December 2021 Board Update

Dear UUCC,

Though there is no December Board of Trustees meeting, there has been much happening! We’d like to share some important updates as well as opportunities for you to provide feedback.

Special Meeting Official Results

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it to our Special Congregational Meeting on Sunday, December 5^th to vote on the motion to ordinate Dr. Laura Solomon into UU ministry. I’m incredibly pleased to announce that the motion passed unanimously, with 91 votes. The ordination is currently scheduled to take place at the Owen Brown Interfaith Center on Saturday, March 5, 2022.

Executive Director Opening

You will likely have seen the notice that came out several weeks ago that Sean Griffin, our current Executive Director, will be leaving UUCC for a new position with the UUA on January 16, 2022. The Board has been considering internal options and expects to know very soon whether a broader search needs to be conducted. Stay tuned for more news on this soon.

UUCC Support on Local Issues

UUCCers are truly known throughout Howard County because we speak up AND show up. How wonderful that there are concrete opportunities to live our values and work to make our community a better place! Two such opportunities came to the Board recently.

First, we approved co-sponsoring the “We ARE the People” Rally, in support of LGBTQ+ and Black and Brown youth, and equitable practices and accurate histories in schools. A special thank you to Regina Verow for speaking on behalf of UUCC and a shout out to Suzi Gerb for her speech as well!

Second, the Board approved submitting supportive testimony on behalf of UUCC to the County Council in favor of four resolutions (CR140, CR141, CR142 and CR143-2021) that would allow solar PILOTs for projects in Howard County. OBIC is an anchor customer of the community solar project for one of these solar PILOTs and these projects help move our county and state closer to our climate goals.

Board Committees

There is so much appreciation for everyone serving on the three committees the Board created earlier this year: the Group Relations Workshop Committee, Covenant of Right Relations Committee, and the Mission / Vision / Covenant Review Committee. These committees have been working so diligently and thoughtfully for the past few months and we are grateful for their efforts. The Mission / Vision / Covenant Committee recently shared an update about their work, as did the Group Relations Workshop committee (update here). Please keep an eye out for requests to provide feedback and input as these committees continue their work!

Board Policies

Every year, the Board of Trustees reviews its policies: Governance Process, Board/Staff Linkage, and Administrative Limitations. We are considering several updates to our policies this year and expect to vote on these in the new year. Though it is fully within the Board’s authority to update these policies internally, we would like to hear your feedback on the proposed changes! We are not currently considering any changes to the bylaws. You can find a summary and explanation of the changes here or click on the links below to review the individual policies. Let us know what you think by emailing board@uucolumbia.net. We look forward to hearing from you!

• Governance Process Policy – Current and Proposed Changes
• Board/Staff Linkage Policy – Current and Proposed Changes
• Administrative Limitations Policy – Current and Proposed Changes

2021 has been another long and challenging pandemic year for all of us at UUCC. Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard this year to keep our community connected; UUCC staff and volunteers are some of the most creative, generous, capable, dedicated, and adaptable people around! We wish you all a very happy holidays season and hope everyone gets a chance to find some rest, peace, and joy as we head into the new year, together.

And, as always, you are welcome to reach out to the Board at board@uucolumbia.net. Happy Holidays, UUCC!