Jim Gorham
At large member, Board of Trustees
Reporter for our May 26 BOT meeting

Here is a brief summary of our Board of Trustees meeting, held on Wednesday May 26.

There were no public comments, and the proposed agenda for the meeting passed.  

We began the meeting discussing the increase in benefits for personnel that have been proposed in this year’s budget; the theme behind the increase is equity for our paid staff, with recommendations from the UUA helping to guide the decision-making.  

We next discussed that we lack a formal process by which members of our congregation can apply for grants on behalf of UU C’ville.  This will be addressed by the next Board. 

We discussed the reopening of our physical space, and that such reopening needs to be thoughtful, and intentional.  All meetings on church grounds should have a plan for virtual access for those that cannot be there. We are a community mindful of the most vulnerable among us.  Related to this, July 18th’s sermon will have Rev. Linda in the pulpit, in person in the building proper! Congregants will still be zooming in. This service serves as a tech “dry run” so that we can really test our capabilities for simultaneous in person and virtual access.

Our Assistant Minister Alex returns formally on June 1. The month of June she will be mostly “laying low” with a gradual re-entry into Church life.

Leia was pleased to report that more than 50 congregants have signed up for the summer Chalice Circles. She is currently organizing these; more to come.

We briefly discussed the second round of the PPP loan, and what the budget changes might look like if we are not able to procure that loan.

There are a few additional unexpected expenses that have come to our attention, including some dead trees that require removal, and some work on the lower HVAC unit for summit house.  We are gathering more specific information on costs and timelines.