We are looking forward to sharing our experiences as Board members from time to time via short, info-packed posts. These informal updates may include an overview or background about things reflected later in our formal meeting minutes. Our hope is that you will find our “Board Blog” posts timely and interesting even if they aren’t exhaustive in nuance.
Board Retreat 2020
Did you know the new UUCC Board of Trustees spent last Friday and Saturday together on retreat? We met at OBIC with masks on and lots of distance between us for two days of introspection, sharing, and learning. We devoted time to our spiritual practice through meditation, journaling, reading from Salsa, Soul, and Spirit (by Juana Bordas), and articulating our hopes for our community. We also learned about the history of UUCC, reviewed details about policy-based governance, and discussed ways to expand our “Incubators for Good” within our congregation this year. Our two days together were intense but necessary as we prepare to lead our UUCC family during these chaotic times.
Our Principles in Action
Only two days later we reconvened for our first official Board meeting on Tuesday, July 14th. This time we met online and several other congregants joined us as observers.. Board members adopted motions to pursue several actions to help strengthen our congregation and our broader community. The first one we voted on was to create an ad hoc committee to lead a fundraising effort for the Community Action Council (CAC) initiative to build a Head Start center in Long Reach. Rev. Tyrone Jones and Rev. Robert A. Turner reached out to our Rev. Paige Getty to invite UUCC to be a part of this amazing undertaking. Building a Head Start center in our greater community offers a great opportunity to truly put our principles in action and to strengthen the family in our neighborhoods. This year-long fundraising project and the Head Start center will need your help. If you would like to learn more about how your skills can directly improve the lives of the youngest among us, please let us know of your interest regarding the committee that will guide our collective efforts by emailing us at board@uucolumbia.net.
Reconciliation Re-do
We also adopted a motion to form an ad hoc committee on trust and reconciliation to help us develop the next steps with a congregation-wide reconciliation process. Since our previous in-person plans were derailed by the global pandemic, we invite members who are interested in collaborating to develop recommendations on ways the congregation could usefully advance greater trust and reconciliation to be a part of the revised planning.
If you’re a member who can help us in shaping a process for reconciliation, please email us at board@uucolumbia.net by 6 pm, July 30.
Building Community (online)
We also discussed the importance of creating other robust programming online so that we can stay connected as a UUCC family while OBIC is closed to large groups. Hybrid offerings were discussed and we all agreed that it would be wonderful to meet in small groups if we could ensure safe conditions for all participants. Keep an eye out for updates on small-group, in-person events and activities. The expectation would be that any in-person activity would follow safety protocols regarding temperature check, mask wearing, social distancing, and sanitary spaces. We will also be talking more about ways to actualize the resolution on “building a diverse, multicultural Beloved Community” approved by the congregation at our Annual Meeting last month. There will be more information about how we can look inward and outward to assess our progress as a congregation. We know that “all of us need all of us” and the resolution inspired by the proposed 8th principle invites all of us to work together “in accordance with each person’s unique abilities and approaches” to uplift the BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other marginalized communities.
Final Thoughts
We will end this first Board Blog post with a quote from Salsa, Soul, and Spirit:
“A legacy of their West African ancestors, Sankofa reminds us that our roots ground and nourish us, hold us firm when the winds of change howl, and offer perspective about what is lasting and significant.”
One Comment
RICHARD YOCUM
Dear friends, fellow UUCC community members and Governance Leadership, thank you for making such great effort to keep us informed. Governance bodies of so many communities (my specific community of residence included) do not realize how crucial it is to frequently communicate during times of change and transformation.
This blog’s content is encouraging! During these next two years, I feel our opportunity to create difference in ourselves and in our communities for future normalcy is a strategic imperative. If not now…when? My one experience with trapeze experientially drove home for me how “letting go” is one of the most difficult dynamics for us adults; yet, unless I bravely decathect from the security of what I know and hold on to, I may not be able to adopt and invest in essential changes (the new trapeze). Communicating liberally helps to “pull” us forward.
I look forward to reading future blog posts and I support and so appreciate your bravery to lead. You and the congregation will be successful in our generation of transformation! Thank you for communicating!
My very best,
Richard