Board Notes

November 2023 Message from the Board and Meeting Summary:

Message from the Board:

It is that time again for Christmas for Kids. The Christmas for Kids organization gets wish lists of local children and distributes the lists to organizations, like UUCP, around the third or fourth week in November. Individuals in the organizations buy and wrap the gifts. Christmas for Kids takes the presents to the families. For the past 18 years, Carol Casavant has organized this service project for the members and friends of UUCP. She obtained the tags, provided signup sheets at church, collected wrapped presents at church, shopped as needed, and distributed the gifts to the Christmas for Kids organization. Thank you, Carol, for your many years of service! As many of you know, Carol has relocated to Las Cruces, New Mexico. I am the lucky new coordinator. I will be at church on November 26, December 3, and December 10 with tags, signup sheets, and to collect purchased gifts. Gifts should be brought to church by December 10. If you would like to participate, but don’t want to shop, a check to UUCP with CFK in the memo line will be used to purchase the remaining gifts on December 10.

—Hydee Becker

October Board Meeting Summary:

  •  A new water cooler has been purchased for the fellowship hall. The old one will be moved to the third floor. It can provide hot water and room temperature water.

  • UUCP was glad to be able to serve the larger community during the recent natural gas outage, in conjunction with Avista and others, by providing a warm place, hot showers, some emergency food and some space heaters. It was an opportunity for us to “live our values.” We need to make even better plans on how to respond to emergencies in the future. Elizabeth will have conversations with the city and Red Cross and others. Also, since our building is all electric, we should develop plans for potential electrical outages. Safety committee members are willing to work on this.

  • The congregational meeting to adopt the 2024 budget and elect new board members will be held on De- cember 10 after church. Suzanne Signeur, David Nelson and Tom Salsbury have been nominated for the three open positions.

  • A Zoom meeting will be available at 1 pm on Dec. 9 for those who have questions about the 2024 operating budget.

October 2023 Message from the Board and Meeting Summary:

Message from the Board:

It became apparent early last week that that exquisite time of year here on the Palouse, when the days are full of autumn color but also of enough golden sunshine to make it still seem like summer, was about to end abruptly. (By the way, I googled “synonym for Indian summer” and learned that Minnesota Public Radio has put out a public query for new names for the term. Suggestions?) I always put off fully winterizing my garden to the very last minute, wanting to squeeze every possible drop of enjoyment out of a gardening season. I had lush nasturtiums in full bloom, crook- neck squash and cherry tomatoes still producing, fresh herbs galore, and pollinators busily buzzing around the mint, the squash blossoms and some sedums.

Nonetheless, on Tuesday I bustled about, pulled up squash and tomato plants and various other annuals, chopped and loaded them into the compost bins, then emptied the rain barrels by using the water to deep-water perennials. By Thursday morning, we’d had a hard frost and the cosmos I’d left standing (so the birds could harvest the seeds) were crusted with snow.

The start of winter and the coming year’s end also means that my time as UUCP board president will be ending. It’s been an honor to serve as president—and quite an interesting experience during this unusual time. Back in January 2021, the church facilities were still closed as the new building went up and the pandemic went on. Then we re-opened and moved in and began to learn more deeply about the possibilities and also the responsibilities of larger facilities, a learning process that I’m sure will be ongoing.

I’ve been amazed at the outpouring of volunteers every time help is requested—for moving into the new building, for the hosting of our first Red Cross blood drive, for the first service auction in over three years, for the Building Dedication weekend, and for so many other things. I want to thank each and every one of you, and let’s keep it up!

We do still have important business to conduct between now and year’s end. The stewardship campaign kicks off during November, a time to consider our commitments of treasure as well as of time to UUCP. The UUA has redesigned the schedule for fair compensation for church employees, and after watch- ing the Building and Grounds committee try valiantly to meet all the needs of our new and much larger building, the board recently added some building maintenance duties and hours to Ryan Urie’s job description. We’ll have to see what the impact of these and several other needs (and inflation) will be on the budget request, and in turn on our individual pledges and donations. Please attend the annual congregational meeting to approve a 2024 operating budget, which will be after the church service on December 10.

Most if not all church committees are back in full swing too, and some could use additional participation. I’ve always found serving on a committee to be a good way to learn about how the church operates, and also an opportunity to get to know the committee members better. An informational sign-up sheet, and an opportunity to join a committee (or two?) will be made available soon, probably at church on the Sun- day that kicks off the stewardship drive.

May UUCP’s light shine brightly into the future!

—Judy Brown, UUCP Board President

October Board Meeting Summary:

  • Hydee Becker volunteered to be the UUCP representative to Christmas for Kids.
  • Ryan Urie will service as Building Manager, at ten hours a week, at the request of Building Committee members.
  • Joe Pallen will now serve as our web coordinator.
  • The Board approved $300 from the Interior Beautification funds to pay for the sanctuary banners.

September 2023 Notes and Summary:

September Notes:

By the time you read this, the Dedication events have taken place and we have formally celebrated our new building featuring an anthem written just for us by Dan Bukvich, words from former ministers and UUA and Moscow and Pullman representatives, and remembrances of our own past. Our expanded building has also received several awards. A celebration of which we can rightly be proud! But now the hard work begins: We didn’t contribute our nickels and dimes just to have a beautiful building, but to enable us to be more accessible to our Palouse community and to continue to support those agencies whose aims coincide with our own mission:

  • Providing religious services of worship and celebration
  • Welcoming each seeker of truth into responsible participation
  • Facilitating the creative use of religious freedom and respect for differences
  • Ministering to persons in their everyday problems of life
  • Reasoning about life’s meanings and society’s ethical dimensions
  • Promoting racial and social justice
  • Supporting the purpose and programs of the UU Association
  • Inspiring awareness of, and cooperation with, the harmony of nature
  • Encouraging intercultural understanding and efforts toward world peace.

And working toward these goals takes hard work, work from us all, volunteer work. We all have limited time, but to be a full, participating member, you must spend some of that time supporting the work we do. Join a committee, volunteer to help with an upcoming event, help out in our Religious Expploration program. It seems a bit cheesy to say that you will receive benefits in kind, but I believe it is true!

September Board Meeting Summary

  • Playground update: The equipment is in process and, after discussion, the board consensus was to create a milled bark surface under the playset and invest in good shades to cover the playground.
  • The Building Dedication committee has done a fantastic job planning a great event, coming up September 30 and October 1
  • A proposal for adding a quarter-time building manager to a current staff position was discussed to deal with some of the building maintenance issues.
  • We are planning a “committee fair” on a Sunday in November to help members learn about the church committees and ways they might get involved.
  • The Board has revised the masking statement for services to encourage mask wearing and create a “mask required” area in the sanctuary

February 2021 meeting summary:

Deconstruction of the Yellow House has begun.  Parts are being spread out through the community.

Plans for Ginger’s sabbatical are moving along smoothly.

Lynn Ungar will be here as a guest minister on March 14th.  She will be sharing some of her poetry. 

For Earth Day (April 25) , Green Sanctuary has purchased milkweed plants and will be offering them to whomever is interested.

January 2021 Board Meeting Summary:

This was the first meeting of the new board for 2021. The board elected officers.  President is Fran Rodriguez, Vice president is Judy Brown.  Secretary is Ellery Blood. Treasurer will be a shared responsibility between our existing Treasurer, Judy Lalonde, and Sue Engels who will be in a training role.

The board has approved Ginger’s plan for her sabbatical from April-August of this year.

December 2020 Board Meeting Summary:

Congregational meeting approved the budget and new board members: Duane DeTemple, Judy Brown, and Diane Prorak.

Capital Campaign Finance Committee received approval to sign the contract for building construction.

November 2020 Board Meeting Summary:

Capital campaign is on track, although we are considering the need for an additional contingency fund due to increases in building material costs.

Planning the congregation meeting for December 13th.

An online directory is in the process of being announced.  Watch out for information on how to log in and enter your family information and upload photo.

October 2020 Board Meeting Summary:

Voted to move forward with asking the congregation to support the projected 2021 budget.

We’ve received three bids for the church remodel.  The minimum bid came in at about 25% more than the base cost projected by the architect.  We think the capital campaign is on track to be able to handle this.

We’re moving forward with an online church directory.  More information to follow.

September 2020 Board Meeting Summary:

Elizabeth should be back in early October. Ministering remotely went well, but she’ll be happy to be home. We’re soliciting bids for the church remodel.  We’re hoping to get some bids in soon.  We’re investigating ways to potentially contribute to reparations to the Nimi’ipu tribe, on whose ancestral lands the church resides. RBG; May her memory be a blessing

August 2020 Board Meeting Summary:

Elizabeth is enjoying her time in Vermont; ministering remotely is going well so far.  Ryan Urie has been approved as the new Family Ministry Associate.  The board has approved increased funding for Paul to account for the hours he is putting in to making the technical and music program function smoothly in the present remote worship setting.  Ginger is continuing to expand our collaboration efforts with other communities and congregations.

July 2020 Board Meeting Summary:

Given the present climate, and impending capital changes, the board is evaluating establishment of a Building Safety Committee. 

We are having conversations on how to make church virtual ministry  sustainable for the long term.  We’re trying to think outside the box (or inside the box with at least 6 feet of separation) to see how we can maintain connection within our church community.

The Religious Exploration program continues to provide weekly offerings to help children maintain ties with their peers. In addition, the online “childcare” over zoom lets kids chat with a church childcare provider for 30 minutes. This has proven very successful, so we are looking for other adults to assist in expanding this program.

June 2020 Board Meeting Summary:

UUA General Assembly is quickly approaching and we still have several open slots for Delegates. A committee is being established to develop a charter for new Building Safety/Security Committee.  This committee will establish building security policies that will be incorporated into the new building design to address safety and access guidelines. 

May 2020 Board Meeting Summary:

The Virtual UUA General Assembly is coming up in late June.  We are authorized a number of delegates and so please let Karen Jennings or Margaret Dibble know if you are interested in attending.  If you are concerned about the cost, the board has authorized some funds to help defray the costs of registration (travel and housing will not apply due to the virtual nature this year).

We’re looking at continuing the established online service plan through the summer.  UUA collaboration between congregations should help provide lots of musical and speaking content.

The capital campaign is still moving forward.  We’re still enthusiastic about the project we have going on from a building standpoint.  We haven’t hit any snags that have been at all difficult.  The donations remain strong. 

April 2020 Board Meeting Summary: 

The transition to online services remains challenging, however we’ve seen benefits related to increased accessibility.  We expect that we will need to maintain a larger online presence after the crisis is over. 

The capital campaign is still moving forward.  We’re still enthusiastic about the project we have going on from a building standpoint.  We haven’t hit any snags that have been at all difficult.  The donations remain strong.

February 2020 Board Meeting Summary:

The February UUCP Board of Trustees meeting brings promising financial news. The 2020 budget and annual pledges are on track. The Board approved restoring Elizabeth’s professional development budget to the pre-sabbatical level. Also, UUCP appears to be on track for the capital campaign.

Ginger Yoder, our Director of Family Ministries, is due a 4-month sabbatical between June 2020 and June 2022. Discussions are ongoing to avoid conflicts with the building project schedule (specifically, tearing down the yellow house for the church addition).

January 2020 Board Meeting Summary:

The new year is off to a strong start with newly elected leadership on the UUCP board of trustees. Rich Alldredge will be taking on the role of Board President, with Fran Rodriguez and VP. Ellery Blood will be acting as Board Recording Secretary and Margaret Dibble will serve a dual role on the board and executive committee.

The board approved a new Conflict Management policy to provide clarification on the roles and procedures when conflicts within the church arise. The board also discussed the possibility of employing an archivist to document the process as we embark on a major renovation to our building.

December 2019 Board Meeting Summary:

It has been a very full and very successful year at UUCP! The Capital Campaign is progressing smoothly, RE classes are thriving, and preparations are well underway for the next Snow Retreat. A new website coordinator, Ryan Locke, has been hired to keep everything on the UUCP site constantly up-to-date, and four new Board members are ready to bring

new energy and ideas in the coming year. And, at our recent Congregational Meeting we had unanimous votes for the Climate Change Mitigation Resolution, for declaring the UUCP a gun-free zone, and for approving the 2020 budget. We are well-positioned for an exciting year to come!

Sue Engels has decided to step down as the organizer for Family Promise at UUCP. The Board would like to express our enormous gratitude for all the incredible work she has done to make this program so successful and such a core part of the work we do as a church. It will take a full committee to handle all the work Sue has been doing single-handedly; if you would like to help ensure the continued success of this program, please contact Joe Pallen, Dan Schmidt, or any other member of the UUCP Board. Thank you!

November 2019 Board Meeting Summary:

At their November meeting, the UUCP Board of Trustees worked to finish preparations for the upcoming Congregational Meeting to be held December 15 after service. Please plan to attend! At the meeting, the congregation will vote on whether to make the UUCP ground a gun-free zone, whether to approve a climate change resolution being presented by the Green Sanctuary Committee, whether to approve the 2020 budget, and to approve new Board members for 2020 (Fran Rodriguez, Marcus Smith, Ellery Blood, and Duane DeTemple) The Board also approved a revision to the Facilities Use Policy to require event hosts at events held in our facilities that are not a regularly scheduled part of the church calendar. Event hosts will help event organizers prepare, set up, and clean up. They will be recruited from congregation members and will receive $50 compensation for their service. If interested, be on the lookout for a job description that will be posted to the UUCP website, closed Facebook page, and church newsletter.

October 2019 Board Meeting Summary:

This month the Board approved the 2020 UUCP budget, which includes cost-of-living raises for church staff, a part-time website coordinator, and additional income as we return to a normal budget after a sabbatical year. More details will be coming soon from the Pledge Drive Committee. A congregational vote to approve the 2020 budget will take place at the December meeting of the congregation.

The Board also reviewed the status of the quiet phase of the capital campaign, which is going very well. The Board approved fund-raising goals for the building project, which will be announced at the November 15 Building Project Kickoff Event (6:00-8:00 in the sanctuary – be there!).

Mary Ellen Radziemski has recently resigned from the UUCP Board of Trustees. Please join us in thanking Mary Ellen for her excellent service to our church community! The Nominating Committee has appointed Duane DeTemple as her replacement, and he will start at the November Board meeting.

Note that the November 15 event will take the place of this quarter’s Breakfast With the Board event.

September 2019 Board Meeting Summary:

This month the UUCP Board of Trustees approved hiring Sam Welsh as our new Assistant Music Director. We also approved having the church officially endorse the Climate Strike planned for September 20 and being led by local high school students. UUCP employees will be allowed to participate in the event with pay. The Board also approved a new Gift Acceptance Policy to help appropriately manage gifts made to the capital campaign (and otherwise), and it will be available on the UUCP website soon. Lastly, the Board discussed the need to ensure that announcements at the start of service are brief, appropriate, and necessary. Going forward, an assigned Board member will be delivering all such announcements. If you have announcement to make at Sunday service, please provide it in writing to the Board member listed in the order of service. Thank you!

August 2019 Board Meeting Summary:

The Board is happy to announce that draft plans for the expansion to our facilities will be unveiled Sunday, August 18 after service. Four alternatives will be presented with estimated costs. These plans are not final; we are presenting these plans for your feedback so that the architect can make any needed changes before we take a final congregational vote. As part of the capital campaign to fund our expansion, 50 members representing the range and diversity of our membership will soon be contacted by mail to meet with our consultant, Rachel, at her next visit. Watch your mail in case you’re one of the invitees!

The Worship Committee has chosen the theme of racial justice for the coming year, with one service per month dedicated to this topic. Reverend Elizabeth intends to start an associated racial justice book club.

Some new staff changes are in the works. Paul Thompson has accepted the role of Music Director, and the Board has authorized the creation of a part-time web site content coordinator position to ensure that our website stays up to date and informative. Contact Board President Joe Pallen for more information on the role.

This month our treasurer had to dip into our savings to cover our expenses. Please remember to maintain your pledges, and if you haven’t yet paid for your Service Auction purchases, now would be a good time to do so. Thank you!

July 2019 Board Meeting Summary:

While things at UUCP have slowed down for the summer, the Board is still hard at work moving our planned facility expansion forward. While we have not yet been able to have a scale model of our planned new facilities constructed as planned, the Building Project Committee is researching having a virtual tour developed instead, which will hopefully be available later this summer. We are also working on ways to keep our church’s website more up to date, which may result in hiring a part-time web developer. In addition, we are expanding what’s offered on the site, including more complete information on each of our committees and the all of the UUCP’s approved policies (on the site, click What’s Happening, then Board Documents to check them out).

June 2019 Board Meeting Summary:

At the June meeting, the UUCP Board reviewed the proposed site plan for the church expansion and made only a few small suggestions. The official drawings and 3D model are expected to be available by the end of June for the congregation to view and provide feedback. The Board is also working on improving the church’s internet connection and to provide for more frequent updates of our website. In the interest of increasing transparency, the Board has also been working to make more resources available on the site; you can now read all of the church’s policies by going to What’s Happening > Board Documents and clicking the UUCP Policies folder.

May 2019 Board Meeting Summary:

This month the Board approved proceeding with the first stage of an architectural proposal provided by Laurence Rose for the church expansion project. We expect to have rendered 3D images and a scale model of the planned expansion available for the congregation to view by the end of June. The Building Project Committee is also holding discussions with the Latah County Historical Society about using our shared driveway for parking. The Board also approved new guidelines for moderating the UUCP Facebook group and has begun looking into options for increased staffing to provide more regular updates to the UUCP website.

April 2019 Board Meeting Summary:

April was a busy meeting of the UUCP Board! The Board first met with one of our congregants to discuss potential improvements to our church’s Vaccination Policy, which we will work to implement over the coming month. Plans for our building expansion are proceeding smoothly; a survey has been commissioned and an architect has been identified, who will begin working on a new plan—based on the Option 3 floor plans submitted to the congregation last year—once the survey is complete. Our goal is to have new drawings and a model of the new facilities available to the congregation by this summer. The Capital Campaign Committee is also getting ready to initiate a financial feasibility study to plan for the costs of the expansion.

The Board agreed to pay $300 to cover half the cost of the recent Muslim Picnic and also allocated Board funds to cover the facility rental for a quarterly Vespers service in Pullman. The Board approved a Sabbatical Contract for Reverend Crystal Zerfoss to fill in, as needed, during June and July until Reverend Elizabeth returns. Lastly, the Board approved a new Documentation Policy that, when implemented, will make church policies, procedures, and committee information far more accessible to the members of our church. If you have any questions, reach out to any of our Board members. They’re the ones with the blue name tags.

March 2019 Board Meeting Summary:

The Board would like to remind the congregation that the UUA General Assembly is being held in Spokane this year June 19–23. Registration is now open, and the early-registration discounts last until May 1. Financial aid and volunteer opportunities are available, but you must apply by March 31.

The new Building Project Committee had a successful first meeting February 27 in which they began filling committee positions and identified an architect, Laurence Rose, who will submit a proposal in the coming month. The Committee is also actively ascertaining our building needs and desires to inform the building plan.

The next Breakfast With the Board will be held in the church basement March 24 at 9:00 a.m. Childcare will be provided. Please come and share your feedback, bring your questions, and enjoy a hot breakfast before service courtesy of the Board!

February 2019 Board Meeting Summary:

At February’s meeting, the UUCP Board was happy to welcome our sabbatical minister, the Reverend Theresa Soto. We look forward to benefitting from her guidance and wisdom during Reverend Elizabeth’s absence. Congregants may contact Theresa at revt@theresalovesyou.com.

Due to a recent increase in the amount of garbage produced by the church (due in part to Moscow Recycling no longer accepting many materials) the Board passed a motion to increase the size of our trash receptacle. As a reminder, please try to recycle and choose low-waste options as much as possible for church activities (or in general!). The Board also revisited and reapproved the installation of new, smarter thermostats for the main church building as well as Yellow House. Lastly, the Board decided to keep holding quarterly Breakfast With the Board events to improve transparency and communication between the Board and the rest of the church.  Look forward to our next breakfast sometime in March!

January 2019 Board Meeting Summary:

At this month’s meeting, the UUCP Board was happy to welcome Karen Jennings, Rich Alldredge, and Margaret Dibble as our newest members. We look forward to working together on our church’s mission over the coming years. We also bid a fond and grateful farewell to our departing Board members, Gene Siple, Charla Willis, and Marisa Gibler. Thank you, Gene, Charla, and Marisa, for your dedicated service to our community!

The Board chose new officers at the January meeting. Joe Pallen will continue to serve as the Board President, Ryan Urie will continue to serve as Secretary, and Judy LaLonde will continue to serve as Treasurer. Rich Alldredge is the new Vice President, and Margaret Dibble will represent the Board on the Executive Committee.

The Board recently called upon the congregation to volunteer for several new committees to aid with the expansion of our facilities and our continued dedication to Family Promise. The response was overwhelming, and we now have ample volunteers to take on this vital work. Thank you so much to everyone who stepped up! The Board has chosen liaisons for each committee: Mary DuPree for the Building Project Steering Committee, Lynna Stewart and Margaret Dibble for the Capital Campaign Committee, and Dan Schmidt for the Family Promise Committee. These Board members will assemble the volunteers for each committee in the coming weeks to begin determining roles and planning for the work ahead.

December 2018 Board Meeting Summary:

At this month’s meeting, the UUCP Board approved a new Information Management Policy, as well as the formation of a new Tech Committee to address audio, video, and website issues. The initial members of the Tech Committee will be Pat Fuerst, Rod Sprague, and Jon Anderson. The Board also approved the formation of a Family Promise Committee, based on feedback from the recent Congregational Meeting, and is seeking volunteers to fill it. The Board is also seeking volunteers for the Building Project Steering Committee and Capital Campaign Committee to implement the expansion of our facilities at our current location, as approved at the Congregational Meeting. If you are interested in volunteering for any of these committees, please contact UUCP Board President Joe Pallen (jpallen@roadrunner.com).

November 2018 Board Meeting Summary:

At their November meeting, the UUCP Board of Trustees agreed on the 2019 budget that will be submitted to congregation for a vote at the December 9 Congregational Meeting. Anyone who wishes to see the line-item budget should contact Judy LaLonde. The Board also approved the formation of a new Audio/Visual Committee. Bereavement leave for Reverend Elizabeth was approved for November 30th through December 12th. The Board also discussed ongoing work to provide more opportunities for involvement for Pullman UUs, including a monthly vespers with a possible potluck and a bimonthly parent group similar to the one now offered in Moscow. As a reminder, the next Congregational Meeting will be held December 9 after service, and the next Board meeting will be held December 19.

October 2018 Board Meeting Summary:

At their October meeting, the UUCP Board agreed to begin the facilities planning timeline suggested in the Next Steps Report provided by our stewardship consultant, Rachel Maxwell. This report is available on the UUCP website, and printed copies will also be available in the church foyer. The next Congregational Meeting is scheduled for December 9 and will include a vote on how we want to proceed with a capital campaign, as detailed in the report. A full agenda for this meeting will be sent out by November 25. The Board also discussed the future of Family Promise, which is currently suffering from a lack of volunteers. The commitment of the congregation to this program will also be assessed at the Congregational Meeting.

September 2018 Board Meeting Summary:

At their September 19th meeting, the UUCP Board made plans for the Breakfast With the Board on September 30th, from 8:30-9:30, and the Next Steps Weekend scheduled for October 5th, 6th, and 7th.  The Board also picked a tentative date for the second phase of the feasibility study. The Board discussed making signs and ordering sign posts to designate reserved parking places for elderly or limited-mobility members. The Board also discussed our growing need for RE program volunteers.

UUCP Board’s letter to the congregation about our Next Steps weekend in October:

UUCP Congregational Stewardship Visit Oct 5-7

As we prepare to make major decisions about our future facilities and programs, we’re excited to announce that UU Stewardship Consultant, Rachel Maxwell, will be with us on October 5th, 6thand 7th.

Rachel will meet with our board on Friday evening and on Saturday with our staff, church leadership, and several committees. She will be identifying recommended next steps and practical information to help us successfully achieve our stated goals.

On Sunday after the service Rachel will present her initial observations and recommendations to our entire congregation and will be there to answer your questions. A detailed written report delivered within two weeks of the visit will contain congregational survey results, data analysis, techniques for successful campaigns, UUA and district/regional resources applicable for our fellowship, and a timeline of recommendations customized for us.

Please plan to attend the congregation meeting on Sundayso that we will get the most out of our weekend with Rachel. Coffee and childcare will be provided during her presentation after the Sunday service.

If you have questions, feel free to contact any of us.

Your UUCP Board:
Joe Pallen, Mary Ellen Radziemski, Ryan Urie,Charla Willis,Mary DuPree, Dan J Schmidt, Marisa Gibler, Lynna Stewart, Gene Siple

Based on the feedback of the congregation through the facilities discernment process and the census report, the UUCP Board offers the following vision for the future of our church:

“The UUCP is a church that serves the entire Palouse region. As a program-based church, we will support and expand our existing church offerings while also exploring new opportunities to meet the needs of our UUCP family and the rest of the Palouse. We will anticipate and welcome congregational growth at our existing campus by improving and expanding our facilities in a financially responsible manner and by ensuring that they reflect our commitment to being welcoming of and accessible to everyone.”

August 2018 Board Meeting Summary:

At the August 15 meeting of the UUCP Board of Trustees, the Board decided to commence with a feasibility analysis as the next step for determining the future of our church facilities. A “Next Steps Weekend” event will be held in late September or early October, and all members of the church are encouraged to participate.

The Board also discussed ways to provide adequate parking and seating for community members with limited mobility. The Board also began planning for this year’s annual pledge drive and discussed how to cover the various expenses associated with Reverend Elizabeth’s upcoming sabbatical.

July 2018 Board Meeting Summary:

At their June meeting, the UUCP Board approved updates to the Safe Congregation Policy. As Jon Anderson has recently accepted a new position at the University of Idaho, the Board approved hiring Paul Thompson to replace him as our choir director and hiring Lynna Stewart as the choir accompanist. Jon will continue serving as the UUCP music director. The Board is also moving forward with commissioning a feasibility analysis to inform our facilities planning process.

July’s “Breakfast With the Board” event was a big success, and we’re grateful for all the feedback we received from community members. The next Breakfast With the Board is tentatively scheduled for September 30. Please plan to come and bring your questions and concerns about the direction of the church!

June 2018 Board Meeting Summary:

At the June meeting of the UUCP Board of Trustees, the board agreed to hold a Breakfast With the Board event to improve the transparency of Board activities and encourage communication between the Board and the congregation. The event is scheduled for July 15, 8:30-9:30 in the church basement. The Board recently held a half-day retreat to discuss the report from the Facilities Planning Task Force, and this issue will be discussed further at the Breakfast With the Board event. The Board also discussed the recently released church census report and will continue discussing at the July meeting how to best implement the feedback from the congregation.

May 2018 Board Meeting Summary:

In order to improve transparency, the UUCP Board is now providing monthly board meeting summaries (like the following) in the UUCP newsletter and on the web.

At their May 2018 meeting, the UUCP Board of Trustees discussed at length the report of the Facilities Planning Task Force, available both in the newsletter and on the UUCP website. (The report and other related documents can be found on the Board’s document page.)  The Board is planning a retreat to discuss the report in greater detail, weigh various options, and determine the next steps toward reaching a congregational consensus on this extremely important decision. If you have additional input on this topic after reviewing the report, please contact a Board member directly (look for the blue name tags!).

The Board also approved a new Personnel Policy and a revised Facilities Use Policy; both are available for review at the church office. The Board approved changing the title of the Director of Religious Exploration to Director of Family Ministries to better reflect Ginger’s actual duties. Ginger’s assistant, Veronica, will also have her job title updated to Family Ministries Program Associate.

The next Board meeting will be June 13 at 6:30 in the Sanctuary. As a reminder, all members of the UUCP congregation are welcome to attend.