A message from your Nominating and Leadership Development Committee
The Nominating Committee (Morgan Patten, Martha Filipic, and Roger Johnson) are continuing to seek out members of the congregation interested in serving on the NUUC Board of Trustees (two openings for three-year positions) and the Nominating Committee (one opening for a two-year position), all beginning in March after the congregational meeting. Anyone interested may contact Morgan at morgan.patten@gmail.com, Martha at marthafilipic@gmail.com, or Roger at jrogerj@aol.com.
The Nominating Committee asked current member of the board, Leah McCoy, to address the congregation in January about her experience in serving in the congregation’s leadership. In case you missed her inspiring words, you can read them here:
When I was nominated about a year and a half ago to fill a vacancy on the board, my first thought was, “do that many people even know who I am?” I’d been attending church for some time, but my circle of acquaintances was fairly small, and I’ll be honest: when I first started attending church on a regular basis it was during a very rocky period of my life, when a lot of things were changing or just simply falling apart—my own body included—and in that time of transition, healing, and deep reflection, my focus was inward. I was perfectly content to show up, sit through service, leave promptly and not have to talk to anyone.
You can see how that turned out. Because what I found is that this is a place where you are not only welcome; you are seen—even when you’re not really trying to be. And the more I engaged, the more I learned, the richer my life and my experience at the church became. So, when I was asked to serve on the board and had that initial reaction, my second thought was, “well, even if only a few people know who I am, those people think I’m right for the job, so I will try.”
And let me tell you, serving on a board—any board, but especially this one—is challenging and humbling . . . but it’s also gratifying. It’s gratifying because I get to work with a group of people who—even if we don’t completely agree on any given topic—are all committed to honoring and upholding the mission of the church, and making this a place where people are welcome and seen.
What I’ve learned is that leadership is really an act of care—one that holds space for a community and empowers individuals to grow further into themselves and, yes, become leaders in their own right. Even when the decisions we make as a board seem more administrative than spiritual—budgeting, fundraising, scheduling, policy, and so on—the growth and sustainability of the spiritual home we share is our ultimate goal.
So, in this time of growth and development, as we welcome new faces, edge closer to breaking ground on our building expansion, and learn to live within a new reality brought on by the effects of a global pandemic, as challenging as it can be, I am honored to help care for the community that saw and cared for me when I needed it most. And I hope that over the next year and a half, as I continue to serve on the board, I will get to know even more of you . . . and you will get to know me. Thank you very much.
Leah McCoy
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