Board Retreat Update

On July 26, the Board of Directors held a productive day-long retreat to begin the new church year. We took time to educate ourselves on church finances. Thanks to Treasurer Melaney Sargent, we received training on reading the monthly reports on the financial health of the church. We reviewed key policies and procedures – many of which are outdated at this time – and are planning regular working meetings in the months ahead to update and revise those materials.

We learned about the fiduciary and legal responsibilities of the board, discussing in the context of the church bylaws, IRS rules, and UU values. We learned that fiduciary means “trust,” as in we are the trustees of this community with a duty of care (to you and the operations of the church), duty of loyalty (to act together in the best interest of the church), and duty of obedience (to the rules and law).

Rosie Blankenship provided training on board use of the Google Drive – thanks to herself having received training from Bill Sutton, our church tech admin. We are working to professionalize our management of organizational email and internal communications to preserve those items for transitions between board leadership and volunteers.

As a board, we feel well-positioned to support the congregation with strong, collaborative leadership. We are encouraged by the renewal process already underway and energized by the growth in our community — now having welcomed 9 new members in the last 12 months! We welcome input, as well as your assistance to continue this great work.