Notes from the 2006 Annual Board Retreat
By Julie Caran
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At the Annual Board Retreat on January 28-29, 2006, the board reviewed accomplishments since the last retreat. Goals from last year’s retreat included development and support of the Membership Committee, Lifespan Religious Education, and the establishment of a Long Range Planning Task Force. The membership committee was successfully reestablished and has become and strong and active force of positive energy at HUU. Lifespan RE has grown with new programming and more involvement from volunteers. The Long Range Planning Task Force (LRPTF) was established last winter, and its members met over the course of several months and presented a thoughtful report to the board in the fall. Our 2006 retreat focused primarily on the Long Range Planning (LRP) report and ways to move forward with the ideas presented in this document.
The LRP report identified three “key religious tasks” of HUU: sense-making, care-giving, and justice-seeking. The task force also put forth the idea of constructing a “ministry team” to meet the needs of our small lay led congregation. In response to the LRP report, and after discussion at the retreat, the board is proposing to build a paid lay-ministry team. An ad hoc group made up of one member from each of the following committees will be established to research team ministry closely: Social Justice, Sunday Services, Caring Circle, and Long Range Planning. Board members agreed that the church should premise future investment decisions on the current availability of resources.
The board will present a service on our key religious tasks on Sunday, April 23, 2006. Copies of the Long Range Planning Report will be available following the service that day, and the board welcomes discussion of the document and the “ministry team” concept at the April 30th town hall meeting.
In addition to long range planning work, the retreat allowed time for discussion of our weekly Sunday services. The Board is committed to supporting the Sunday Services Committee, and is currently working with the committee to fill in gaps in the Sunday Services schedule, to create a sense of “sacred space” in our sanctuary, and solidify a tone of reverence in our Sunday morning experience.
Board members (at the time this was published) include Julie Caran, Sarah Cheverton, Beryl Lawson, Amy Thompson, Merle Wenger, and Treasurer Grayson Sless.