Reflections on Board Service and Looking Forward

Serving on the UUCC Board of Trustees was an honor and a privilege. The years I served were chock-full of change and activity, as well as some stress. As I transitioned out of my role as an At Large member this June, I experienced a wide variety of deeply felt emotions.

UUCC has faced enormous changes and challenges during the past 3 years. One of the Board’s priorities was to ensure robust communication and to build community. In addition to sitting in on Transition Team listening sessions in 2025, the Board also hosted several town halls over the 3 years and often engaged directly with congregants. To support timely communication, I took on an informal “corresponding secretary” role, acknowledging emails and other messages to the Board, and ensuring that concerns were addressed.

Generally, there were only two or three emails per month. The volume increased to dozens of emails per week for several weeks as we addressed the Executive Team’s recommendation to reduce our music ministry position to half time in the budget, in alignment with analysis and a plan that was initiated by Paige and Valerie in early 2023. I replied to every email the Board received, almost always with a comment that “we all want what’s best for UUCC overall.”

The responses to this situation were understandably emotionally charged. Congregational music programs are always a sacred cow, and this was especially true for us because of Michael’s extraordinary talent and skill as a concert pianist with over three decades at UUCC. I and other Board members had strong emotional reactions as well.

Because the choir heard the news first, the initial wave of input was overwhelmingly against the change. As word spread, however, we heard from others who supported making changes to the music program or who favored prioritizing other areas of ministry (such as Religious Education and social justice). We heard well-reasoned and heartfelt arguments both for keeping what people treasured about the existing music program (especially Michael) and strong support for making changes to expand the variety of musical opportunities. There is eagerness to experiment with adaptations as well as to re-balance music with other ministry program priorities.

This situation was complicated in several ways. First, a budget proposal to right-size the music ministry position for our current size and financial status became intertwined with the issue of whether we could retain Michael, personally, because he was unwilling to serve in a half time position. (The position was conflated with the person.) Second, a staffing and morale issue was involved. The proposal was not exclusively based on (very real) budgetary constraints.

In UUCC’s governance process, the Board sets priorities, then reviews and is asked to approve the Executive Team’s budget proposal in preparation for presentation to the congregation for a vote at the Annual Meeting. Under our bylaws and policies, the Executive Team (which consists of the Minister and Executive Director as co-equal partners) has full responsibility for all staffing matters, including managing roles, tasks, hours, as well as hiring and firing all staff except the Senior Minister (who is called or dismissed by congregational vote). Further, a staffing review with an eye to sustainability and the overall well-being of the congregation is always part of the interim ministry process. While the Board is informed, and may be consulted, the responsibility for personnel management remains exclusively with the Executive Team. In reality, the change to the music program was a staffing decision with budget implications.

In alignment with suggestions from congregation members who sought to avoid escalation, most communications were productive. The Town Hall budget presentation in May generated a lot of feedback. Some commenters felt that the budget presentation was unfairly biased against the music program under Michael’s leadership. Others highlighted priorities other than music that need attention. Many appreciated the transparency in explaining the full situation, including ongoing impacts to the entire staff team. Some people (including me) shifted their perspective based on the data presented. Numerous people commented positively on the rigor, detail, and clarity of the budget proposal itself, especially during and after the annual meeting. Financial rigor and transparency are essential and have been lacking.

The Board and Executive Team identified some lessons learned through this process. First, the pledge drive needs to start earlier and close by mid-April to allow enough time for budget development and Board review, as well as ample time for congregation members to review and comment on the final proposed budget at least a month before the Annual Meeting. Second, it would have been better to work through the staffing issue separately and ahead of the budget process. In addition, this situation again highlighted the need to strengthen our conflict resilience as a congregation, as Rev. Lisa noted in her Covenant and Conflict message.

It is notable that as a congregation we respectfully engaged in lively, respectful discussion at the Annual Meeting and ultimately passed the FY 2027 budget with a decisive majority. This is evidence that we generally trust the judgment of congregational leadership and are developing the ability to engage in hard conversations. There is more work to do, however.

One thing that stood out from the feedback was that there are separate social groups within the congregation that have not shared their views with each other. Some were certain that nobody would support changing the music program. Some shared long-held frustration with limited opportunities for musically inclined children and teens to perform or participate beyond the adult choir. Some had concerns about fairness and equity. Some former choir members, or congregants who like to sing but did not join the choir, shared that they felt intimidated or were unwilling to commit to such rigorous rehearsal. There are multiple realities. UUCC has long had the privilege of brilliant musical performances and there is a hunger for broader informal participation in music within the congregation.

The content of critical feedback predictably included every element of the grief cycle.

• Denial, (“No! Please don’t do this!”)
• Anger, (“This is a stupid, destructive, capitalist mistake.”)
• Bargaining, (“Let’s delay to soften the impact.”)
• Depression, (“I am struggling to realign my relationship with UUCC.”)
• Acceptance, (“I know everyone involved wants what’s best for UUCC.”)

I personally experienced every stage of this cycle and have seen it in others as well. While most seemed to have moved past denial once Michael’s resignation was announced, many of us are still experiencing grief, some profoundly. The elements of the grief cycle pop up repeatedly, not always in order. It is very important not to get stuck in one or more of the stages prior to acceptance. Supporting each other to express our views and feelings is helpful.

Continuing to move through this challenge as a community, rather than only as individuals or in our comfortable social clans, calls us to lean into our mission to “embody love in action, nurture spirits, build community and act for justice.” It calls us to seek out others who have a different perspective from our own, and to compassionately listen and honestly share our respective views and feelings. The Covenant of Right Relations offers valuable strategies to support productive conversation. I strongly encourage everyone to take full advantage of opportunities in the coming year to build community-wide conflict resilience and to collectively discern and articulate our vision for UUCC ministry and programming as we define what we want in a new settled minister. I will participate actively and I hope you will, too. We all want what’s best for UUCC overall.