Joseph Priestley
District
Board of
Directors
May 19-20,
2001
Virden Center,
Lewes, Delaware
Minutes
Present: Evelyn Spurgin (president), Mike Harris
(vice president), Ellen Cotts (treasurer), Dave Hunter (secretary), Dawn Star
Borchelt, David Chandler (5/19 only), Howard Dana (5/19 only), Marilyn Dyson,
Janet Eisenhauer, Anne Herndon (5/19 only), Paula Maiorano, Paul Roche (5/19
only), Bill Stroup (5/19 only)
Absent: Mel Harkrader-Pine
Also
Present: Richard Speck,
Susan Rak (5/19 only), Bob Johnsen, Qiyamah Rahman
The meeting was
called to order on May 19, at 4:35 p.m.
1. Board
Appointments. The Rev. Howard Dana (SVAC) and Janet
Eisenhauer (unclustered Maryland) were appointed to the board for one year
terms.
2. District
Lifespan Religious Education Consultant.
Susan Rak was thanked for her years serving the district. Evelyn Spurgin announced that the
candidate for acting district lifespan religious education consultant is
Virginia Jarocha-Ernst, now the DRE of UU Congregation of Somerset Hills,
NJ. We will interview her and
decide whether to accept her on either May 29 or May 30. We will discuss the formation of a
search committee for the permanent district lifespan religious education
consultant in July.
3. CampUUs
Director. Evelyn announced that the search
committee for an acting CampUUs Director will consist of Evelyn Spurgin (board),
Janet Eisenhauer (board), Richard Speck (district executive), Lilly Nye (interim
assistant minister, Main Line), Rob Cavenaugh (acting chair, CampUUs), Darrell
Duane (young adults), Roberta Finkelstein (minister, Sterling), with assistance
from Donna DiSciullo (UUA Young Adult/Campus Ministry
Director).
4. GA
Suite. We will have a suite in the Renaissance
Hotel. A list of events was
circulated, with board members signing up to volunteer.
5. Future
Meetings. The following schedule for future board
meetings was agreed to: May 29 or 30, July 13-14 (Reading), October 5-6
(Wilmington), November 16-17, January 11-12, March 1‑2. The annual meeting will be on April
13. The date for the 2002 board
retreat will be set at the July meeting.
6. Treasurer’s
Report. Ellen Cotts distributed and discussed
her Treasurer’s Report (attached).
7. Congregational
Liaisons. The proposed assignments distributed by
Dave Hunter were agreed to with two swaps.
Revised assignments:
David Chandler
West Chester
Ellen Cotts
Thomas Paine
Janet Eisenhauer
Frederick
Mike Harris
All Souls
Assignments as
revised are attached.
8. Committee
Liaisons. Committee liaison assignments were
discussed but not finalized until May 20 (see below). The District Executive’s Advisory
Committee will continue unchanged.
9.
DYSC. Susan Rak reported that she has not yet
received the list of proposed DYSC members for 2001-02. She will circulate the list to the board
by email; board members should send her any comments they have. Susan will assume that DYSC members have
board approval unless she receives objections.
10. Staff Reports.
Staff members will report at the July meeting.
11. Reimbursement
policy. A description of the current practice
was distributed and approved as policy, subject to
refinement.
Much of the work of JPD is carried out by
volunteers on the board, committees, task forces, etc. In order to ensure maximum
participation, all expenses for official JPD business are eligible for
reimbursement as follows: rooms at 50% of the prevailing rate (two to a room is
our standard practice), mileage at 20 cents per mile, meals up to $35 per diem,
and other out-of-pocket expenses with receipts. JPD Expenditure Forms are to be filed
with the JPD office.
Alternatively, many volunteers make donations
to the JPD for expenses incurred on their behalf and keep their own records to
claim income tax deductions for those donations and their JPD expenses in lieu
of JPD reimbursement. (Be aware
that IRS mileage deduction rates may change from year to year and that current
information should be reviewed annually.)
The meeting was
recessed at 5:22 p.m.
The meeting was
reconvened on May 20, at 9:05 a.m.
12. Committee
Liaisons. The following liaison and other
assignments to committees were agreed to:
CampUUs
Mel Harkrader-Pine
Conferences
Paul Maiorano
DYSC
Dave Hunter
Awards
Mike Harris (chair), Anne Herndon, Dave Hunter
LGBT
Bill Stroup
Nominating
Dave Hunter
Personnel
Janet Eisenhauer, Ellen Cotts, David Chandler
Extension
Ellen Cotts
Finance
Paul Roche (chair), Ellen Cotts, Gene Mulligan (former board
member)
Long Range Planning
Mike Harris, Anne Herndon
Journey Toward Wholeness
Evelyn Spurgin
Leadership Development
Janet Eisenhauer, Howard Dana
RE
Dawn Star Borchelt
Women and Religion
Janet Eisenhauer
Publications
Marilyn Dyson
13. Staff
Reimbursement. On the recommendation of Ellen Cotts,
the board approved up to $1,000 additional travel expense reimbursement for Bob
Johnsen, at Ellen’s discretion.
The meeting was
adjourned at 9:08 a.m.
Dave Hunter,
Secretary
Attachments:
treasurer’s report, congregational liaison assignments
Retreat Summary – 5/19-20 – from wall charts
I. Progress 2000-01
A. JTW
1. Two new people added and trained
2. Developing strategy for power analysis
B. Extension
1. 3% growth target, 1.8 actual
2. Moving toward growth plan
C. Leadership
1. More communication/participation in UNILEAD
2. Leadership days: migration toward new types
D. RE
1. Moving toward more half-time DREs
2. Improved deepening of RE professionals
3. GWAREC library to JPD LREDA chapter
E. CampUUs - 9 congregational campus ministries, $ needed to institutionalize
F. DYSC
1. SJ Con held
2. YES program started
3. Training for 30 advisors
G. Music/Worship – no activity
H. Services - teams in development
I. RNS – sunsetted
J. GLBT - held retreat, building community education
K. Staff
1. DE – permanent selected
2. Growth Consultant – ½ time
3. Lifespan RE - moving toward teams
4. CampUUs – going to ½ time
L. Board - reviewed models
M. Board Committees
1. Nominating - seeking well-trained volunteers
2. Communications
a. Found newsletter editor
b. Web site in development
3. LRP – gathered info from stakeholders, planned retreat
4. Personnel
a. Completed policies & procedures
b. Looking at broadening services to congregations.
5. Awards – Designated UnsungUU & Pickett (River Road) winning national
6. Finance – ribbons to honor fair share
II. Vision – imagining JPD in 5 years: where we are going, what we will look like
A. Group 1
1. Focus on strengthening lay leadership
2. Universal UU access and visibility/awareness
3. Wider vision of “congregational polity”
(paradigm shift to collective faith clusters/congregational covenants)
4. Program accomplishments: JTW, CampUUs, SJ initiative
5. Growth targets – numbers, congregations
6. Healthy congregations – developing successfully in faith & practice
B. Group 2
1. Growth: new starts & growth of present congregations – greater diversity
2. Trained religious educators in every congregation
3. 100% fair share
4. Greater UU presence in community: SJ/interfaith activities, prophetic voice
5. Strong CampUUs & Young Adult programs
C. Group 3
1. Growth
a. Numbers & kinds of congregations
b. Faith & vitality (+SJ) individuals and institutions
c. Keeping our own
d. $ + institutional support/resources
e. Staff + infrastructure
2. Change(-d, -ing)
a. Service delivery method & process
b. Planning process
c. Use of technology
d. Nurturing of true diversity
e. Recognizing & addressing “null” curriculum
D. Group 4
1. Growth of UUism (3-20%) fuels everything else
a. Culture must change
b. All sized congregations to grow: small, mid, large
2. Congregationally-based ministry to Youth & Young Adults
3. Active, trained, committed volunteer base
4. Additional staff
III. Vision Areas (the following were identified as major initiatives & subsequently consolidated)
A. Leadership
B. Program Development
C. Growth
D. Social Justice
E. UU Identity
F. Collective Consciousness
G. Public Awareness
H. 100% Fair Share
I. Technology & Communications
Note: when consolidated, C was seen as over-arching,
D-E-F-G as UU Identity, H & I as means to accomplishment
IV. Growth Types (for analysis)
A. Numerical: BIPs (bodies-in-pews)
1. Leadership: lay & professional
a. 10 new starts in 5 yrs, 20,000 UUs
b. Training for ministers & lay persons on growth issues
c. Develop a 20-person network to evangelize/management consult (adjuncts of DE/GC) with sermons
d. Board needs to be out front of this leadership change with ministers
e. Help in closing the back door, e.g., extension ministry training
f. Remember the “homegrown”
g. Media experts needed
2. Program Development
a. Fund innovative growth programs
b. Identify change agents
3. Social Justice
a. Publicize SJ that is done
b. Establish staff position
4. UU Identity as intentionally growing
5. Public Awareness – getting the message out better
6. Technology & Communications
a. Award for best web site
b. Training in web design/use
c. Staff for technical support
B. Organic: organization & infrastructure
1. Full funding - model for congregations
a. 100% fair share
b. Endowment
c. Grants
2. Leadership
a. Service delivery, best practices book
b. Programming
c. Board revision: governance
d. Staff assessment/analysis
e. Modeling
f. Training for congregations
3. Technology & communications – improved
C. Incarnational: living the faith
1. Leadership - chosen with full diversity of UUism
2. Promote, facilitate, engage shared dialogue of public witness (what it means to be UU)
3. Training in systems thinking: best practices, healthy congregations
4. Accountable to those we serve – inclusivity
D. Maturational: deepening in the faith
1. Leadership
a. Encourage lay development – multiple paths
b. Recognition in churches
c. Seminary for lay leaders
2. People follow lay leaders
3. UU identity
a. Ways to find what we believe
b. Having conversation of where we are going as people of faith
c. Healthy modeling
V. Consolidated Foci and Goals by Years
1. Leadership
a. Create task force (in conjunction with extension committee) for district growth plan: 20,000 UUs in 5 yrs, 5 new congregations: Y1-create; Y2-fund plan
b. Move toward policy governance board model: Y1-form task force; Y5-be at new model
c. Board to keep growth on front burner, July decision on action
d. Best practices: Y1-web site
e. Engage leadership & nominating committee: Y1-identify more leaders, checking with congregations
2. UU identity
a. Conversation on who we are, where we’re going: Y1 board commitment resulting in evaluation and plan
b. Social Justice: Y1-articulate vision & ask for feedback; Y5-have it be the norm in our congregational cultures – hard core ministry
c. Public Awareness: Y1-volunteer media professionals, target/pilot 3 congregations; Y5-have the norm be all congregations using publicity
3. Program Development
a. Young Adult/CampUUs – receive report from YATF: Y1-web site development, ½ professional, YA staffing, district YA network; Y2-3/4 professional; Y3-FTE; Y5-40 congregation-based programs; Y5-appealing worship, governance, social, etc.
b. LSRE professionals – Y1-startup workshop and training for all new DREs; Y5-every congregation to have a fairly compensated ½-time DRE
c. DYSC – urge nominating committee to consider youth for board: Y5-50 YES congregations, youth program consultant
d. JTW – Y1-board members and staff to attend paid trainings, use anti-racist/anti-oppression lens in all activities, programs, and personnel decisions; Y5-well on road to becoming anti-racist
e. LGBT – Y1-assign staff person, invite committee to board meeting; Y5-all congregations to be “welcoming”
f. Accessibility for disabled – Y1-start certifications in JPD directory
g. Elderly – Y1-put on radar screen, increase visibility; Y5-have program in place
h. Conference(s) – annual spring: Y1 continue search for hotel/conference center venue; Y5-1,000 attendees with waiting list, banner parade, it will be well-organized to offer community, information, workshops, inspiring worship, at an affordable cost to participants in a fully accessible location