendum: (added after meeting)

While these minutes accurately reflect what was said as a Board at the two meetings, Bob Kiefer and Ian Sole, at the request of the Board, thoroughly checked the numbers after these meetings. In doing so they recognized a few minor corrections and adjustments that needed to be made. These included giving the CA a 2% increase similar to that of the DRE to compensate for the reduction in pension contribution. To cover this the Board discretionary fund was reduced back to $400.

Services at 9:15 and 11:15.

When most people hear the phrase “faith in action” their minds turn to social justice work. Yet there are many ways to put our faith in action, and on this Sunday of our Annual Congregation Meeting we’ll explore how our commitment to, and engagement with, the democratic process is (or, at least, can be!) an expression of our faith. The Congregational Meeting will follow the second service. Thomas Collier and Deborah Rose will be weaving our worship.

In this service, Rev. Erik Walker Wikstrom’s exploration of music and worship alternated with musical selections by the TJMC-UU choir under the direction of Music Director Scott DeVeaux.  Laws governing performance and intellectual property keep us from posting the music.

Listen to  Part 1 of Rev. Erik’s exploration.

Listen to Part 2 of Rev. Erik’s exploration.

This is a reminder that UUA General Assembly is coming up soon (June 20-24 in Phoenix, AZ).  If you plan to attend and haven’t registered, you’ll want to do that soon.

Details are on the UUA website www.uua.org/ga

If you’re interested in being a delegate (and attend GA in Phoenix, or want to be an off-site delegate, a new option), please apply for delegate status by contacting the TJMC Board Executive Committee or sending a letter to the Board President  asap.

This year, off-site delegates can view, speak, and vote at plenary and business sessions online. (See http://www.uua.org/offsitega)

Plans are underway to have a TJMC location for off-site delegates to view the proceedings, along with technical support.  Contact Bev Thierwechter (bevandjim5@comcast.net or 434-205-4087) for details and BEFORE registering. Off-site delegate registration fee is $ 100; the deadline is June 8th.

If you require financial support for the off-site delegate registration fee, please contact the Minister.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church - Unitarian Universalist

Friday E-Update

May 11, 2012

May Sermon Theme: Faith

The poet Tagore wrote, “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.” But what the heck does that mean? We’ll find out this month and, more than that, what to do with it.

9:15 AM + 11:15 AM Services

May 13, Sunday: Sermon - Music Sunday, 9:15 AM + 11:15 AM. Every time a musician opens her mouth to sing, or lifts his instrument, it is an act of faith. Every time a composer puts pen to paper, searching for just the right sound, it is an act of faith. Making music is risky buisness and yet it music, well made, is able to express the unexpressable. Come celebrate the music ministry of TJMC and see such faith made real.

Religious Education classes for children (two years through fifth grade) are offered during both services.

Programming for youth (sixth thru twelfth grades) is available during the 11:15 AMservice only.

Four year-olds through fifth grades begin their morning today with Children’s Worship in the Parlor.

The two and three year-olds RE class as well as the youth classes start in their classrooms.

For more information, contact Leia Durland-Jones, Director of Religious Education atredirector@uucharlottesville.org

Children are welcome in worship.

Nursery care is available for children two years old and younger

during both services in the lower hall of the main building.

The Comfort Room at the Rugby Road entrance of the Sanctuary is designed for parents with young children. Audio from the service can be heard in the Comfort Room.

uucharlottesville.org Information Go To Links

Annual Reports 2011-2012: http://www.uucharlottesville.org/news-and-events/annual-reports

Monthly Bulletin: http://www.uucharlottesville.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/may-2012-bulletin.pdf

Calendar: http://www.uucharlottesville.org/calendar

Sermons: http://www.uucharlottesville.org/about/worship-life/services-and-sermons

Children’s SUUper Sunday Summer Camp Registration:http://www.uucharlottesville.org/education/childrens-re-summer-2012

2012-2013 Religious Education Registration for Children and Youth:http://www.uucharlottesville.org/education/religious-education-program-registration

Facebook: Are you part of the TJMC-UU Facebook community? Click HERE or log on to Facebook and ask to join the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church group.

UUA Newsletter: Have you seen the Unitarian Universalist weekly e-news letter? ClickHERE for this week’s edition.

SEDUUA: Click HERE to visit the Southeast UUA District webpage. It is full of information for our UU district.

CNE: Did you know that TJMC is a member of the Center for Non-Profit Excellence? This allows you to access any of the CNE’s classes at the membership rate. Simply state your connection to our congregation on your registration. Click HERE for more information about the CNE.

WE NEED YOUR VOTE!

After two years of planning, conversations with numerous groups and individuals throughout the church and a series of congregational conversations, the Facilities Planning Task Force has developed a number of recommendations on how best to proceed with our church facilities. Now we need your feedback. We need you to vote on these recommendations before we can move forward. It is imperative that we hear from a large majority of our members and supporters on this critical and long term issue.

Please take a few moments to complete the survey at  http://www.uucharlottesville.org/news-and-events/the-future-of-our-facilities-take-the-survey

Vote today on the future of your facilities. Thank you. The Facilities Planning Task Force.

Church This Week.

May 12, Saturday: AFD: Our Seven Principles: Explored through Stories, 1 PM, Parlor. For new UUs, life-long UUs and everyone in between–this workshop will help you affirm how your church life weaves with the others aspects of your life. During our time together, we will listen, journal, discuss, share silence, and maybe even sing a little. We will use stories from Ken Collier’s book Our Seven Principles in Story and Verse and learn the rainbow chalice that is part of TJMC’s Children’s Worship. Facilitator: Alexandra McGee, MDiv, serves our congregation quarter time as Ministry Associate. She graduated from Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley in 2008. Fee: Free. Register:leiadj@embarqmail.com.

May 13, Sunday: UU Christian Fellowship, 9:15 AM, Summit Room 1. Redefining Christianity – Unitarianism and Universalism sought to redefine Christianity from a faith that emphasized human depravity and selective salvation, to a faith that lifts up the essential goodness of humanity and a loving God. How can we redefine Christianity so that it is once again relevant, guiding us towards living a more fulfilling life?

May 13, Sunday: Congregational Conversation, after each service, Sanctuary. Questions for the Board? Members of the Board of Trustees will be hosting a conversation in the Sanctuary after each service on Sunday, May 13, to help answer questions relating to the upcoming May 20 Congregational Meeting. Next week, in preparation, you will be receiving a packet of information that includes the proposed budget for next year, minutes from our last meeting, and the slate of nominees for next years’ elected officials. Please stop by and talk to the Board about your church.

May 13, Sunday: Chamber Music Concert, 3 PM, Sanctuary. Guests of TJMC-UU are returning to perform String Quartets by Mozart (K. 575) and Schubert (Opus 29). The performers will be Amy Walder and Bob Gross (violin), Lianne Campbell (viola), and Brian Helmke (cello). A suggested donation of $10 to TJMC’s music program will be gratefully accepted at the door. Our Music Committee invites you to attend and bring your friends! A reception will follow the concert.

May 13, Sunday: NatureSpirit, 6 PM, Summit Room 1. We will have a discussion about our reclaiming religious language and conduct a Naturalist Communion. Should be interesting! Join us. This group is open to all and we encourage drop-ins. Snacks to share are welcome! If you have questions, email us at nature@uucharlottesville.org.

May 15, Tuesday: June Bulletin Submissions Due.

May 15, Tuesday: Elder’s Dinner, 6 PM, Social Hall. If you are over 70 and have not received an invitation, please contact Carol Saliba. If you need a ride, please contact Cynthia Pulaski. This dinner honors the elder members of our community and celebrates their wisdom, history and contributions to our church.

May 20, Sunday: Sermon - Faith in Action. 9:15 AM + 11:15 AM. When most people hear the phrase “faith in action” their minds turn to social justice work. Yet there are many ways to put our faith in action, and on this Sunday of our Annual Congregation Meeting we’ll explore how our commitment to, and engagement with, the democratic process is (or, at least, can be!) an expression of our faith. The Congregational Meeting will follow the second service. Thomas Collier and Deborah Rose will be weaving our worship.

May 20, Sunday: Social Action Collection - Blue Ridge Abortion Assistance Fund(BRAAF). UU’s have a historic commitment to women’s rights and reproductive health. Our faith affirms the inherent worth and dignity of every person, and the right of individual conscience in decision-making. Reproductive justice means that all women have the human right to bear – or not bear – children when and how they choose to do so. The BRAAF is part of a national network of funds run by volunteers who screen women by phone and provide payment directly to clinics providing abortion services.

Church Notes & Requests for Help

Spring Cleaning Alert! As you are cleaning out your garage, attic, basement, closets, and kitchen miscellaneous drawers, keep in mind the TJMC Back-to-School Yard Sale Extravaganza scheduled for Saturday, August 18. Please set aside those “treasures” of household items, linens, toys, books, DVDs and CDs for our sale. If you have any questions, please write to yardsale@uucharlottesville.org.

Young Adult Ministry: Young Adult Ministry is getting underway again. If you would like to join us for lunches after church, or know folks who would, please be in touch with Chaplain Alexandra McGee, MDiv, Ministry Associate at ma@uucharlottesville.org.

Pictures on the Website: The Web Committee is committed to creating and maintaining a website that reflects our vibrant, thriving church, appealing to members and newcomers seeking information. An important part of any website is the pictures, and our pictures come from many sources within the congregation. We believe that pictures taken at church can be used without specific permission, since our church is a “public space.” If you have concerns about this policy, or you object to your picture being used in this way, please write to web@uucharlottesville.org.

The UUA Nominating Committee is seeking candidates for elected volunteer positionsin the UUA. If there are people in your congregation, or in other congregations, ready to serve as a UUA trustee, Financial Advisor, or as a member of the Presidential Search Committee, Commission on Appraisal, GA Planning Committee, Nominating Committee, Commission on Social Witness, or Board of Review, we are interested! Application deadline is   August 12, 2012. Apply nowhttp://www.uua.org/documents/administration/120423_nomcom_flyer.pdf.

Registration for the 2012-2013 Children and Youth Religious Education Programhas begun. Please stop by the RE table in the social hall on Sunday mornings to review your family’s registration form and learn about what is planned for next year! You may also register online under the education tab on the church website athttp://www.uucharlottesville.org/education/religious-education-program-registration. Don’t delay, register today!

After 2 years of planning, conversations with numerous groups and individuals throughout the church and a series of congregational conversations, the Facilities Planning Task Force has developed a number of recommendations on how best to proceed with our church facilities. Now we need your feedback.

We need you to vote on these recommendations before we can move forward. It is imperative that we hear from a large majority of our members and supporters on this critical and long term issue.

Please take a few moments to complete the survey at  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WPTQXRQ

If you find you need to read more on the issues or view the slide show of our report before you complete the survey, go to this link: TJMC Facilities Planning Task Force.

Vote today on the future of your facilities!

Ian Sole
President of the Board

Dear members,

On Sunday, May 20th at 12.45pm please join us for a Congregational Meeting in the church Sanctuary. The agenda for this meeting will include approval of the proposed budget for next year, nominations for our incoming elected officials, and a proposed change to the Bylaws that adds the Director of Religious Education to the list of people authorized to witness the signing of the Membership Book.

In addition to the above items requiring your vote, there will be an update on the outstanding issue of term limits, and a report of next steps regarding a proposed change the Finance Committee has suggested for our Bylaws regarding spending limits. A full agenda is attached.

Please take the time to review the attached materials, which include the minutes of our last meeting, an explanation of the budget proposal, the detailed budget spreadsheet, the proposed change to our Bylaws, and the slate of nominees. A congregational conversation will be held after each service on May 13th and hosted by members of the Board to help answer questions you may have prior to the Congregational Meeting on May 20th.

Finally, for your information, annual reports will soon be posted on our website or if required, a written copy can be obtained from the office.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church Unitarian Universalist

May 20^th 2012 Congregational Meeting

Agenda

1. Call to Order

2. Establish Quorum

3. Greetings and Opening Words

3. Approval of Minutes of the last meeting – VOTE

4. Report from the Treasurer – REPORT

5. Approval of 2012 – 13 Budget – VOTE

6. Approval of Leadership Development Nominations – VOTE

7. Membership By-Law Change - VOTE

8. Term Limits and Spending Limits – REPORT

9. Report from the President – REPORT

10. Closing Words

11. Adjourn

———————————————————–

Anticipated Slate for 2012-2013

Board positions:

• President-elect – Amy Wissekerke
• Secretary – Lorrie Craddock
• Treasurer – Bob Kiefer
• At Large – Betty Warner
• At Large – Ann Salamini

Continuing Board members: Paul Fritz as President; Ian Sole as Past President; Jean Shepard as Vice President; At Large members George Jones (2013), Jen Lucas (2013), Don Landis (2014), Heather Garrett (2014)

Personnel Committee (corrective year, as determined in May 2011 election)

(6 elected members, each for 3 years with 2 terms expiring each year, plus representative of Board)

• 3 year position - Sue Hess
• 3 year position – Dan Spitzner
• 2 year position (1 time only, to get into compliance) –Sandy Brooks

Continuing Personnel Committee: Beverley Thierwechter, Chair (2014); Michael Manto (2013); Walter Megonigal, Jr (2013)

Leadership Development Committee

(7 elected members, each for 2 years, plus immediate Past President of Board; 3 members shall be elected in even-numbered years, 4 in odd-numbered years)

• 2 year position – Nick Laiacona
• 2 year position – Karen Ransom
• 2 year position –Arthur Rashap

Continuing LD Committee members: Anne Clarke (2013); Breck Gastinger (2013); Gene Zechmeister (2013);  Nancy Briggs (2013);

Ian Sole, Board representative

——————————————————————

New Business –

This proposed wording change in the TJMC-UU By-Laws is endorsed by the following:

Membership Committee- Sponsored and Approved in January, 2012

Community Life Council -Approved on January 25, 2012

Council Chairs- Approved on February 1, 2012

Board of Trustees -Approved on February 20, 2012

Currently, the bylaws of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church Unitarian Universalist read as follows:

ARTICLE II ‑ Membership

II.1 ‑ Member. Any person who supports the purposes of the Church and recognizes and understands the need of the Church for support through financial contributions and active participation shall become a member upon signing the Membership Book in the presence of a Minister, an officer of the Church, or the Chair or Assistant Chair of the Membership Committee.

Changed Wording

ARTICLE II ‑ Membership

II.1 ‑ Member. Any person who supports the purposes of the Church and recognizes and understands the need of the Church for support through financial contributions and active participation shall become a member upon signing the Membership Book in the presence of a Minister, the Director of Religious Education, an officer of the Church, or the Chair or Assistant Chair of the Membership Committee.

Explanation: The change includes the Director of Religious Education in the list of people who are authorized to witness the signing of the Membership book. This is particularly important when the youth members sign the book at the completion of their Coming of Age program. We would like the DRE to be the official who presides over this ceremony including the witnessing of the signing of the Membership Book.

May 2012

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Related documents:

budget-for-distribution4

budget-narrative

Congregational Meeting Minutes 1-29-12