To our Beloved Community,

The Board of Trustees is happy to announce that our congregation voted on Sunday, September 27th, to pass the 2020-2021 church budget with 100% approval.

In addition to passing the budget, our congregation also made the historic decision to change the name of our church to no longer use the name, Thomas Jefferson. This motion passed with 95.4% in favor.

The final breakdown of the Congressional Meeting vote is as follows:

163 members in attendance, with 157 ballots cast.

157 of 157 votes in favor of the budget. Passed with 100% in favor.

146 votes in favor of changing the name, 7 against, 4 abstentions.
Passed with 95.4% in favor.

We recognize the significance of this moment with gratitude for the spirit of compassion, social justice, and vision for the future reflected in the mandate for this change.

While this motion was overwhelmingly supported by those attending, we understand that not everyone agrees with changing our name. It is our hope that we remain united in our support of our UU principles, our church mission, and our call to come together in love, even as we recognize this disagreement.

The Board would like to thank the congregation for their participation and open-hearted communication through this process. We would also like to express our gratitude to the task force and committee who made Sunday’s important decisions possible:

First, thank you to the Finance Committee for work their work on the budget.:

Gloria Morgan
Rosalie Simari
Stan Walker, Board Treasurer
Doug Webbink
Marian Wendelin, Chair of Finance
Sean Skally, DAF

Many thanks also to the Name Change Task Force:

Co-chairs, Christine Gresser and Liberty Powers
Matthew Diasio
Lauren Doran
Bonnie Hansen
Caroline Landis
Debby Norton
Katherine Valenzuela Parsons
James Watson
and Staff Liaison, Sean Skally

We also thank previous organizers around this issue including:

David Mellor
Laura Wallace
Jeanine Braithwaite

This group joins the ranks of committees, task forces and educators in our congregation who have worked on dismantling racism initiatives and congregational name change efforts over the past two decades.

In the coming weeks, the Board will create opportunities for input and discussions around choosing the new name. We will then set a date for a congregational vote to make our final selection. This will be a special opportunity for us all to reflect on our deepest values and the expression of our identity in our community.

Thank you again to everyone who contributes to this congregation and its mission.

In Faith,

TJMC-UU Board of Trustees

Lorie Craddock, President
Elizabeth Breeden, Vice-President
Stan Walker, Treasurer
Beth Jaeger-Landis, Secretary
Liberty Powers
Pam McIntire
Breck Gastinger
Kelsey Cowger
Jim Gorham

TJMC Covenant of Right Relations
In order to create the beloved community we all desire for ourselves, we, the Congregation of Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church Unitarian Universalist covenant to:
• Communicate with compassion and respect, especially when we disagree
• Celebrate diversity and nurture our inclusivity,
• Promote social justice within our congregation and the larger community,
• Generously support the ministries of the church with time, money and enthusiasm, and
• Lovingly call each other back into covenant when we have fallen short.