What’s the Board Up To? Dec.

by WUUC | Nov 29, 2019 | Announcements

At the board meeting on Nov. 5, board Secretary Terry Santmann gave a report on the bylaws vote: 71 people voted in total. 67 people voted in favor of the first bylaws proposal. 70 people voted in favor of the second proposal. The third bylaws proposal was approved unanimously. The Board spent the rest of the meeting on an extensive and detailed review of the edits to the model ministerial contract recommended by the board subcommittee.

The Board had previously discussed the pros and cons of multi-generational worship on Sundays and has asked the Ministry Council to evaluate the best method to analyze and explore the idea of Sunday Forums.

The Board had requested that The Ministerial Search Committee (MSC) make a recommendation regarding whether the church should proceed with a search for a settled minister or choose a different search path (.e.g. Developmental, Contract, etc.) The MSC has discussed at length the results of the recently concluded survey and cottage meetings. Based on those results, as well as on the committee members’ own impressions of the congregation’s readiness, the MSC has unanimously recommended that that the search for a settled minister should continue. At the Nov. 19 meeting the Board voted unanimously to follow the MSC’s recommendation to continue the search for a settled minister. The group also discussed at length Rev. Duane’s feedback on the proposed draft minister contract. (Rev. Duane is WUUC’s ministerial transition coach.) The ministerial contract team will meet again to recommend further revisions.

We have a dilemma regarding our dire need for immediate improved internet service and the delay in funding which would likely result if we attempt to fund the technological upgrade through Chalice Lighters. David will further research the possibility of getting both a $4,000 Chalice Lighters matching grant immediately for the internet upgrade as well as later applying for a full Chalice Lighter grant for further technological upgrades. The Board authorized the release of $4,000 from the solar fund reserve in response to a request from one of the donors. The $4,000 would be used for the internet upgrade, should we apply for the matching grant.

David will buy extra headphones and receivers for the hearing loop, so the church will have ten in total to provide on Sundays. Rev. Diana will include hearing loop information and procedures in an Announce email about accessibility.

The next board meeting will be held in the WUUC library at 6:30 pm on December 10th.

For minutes of the Nov. 19 board meeting, go here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hyMIMdp9NIOl0ZmEIVdUuyH8jlMdt6u-/view?usp=sharing
For minutes of the Nov. 5 board meeting, go here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sk1ERqIXqOxY-VTCvDkOC-oCyNceXPXb/view?usp=sharing
For minutes of the Oct. 20 Congregational Meeting, go here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ux8yIBzpFk7g5lD9pNVGtx5taI59tTFX/view?usp=sharing

Totes to Go Dec.

by WUUC | Nov 29, 2019 | Announcements

Our heads are engaged with holiday activities, but Totes to Go is preparing for the New Year. Let’s get “our” kids off to a good start in 2020.
Remember, these children are students in Bothell schools who have been identified as being at risk of missing meals over weekends. We supply food to supplement their needs. Every Friday, the school packs up a selection of the items we donate and sends that home with the child. The empty backpack comes back to school on Monday.
Each month we supply shelf stable milk, one-dish meals, a pack of crackers, fruit cups, juice packs, granola bars, snack packs, cereal, peanut butter and canned meat or fish. We hope that when you shop for groceries, you pick up a few items for Totes to Go. We make a difference for kids who may be trying to learn when their stomachs are growling.
Thanks so much for your ongoing participation in the Totes program!
Questions? Contact John Hartman or Grace Simons, coordinators.

Taming Bigfoot Continued

by WUUC | Nov 29, 2019 | Announcements

Last month we described Taming Bigfoot, a website designed to convert a number of common things you do to the amount of greenhouse gas they cause.
During the last month, Donna and I registered on the website and went through the Taming Bigfoot program. Here is our experience.
First, Taming Bigfoot uses a standard unit of measurement-CO2e, or carbon dioxide equivalent. Everything you enter is converted to this unit of measurement.
We entered information in three main areas: Home, transportation and food.
We looked at specific bills for electricity, gas, garbage and water and became more aware of the energy that is used by each utility system. This was a little challenging since we do automatic bill pay and mostly paperless billing, and truth be told we don’t keep very good track from month to month. It was a good exercise to go into all of the web sites and gather the data for each utility.
It made us realize that we don’t actually know a bunch of stuff — like the weight of non-recyclable, non- compostable garbage we put out each week.
It made us realize the way plane travel (Donna took a trip to the east coast in October) really pushes up our household carbon footprint. It would be fun to keep track of these things over a year and try to do everything we can to reduce our carbon footprint. Since there is such seasonality in our utility bills that would really be the best way for us to determine changes over time. That would take a lot of commitment, so it would be cool to have a group to report out to.
So: the big ask. Who would like to be part of the WUUC Taming Bigfoot group? If you are interested in participating in this group, please email me at ajhjr1001@yahoo.com and we will set up an organizing meeting.

Ordination Imminent

by WUUC | Nov 29, 2019 | Announcements

Janine Larsen, a past president of WUUC, will be ordained as a Zen priest on the evening of Saturday, Dec. 7, at University Unitarian Church (UUC) in Seattle. Members of WUUC are invited to attend.
Janine has practiced Zen Buddhism as a UU for about 20 years, and leads weekly Zen Meditation & Study groups at WUUC and UUC. She served the UUA for 12 years as the Pacific Northwest District Executive and on the Pacific Western Region staff. She is currently the Director of Ministries at UUC.
Janine will be ordained by the Rev. James Ford, who is a UU minister as well as a senior Zen priest (roshi). The event is open to the public, and is part of a larger Zen retreat at UUC that week (click here for more information).