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Congregation Zoom Forums for Bylaws Amendments
On Sunday March 28th at our Annual Meeting, members will be asked to approve a set of Bylaws amendments. The Board of Trustees has scheduled the last of 3 congregational Zoom Forums to discuss the proposed changes this coming Sunday:
Zoom Information: Sunday, March 7, 2:00 p.m.
https://zoom.us/j/99576308982
Meeting ID: 995 7630 8982
Passcode: 739770
The goals of these proposed Bylaws amendments are (1) to provide for an organization that reflects our current realities and vision, (2) to streamline our committee structure with well-defined chains of authority and reflective of our vision and volunteer expectations, and (3) to provide for enhanced governance responsive to current strategic focus areas and relative technologies of today.
You will hear in our Zoom Forum the background for the following changes summarized below:
VP-Finance replaced with VP for Stewardship: Over the past several years, finding 2 members with sufficient financial skills to fill the Treasurer and VP-Finance positions has been virtually impossible, leaving one or both positions vacant for long periods of time. Because we have developed strong policies with respect to bookkeeping and checking account permissions, there is no need for both
positions. Traditionally, the stewardship functions have rested with the Finance Council. The Council has readily acknowledged that its analytical skills do not align with the required stewardship marketing skills. A new VP for Stewardship will provide year-round Board-level focus on fundraising initiatives—pledging and non-pledge revenues.
Member-At-Large replaced with VP for Membership: Most would argue that membership is one of our top 3 long-term issues for UUCFM, yet no individual at the Board level has that direct responsibility in the current Bylaws. The Member-At-Large position has no specific duties in the Bylaws. The VP for Membership would bring a key strategic effort to the Board with direct responsibilities for member engagement and communications, volunteer coordination, and our
radical hospitality as a Welcoming Congregation.
Rename the VP-Ministerial Services to VP for Worship.
Rename the VP-Programming to VP for Programs: The responsibilities of this position will include bringing Vision focus to programs, community outreach, and event scheduling for the church calendar.
Streamlining and defining lines of responsibility for committees: Of the 31 current top-level committees, the proposed changes eliminate 15 of them, many of which are vacant and whose scopes are redundant. The “councils” from the current Bylaws are replaced with Standing Committees which report directly to a Trustee. Standing Committees are distributed over 7 Board members, compared to the current committee structure reporting to only 4 Trustees, better distributing responsibilities and broadening member representation at the Board level.
Updating the Bylaws for technology advances: Sections have been added to allow for electronic meeting attendance and email voting limitations.
Dissolution clause: Currently, the Bylaws call for all remaining assets of UUCFM upon dissolution going to the UUA. We recommend changing the designation to non-profit(s) determined by the action of the Board of Trustees at the time of such dissolution. Any changes to this clause would have to be approved by the UUA. If the congregation approves this change, it would be contingent on UUA subsequent approval. Without UUA approval, the clause would remain unchanged. UUA
contingency only applies to this Dissolution clause.
Come to the last Zoom Forum to understand the proposed changes, provide your feedback, and be informed in preparation for your Annual Meeting member vote. Although not a Bylaws amendment, we will also be discussing the vote to change the “C” in UUCFM from “Church” to “Congregation” or “Community” or not. Your voice is needed.
For your information and greater details on the proposed amendments, here are links to 2 PDF documents to assist your decisions:
www.tinyurl.com/bylawsbackground
www.tinyurl.com/bylawscompare
The Transition Team & Board of Trustees
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