President’s Letter - June 2009

Dear Members and Friends,

Is it possible that this Fellowship year is coming to a close? Well, the annual meeting is soon, June 7, and after that there is only one more regular service on June 14 and then the summer services begin on June 28. The annual meeting marks the end of one year and the beginning of the next. In preparation of the annual meeting, the Board held a forum on the proposed 2009/10 budget on May 17. Attendance was sparse, but those present heard a comprehensive presentation and summary of the recent fund drive and, in addition, a discussion on the proposed budget for next year. As a result of a lot of hard work by all concerned, and especially pledge chair Nenette Kress, we were able to raise $138,000 in pledges for next year-not bad, given the extreme economic climate that we all labor in. Each Board member agreed to increase his/her pledge by at least 10% and many members paid their UU association dues separately, apart from the annual pledge-this is a big help and almost offsets the loss of income due to Ward Morehouse (a founder of this Fellowship) ending his book storage in our basement.

The final budget will be distributed in advance of the annual meeting, but the final draft presented to members on June 7 should look very much like the draft the Board presented at the May 17 budget meeting. Given the prevailing economic climate, difficult decisions had to be made, including holding all salaries at the current 2008/09 level. The UUA, our governing body, is similarly holding all salaries static for the immediate future while the economic detritus settles. This was a very difficult decision for everyone and we all look forward to a better economic climate in the future. 

In addition to the proposed 2009/10 budget, there will be several other items of interest on the annual meeting agenda. We will be electing four trustees to the Board. Anne Pearl, Shahan Islam and myself are each standing for re-election. Regrettably, Eddy Fried will not stand for re-election, but I am very confident he will channel his energy (and his love for this Fellowship and Unitarian-Universalism) into new projects and endeavors! Eddy’s many, many contributions are too long to list; always an evangelist for UUism with so much passion for UU principles. I succeed Eddy as President and his commitment to ensuring the integrity of the decision-making process is a benchmark for the Board; thanks Eddy. If you are interested in running for election to the Board, contact any member of the Election Committee (Gary Simon, Shannon Varekamp & Susan Cucccinello).

Also on the annual meeting agenda will be several proposed changes to the bylaws, specifically a clarification of the role of the Election Committee and a fuller description of the Committee on Ministry. And what about changing the name of the UUBCO, Inc. to something, ah, easier? Well, the ad hoc committee charged with investigating changing the name of our Fellowship looked at the issue and, by unanimous vote, recommended that the name be changed to the “Unitarian Fellowship at Croton-on-Hudson.” Many thanks to Anne Sumers for taking the time to chair this committee and guide it to a specific recommendation.  What do you think? Re-naming our Fellowship is no small change-it’s literally who

we are. The Board wants a potential name change to be given a full airing and so, although this item will be on the agenda, the Board is asking the membership to table the issue for one year. This will give us time to discuss the name change more fully and also ensure it is on the agenda for next year.

In addition, you may all be aware that the annual UUA “GA” (General Assembly) is coming up soon. UUBCO is eligible to send three delegates to the UUA GA to be held June 24 - 28 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Board has asked Marge Grimm to please represent us and we are looking for two additional representatives. Are you interested in being our delegate to the GA? Members will designate the delegates at the annual meeting and if more than two members want to attend, we will elect two members to represent us. And as you may be aware, this is a very special GA: this year the UUA membership will be electing a new president. Have you followed the two principal candidates, the Rev. Dr. Laurel Hallman and the Rev. Peter Morales? I know some members have made a point of learning about the candidates and at the annual meeting we will also be voting on which candidate to support. The official statement of each candidate is printed on page 7 and 8 in this newsletter and you can find more information on the candidates on the UUA.org website.

Rick Turner, President, Board of Trustees