March 23, 2023

Something For the Moment 

• Board Dialogue Session: The board will be holding their next dialogue session this Saturday, March 25, 2023 from 12:30-1:30 ET / 11:30-12:30 CT / 10:30-11:30 MT / 9:30-10:30 PT. The board hopes scheduling a weekend session will make the session accessible to more of our members. Click here to register and receive zoom information.

• Chapter Leader Mailing:  Spring Chapter Leader calls are scheduled! If you are a leader in your chapter, please click to read our letter with information and resources for you in your role. Links in the letter will enable you to sign up to attend one of the chapter leader calls.

• Ministry Days Scholarship Timeline: The first deadline to apply for scholarship assistance is approaching on March 30, 2023. Visit the event page for more information on scholarship award and registration timelines.

Something for the Journey
From Rev. Dr. Natalie Fenimore, TRUSTEE-AT-LARGE: ARAOM

Here on Long Island, NY, I am grateful to see the Spring arrive. The bulbs and flowering trees are beginning their extravagant display. Birds are singing loudly, and the coyotes on the congregation’s grounds are preparing for a new litter. While the pandemic is not over, it somehow feels less suffocating, and many of us may look on this “third year” Spring with more hopefulness. We may be able to turn toward thoughts of what our ministries and the UUMA are becoming… we may be able to pick up some of the plans we dropped in order to concentrate on survival.

The Unitarian Universalist Ministers Association will continue to engage with the recommendations of the UUA Commission on Institutional Change found in “Widening the Circle of Concern.” An important recommendation is to communicate clarity of roles, process, and governance within our UU Institutions. In this spirit, the Board of Trustees wishes to outline the process to be used during this period of considering UUMA bylaw changes.

A proposal for bylaws changes appear later in this newsletter for continued discussion and comments from you, the UUMA membership. After review by the committee they will come to the Board of Trustees, who expect to present the proposed new bylaws to the membership during the Annual Meeting (June 6 and June 8th from 2-4pm ET/1-3pm CT/12-2pm MT/11am-1pm PT) – and at that time the proposed bylaw changes will be voted up or down by the membership. The Annual Meeting will not be a time for making amendments to the proposal or to wordsmith the proposal.

It is the intention of the Board for the Annual Meeting itself to become a forum for discussion, interaction and engagement with our evolving ministries – and a time of fellowship.

May you be refreshed by the coming of new life in the Spring…

Something Extra

UUMA Bylaw Revision: As many of you know by now, your UUMA Board has charged a Bylaws Committee to work on the UUMA purposes Article I Section 3. We are so grateful to so many of you who have participated already. Version #7 was shared with the Board at their meeting last week and they are excited about this version and ready to put it on the Annual Meeting agenda. AND we also want to give you, the Members, one more chance to offer your thoughts. If we approve the rules of the meeting, the Board intends for the vote at the meeting to be a yes or no vote, i.e. not having amendments from the floor.  If you want to remind yourself of the current version of the bylaws, you can find them here. 

Please fill out this form by April 8, 2023 to give the Bylaws Committee time to process and consider your feedback. If you get an edit access request message or something similar, try filling it out anyways. Thank you! – Wendy Bartel on behalf of the Bylaws Committee and Board of Trustees
 

UUMA Nominations: The UUMA Nominating Committee submit the following list of nominees for the UUMA Board and the Nominating Committee:

• Rev. Jon Coffee – UUMA Nominating Committee
• Rev. Edith Love – UUMA Nominating Committee
• Rev. Carol Thomas Cissel – UUMA Board of Trustees: Treasurer
• Rev. Joseph Santos-Lyons – UUMA Board of Trustees: At Large Portfolio for Widening the Circle

The Bylaws regarding the process to nominate by petition are below. 45 days before the annual meeting is April 22, 2023. Petitions may be submitted to board@uuma.org. 

From the UUMA Bylaws Article XI Section 5: All nominations of the Nominating Committee shall be submitted to the President at least 90 days prior to the date of the membership meeting. At least 75 days prior to the membership meeting, the President shall submit the names of all nominees to the membership, along with the bylaw provisions for nomination by petition.