Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church - Unitarian Universalist

Opening Words – Betty

Business –

1. A TJMC database being developed by the Membership Committee and the Board – Betty asked all council chairs to ask each committee or group chair to update their participation lists for this year. Lists are due to Betty before November 10^th.

2. Committees and groups within the various councils –

Collectively we identified which bodies in each council were “committees”, rather than “groups”. This criteria was primarily based on whether they have budgetary responsibility and/or whether they are involved in policy or program setting.

This differentiation will be reflected more clearly when Jean develops a new Diagram of Church Governance in January or February 2012.

3. Council shift –

Adopt-a-Highway has requested that their affiliation be changed out of Social Action Council and into the Community Life Council. Both Kip (Social Action) and Betty (Community Life) are OK with this shift. Council chairs support the change.

Because this change will need Board approval, Jean will add this item to the Board’s November agenda.

3. Tabling on Sundays (Six-month check-in) –

The current table reservation procedure seems to be working well. Betty is willing to continue to provide the sign-up sheets on the Community Life Council bulletin board in the main hall.

4. Communications policies –

Thanks to all council chairs for their quick electronic response and approval of the two policies from the Community Life Council and the Communications Committee.

Jean has added both policies to the Board’s October agenda. They are expected to get final approval at that time.

5. Discussion with guests Ian Sole (Board President) and Jean Sorrells Jones (chair of the Leadership Development Committee) – Conversation included thoughts about the following:

a. What is working

b. Criteria for “committees” and “groups”

c. Role of the Board vs. the Councils

d. Leadership succession

No conclusions or decisions were formalized. This session was intended for a meeting of the minds and for information gathering. Ian and Jean SJ indicated a hope that this conversation will be continued at a meeting later this program year. The following comments (listed in random order) surfaced during the discussion:

• There are too many committees.
• Do we need councils?
• The Council structure was meant to allow the board to do “big picture” work.
• Before we had councils, the Board used to have to do everything.
• Have to give monetary authority to the top volunteers.
• The Board has the ultimate authority and the Councils help do the work.
• Losing some of the councils would “bring the church to its knees.”
• Need to figure out how to eliminate some of the red tape so stuff can get done.
• Want to know the Long Range plans for TJMC.
• Three years of interim ministers has been an issue; but now is the time to refocus on long range planning.
• The new Facilities Planning Task Force is working on a long-range plan of facilities as related to staffing and programs.
• The Board has recently also established a new Task Force to look at staffing needs now and in the immediate future.
• Are all councils equal?
• What is the purpose of each council?
• When staff is affiliated with a council, the council seems redundant and only generates more minutes.
• Ideally each council would include staff leadership. But we don’t have staffing at this time to work in the areas of community life, administration, or social outreach.
• The Long Range Plan has to have teeth. Leadership turns over and plans get dropped.
• Big ideas have to be grounded in the congregation. Need to have majority buy-in.
• The Board needs to lead the congregation in determining what is important in Social Action, instead of having lots of single-person or very small-group initiatives.
• Board Liaisons are a communication tool for both the Board and the councils/ committees.
• Strict hierarchy is not a good way to operate. It will turn folk away from participation.
• Although lots of opinions have been expressed, it is important to let the Board be a board.

Closing words – Betty

Housekeeping Memos –

1. Next meeting of the Council Chairs will be January 9^th at 7:00 in Social Hall

Readings provided by Pat

2. Bulletin articles:

a. Kip – You are scheduled to write a short article about the Social Action Council for the November Bulletin. It is due to bulletin@uucharlottesville.org on OCTOBER 15^th.

b. Sean – I did not find a Bulletin article about the Administrative Council this month. If you sent one last month and it did not get published, please try again for the December issue. If you did not write one, please do so for December. The deadline for the December issue is NOVEMBER 10^th.

c. Betty – Deadline for the Community Life Council article for the January issue will be DECEMBER 10^th.

Respectfully submitted,

Jean Shepard

Board Vice-President

Approved: 10/25/11