The Board recently held its annual retreat, which is an opportunity for us to spend nearly a full day together. In contrast to our monthly meetings, the retreat allows us time to have bigger-picture discussions and to get to know each other better. I appreciated the fun activities created by Kim Grover and Rev. Leia for the retreat – I think the Board works better together throughout the rest of the year when we are more familiar and comfortable with each other. While Board service will certainly involve serious discussions, we also hope it will feel meaningful, and even be fun sometimes.
As one of our recent Board greeters highlighted, one of our foundations as a Board is respectful interaction. We want to create an environment where each Board member feels welcome to ask questions and challenge assumptions. During our Board meetings, if you have attended any, you’ll notice that we assign someone to be the “process observer”. This person watches our interactions and makes sure we are respecting each person’s input and giving everyone time to speak uninterrupted. I appreciate that this helps to set the expectation for how our interactions proceed, even when we may disagree. This helps us make better decisions as your Board of Trustees.
At this year’s retreat, we invited members of the Committee on Ministries (COM) to join us for part of the meeting. The COM presented an update and assessment of where we are with the strategic plan, and the Board began considering our plan priorities for this coming church year. I really appreciate that the COM (Pam McIntire, Laura Horn and Barb Alag) helps us to always keep our plan as a focal point in what we are doing as a congregation.
I’m looking forward to the new church year kicking off, with Religious Education classes beginning and our Service Fair to help folks learn about all the wonderful activities happening in the congregation, and get involved. And save the date for a few important upcoming UUCville events (and there are many, many more, please see the website, weekly newsletter and Sunday morning announcements):
- September 26 – Celebrate CVille Pride 2026 – 12:30pm to 7:30pm – Ting Pavilion
- October 24 – Brunch Honoring our Elders – 10:00am to 11:30am – UUCville Social Hall
- November 7 – Auction Event with Bread & Soup Cookoff – 5:00pm to 7:00pm– UUCville Social Hall
Submitted by: Carol Gardner, President