The Board has been very busy the past two months.  At the August Board meeting, we voted to both move forward with the process to call Pastor Isa as well as to recommend increasing her current appointment to full time.  We decided to separate these actions into two different processes.  There were many reasons to make these separate but one reason was so we could immediately have more availability with Pastor Isa.  Having a 3/4-time minister impedes our ability to move forward on many initiatives and we did not want to feel rushed or overwhelmed during the call process.

On Sunday, September 11th we held a congregational meeting to vote to change Pastor Isa’s current appointment from 3/4-time to full time.  I was extremely invigorated and excited to see such a great turn out for the meeting.

The discussion was thoughtful, lively, and a great representation of our shared values.  Thank you to everyone that participated!  The decision was in the affirmative, so Pastor Isa will begin her full-time schedule in October.

Next, we will move forward with the call processes. This is distinct from the vote on September 11th. In its simplest explanation; calling a minister is a formal acknowledgement of the partnership relationship between the minister and a congregation, which is more than an employment relationship. Instead
of being bound by a contract with a known end date, we would covenant to work together until either the minister or congregation chose to end the partnership.  With called ministry, the default state is that we will continue in a mutually beneficial relationship.  In many ways, we have been interacting with our ministers as if we called them, but we’ve never gone through the process to transition formally from contract ministry.  The Board is currently in the process of selecting the Call Task Force to help us decide if we want to do this. This is a group of diverse individuals in our congregation that will be reaching out to get input from across the congregation.  This is a new experience for us as a congregation and for Pastor Isa.  We will all be learning in this process!  If there is a recommendation to move forward with the call, we will have another congregational meeting.  This will most likely be in December or January.  Therefore, if you have any actionable feedback about the meeting on September 11, please let me know as I will have the opportunity to reflect and implement changes. (Yeah for personal and professional growth!)

The Board also voted on an updated COVID policy [which may be reviewed at] https://uufm.net/covid-policy-and- resources/.  We have added additional air filtration and relaxed some of the restrictions based on the additional air filtration.  Most notably, when we are in the Orange risk level, we can still ALL sing during the service.  Also, when we move back to the Yellow risk level (where we are now), masks will only be required in the Sanctuary and Narthex during Sunday Services.  Masks will still be recommended in all other spaces and events.  This allows us to still center the most vulnerable but be flexible with what we are able to achieve with our space.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions, comments, or concerns.  I feel very privileged to be the UUFM Board chair.

Warm regards,

              Amy Betz

Learn more from UUFM Board Chair Amy Betz at amy.betz@gmail.com.