MDUUC September Board Buzz

Fall always brings so many activities to MDUUC.

September 24 Board Meeting
The MDUUC Board meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month.  All are welcome to attend.  Below are some highlights of the meeting.  As you can see, there are many interesting activities coming up!!  I hope you can attend some of them.

Suspension of Formal Internship in 2014-15  

Much discussion has been had on the proposal to suspend our formal internship for the 2014-15 congregational year.  Leslie as the supervising minister made this request after the staff evaluations last year brought home the need for her to devote more attention this year and next to supervision and structuring for the staff and David.  Suspending the internship for next year will allow more time this fall when the internship selection would need to occur and more time next year to continue to work on increasing the capacity of the staff, especially in the area of administration. The discussion on this issue has been heard and considered deeply and to provide some of the benefits of internship, Leslie has proposed that the six preaching slots which have traditionally been reserved for the intern be offered to alumni of the MDUUC internship and that seminarians be offered the opportunity to teach classes at MDUUC to provide new and fresh perspectives. 

Leadership Summit

The Leadership Summit was held on September 28.  This year, the special guest speaker was Linda Laskowski former PCD representative.  She talked about the driving forces that are influencing faith formation. Other interesting agenda items were: a discussion of the state of the MDUUC; building personal management skills; how to manage conflict; critical issues facing MDUUC.

Committee Fair The MDUUC Committee Fair will be held on October 6 after both services during the coffee hour. This event helps communicate to the congregation the great work committees do; it is also a good way to connect with people who may be interested joining your committee. Please contact Kristen Taylor or David Platt.

Jim Scott, notable UU composer in a concert benefiting the Trinity Center
Mora Mattingly (Music Committee) and Mary Fenelon (Social Justice Council) presented plans for a collaborative effort to raise funds for the Trinity Center in Walnut Creek. The groups will be hosting a concert on November 24 at 3pm featuring Jim Scott, notable UU composer from the Paul Winter consort in the MDUUC Sanctuary.  Trinity Center is the only homeless respite center in Walnut Creek.

Covenant of Right Relations

The Committee on Ministry is working on updating the Covenant of Right Relations and is reviewing covenants from different UU congregations.  The committee will have a rough draft covenant in October and will be holding two congregational conversations to gather feedback in October and November.  The final version will be presented for a vote at the Congregational Meeting in January.

Ministers Learn Modules on Driving Forces in Faith Formation

Ministers learning module was an overview on the significant driving forces influencing faith formation.  More details can be located at http://www.faithformation2020.net/ff-2020-driving-forces.html

Youth Report

Youth participated in the Youth and Young Adult Programs committee meeting on Sunday September 22 to review the proposal for youth membership.   They are planning this year’s haunted house warned the Board that they have a very scary Fairy Tale Theme.

What is involved in developing the budget?

Board Treasurer, Carol Sue Cain, reviewed the process and timeline involved in putting together the budget.  This document is available on the Board web page on the MDUUC community site.

Balasz Scholar Hosting 2014-15 

The board approved hosting the Balasz Scholar for 2014-2015. The Balázs Scholars Committee at Starr King School each year brings a Transylvanian Unitarian minister (and family) to study for a year at the school and the Graduate Theological Union. The San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland and MDUUC Churches take turns acting as host church.