Board Bits

April 2021

The CVUU Board of directors met Thursday, April 15th, 2021. Board meeting minutes are typically available upon request from the CVUU Board Secretary (Ken Saucer) or Congregational Administrator (Susie Gullixson), approximately 30 days after the board meeting date. The Board meets every month on Zoom during COVID-19 circumstances. The meeting is usually the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM. The meeting is open for congregants to observe. Congregants who want to present something to the Board must notify CVUU Board President Anne Odell before the meeting to be included on the agenda. The following is a synopsis of pertinent items.

Director of Religious Education (DRE) – Paul Greggs – We have approximately 23 youth currently active in RE. There have been two in-person events, and attendance at those has been low. There will be an Earth Day clean-up event at CVUU on April 24th, 2021, and attendance should be good for that event. Additional in-person events are coming soon, including a CPR class and paint party to erase graffiti from the vandalism that occurred earlier this year. CVUU youth are planning to participate in the Clean the Bay Day event, June 5th, 2021. There will also be a virtual Dungeons and Dragons event in May 2021.

2021 Stewardship Campaign – As of April 15th,CVUU had collected approximately $300,000 of the current year pledge goal of $385,000, which is 78 percent of the goal. The Stewardship Campaign will continue until April 30th, 2021.

FY 22 CVUU Budget – The CVUU Board will meet on May 6th, 2021, in a special meeting to discuss the FY22 budget to ensure a balanced budget reflects the CVUU Board goals for the coming fiscal year. The Board will ensure the budget is prepared promptly for consideration by the congregation at least 30 days before the Annual Meeting on June 13th, 2021. The plan is to send out the budget on May 10th, 2021. Reduced pledges for fiscal year 2022 mean that some items will need to be removed from the Operating Budget. It costs $45,000 per month to run CVUU. This amount includes fixed costs and personnel. The new budget will be likely to reduce that to $42,000 per month.

Board President Anne Odell will host an informational meeting regarding the FY 2022 Operating Budget after the Sunday virtual service on April 25th, 2021. Anne Odell will also send a letter from the Board President to the congregation regarding the potential budget shortfall. CVUU is likely to use $40,000 of Operating reserve funds to cover the shortage. Dealing with COVID-19 circumstances is a good reason to use reserves.

Re-Opening for In-Person Sunday Worship – To- date, five outdoor events have been approved at CVUU during COVID-19 circumstances. The Board is currently processing applications for one additional indoor event and two additional outdoor events. Application packages have been submitted for approval for these events.

The CVUU Board will solicit reports from all standing committees that are stakeholders in the production of in-person Sunday worship services. A Board subcommittee has been formed; Martha Shore and Ellie Fetterly will be preparing a charge to send to committee chairs. Committees shall report to the Board their status and what their committees will need to resume in-person Sunday services. Those committees should report to the Board promptly, so the Board can consider re-opening for in-person services. The Board will discuss this at the June 17th, 2021 Board meeting, with the hope that some in-person Sunday services may resume during summer 2021. Committees need to identify their needs now and recruit the necessary volunteers to move towards in-person services.

The Board will share the guidebook and recommendations of the Re-Opening Task Force (ROTF) with the congregation. Congregants will be asked to consider the recommendations, the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resources available for guiding their personal decision to return to CVUU in-person for services. It is likely services will resume in-person with reduced capacity. The CVUU Congregational Administrator and a member of the ROTF will be identifying a reservation system that ensures those who want to attend services in-person have that opportunity.

Board Bouquets:

 Doug Throp for his untiring, unwavering dedication to keeping the CVUU building in running order. Doug goes in early, stays late, never complains, and CVUU would be lost without his services.

Robyn Thomas and Mark Fetterly for the current and ongoing Social Hall project. It will be a thing of beauty when it is complete, and CVUU will owe much to Robyn and Mark for taking the lead in this endeavor.

Michael Toepper, Julie Hurst, and the CVUU NEST volunteers added another week of service to NEST! This work is truly at the heart of the mission of CVUU. Michael, Julie, and others have contributed to the success of NEST this year, despite COVID-19 circumstances.