From Our Board Prez: Passing the Torch with Gratitude and Hope
The Annual Congregational Meeting is behind us. We had 82 members in attendance in person and on zoom; the presentations and votes went quickly and smoothly, with no objections raised; and we finished before noon! If you could not attend, you can find the annual report and the meeting minutes on our website.
As I wind down my term as Board President, I have been spending a bit of time with Gary LaBedz, who is assuming the role of Board President. I have known Gary for so many years – as a fellow board member, as our Treasurer, as our Controller and as a friend. I know him for his thoughtfulness, both as a human being and as a board member. He listens, he asks questions, he forms his own opinions. He pays attention to detail, he is responsible and responsive. He is even-tempered and gracious, and he has a good sense of humor and a sense of humility. I look forward to supporting Gary in whatever way I can next year – but, with the strength of the other Board members, I suspect he won’t need much for me beyond my well wishes!
I have some hopes for Gary.
I hope that Gary’s years as Board President will be like this past year has been for me – interesting, engaging and heartwarming. Sure, we had occasional obstacles or unsettling things to handle … the unexpected departure of our Interim Religious Education Director, whose entire family we miss… discovering graffiti on our building on the roof and on the shingles last month…. having our Pride Flag taken down by strangers, repeatedly … having to arrange and fund unplanned repairs in the building. There’s always something.
But, apart from these pretty typical problems, my past year at CCUU was filled with the support and engagement of so many people in our congregation. It was a year of discovery – discovery of a new minister, a new RE Leader. It was a time of experimentation with new kinds of spiritual gatherings on weeknights. It was a time of preparation for a new type of Sunday evening worship service. It was a time of rebuilding our Social Justice organization and increased participation in social justice work. It was time for protecting people whose safety and support have been threatened. It was a time of good energy, inspired by new visitors who have jumped in quickly and become so engaged and instrumental in our week-to-week work that it seems they’ve been here forever.
I am grateful for this year that has replenished my spirit and my optimism … a year when I have received so many gestures of support and expressions of appreciation – from our staff, from our ministers, from the UUA and from our congregation. This has been a gratifying and rewarding time for me.
And so my hope – for Gary, for our Board, for our staff, for our ministers and for you, as a congregation – is to have another year like this past year: a year of heartwarming and energizing work, collaboration, discovery and growth.
With love and with deep gratitude – Lisa Gilley