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DRAFT MINUTES
Second Unitarian Church of Chicago
May 17, 2009 Annual Meeting
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1) Call to Order:
The annual business meeting of the Second Unitarian Church of Chicago
was called to order by Matthew Weinstock, Chair of the Board of Trustees.
Four items were provided to members in attendance:
a) the agenda for the 2009 annual meeting, revised May 13, 2009;
b) a packet including draft minutes of the 2008 annual meeting, the
Nominating Committee's slate of candidates for 2009-2010, a summary of the
proposed budget for 2009-2010, an unaudited balance sheet, and background on
motion to amend the congregation's covenant including two addenda;
c) detailed information on income and expenses for 2008-2009 and on the
proposed 2009-2010 budget including assumptions and comments on anticipated
income and expenses; and
d) reports to the congregation from the minister, the board chair, the
board treasurer (Ann Marie Onesti), Membership/Small Group Ministry/Hospitality
(Lisa Todd), business manager (Suzanne Larimer), Church Council (Eithne
McMenamin), Pastoral Care Ministry (Rev. Rudra Dundzila), Green Sanctuary
(Susan Inverso), Socail Justice Council (Curtis Smith), ministerial intern
(Katie Norris), Faith Development (Gabrielle Parra), Young Adult Ministry (Eric
Langston and Liz Krumwiede),The W.I.D.E. Community (Atena Danner-McPhaden and
Curtis Smith), Committee on Ministries (Re. Deb Derylak), Music (Brett Rowe and
Blake Adams), Endowment Fund (Larry Lefferts and Mark Sneathen).
Tim Fox, Secretary of the Board of Trustees, certified that a quorum
had been reached. A quorum required 69 persons, and a minimum of 87 persons had
indicated their presence at the meeting.
Elizabeth Derrico moved to
approve the draft minutes of the May 18, 2008, annual meeting. Liz Krumwiede seconded the motion. The motion passed on a voice vote.
2) Invocation: Rev.
Owen-O'Quill offered an invocation.
3) State of the Church:
Rev. Owen-O'Quill offered her assessment of the church year. She emphasized involvement in small group
ministry, in serving meals to homeless neighbors, and in conducting a
successful food drive on behalf of the Lakeview Pantry. She praised the music ministry and noted that
worship attendance is at "an all-time high."
For their service to
the congregation Rev. Owen-O'Quill expressed gratitude to members of the staff: Blake Adams, Suzanne Larimer, Brett Rowe,
Gabrielle Parra, Lisa Todd, Katie Norris, Lani Shuster, and Noemi Andrade.
Rev. Owen-O'Quill also
expressed gratitude to Denise Montiel at the end of her last year on the Board
of Trustees and to Matthew Weinstock at the end of his year as chair of the
Board of Trustees.
Lisa Todd, Membership
Coordinator, briefly discussed the course of the congregation's discussion on
its covenant and the motion on amending it. She expressed thanks to the members
of the congregation generally for their service and activities.
4) Board Chair's Report: Weinstock began by thanking John
Thurmond, coordinator of the annual fundraiser, which had occurred the previous
evening.
Weinstock highlighted
Board activities during the year:
including spiritual formation at the beginning of Board meetings;
forming Board committees on Stewardship and Fundraising; refinancing the
congregation's mortgage and forming a capital projects team; organizing a
Giving Tree tribute to acknowledge the Fleischman and Rasmussen gifts; retiring
bond debt through the generosity of bondholders.
Weinstock indicated
reported that, when received, the Rasmussen gift offers and opportunity to
solidify reserves and strengthen ministries to both members and visitors. He noted that the proposed 2009-2010 budget
elevates the position of Membership Coordinator to a full-time position. He further noted that the congregation awaits
receipt of funds from the dissolving Clarence Richards trust.
Weinstock recognized
and thanked the members of the Board of Trustees. He particularly recognized Montiel, who is
completing her third year on the Board.
In addition, he thanked the congregation's staff and presented gifts to
them.
5) Nominations: Darren
Sorokti reported on the work of the Nominating Committee.
Sorokti moved election of the
slate of candidates for 2009-2010. Nate
Hutcheson seconded. Ian McPhaden requested that the names of those candidates
be read. Weinstock recited those names,
and the candidates stood to be recognized, but no further discussion occurred.
The motion passed on a voice vote.
The congregations elected the following persons to these positions and
terms
Elizabeth Derrico,
Chair-Elect: 3-Year Term
Tim Fox,
Secretary: 1-Year Term
Sally Haffner,
Trustee: 1-Year Term
L.S. Quinn,
Trustee: 3-Year Term
Mark Sneathen,
Endowment Committee: 3-Year Term
Larry Lefferts,
Endowment Committee: 3-Year Term
Dan Ashley,
Endowment Committee: 3-Year Term
Carissa Szymanski,
Nominating Committee: 1-Year Term
Liz Krumwiede,
Nominating Committee: 1-Year Term
Jim Simonis,
Nominating Committee: 1-Year Term
Darren Sorokti,
Nominating Committee: 1-Year Term
6) Finances: Larry Lefferts reported on policies governing
the Endowment Committee and expenditure of funds from it and reported that the
congregation's Endowment Fund has a current balance on March 31, 2009, of
$1,196. Lefferts also reported on
possible future courses that the committee may follow in increasing the balance
of the fund.
Treasurer Ann Marie
Onesti first reported on recent financial successes: sustained pledge during a recessionary year,
sizable gifts from the Eric Rasmussen and Clarence Richards bequests,
retirement of bonded debt, refinancing debt in a manner to allow for spending
on capital projects, strengthening the reserve fund, and membership
growth. Onesti reported that, although
some income sources such as collection plate income, had fallen short of
projections, restraint had helped avoid a sizable operating deficit.
Onesti turned to the
proposed budget for 2009-2010. She
stated that the stewardship campaign had generated pledges of $240,000, which
the Board trimmed by two percent in order to allow for contingencies such as unfulfilled
pledges. Also, the Board formed a Stewardship Committee, which intends to rely
upon year-round communication with the membership. The Board also formed a Fundraising Committee
in order to develop a series of events throughout the year, reducing reliance
on the Annual Fundraising dinner event.
The budget proposed income of $25,000 from these fundraising
events. Onesti also reported that the
Board had proposed to eliminate the Special Gifts campaign in response to
reaction to it by the congregation.
Onesti further reported that the rental revenue had exceeded
projections. With the support of a member having event planning experience, the
budget increased to $20,000 the projected income from facility rentals.
Onesti reported that the
proposed budget holds expenses flat or decreases them, except for the
membership coordinator's position and staff development expenses. Onesti stated that membership coordinator's
position is expected to support current members and foster growth in new
membership. She also noted that Rev.
Owen-O'Quill had absorbed many staff development expenses in the recent past.
A member sought clarification of the proposed transfer
of $45,000 from reserves. Business Manager Suzanne Larimer reported that the
congregation had experienced some loss in income which could not be completely
overcome by reducing expenses. The board
also proposed to increase the membership coordinator's position to full-time. The proposed budget funds allows a transfer
of up to $45,000 from the Rasmussen gift if other revenue sources do not
increase above projected amounts during the year.
Jeff Siegel emphasized the benefit and opportunities
presented by receiving two substantial gifts.
He also expressed concern that the membership coordinator's position and
the congregation's ministry generally stresses new members. Weinstock emphasized that the membership
coordinator's role is to strengthen the involvement and commitment of all
members. He added that, even if financial circumstances lead to a transfer of
the full $45,000 proposed, the reserve fund will still maintain a healthy
balance.
Lew Harding inquired about the amount of the deficit
in the current budget year and its relation to the budget for the new
year. Larimer projected that the congregation
would end the current year with a deficit of approximately $3,200. She noted that figures in the Order of
Service might suggest a larger deficit, but they reflect only income and not
reductions in various expenses.
Laura McKee asked how the balance of $6,900 in the
Minister's Discretionary Fund might be distributed during the minister's
sabbatical. Rev. Owen-O'Quill briefly
discussed the purposes of and accountability for the Fund, and Larimer
indicated direction is in place to guide Interim Minister Katie Norris during
the sabbatical. Laura McKee also noted
that the proposed budget included no dues to the UUA. Weinstock reported that the budget
effectively reduces or eliminates non-operational items such as this. He added that the there may be a request to
individual members to make those contributions, and the board will re-examine
this issue in the event that financial circumstances improve.
Onesti moved to approve the
2009-2010 proposed budget. Ryan Scott seconded. Motion adopted.
7) Motions. On the
issue of amending the congregation's covenant, Weinstock recounted the process
through which the issue of the meaning of "love" was raised and how it was
considered by the board and the congregation.
Motion to change the language of
the congregation's covenant from "holding faithful to a love that embraces both
diversity and conflict" to "holding faithful to a love that embraces diversity
and transforms conflict." Lee Dickson
seconded.
Nate Hutcheson moved to
alternate between comments in favor of and in opposition to the motion and to
limit comments to two minutes or less.
Sally Haffner seconded.
Ian McPhaden moved to amend
Hutcheson's motion to require separate lines for persons wishing to speak in
favor of and in opposition to the motion. Sue Dunmore seconded. Amendment adopted on voice vote.
Amended motion approved by voice
vote.
Rev. Owen-O'Quill began discussion by summarizing the
theology underlying the proposed change in the covenant. Weinstock continued
discussion by reading the proposed change.
In support of the
motion, Hutcheson emphasized the transformation that may result from conflict
and not the conflict itself. In
opposition to the motion, Tyler Duston expressed appreciation for those who had
raised the issue but emphasized the importance of love in the face of
conflict. In support of the motion,
Keeley Sorokti addressed the process of raising the proposed change and
expressed support for a process that would re-examine the entire covenant. In opposition to the motion, Jennifer Duston
referred to the historical source of the covenant and stressed the role of unconditional
love in it. In support of the motion,
Rebecca Lish stressed the possibility of overcoming conflict. In opposition to the motion, Norm Groetzinger
cited Martin Luther King in highlighting the power of love in engaging in
conflict.
L.S. Quinn moved to call the
question. The motion was seconded. With
26 voting in favor and 39 opposed, the motion failed.
Gary Bondurant stated that he had not reached a decision on the motion
but noted that love transforms the person loving and not only the person
loved. Karen Fort stated that she was
content with either outcome on the motion. She emphasized love but also that
the congregation should not be "in love with arguing" and should move beyond
that. Linda Marquis emphasized conflict
as a means of ensuring the expression of diverse opinions. Atena Danner-McPhaden stated that the words
in the covenant do matter to the congregation but that "embrace" and
"transform" are not mutually exclusive.
Susie Inverso stated that meanings of terms evolve. Nikki Smith stated that, because conflict
stimulates creativity, it is crucial to agree to disagree. Jonathan Dunmore stressed that universal love
is a core U-U principle. He stated the belief that the congregation should
embrace conflict as a means of spiritual growth.
Liz Krumwiede moved to call the
question. Nate Hutcheson seconded. With 58 voting in favor and 17 opposed, the
motion was adopted.
On the motion to amend the
covenant, 22 voted in favor, 53 voted in opposition, and seven abstained. The
motion failed.
Weinstock thanked the congregation for a respectful and polite
discussion. He indicated that the Board would consider a mechanism for the
congregation to review the language of its covenant.
8) Other Business:
Ian McPhaden raised the issue of the accountability and supervision of
the minister and expressed the view that protocol required the minister not to
be present for discussion of that issue.
After the minister left the sanctuary, he expressed support for a
process of supervision, the lack of which he believed jeopardizes the retention
of members.
McPhaden moved that the
congregation create and adopt, before the start of fiscal year 2010-2011, a
concise statement which defines the responsibilities of the relationship
between pastor and congregation and that the congregation arrive at this
statement through a process which establishes new standards for transparency
and accountability. Lew Harding seconded.
Jill Siegel expressed pleasure with the growth and energy in the
congregation but noted that it is a new community as members arrive and depart.
She challenged the membership to take constructive part in the growth of the
community.
L.S. Quinn inquired whether the minister had a contract or similar
document. As a former Board Chair, Laura
McKee responded that the Personnel Committee, with involvement by leadership,
negotiated an employment contract with the minister. That contract includes the responsibilities of
the minister and the congregation to one another. She stated that, in the minister's third
year, the Committee on Ministries conducted a review of her service. She
further stated that there was an additional review during the year in which Darrin
Sorokti served as Board Chair. McKee
noted that the congregation's bylaws do not specifically provide for a process
of review and expressed the view that the motion would allow the Board to
initiate an appropriate and respectful process.
Melissa Staas inquired about specific expectations. As proponent,
McPhaden responded that he seeks a set of responsibilities known to all.
Weinstock clarified that the motion seeks to have the Board to develop a
formalized review process describing the minister's responsibilities and
functions.
Nancey Epperson inquired about the former Ministerial Relations
Committee. Sue Dunmore responded that
its name was changed to the Committee on Ministries and that its focus also
changed somewhat. Rev. Deb Derylak as
current chair of the Committee on Ministries stated that the committee is
committed to coaching ministries. She
stated that her report to the annual meeting reflects the intent to take up the
issue generally raised by the motion.
Denise Montiel moved to amend the
motion to place the task of establishing responsibilities and functions with
the Committee on Ministries. Keeley
Sorokti seconded.
Atena Danner-McPhaden did not oppose the motion to amend but expressed
the view that the Committee on Ministries has limited authority and that it has
been difficult to determine what that authority is.
Ian McPhaden stated that he had attempted to work with the Committee on
Ministries but indicated that the experience of doing so was frustrating and
unsuccessful.
Montiel briefly addressed the mission of the Committee on Ministries
and the importance of communication in the congregation. She noted that the
Committee is prepared to address this issue this year.
Hutcheson moved to call the
question on the motion to amend the motion.
Montiel seconded. With 55 voting
in favor, and five voting against, the motion was adopted.
On the amendment itself, with 49
voting in favor and 6 voting opposed, the amendment to the motion was adopted.
Alyssa Stowe moved to amend the
motion to provide a formal mechanism to bring the issues and concerns to the
Committee on Ministries. Jill Siegel
seconded. Motion adopted on voice vote.
A motion to call the question on
the amended motion was adopted with 65 voting in favor.
The motion to adopt the motion,
as twice amended, was adopted by voice vote.
9) Adjournment:
Weinstock introduced Hutcheson as the new chair of the Board and
Hutcheson offered brief remarks.
A motion to adjourn was offered, seconded, and adopted by voice vote.
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