August 2025

This month, I’d like to highlight the good work being done on our strategic plan (3-year plan). If you haven’t looked at the plan recently, you can find it here on the congregation’s website (About Us / Mission & Long Range Plan). Reviewing the top section of the plan, it includes specific recommendations to the Board for committees and roles that will support our work on the more specific plan goals. We are making good progress on this section, as follows.

If you attended the June congregational meeting this year, you may recall that we voted on and passed an amendment to the Bylaws which adds the Stewardship Steering Committee (SSC) as a new Board-appointed committee. The SSC is responsible for nurturing a culture of giving (including the gift of time), planned giving (don’t know what this is? Ask an SSC member or check the website under “Stewardship”!), long term planning and leading the Pledge Drive. At our July Board meeting, we were happy to appoint Kay Frazier and Ann Salamini as at-large members of the SSC. The Lead Minister and the Treasurer also serve as ex officio members of the SSC, and Ellie Syverud will be the Board Liaison to the committee. We are grateful for the time and energy these folks have already put into the new committee, and look forward to working with them this year.

In addition, the Long Range Plan asks the Board to work with the Lead Minister to reconstitute the Committee on the Ministry (COM – NOT to be confused with the Communications Committee which is different). The purpose of the reconstituted COM is to support the implementation of the plan, and they are charged with assisting relevant staff and lay leaders in developing strategies for accomplishing the goals and priorities of the plan. At our July Board meeting, we were glad to appoint Pam McIntire, Barb Alag and Laura Horn as members of the COM, as recommended by Rev. Tim Temerson.

All of the work that our congregation does within the congregation, in our local community, and in the wider world, is facilitated when people step into leadership roles like the SSC and the COM, and so many more. And there are many roles for people who don’t want to be “in leadership” at this time. There is much to be done – please think about where you might want to help! We’ll be having a Service Fair soon to help you understand all the options – watch the newsletter

Submitted by Carol Gardner
President, Board of Trustees