At its annual retreat on August 15, held at Fussman Pavilion in Deerfield Park, the Board agreed on five goals for this year: (1) to call a minister (instead of having a contract minister); (2) to establish an effective communications team; (3) to monitor and deal with the impact of the pandemic on our community; (4) to work to improve our shared ministry to one another in a number of diverse ways, including the work of the Committee on Shared Ministry and a variety of small steps to improve inclusion and transparency; and (5) to undertake antiracist initiatives.
 
A search committee—a revival of last year’s “transition team”—will work on the first goal. Sally Armstrong is organizing and will lead the communications team. We have a task force (Drew, Deb Allore, Kris Los, and Laura McBride) advising on the pandemic. The Committee on Shared Ministry (Drew, Guy, Carolyn Hancock, and Chris Bailey) assesses and advises the Board on how to improve our ministry to one another. There is no official group focusing on the question of what our next step will be as an antiracist community. Several people have a strong interest; we are brainstorming. If you have an idea, shoot it to me! How do we as a gentle, angry people confront the daily outrages of American racism?
 
At the regular board meeting (Zoom, afternoon of August 15), the Board approved a new contract for Director of Religious Education Kendra Peffers, running through January 10, 2021. We accepted a donation of a beautiful, black metal chalice from Kris Los, and this will soon adorn our Wisconsin door. We also made slight modifications to the existing policy establishing the Committee on Shared Ministry (so as to keep its membership distinct from that of the Board), and we had a “first reading” and discussion of a draft Board Policy on Disruptive Behavior.

At its July 12 meeting, the Board asked me to support Drew in seeking a waiver of a Ministerial Fellowship Committee rule that, for practical purposes, would prevent him from accepting a call to become our settled minister. Because of that committee’s schedule, we cannot expect a response until late in September.  

The Board also voted that UUFCM accept the invitation to join the UU Fellowship of Oberlin in ordaining Drew on July 25. That was an incredibly beautiful Zoom ceremony. Congratulations to Reverend Frantz!

The Board voted to establish a new committee, the Communications Team. Sally Armstrong–who has past experience in this role with another UU church–has agreed to serve as chair. Details will be worked out at the Board’s upcoming retreat, on August 15.  

No one applied for our advertised Director of Religious Education position, but Kendra Peffers will stay on through January 10, 2021.