UUA TRUSTEE REPORT
Joan Lund
June, 2005, General Assembly, Fort Worth, Texas
The fast-paced, challenging, fun, and exhausting General Assembly is now a memory; and a fine one at that. I arrived in Ft. Worth early Wednesday morning in order to be on time for one of the two Board of Trustees (BOT) meetings held before G.A. As you know Texas is hot and dry in the summer and the week of G.A. was no exception. In addition to the meetings before G.A. the BOT meets the morning following the night of the Closing Ceremony and I stayed on for another full day to attend the Anti-Racism, Anti-Oppression workshop offered to UUA leaders and the Board. More about that later. I returned home to Tampa late Wednesday night. While at G.A. I re-united with many UU friends and acquaintances and generally invigorated my UU spirit. Attendance at next year?s G.A. in St. Louis comes highly recommended. This report will be mostly personal observations and brief summaries on specific activities during the entire week because the BOT does not ?conduct? much business during this time.
According to our District Office approximately Florida UU?s were in attendance, including congregation presidents. I hope each one of our presidents attended the Saturday afternoon workshop. In order to be reimbursed G.A. registration presidents need to submit the form distributed at that event. More about the workshop later. As you know most of the significant GA happenings can be found at www.uua.org. I have been there many times to re-live the week. Among a plethora of events and activities is an interesting and informative summary plus the full text of Dr. Elaine Pagels? Ware Lecture. I urge you to visit the website and find what interests you. If you have questions or comments please let me know at jlund@uua.org.
UUA BOARD OF TRUSTEES INFORMATION
Finance Committee??
Reported that the Annual Program Fund is at 96.7% percent of goal, and hopes to reach 100% by the end of the fiscal year. Friends of the UUA has been a great success this year with the help of a consulting firm who extended and expanded the Friends effort. Beacon Press is operating $300,000 ahead of plan. Dr. Charlie Clements, UUSC Director, reported there was an incredible outpouring of money after the December Tsunami; the UUSC and UUA collaboratively collected over $2,000,000. The UUSC is working with the UUA to develop a strategic plan and process for a growing collaboration between them.
Office of Church Staff Finances
Ralph Mero, director of that Office, reported the UUA is down to two options in determining the best path for church staff health insurance.
The UUA may be able to join the United Church of Christ self-funded plan which would spare us the work, and financial risk of self-funding our own plan (the second option). It is not known yet if the UCC will accept the UUA and there needs to be a process to learn what voices are necessary to ?be at the table? if the UUA self-funds an insurance plan.
Affiliate, Associate, and Other Organizations
In 2002, Moderator Diane Olson appointed a task force to examine practices and protocols concerning organizations that relate to the Association but are not ?of? the Association. The BOT received this report in January, 2004 and referred the document to the Our Association Working Group. The WG created a subcommittee to make recommendations. The BOT will review and approve applications annually, vetting each through the WG mentioned above. The BOT will use best judgment in discerning the appropriate category for each application.
Starr King School for the Ministry and Meadville Lombard Theological School
On-going conversations between these two institutions continue to determine ways that the theological schools can collaborate to strengthen theological education. A plan is being developed to conduct a structured study of the various options. It was noted that these two schools continue to be strong and visionary; and these conversations are motivated by an intention to provide the schools? students with the finest preparation within the tradition of UUism.
GA HAPPENINGS
Receptions, Workshops, Etc.
On Thursday afternoon before the Banner Parade the Districts held their respective Ingatherings. We were welcomed by Rev. Mary Higgins and District President, Steve Helle. Steve organized us into groups where we divulged our individual ?middle? names and attempted to talk about their derivations. It was fun and a unique way to get acquainted. Certainly, a highlight of our Ingathering was receiving buttons we were to wear; letting all of GA how grateful the Florida District is/was for the outpouring of support and money during the 2004 hurricane season. I spoke briefly about some GA ?housekeeping? items and encouraged the congregation presidents to attend the workshop On Being a Board Religiously, as well as other interesting and valuable offerings.
On Friday morning I, along with many UUs, were treated to a concert by Pete Seger, We Four, emma?s revolution, and Kim and Reggie Harris?after the Banner Parade on Thursday, a wonderful way to start GA. The audience was thrilled to sing along and be sung to by Pete and this variety of groups, all of whom blended together very well, and seemed to know each other's songs and the harmonies that went with them.
I attended many workshops and lectures. Only a few will be highlighted. Friday afternoon I attended ?Working in Covenant: Being a Board Religiously?, led by two BOT members, where we were reminded to take our own spiritual lives seriously. We shared ways in which individual congregation boards maintain the spiritual aspect of board work and we were provided with some examples of samples of beginning board meetings. I plan to write a more detailed summary of this workshop in the August Trustee Tidbits column. For the second year in a row special workshops for congregation presidents were offered throughout GA. One (Claiming the Promise II) was a three hour ?get together? with President Bill Sinkford, Moderator Gini Courter, and several UUA staff members. It was noted our anti-authoritarian nature often gets in the way of authentic relationship. The four-year Commission on Appraisal study of our unity in values was discussed noting we have an amazing coherence. Our ?center? will never be translated into a creed or doctrine; our salvation is found in living by being religious in community. It rests in coming together as liberal religious people. Another topic was our unity as the result of the recent survey, in the need for assistance in helping congregations grow. As a faith we continue to be ?stagnant? in adult growth and have dropped in RE growth. There needs to be an emphasis on children and persons of all ethnicities. We also have a great need for trained lay leadership; and on being ?welcoming? congregations. Rev. Sinkford asked how it is that we are not successful in welcoming others and noted some historical information, saying our ?reality stuff? was ?built into the walls of our abodes?. The presidents were asked, ?How do they assess their own competence as leaders; and the congregation?s competence in welcoming all persons who pass through our doors?? We were grouped according to the sizes of our congregations, engaging in discussion. Paula Cole Jones, JUUST consultant talked about the JUUST Change Consultancy, offering to help meet congregations ?where they are?, and ways to move forward in anti-racism/anti-oppression/multicultural work. Rev. Sinkford. I will write more about JUUST Change Consultancy in a future Trustee Tidbits column but if you desire more information at this time contact trobinsonharris@uua.org. In another activity of the afternoon Rev. Sinkford invited congregational presidents to come to the microphone and asked, ?What would it take, or what do you need as a congregational president to ?lead? on the topic AR/AO/Multiculturalism?? Many presidents commented and hopefully these responses will be included in GA coverage on the web. Megan Dowdell, Board of Trustee Youth, and Rev. Sinkford talked about their roles as co-conveners on the Consultation on Ministry to and With Youth. There is now a website linked from www.uua.org; an e-mail list-serve devoted to the ?Consultation?; and the ?Consultation? will also use GA 2006 for presenting a report based on data from the survey and congregational conversations, and in 2007 they will report data from the district and stakeholder gatherings. A brochure is available for congregations by contacting the list-serve.
In keeping with my GA ?four page? one-year tradition I will comment only on one more workshop. There were three ?lightly-structured? opportunities to meet with presidents of congregations and UUA leaders. I attended one. Before the workshop ?officially commenced the attendees were asked to find two people they had not met and introduce themselves stating significant personal information relating to being a UU. The first half of the workshop, led by Rev. Tracey Robinson-Harris and Janine Larsen, was devoted to raising the issue of growth in numbers as related to spiritual depth. Among the congregational presidents who spoke: there is beginning to feel a real division between the humanists and spiritualists among us; there is a need for spiritual direction; and congregations with older members need to grow or they will fade away. The second half of the workshop was devoted to networking where we were asked to reflect on one of these topics or one we deemed important: best practices for boards, dealing with conflicts, and communication between boards and their congregations. The group I was in talked about connecting congregations with non-UU congregations in our locales.
Plenaries (I attended each one)
So much more than I can write can be found on the UUA website; my comments will be brief. In addition to many, many reports and awards, on Saturday, Donna DiSciullo spoke to the plenary about the history of the Church of the Younger Fellowship and introduced the chairman of their Board, Denny Davidoff, former UUA Moderator, and Frank Wells, the first liaison from CLF to the Church of the Larger Fellowship. Frank is the Music Director at our Clearwater congregation. Another interesting presentation during the Sunday plenary was a panel discussion led by Rev. Rebecca Parker, President, Starr King School for the Ministry, devoted to Faith, Politics, and the Family. In her report Moderator Courter, she introduced herself as ?a simple farm girl from North Michigan?, and she talked to us about the need to say ?please, ?thank you?, and ?you?re welcome? in every facet of our lives. Her talk comes highly recommended by me as one to be looked up on the UUA website. Rev. Earl Holt, Commission on Appraisal Chair, presented the document researched and written over the past four years on their work. Every congregation will be receiving a bound edition of this book. It is highly valuable. Personal copies can be purchased from Skinner House (I believe) for about $10. The UUA Bookstore was depleted by the time many of us got there. In closing this section I suggest you locate someone in your congregation who attended GA and borrow the Agenda and Program (two different publications). Hopefully, you will be inspired to be in attendance in St. Louis next year.
The Service of the Living Tradition
One of the highlights of this Friday evening service honoring UU ministers and credentialed religious education leaders was the sermon, titled ?Out From Walden?, and was delivered by Rev. Dr. Patrick O?Neill. The full text of the sermon can be found on the UU website. He called the ministers in our denomination to keep ?the fire of Unitarian Universalism alive, preach the covenant, and to serve our beloved community?. Another high spot of this service was the recognition of two Florida District ministers. Rev. Susanne Nazian, minister at the Venice congregation, and at one time RE Director at the Tampa Church, attained Final Fellowship. Ann Shrantz, a former member of the Tampa Church, was granted Preliminary Fellowship. We wish Ann good luck as she finds her first job in the ministry. This year, after being asked to refrain from applause/reaction during the recognition of ministers in various stages of their ministry until everyone had been recognized, the congregants refrained from these displays of poor manners. This was wonderful.
The End is Near
The COA invites any UU to suggest a topic or question concerning the operations or functioning of the UUA or its member congregations for future study. Email coa@uua.org for further information on this Commission and their work.
I urge you to talk with the persons in your congregations about GA. I know they will be willing to share this meaningful experience with you. Talk to me if you wish. I await your calls and emails. And a big ?thank you? for taking the time to read this report! By the way, GA will run on a Wednesday through Sunday; congregational presidents will be reimbursed 75% of the registration fee.
