Summary of Supplementary KUUF Board of Trustees Meeting

Via Zoom

We scheduled this meeting as a follow-up to our April 28 meeting, as we did not have time then to properly address this very important issue:  whether to begin the process of calling Reverend Jessica Star Rockers to become our Settled Minister at Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. 

By Friday evening, two more items had made it onto our agenda.

Board members present:  Eric Harrold, Nathan Emmett, Jack Peterson, Jackie Westwood, Terry Mallory, and Lisa Johnson.  Absent:  Peter Kreidler (excused)  Guests:  Beth Wilson and Margaret Wilder

We began the meeting with a Chalice lighting and reading of our Board Covenant.  We followed with these items:

1.      Transitioning Reverend Jessica into settled ministry:  Long before this pandemic hit, Reverend Jessica had shown herself to be a stunning asset to KUUF. 

·       Our membership was growing, and we were thriving with new people, including families, joining us. 

·       Then, with our need to Stay Home and Stay Safe, she has led us into virtual services, spiritual practices, and networking to care for our community. 

·        Many in the congregation have already expressed the desire to “hold on to her, whatever it takes.”

·       If called to settled ministry, Reverend Jessica would still maintain a ¾ position. As we already pay the accompanying benefits of a ¾ time position, settled ministry would not be an additional expense.

·       Settled ministry is a deeper commitment than her present, year-to-year agreement.  That deeper commitment is on both sides, minister to congregation, and congregation to minister.

·       The process of calling Reverend Jessica to settled ministry would take several months, and require a task force appointed by the Board; the task force’s development of a plan for sharing with the congregation; a series of small-group meetings to assess our readiness, with records kept at all these meetings; and a vote to call receiving a 90% yes. 

The Board voted unanimously to begin this process.  We hope to complete this by the end of our current fiscal year.

If you are interested in being part of this task force, please contact Lisa at linezj@wavecable.com to have your name added to the list of candidates.

2.      Communication with the greater congregation:  At a recent Wednesday evening Conversations meeting, the issue of clearly sharing information with our greater community arose, including information about our financial health.  An ad hoc committee formed, comprised of Beth Wilson, Deborah Welsh, Jackie Westwood, and Ellen Newberg (with Susan Welsh in an advisory capacity.)  This ad hoc committee (dubbed “KUUF, Karma, and COVID-19”) met twice, and composed drafts of letters to go out to the congregation from the Board.  The first letter will be a brief paragraph of concern for our community.  The second will an update on how we are functioning under the SHSS order, and the third an overview of our financial situation in this time of lost revenue for so many of us, including KUUF.

The Board voted unanimously to approve both letters.  They will be sent out separately via blast email.

3.      KUUF needs to replace the roof on the Easter Seals (Matan) building.  At first, we thought it was possible to simply patch the weak spots, but on closer examination we found that to be insufficient.  The cost of replacing the roof is $35,000 to $45,000.  Most of that money is currently set aside in the Matan budget, but because of the amount (more than 5% of our budget) the expenditure must be approved by a congregational vote.  We will send out the vote soon via a blast email and paper ballot to those who request it. (Please share this information if you know someone who does not have access to internet now.)

Please, if you are experiencing difficulty during this challenging time, please contact Reverend Jessica at minister@kuuf.org, any member of the Board board@kuuf.org, or our Caring Committee caringcommittee@kuuf.org.

Summary of KUUF Board of Trustees Meeting

1. Chalice lighting and reading of KUUF Board Covenant

2. March Board Meeting minutes were approved with minor changes, as was tonight’s agenda

3. Treasurer’s report:  Although pledges are somewhat down, as is Charitable Giving, we ended the fiscal year with 97% of pledges received.  Loss of revenue from the deferral of Easter Seals’ rent April rent has not really hit us yet, but the rent increase from January through March still left us at 103% of that budget.  The impact of the deferral of Easter Seals’ rent will become clear with our next month’s financial report.  Thanks to Mark Sugimoto and Susan Welsh for their work.  The Treasurer’s report was accepted by consensus.

4. Charter for Committee on Shared Ministry:  The committee has updated their charter, and presented it to the Board for approval.  Approved unanimously.

5. Charitable Giving for 2020-2021:  The question was raised whether to send out the vote to the congregation via Survey Monkey, or wait until we hold our annual meeting.  Board members felt that the congregation had plenty of time to submit new nominations, and we voted, unanimously, to conduct the vote via Survey Monkey.  That information has now gone out, and voting will continue through May.  May’s Charitable Donation recipient is KIAC.

6. Increased use of ICON system for intra-congregational communication.  We already use the ICON system for budget, and it provides a means of keeping communication, member info, and other relevant information in one place.  Lisa is looking into whether this would be helpful for our communications, and will report back at our May 26 meeting.

7. Application for Payroll Protection Plan grant:  Terry and Susan worked hard to gather the information to complete the application for this loan, which will turn into a grant after 8-10 weeks, provided we continue to pay our employees, which in March we voted to do.  We were approved for the program, which will bring us just under $26,000.  There was discussion on whether or not we should accept this money, as other small businesses in our community are in worse financial shape.  We ultimately settled on accepting it with the proviso that when our next fiscal year ends, if we have money left over, we will pay it forward to help community nonprofits.  Consensus yes.

8. Grounds care:  should we continue to pay the company we hired last year.  Out of concern for our faithful grounds volunteers, and to be consistent in paying our employees through the COVID-19 crisis, we voted unanimously to continue to employ Brothers’ Landscaping.  Terry will contact them to arrange for their services when businesses can open up again.

9. Reverend Jessica and Settled Ministry:  Tabled until a special meeting, to be arranged via Doodle Poll.

The meeting adjourned at approximately 9:15 pm.

Respectfully submitted by Lisa Johnson

Charitable Giving and More: Are you ready to help?

Well, most of us have been stuck at home for a long time now (we cannot say thank you enough to those of you who are still going out into the world to help the rest of us stay safe and have the things we need.)   We have zoomed meetings, binge-watched Netflix, gone on walks, home-schooled our children, grieved the loss of the way things used to be, and found countless other ways of dealing with our new reality. 
    Some of us feel the need to do more. 
Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center is our designated Charitable Giving recipient for May.  (For now, we’re observing the choices voted on last year.)  This is appropriate, for the clients KIAC serves are among the most marginalized in our community now.  KIAC clients can’t get unemployment insurance; they won’t be getting the $1200 relief checks.  And many face hunger and homelessness.
            We have the opportunity to help these folks, our neighbors, in several ways:

• Contribute through our weekly offering to KIAC’s COVID Emergency Fund, focused on preventing homelessness and hunger.

• We can sew masks.  There are several among us who have already sewn multiple masks for ourselves and our friends.  Many of KIAC’s families don’t have them.  KIAC would like to get about 100 total (and they’re also reaching out to other faith communities.)  If you are willing to sew masks, or have cotton fabric, bias tape, or elastic to donate, please contact me at linezj@wavecable.com, and I will arrange for pickup and delivery.  My home phone is 360-204-5587. By the way, this can be a wonderful project for parents and children to  work on together. 

• We can make disinfectant.  Last month, our Social Justice Committee purchased two gallons of bleach, when no other disinfecting supplies were available.  That bleach needs to be mixed 1:10 with water in plastic spray bottles, to be given by KIAC to families.  The social justice committee has committed to giving KIAC $50 each month for necessities; this money will be used to purchase plastic spray bottles.  We could really use a lead person for this project, which would not be very time-consuming.  If you’re interested, please call or email me at 360-204-5587 or linezj@wavecable.com

• We can volunteer to pair with a KIAC family, to read books or do homework with children via zoom, or to help clients practice English.  All students in the Bremerton School District have tablets, so this is work that can be done remotely.  If this is a job that appeals to you, please send me your name and I will arrange for someone at KIAC to contact you.

I am so proud of the social justice work that KUUF has done and is doing in our greater community.  Please consider giving your time and/or your money, if possible, to help some of our most vulnerable neighbors.

Lisa Johnson, Board of Trustee 

Postponement of Annual Meeting

Dear Beloved Community of KUUF,

Last night, prior to our scheduled Conversations with the Board zoom meeting to discuss the budget, your Board voted unanimously to postpone our annual meeting, scheduled for April 26, 2020, until such time as we can meet together again in person.

We reached this decision because of the following factors:

·       While we knew we could probably reach a quorum with a Zoom meeting, we were concerned that too many among us are still uncomfortable communicating electronically.  We believe we need full access to voting on congregational matters.

·       We understand that the economic environment now is in turmoil, and it is difficult to vote on a budget which may be impacted severely by the economic uncertainties we all face

·       Our Finance Committee, chaired by Susan Welsh, supported the decision to postpone, and believes we can continue operating under the guidelines of our 2019-2020 budget.

We request that committees continue to observe the April 15 deadline to submit their annual reports to the congregation, so that we may make this information available to everyone, before the date of our opening again.

There are issues that we may need to vote on electronically before we hold our delayed annual meeting.  The principle item is the replacement of the roof of the Easter Seals building, which we hope to begin as soon as it is safe for workers to do so.  The money is already approved, in the Easter Seals building capital projects budget.  However, the size of the project requires that we obtain congregational approval.

The Board will do our best to keep communication open and transparent.  We are so blessed in the closeness and resiliency of our community.  Thank you to the myriad volunteers and employees who are keeping of going.  I look forward to our next Sunday service together, my Circle of Care meeting, our Conversations with the Board time, and all opportunities we have to join, worship, and care together.

Blessings and love to you all,

Lisa Johnson

For the Board of Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Board Update for March 25, 2020

Important message from the KUUF Board of Trustees

Dear Beloved KUUF Community,

            In compliance with Governor Inslee’s directive, and the CDC’s and our Parish Nurse Jennifer Ingalls’ recommendation, KUUF’s Board has voted (unanimously) to suspend services at KUUF until further notice.  The building is closed.   Our employees are working from home, and we are paying them for the duration.   

We hold all of you in our hearts, and hope that you are finding ways to connect electronically, whether it be through our online services (so many thanks to the Worship Committee and Reverend Jessica for creating meaningful worship during this hard time,) your Chalice Circle or Circle of Care, and through simple phone calls to people you care about.  

            At this time, it is highly likely that we will hold our Annual Congregational Meeting (April 26) via Zoom.  I am hoping that most of you are getting acquainted and comfortable with Zoom meetings, and will take part.  Our bylaws require 20% of our membership take part in order to establish a quorum.  The items we need to vote on are these:

·      Our budget for 2020-2021

·      Electing two members to the Board of Directors

·      Selection of our Charitable Giving recipients for the coming year

·      Use of money from the Endowment Committee’s earnings to pay for our new Audio/Visual system.

In order to share information about each of these items, the Board will hold digital Conversations with the Board zoom meetings, beginning on Wednesday, April 1 at 6:00 pm and continuing each Wednesday through April 22.  Please join us with your questions and comments, and just to be together in community.  The zoom link will be emailed to attendees.

Our votes will likely be held using Survey Monkey.  Individuals who request paper ballots for voting may receive them through the mail. 

You will be receiving copies of the proposed budget, a nomination form for Charitable Giving, and a history of past recipients as soon as these become available.   You will also receive the links to Conversations with the Board.

Isolation is challenging, but I hope you are not finding it intolerable.  May you be finding ways to appreciate it—perhaps through quiet meditation, walks outside, hearing birdsongs, creating beauty, reading books you have long wanted to read, talking remotely to friends and family.  I firmly believe that love, and reaching out to others, is what will carry us through this.  We can emerge from the other side as better people, more thankful for what we have, more convinced of the interconnected web that unites us.   

A dear friend, Reba Renner, shared this poem with me, which I pass on to you:

 Bugs in a Bowl

Han Shan, that great and crazy, wonder-filled Chinese poet of a thousand years ago, said:

We're just like bugs in a bowl. All day going around never leaving their bowl.

I say, That's right! Every day climbing up 

the steep sides, sliding back.

Over and over again. Around and around.

Up and back down.

Sit in the bottom of the bowl, head in your hands,

cry, moan, feel sorry for yourself.

Or. Look around. See your fellow bugs.

Walk around.

Say, Hey, how you doin'?

Say, Nice Bowl!

--David Budbill

May we all see the beauty of the bowl.

With love,

Lisa Johnson, for the KUUF Board

Our Response to COVID-19

Important message from the KUUF Board of Trustees

Dear friends,

All worship services through the end of March have been canceled.

This decision was not made lightly. The Board has had to make some very critical decisions these past two weeks, very quickly. And we are grateful to you for your support and kindness as we navigate an uncertain time in the history of our fellowship and our country. We want to be sure that we are communicating openly with you the information behind the decisions we have made.

●      The decision to cancel services through the end of March is based on the current public health advisories, and information re: the pandemic COVID-19 coronavirus. This information is being updated daily, and we—the Board and Rev Jessica—are being guided by our very wise and experienced Parish Nurse, Jennifer Ingalls, who is accessing the latest information from the CDC, Kitsap County, and Washington State Departments of Health. We are also closely watching what is happening in King County, the national epicenter of the pandemic.  We know that what is happening in Seattle is just a ferry ride away, and that thousands of people make that voyage daily. Two of the most important facts, which have not changed, is that this virus has a higher fatality rate than influenza, and that the most vulnerable are those over 60. This includes a large portion of our beloved community. For that reason we want to take proactive measures. This includes the decision to not gather in a large group again until April.

●      We know that one of the most effective things we can do to protect each other and to slow the spread of this illness is “social distancing”.  As it would not be possible for us to gather as usual for a worship service and still maintain the recommended 5-6 feet apart from one another, we have elected to explore other, safer ways of being together.

●      Rev. Jessica is working with the worship team to create online worship services.

●      Rev. Jessica is also working with Chalice Circle leaders to continue to provide smaller group fellowship opportunities.  For those in our community who are not currently in a Chalice Circle, she and the Caring Committee are creating “Circles of Care.” If you are one of our members not in a Chalice Circle, Rev. Jessica will be contacting you about joining one of these Circles of Care.

●      We are looking at this current time as a new waypoint on our journey as a fellowship and as an opportunity to explore new ways to be together in relationship.

●      We feel so very grateful for Rev. Jessica’s leadership during this complicated time. The fact that she has professional experience creating online worship (during her work with the Church of the Larger Fellowship) is just another of her gifts.

●      We have decided, unanimously, to continue to pay our childcare workers and office staff as usual. We are also offering Tanesha the option of working from home, should she so choose.

●      The Board has begun meeting via Zoom video conferencing, and we are encouraging other committees and groups to do likewise. It is actually easy and convenient. The fellowship is opening a Zoom account that will be available to any group. We are even encouraging those outside groups that use our buildings to utilize Zoom instead, in order to minimize gathering in groups larger than 10.

●      It is very important that we are getting our information from reliable, fact-based sources.  We are very fortunate to have our own Parish Nurse, Jennifer Ingalls, to provide us with current information, and to help us understand how it applies to us as individuals, and as members of this beloved community.

We are very aware of how difficult it is to be separated. And how isolating some of the current recommendations are. But if we are proactive, we can move through this uncertain time swiftly and in good health. And we can prevent any more drastic measures being taken in our County.

In the meantime, let’s stay connected and continue to support one another.

In loving care,

Terry Mallory ARNP(retired) KUUF board co-president & the KUUF Board of Trustees

Summary from the Board

Notes from the Board

Terry ad Lisa, Co-Presidents

3/09/2020

Spring is doing its utmost to start bursting out.  The daffodils on the Fellowship grounds are blooming, (thank you, Donna Munro!) the morning birds are singing, and all of us are waiting to see what will come of our current health state of emergency.

Your Board has been spending a lot of time in the last weeks focusing on creating a budget for 2020-2021, and on dealing with our Fellowship’s response to COVID-19. We’re hoping you are seeing and reading the emails and regularly checking our KUUF website, kuuf.org , to keep apprised of what is happening regarding services and meetings.

We are so fortunate to have the leadership of Reverend Jessica and Jennifer Ingalls, our Parish Nurse, to advise us on appropriate precautions and protocols.  While we were sad on Sunday not to see members of our Beloved Community in person, and sing in the choir, it was wonderful to join together in a virtual gathering through the efforts of Rev. Jessica, Bonner Sams, Rev. Zackrie Vinczen, Chris Smellow , and Mick Cox from Cedars, who put yesterday’s service together.  

A virtual community is STILL a community, and we could feel many lights shining across the Web as people signed in, posted comments, and sang Spirit of Life together.  We do not know how long this period of not meeting together in person will last, but I know our membership will be reaching out to those among us who need support, physical or emotional.  Please reach out to us on the Board, Reverend Jessica, or other Fellowship members if you are feeling isolated.  And if you know someone who may be feeling isolated, please reach out to them.   As Reverend Jessica said so well, the interconnected web of all existence is NOT merely a metaphor.  We hold each other together, and that is what makes a Beloved Community.

Our budget for 2020-2021 is currently a challenge. We have increased Reverend Jessica’s time to ¾ time, which increases her office hours to 3 days per week, as well as expanding her leadership role in worship and personnel. She continues to give us far more than simply the time for which we pay her.  But this, of course, has required us to expand our budget.

Many thanks to all who have submitted their pledges.  Right now, only 58% of households who have pledged in the past have returned pledges. In our board discussions we noted that individually we don't typically call in to start a new pledge to Public Radio or Muscular Dystrophy or similar campaigns during their pledge drives. We just keep the automatic monthly donations going through our banks. But Public Radio, just like KUUF, needs to know what money they can count on for their budgets. So, if you are doing this - keeping your automatic withdrawals going without filling out a pledge card - do drop a note to the Stewardship Drive chairs, Peter Kreidler and Jill Clarridge, or our administrator Tanesha a note to let them know, so your pledge amount can be counted on for the budget.  It is the great generosity of our members, in dollars and in time, that allows us to create the vibrant place that KUUF is and continues to be.  

What else is happening at KUUF? (a brief and probably incomplete listing):

·      We have a newly-designed website!  Many thanks to our Media Committee!

·      Our Growth Feasibility Task Force has been meeting to discuss the possibility of increasing seating space in the Sanctuary, and possible expansion of the total space.  You will hear more about this when we get back to normal operations.  And we may have a capital campaign in our future.

·      We have volunteers gearing up to start a no-dig potato and herb garden near the overflow parking lot.

·      Along with the Easter Seals building, we have begun a food composting program, and improved our signage on what to do with what as we do our best to reduce what of our garbage goes to the landfill.

·      We have created a new and clear protocol for everyone using the Fellowship for cleaning and disinfecting the facility.

·      As we continue to find our way through this current challenge with COVID-19, we are exploring exciting new ways of being together and keeping our beloved community connected, even when we are physically distanced.

Fall: Terry & Lisa's Notes from the Board

Terry:  In this season of gratitude, I am so blessed to work with Lisa and Reverend Jessica.

• Rev Jessica shared information about the SENSITIVE LOCATION designation. This designation was mentioned by Carol McKinley this past Sunday.  As a church, we are automatically granted Sensitive Location status. This means that ICE is very limited in what they are legally permitted to do on our premises, by federal law.  There is an emblem that is widely recognized by those who are at risk from ICE interference. The board discussed and decided to display this emblem, on our building and website.  To learn more about Sensitive Locations, search, EL CENTRO DE LA RAZA and check out their Sensitive Location Toolkit.

• Peter Kreidler, on behalf of the stewardship committee, shared some thoughts about a change in culture, that is happening in many UU congregations.  Instead of a few weeks, once a year, devoted to stewardship, the hope is that we can move toward a year-round attitude of giving as a spiritual practice.  

• We agreed to meet on Tuesday, December 10th, because our regular meeting date falls on Christmas Eve. We plan to devote much of that meeting to financial and budgeting issues, in preparation for building the budget for the next fiscal year.

• Susan Welsh shared some work that the finance committee has been working on some policy updates, and a proposal to establish a long-range capital planning committee.

• Paul Wilson submitted some very exciting facts about current and projected growth, and the need to start immediately working on how to expand our capacity to accommodate this.

• We have learned that the Elizabeth Bondy estate left the Fellowship a generous gift. The board voted to accept this bequest and use it to establish the Bondy Memorial Fund for Special Projects. It is our intention that this will, in part, be used to fund activities (eg. an architect consultation, if needed) of our newly established Task Force for Expansion Feasibility.

• December Conversations with the Board will not have a designated topic. We invite you to bring whatever questions or concerns you might want to discuss.

Please enjoy this lovely season of gratitude and giving, spend lots of time with people you love, and join us for December 8th’s Unitarian Universalist Christmas pageant.

Lisa: I often have trouble at the holidays. Christmas, although beloved, involves so much excess, and when I think of the many privileges I enjoy in my life, I often feel dragged down by the conviction that I have done nothing to deserve all I have.  But Thanksgiving always makes me happy. Acknowledging gratitude in my life makes me happy, and I love that at this time of year we talk more about gratitude, as we should throughout the year.

I feel wonderfully grateful to be an active part of KUUF. Last week in choir we sang “We shall come rejoicing…”, and we have so much to rejoice.

Our Fellowship is growing with new members, surpassing the Welcoming and Membership committee’s goal of 130 by the end of December.  We are now at 140. And we are seeing more families with children. What could be better? Of course, this also creates challenges, and we now have a task force to study how KUUF can accommodate this growth in the Sanctuary, in parking, and in the future as growth continues.

Our minister is a huge factor in that growth, and the more I work with Reverend Jessica, the more I rejoice that she has come to us.  Her sermons, her pastoral care, her commitment to social justice embody what KUUF can be in our community: a beloved source of caring and outreach to those who need it in our immediate community and in our wounded world. At our last Board meeting (we now meet on the 4th Tuesday of each month, to accommodate Reverend Jessica’s very full schedule) (and remember, she IS still a half-time minister!) the Board addressed several very important issues.  Here are some of them:

• KUUF is hosting the ordination of our own Margo Rhinehart as a minister in the UUA. This is incredibly exciting news! Margo has been a KUUF member since her son, now in grad school, was a small child.  She has served several terms on our Board, has sung in our choir, has been part of the Worship Committee, led the Rummage Sale and Farmer’s Market, and done so much more.  Her work here inspired her to become a UU minister, and over the past years, she has pursued that, while working a full-time job and raising a delightful son. We are so pleased that we can host her ordination on March 7, 2020.  Please mark the date, and come to celebrate Margo!

• We are in good financial shape. Our pledges are coming in, we hope to see our partnership with Easter Seals flourish with a new, 5-year lease.  

• We hope to expand Reverend Jessica’s contract to ¾ time as of the beginning of 2020. She has already been putting in more hours that her contract allows, and the expansion reflects the many things she is being asked to do by our community, including teaching OWL in January, increased pastoral care, and increased opportunities to be part of social action in our community.

That is all I, as co-President will share with you for now. I will hand this over to Terry, the other half of your Board presidency. Before I go, let me just say that I rejoice in sharing this role with her.

Terry Mallory & Lisa Johnson
KUUF Board Co-Presidents

Spring: Terry & Lisa's Notes from the Board

Lisa: Welcome to your first “Notes from the President” column of the new church year.  Except that now it’s “Notes from the Co-Presidents”, as Terry Mallory and I will be sharing the role until April of 2020.  How will having two co-presidents be different?  Truthfully, we don’t really know, but in Reverend Jessica’s spirit of Shared Ministry, we both feel that collaboration and drawing on each others’ strengths is a very positive step in leading our board and our beloved community.

This is a rich and exciting time for our Fellowship.  We have a committed minister, who brings youth, wisdom, and inspiration, and we have her for the next two years!  We have a congregation that is solidly behind her.  We have a council of incredibly dedicated committee chairs who have given and continue to give insightful leadership to the diverse work we need to do.  We have a vibrant music program.  We have a growing membership, and we’re seeing more children in our Sunday services.  We are a solid liberal voice in our greater community, with a congregation that stands together on issues of social justice.

I feel so blessed to be here, and I look to the coming year with excitement about what we can give to a world that is hurting.  It is often too easy to despair about the state of our environment, our nation, and our world.  Yet when I look at the many small steps KUUF is taking that truly make a difference in the lives of real people, I am so proud to be part of Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.  Thank you all for being part of our journey.

Terry: This is a positive and exciting time for the fellowship.  I look forward to sharing board leadership with Lisa, and to working with Rev Jessica.  

There will be opportunities and challenges, and it is my hope that we can approach both with transparency and love.  

Thank you for trusting us with this responsibility.

Terry Mallory & Lisa Johnson
KUUF Board Co-Presidents

March: President’s Column

Hello everyone! Spring is not exactly in the air yet, but the KUUF calendar is telling me our Annual Congregational Meeting is right around the corner (April 28th). With that in mind, I want to talk to you about some options for a minister this year. 

Our minister, Rev. Jessica Star Rockers, will finish her quarter-time contract with us at the end of April 2019. This has been an exciting time with her. Together, we held our breath while the UUA Fellowship Council approved her for ministry; we signed a contract with her as a quarter-time minister; we participated in her ordination, and we’ve treasured her care for us…bringing us to where we are now. 

The KUUF board and council are considering how to proceed from here. Individually, we all have a vote on how our fellowship is run. Both the board and council share a greater responsibility, in that we consider not just ourselves but the whole congregation. We have a duty to do what is best for the fellowship, which is why I’m sending a Ministerial Services Survey to the congregation. 

What I’m suggesting to you, and the board is considering, is that we hire Rev. Jessica Star Rockers at a half-time position in a two-year contract. There are several reasons for this:
First is Jessica’s ambition to become a permanent Unitarian Universalist minister. For that to happen she needs work as a minister to gain the necessary experience and skills the UUA requires for a permanent minister, and half-time ministry satisfies that requirement. 
Second is we need to show her our commitment if we don’t want her to be looking at other places for employment. 
Third is that our 2018 Five-Year Plan outlines specific goals and development that JSR is uniquely qualified to provide; notably, attracting younger members through social media. 

I am asking everyone to take the ten minutes necessary to complete the Ministerial Services Survey, either through the link Tanesha will provide you, or in person at the fellowship. March and April are very busy months here at KUUF with budget discussions, planning for the coming year, and generally taking care of business. Your part of this work is taking the survey…and participating in discussions with the board and committees to, as they say, “walk the talk.” 

Thank you all for your strong support of KUUF and the many programs and opportunities offered here, none of which would be possible without your commitment and participation. We are KUUF.

Eric Harrold
KUUF Board President

February: President’s Column

Happy February everyone. The days are getting longer and our future is certainly looking bright! We are entering the time of year when KUUF builds the budget for the next church year (May 2019 – April 2020). Seems crazy to be writing 2020 already! The Stewardship Campaign is the program that asks each of us to make a monetary pledge which, when combined with all other members’ pledges, will fund KUUF operations throughout the next year. The numbers I’m showing below come from the 2018 – 2019 proposed budget and are only approximations.

What is my pledge used for?

• About 61.5% of last year’s pledges supported our staff and administrative expenses. We have two paid administrative positions; one paid position for Director of Religious Education;, two paid positions supporting our music program;, and several childcare positions ensuring our children’s well-being.

• About 23% was dedicated to maintaining our lower buildings and campus.

• About 16% was used for program expenses. The majority of that allowed the Worship Committee to provide the amazing guest ministers and speakers we enjoy on Sundays.  

• About 7.5% went to the UUA and the PWR to support their efforts in promoting UU values nationally and regionally. You may know our regional representative Tandi Rogers. She and the region’s compensation consultant were an important resource during contract negotiations with our minister – Rev. Jessica Star Rockers.  

That’s 108% of our pledges used for the stated purposes. How is that possible? Our total member-generated income is the sum of our pledging and fundraising events throughout the year. Additionally, we earn some money from administrative services provided, as well as, for the last several years, revenue from leasing the Matan Building.  

You’ll see that the cost of our quarter-time minister is not included above. This is because the funds providing her services were unspent from the previous year’s budget. As there are no guarantees that we will have unspent money after reconciling this year’s budget, the best way to ensure we retain our minister is through our pledges.

If you were to ask me, “Say Eric, I don’t have extra income. Do I have to pledge?” My answer would be, “No, you don’t have to pledge.” But then I would add that my experience has shown me that making a financial commitment, of any amount, may return to you a greater willingness to voice your feelings for how KUUF is doing, both pro or con. I also feel that your ownership, and the likelihood that you will join a committee or program, will be higher. I’m sorry I cannot support that statistically, it’s just my feeling having been both a pledging and non-pledging member. No matter how you contribute, financially or through volunteering, we love you at KUUF.

Thank you all for your continued support. I am looking forward to spending this year with all of you. We are KUUF.

Eric Harrold
KUUF Board President

January: President’s Column

Happy New Year to all our KUUF members and friends! I hope that 2018 brought you all of what you needed and some of what you wanted. I am blessed to be leading the KUUF Board of Trustees towards church year 2019 – 2020 (May 1 thru April 30) and look forward to finishing this year with resolve and determination in providing for KUUF’s needs (and wants). I pray that we keep love in our hearts and kindness on our tongues as we greet the new year and all the opportunities it brings to us.

As I reflect back on church year 2018 – 2019, I’m thrilled with what we have accomplished:

• Brian Kenny hired as our accompanist

• Jennifer Ingalls became our Parish Nurse

• Jessica Star Rockers signed as our Part-time Minister

• Congregation approved KUUF 2018 Five-Year Plan

• 2018 Safety Campaign was organized and begun

The events I have listed here only begin to scratch the surface of what KUUF members and friends have accomplished this year…and we have four months left to go! I wonder what amazing things we’ll complete before April 30? I hope you’re wondering that as well, and looking for ways to help us achieve those goals.

Last year the Board of Trustees approved money to pay for childcare so members with children could attend committee meetings and KUUF events. If there are barriers to your involvement in programs or events at KUUF, please talk to a board member so we can examine the situation…you may not be the only one experiencing this difficulty. KUUF wants and needs your involvement, so please see someone with a purple name-tag, or anyone you trust, and let us help you, help us.

Speaking of Stewardship, it’s that time of year again. Most of the KUUF programs we love are made possible through member (and friends) pledges and through fund raising efforts like our rummage sale and auction. Everything I’ve been talking about in this column either directly, or indirectly, requires KUUF budget support. Contributions to KUUF through pledges not only support our fellowship but also support churches and fellowships within our Pacific Western Region and the UUA. If you’re a twelfth-man (fan) of Unitarian Universalism like I am, this is a great opportunity for us to support the things we believe in both inside and outside of our communities.

Thank you for all the support you have given me and your fellow congregants throughout the past year. KUUF doesn’t just reside geographically on a map, or on someone’s ledger, it’s in our hearts and souls…and that’s why – we are KUUF.

Eric Harrold
KUUF Board President