It is our goal as the Board of Trustees to maintain connections with you. To that end, we are hosting a program entitled, “Reflections with the Board.” We host these sessions via zoom once a month (the second Sunday of the month) at 10am before the service. Our next session will be held on March 14th at 10am. For this session, the Board would like to spend some time talking with you about Widening the Circle of Concern. This month we will return to Chapter Three, Congregations and Communities. You did not have to attend any of our previous sessions to join us this month. Here are the questions from the WTC Study Guide:

• The shaded box on p. 47, Recommended Congregational Practices to Increase Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, details six actions that can be taken by congregations. Discuss which of these you are already engaged in and which of these you might like to add.
• An important part of this chapter (shaded box pp. 40-41 and pp. 48-49) is understanding congregational polity and the covenantal understanding of each congregation’s relationship with the UUA and other congregations.
  • Discuss how you understand these relationships.
  • How well do you think they are understood in the broader congregation?
  • What actions can you take to build shared understanding?
•  There is a case study of a congregational audit on pp. 52-53.
  • Is this something your congregation should consider?
  • What might be barriers to implementing this?
•  There is a case study of a congregation that intentionally focused on welcoming a younger and more diverse leadership team on p. 45. Read the excerpts from their identity documents and reflect on your own.
  • In what ways are they similar and what ways are they different?
  • When was your congregational covenant last renewed?
•  Which of the suggested actions related to this chapter seem relevant to our community?
  • What would be the first task?
  • What are the barriers to implementation?

As you can see, many of these questions rely on having the chapter on hand. You may want to review those sections or have that information pulled up on your computer or your book available. Read the Chapter here.

Which of these questions would you like to discuss? What have you been learning as you have been reading Widening the Circle? Please join us on Sunday. Thank you.

Click here to join the Zoom Discussion.

Meeting ID: 862 4288 7134

Passcode: 220807

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As mentioned a couple months ago, the Board developed its goals for the church year at our annual retreat in July of 2020.  We monitor our progress on a monthly basis. In case you want to check on how we are doing, here is a condensed list of the goals and which Board members are in charge of monitoring each one.  You can get a short report from any of the Board members, or if you want to discuss any related issues, we always welcome opportunities to talk about UCE. 

Want to know what the Board was working on in December and January? 

• Reviewing our shared structural relationship with the Integrated Stewardship Council 
• Assisting the Stewardship Chairs by developing Board Goals for the Pledge Drive 
• Meeting to find a consultant for an equity audit  
• Writing an Endowment grant for the Anti-Oppression Task Force 
• Reading and discussing Widening the Circle of Concern 
• Reviewing and updating our Board Job Descriptions to share with the congregation and Nominating and Recruiting 
• Supporting Rev. Karen in her interim work 
• Discussing the structure of committees and councils and their relationship to each other with Rev. Karen as we develop Bylaws recommendations 
• Monitoring the Ends statements 
• Supporting the Search Team in completing the ministerial agreement 
• Attending Council meetings as liaisons – there to learn and to assist, if needed 
• Hosting “Reflections with the Board” where we meet monthly with the congregation 
• Planning and hosting a holiday party for the staff 
• Connecting with other UU congregations and the Midwest UUA through weekly leadership zoom calls  
• Continuing to review and revise our Bylaws to bring to the congregation during our May Annual meeting 
• Working with the Denominational Affairs Team to develop a formal process for UCE delegates going to General Assembly 
• Renewing our Behavioral Covenant 
• Organizing, publicizing, and leading the congregational meeting regarding the vote on the call for our next settled minister 
• Welcoming our settled senior minister, Reverend Eileen Wiviott 
• Writing newsletter articles to keep you updated! 

Want to know more about any of these topics?  The Board minutes and agendas are available on the UCE website or feel free to contact the Board at BOT@ucevanston.org! 

A congregational meeting will be held on Sunday, January 24th, immediately following the service to vote on calling our ministerial candidate, Reverend Eileen Wiviott.  Due to COVID 19 restrictions, we will be holding our meeting virtually.   

In following UCE’s Bylaws, in order to be able to conduct a vote on this important issue, we must have a quorum of 40% of our congregation’s eligible voting members.  This quorum differs from that of our annual meeting, which only requires 20%. You must be a UCE member for at least 90 days to vote.  It is important that as many eligible voting members of the congregation as possible be present.  Additionally, in accordance with our Bylaws, in order to be called, a minister must receive a positive vote from 80% of the votes cast by eligible voting members of the congregation present at the meeting.  Most ministers see at least 90% as a successful call and will not agree to the call with less. 

The Agenda for this meeting is as follows: 

1. Election of the chair of the meeting
2. Confirmation of a quorum
3. Immediate vote (no discussion) on whether to call Rev Eileen Wiviott as UCE’s settled senior minister
4. Announcement of results
5. Adjournment of the meeting

If you are an eligible voting member, you will be sent a Zoom link from the UCE office.  This Zoom link will be sent to the email address the office has on file for you.  Please do not share that link.  You will need that link in order to be admitted to the meeting and vote.  Be sure to check your email for that information; the Zoom link will be sent on Wednesday, January 20th. Please contact the office at admin@ucevanston.org before Friday, January 22 at 5:00pm, if you have not received the link. Once you have received the Zoom link, please keep that email handy to use on Sunday, January 24th. 

When you log in to the Zoom meeting, we ask that the name that appears on the screen be your full name, rather than any nicknames or other designation.  Instructions for changing your name are here1.  If you will be joined on your screen by another eligible voting member, please add that person’s full name to your screen name. Only two eligible voting members per screen will be allowed.   

Please be patient as you enter the Zoom meeting.  It will take some time to check you in and confirm that you are a voting member.  We will need to check everyone in before beginning the meeting. 

Please contact Adam Gough at agough@ucevanston.org by Friday, January 22nd, if you need assistance using Zoom.  If you cannot do Zoom, and would like a phone buddy for the meeting and vote, please contact Martha Holman at holman.martha@gmail.com by Saturday, January 23rd. 

If you are not an eligible voting member, you will be able to watch a livestream of the meeting on Youtube.  Please do NOT have both the Youtube broadcast and Zoom running at the same time. 

Thank you!  Please exercise your right to vote! 

It is our goal as the Board of Trustees to maintain connections with you. To that end, we are beginning a new program entitled, “Reflections with the Board.” We will host these sessions via zoom once a month at 10am before the service. The purpose of these sessions is two-fold: One, we will often have information that we would like to share and two, these sessions are a time for us to listen to you. We want to hear how you are, as well as your ideas, suggestions, and concerns.

Our next session will be held on January 10th at 10 am. For this session, the Board would like to spend some time talking with you about Widening the Circle of Concern. For this session, we will focus on Chapter One, Theology. We began our discussion of Chapter One in December and will continue it in January. You did not have to attend our session in December to join us this month. Here are the questions from the WTC Study Guide:

• How can we as a community move away from an attitude that puts emphasis on rejected beliefs? How can we embrace a posture of working through honest and robust engagement? How can we move toward commonly held beliefs and practices based on our inherited tradition?
• What kinds of programming and activities could help members of our community to gain a rich and deep understanding of Unitarian, Universalist, and Unitarian Universalist theologies? In what ways could we intentionally and courageously make space for learning from people often marginalized in our communities?
• The first recommendation questions a prevalent assumption among UUs: “that you can believe whatever you want and be a Unitarian Universalists.” Our shared faith is a covenantal faith that presents us with a theological container in which we can hold multiple religious belongings and theological understandings. What shift would happen in our communities if we were to be intentional about understanding, interpreting, and sharing with others our views of our movement’s theological container?
• The second and third recommendations call us into an encounter with the liberatory potentials of our theological inheritance. It asks us to acknowledge anti-oppression work as a theological mandate of our faith. How could such a mandate find expression in our worship? In our congregational life? In our community relations, particularly alongside marginalized members of our faith as well as in the larger community?
• The fourth and last recommendation reminds us of the covenantal nature of our faith. How do you understand the significance of being a covenantal faith for the present and future thriving of the faith?
• Reflecting on the four recommendations in this chapter, what are the barriers to their implementation, and what changes are needed in order to overcome them?

Which of these questions would you like to discuss? What have you been learning as you have been reading Widening the Circle? Please join us on Sunday. Thank you.

Click here to join the Zoom Meeting.

Meeting ID: 862 4288 7134

Passcode: 220807

One tap mobile +13126266799,,86242887134#,,,,,,0#,,220807# US (Chicago)