In this mid-week message, Karen talks about how the creative process often involves a little bit of chaos beforehand, and how creativity (like beauty) is in the eye of the beholder.
Click on the picture above to view.
Save the Date: Annual Meeting—May 21, 2023
The Annual Meeting of the UUCM Members, as outlined in the UUCM By-Laws, will be held on Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 11:30am. The meeting will be held both in-person at the church, and online via Zoom. All members are encouraged to participate, as a quorum is needed to conduct business. Friends of UUCM are also welcome to attend. If you are planning to join by Zoom, you must pre-register at this link to join the meeting.
The full agenda is available, and we have summarized the key decisions and business items below. This page will be updated over the next few weeks as new details become available. If you have questions, please contact boardpresident@uucmtka.org.
Operating Budget for 2023-2024
The board is proposing an operating budget of $445,000 for fiscal year 2023-2024. This new budget amount represents a less than 5% increase from last year. Increased expenses come from high costs in some areas–for example, maintenance costs have increased as our building gets older. Personnel expenses account for the bulk of our budget and increases in that area account for a shift in UUA guidelines for staff compensation, and our progress towards making sure our staff continues to be paid fairly. You can see the specifics of the budget here.
Elections for Board and Nominating Committee
Per the By-Laws, Board officers (President and VP) are elected for one year terms, while Board trustees are elected for 3 years terms. Three of the Nominating Committee members are elected by the congregation for one year terms. This year’s Nominating Committee has proposed the following slate of candidates for terms starting in July 2022. You can read all about the candidates here.
Board of Trustees
- President (1 year): Janna Sundby
- Vice President (1 year): Shelley Buss
- Board Trustee (3 years): Emily Rosengren and Guy Johnson
(Note: Brian Zais, Jeff Adrian, and Fred Hulting will continue as Board Directors).
Nominating Committee
- Members (1 year): MaryAnn Wiborg, Kathy Stuebner, and Fay LaVigne
Approval of a Resolution and Public Statement
The congregation will vote on to allow a land acknowledgment on the church website.
You can read this document to get more background on the resolution.
UUCM Updates and Reports
We will publish reports from the Board, Council, and Minister that summarize the activities of the past year [posted by May 20]. At the meeting we will verbally share some brief comments and highlights from the reports.
Minutes from Previous Meetings
We will approve the minutes from last year’s Annual Meeting, found here.
UUCM Congregational Survey Reminder
The UUCM’s Board of Trustees wants to hear from you! Click here to participate in our annual congregational survey. By participating, you’re making sure your voice is part of the feedback that the board uses to determine church priorities and goals. Remember, you don’t have to be a member to participate—we want to hear from anyone who is part of our community. If you have any questions, please reach out to board president Becky Halat at boardpresident@uucmtka.org
A Workshop on Rest as Spiritual Practice
UUCM Community Room on May 12 from 6–8 p.m.
It often seems like there’s never enough time for rest, or that it’s difficult to simply let ourselves rest. What messages have we received about rest? What do our bodies and spirits know about rest? How might centering rest help us live our fullest lives?
Join Jill Braithwaite for a workshop focused on tending to the human need for rest. We’ll discuss ancient and contemporary wisdom, our own experiences and beliefs related to rest, and inspiration for making space for rest in our busy lives.
Unlock the Metro:
Bring in Your Old Keys to Support More Affordable Housing
Unlock the Metro is a campaign by Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative to help solve the housing development crisis in the Twin Cities metro area. Unlock the Metro is asking the Met Council to change the allocation of Project-Based Vouchers that enable developers to include deeply affordable apartments in new buildings.
To support the campaign, congregations are collecting old keys. Look for our key collection on the social justice table in the Community Room. The keys will be delivered to the Met Council on June 14 and used in a press conference to bring awareness to the Met Council about the housing development crisis.
Learn more about Unlock the Metro here and here. Let’s unlock more deeply affordable housing!
UUCM Happenings 