All Souls Church Unitarian Board of Trustees Minutes

January 22, 2020

Trustees Present

Nadine Bowden-Ramos, President

Libbie Buchele, Vice President

MJ Crom, Secretary

Joe Feuer

Rob Hardies, Ex Officio

Bob Jayes

Erika Landberg

Neil Manzullo

Mark Regulinski, Treasurer

John Schuettinger

Esther Strongman

Cathy Tortorici

Staff Present

Traci Hughes

Convening

Libbie convened the meeting at 7 pm.

Meditation and Reading

Joe led a meditation and shared a reading.

12-1 Approval of Agenda

• Moved an item regarding a personnel matter under presidential updates to executive session.

• Moved and seconded.

• Passed unanimously.

12-2 Approval of Consent Agenda

• Moved and seconded.

• Brief discussion of Derek’s qualifications to lead the Transformation team.

• Passed unanimously.

12-3 Leadership Report

• Task Review

o Good job everyone following up with action items!

o Neil plans to give Governance Committee his bylaws edits.

o Esther expects to have Board Books ready by retreat.

• Board Work Sessions

o The Board agreed to move work sessions to 3rd Wednesdays.

• New Technology

o Motion to give Office 365 another month and seek training; seconded.

o Neil proposed training on email at the retreat.

o Training on SharePoint scheduled for February 5, 7 pm; back-up date January 29, 7 pm.

o Passed unanimously.

• Communications plan update

o MJ proposed top line summary of board meetings to be approved at end of board meeting

and disseminated to the congregation ASAP.

o Libbie noted that the bulletin board by the entrance to the Reeb Lobby is the Board

bulletin board

▪ MJ will follow up with Gary to set up larger pictures of the board members and

ensure that topline minutes are posted on that board.

▪ MJ will propose top line summary at the end of the meeting or send it out by

email.

o Discussion of meeting minutes format.

▪ Cathy and Esther will use the January draft meeting minutes to create a new

template for meeting minutes.

• Transformation team update

o Neil and Esther reported back on the recent reconciliation meeting with the

Transformation team.

o Board will meet with the Transformation Team on February 19th to go over

recommendations and progress.

▪ Neil will check in with the Transformation Team to ensure this time works for

them.

• Presidential updates

o This will be a standing report. It was presented orally to introduce it, but it will only be a

written report in the future.

o SM and ED reports and performance measures will be discussed at the Board retreat,

along with performance evaluation systems for the staff and the Board.

o Communications from congregants to the board – please respond in a timely way so that

people know they’re being heard.

▪ Some board members felt that communications should be shared with the rest of

the board as a general rule, while others felt that board members should use their

judgement.

▪ Be clear if you are sharing it for informational purposes or if you are requesting

input from the rest of the board

o Ministerial transition

▪ Nadine and Libbie had a call with Keith Kron regarding the UUA interim

minister program.

▪ Interim minister will be chosen in May. Board will receive 8 candidates from the

UUA and will have 2.5 weeks to select from those candidates.

▪ Ministerial committee

• Will consist of 5 individuals; 3 Board members and 2 congregants. The

3 Board members on the committee will select the 2 congregants to serve

on the committee. Nadine passed along Keith Kron’s recommendation

that the selected congregants be highly trusted by the congregation.

• Staff can be ex-officio, non-voting members, bringing the total

committee to 6. Suggestion to ask Rob Keithan to be an ex-officio

member.

• Ministerial committee will need to complete congregational record.

• Nominations: Esther, Cathy, and Erika

o Esther, Cathy, and Erika will choose two members from the

congregation.

12-4 Senior Minister and Executive Director (see attached)

• Financial health

o Pledges for Bridge campaign nearly equal budget.

o Fundraising campaign set to run March 1 – Easter Sunday.

o March 1 will be the public launch of the campaign however a soft launch will likely start

mid-February

o Motion that we establish a stewardship and development committee. Seconded. Passed unanimously.

o Mark and Libbie will be the two board members. Board members suggested members of

the congregation to ask, including Anna Hargrave and Peter Kelley.

▪ Mark and Libbie will invite members of the congregation to join the financial

stewardship committee. • Church security

o Turning last Sunday’s negative into a positive with our response.

o Need a plan for how to respond to an emergency or active shooter.

o Discussion of the positives and negatives of different approaches to security, including:

hiring a security consultant; security guards - uniformed or plainclothes; looking into the

security plans of other houses of worship; involving the police; and active shooter

training.

o For now – security guards outside the sanctuary and 15th street entrance for the next two

Sundays.

12-5 Board Retreat Planning

• All - Let Neil know about dietary restrictions.

• All - please read packet of readings and Governance Task Force Report before retreat.

• Friday at Nadine’s home: fellowshipping, discussing and setting covenant

• Saturday big topics of conversation: setting goals, committees, open questions, what kind of

board we want to be, self-assessment, how to make meetings more effective.

12-6 Committees

• Beckner Committee - Committees of the Board Applying for Grants

o Transformation Team applied for a grant in the last grant cycle. Should Board

committees seek Board buy-in before requesting grants?

o Nadine and Libbie talked with Rev. Rob Keithan and Jalisa Whitley, Beckner Program

officer about the issue and what the policy should be going forward.

o Summary of Call – The Beckner Committee does not see it as a conflict of interest for

committees of the Board to apply for Beckner grants. However, all agreed that the Board

should approve the application prior to submission to the Beckner grant with the approval

noted in the application.

▪ Libbie will follow up with Jalisa to get her final board policy.

Top Line Summary

On January 22nd, the Board:

• discussed operations including new technology and the communication plan.

• got an update on the Transformation Team’s leadership and next steps.

• discussed the process for appointing an interim minister and established a ministerial search

committee.

• established a stewardship and development committee who will work on this spring’s fundraising

campaign.

• discussed church security, especially in light of the incident on Sunday, January 19th.

Adjournment

• Motion to adjourn, seconded.

• Nadine will write a letter to Paula.

• Approved unanimously.

Executive Session

• The board went into executive session

Respectfully submitted,

MJ Crom

Secretary

All Souls Church Unitarian Board of Trustees January Meeting Status Update

February 26, 2020

Action Items

• MJ will propose top line summary at the end of the meeting or send it out by email - done.

• MJ will follow up with Gary to set up larger pictures of the board members and ensure that topline minutes are posted on that board – done.

• Cathy and Esther will use the January draft meeting minutes to create a new template for meeting minutes.

o Note from MJ: we discussed guidelines for minutes at the retreat. I think those guidelines effectively replace this action item. Perhaps we could revisit it after I send out the February meeting minutes.

• Neil will check in with the Transformation Team to ensure this time works for them - done.

• Esther, Cathy, and Erika Neil will choose two members from the congregation to be on the ministerial search committee - done.

• Mark and Libbie will invite members of the congregation to join the financial stewardship committee - done.

• All - Let Neil know about dietary restrictions for Board retreat.

• All - please read packet of readings and Governance Task Force Report before retreat.

• Libbie will follow up with Jalisa to get her final board policy.

• Nadine will write a letter to Paula - done. Decisions

• Training on SharePoint was scheduled for February 5, 7 pm; with a back-up date of January 29, 7 pm, but was re-scheduled for the February 19th work session.

• The ministerial search committee was established as Esther, Cathy, and Erika, plus two congregants, but Neil later joined the committee, replacing Erika.

Board of Trustees Agenda

January 28, 2020

Dinner/Social hour/fellowship and team builder beginning 6:30 PM – 7:00 PM

Joys N’ sorrows

Business Meeting to begin at 7:00 PM and end no later than 9:OO PM

Chalice Lighting and Reading (5 minutes)

Item 12-1 Approval of Agenda (5 minutes)

Item 12-2 Approval of consent agenda (5 minutes)

1. December Minutes 12-??? Ministerial search committee? Item 12-3 Leadership Report: Accountability, transparency, and efficiency Tasks review and follow up from prior meeting (2 minutes) -( Libbie: Overview of what this is & how it

supports efficiency & transparency ED and SM reports: link to performance measures and reporting – watch this space for retreat Letter to board member: institute a policy of responding in a timely fashion; Making sure people are

heard; check into the issues and don’t necessarily feel heard. Move the board work sessions to 3rd session 12-4: MJ is taking on the communications piece (reattach the comms plan)

- Board minutes – structure thereof - Quick n’ dirty minutes after every meeting - Detailed minutes posted after - Draft calendar coming; to be reviewed at the February work session

Nadine:

1. Beckner Committee policies (15 minutes)

2. Meeting with Christin & other ministers

3. Meeting with Keith Kronin

Item 12-4 Senior Minister/ Executive Director Reports (20 minutes) Security Ministry Item 12-5 Treasurer report (20 minutes) Item 12-6 Review and Updates of Bylaws (10 minutes) Item 12- 7 Board Retreat Planning - 15

Item 12-8 Committees (35 minutes)

4. A Powell Davies committee discussion (10 minutes) 5. Stewardship Committee (15 minutes)

Item 12-9: New Business (15 minutes) This is for items not on the agenda that need to be addressed before the January board meeting. 12-10: Executive Session Completion of team builder – 5 minutes

Affirmation

Adjournment

Next Meetings

- UUA Board Resiliency Training 1/11 Oakton VA, 9-4

- ASC Food and board bonding afterwards 4-6, 1/11

- Jubilee Anti-racism training 1/17-1/18 (if you have not taken this before, you must take it now)

- Next board meeting December 1/22

- Board Retreat 1/31-2/1

Executive Director Report

Board of Trustee Business Meeting – January 22, 2020

______________________________________________________________________

Fundraising – Joint Oral Report by Senior Minister and Executive Director

2019 Financial Audit

The mortgage agreement with FVC Bank requires annual reporting of our financials on August 1st of every year. Every other year, the church conducts an audit and provides those finding to FVC. So that there is ample time for the audit to be conducted, and the results to be shared with the Board of Trustees ahead of the August 1, 2020, deadline, I have asked the same accounting firm that conducted the financial review of the 2018 financials, Ubelhart, Rogstad & Associates, to submit a proposal for the audit. The goal is to complete the audit by July 30, 2020.

Insurance Coverage

In an effort to aid the fiduciary responsibility of the Board of Trustees to the congregation, the Board should be aware that ASC maintains all required coverages of property and persons, including cyber liability, fraud, and directors and officers liability and employment practices insurance. All documents detailing coverage are retained with the Executive Director. The Board President has a listing of all policies, policy numbers and details concerning coverage amounts. All policies were renewed for 2020-2021 in December 2019, resulting in premium costs of 45,000 annually.

Church Security

A recent article in the Washington Post1 reminds us that security of religious institutions is a top priority for the federal government and is a matter of critical concern at the local level as well. The Mayor’s Office of Religious Affairs (MORA) connects local churches with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to assist in developing emergency response plans, including response plans in the event of an active shooter. As requested by the Director of MORA, I have formally requested a threat assessment of All Souls, and an active shooter training for the church and staff. It is my understanding that following these channels will allow ASC to apply for grant funding to fund work with a security consultant.

1 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/homeland-security-chief-orders-review-of-protections-for-religious-groups-after-recent-attacks/2020/01/04/d74ff9ae-2e39-11ea-bcb3-ac6482c4a92f_story.html

2

Meanwhile, ASC has received an assessment from a former MPD assistant chief who has identified vulnerabilities and is willing to continue to work with the staff and the Mysa School to complete emergency planning. This, however, will be an added cost that is not currently contemplated in the January – June 2020 budget. It is imperative that All Souls create, implement and practice a full scale emergency plan.

Annual Congregational Inventory 2020

The UUA congregation certification was completed on January 6, 2020. The certification is required by the UUA to determine the number of delegates ASC receives for General Assembly, the Annual Program Fund giving rates, and year to year trends within the UU faith.

Senior Minister Board Report 

January 21, 2020 

 

Prioritizing my Time and Efforts 

In conversation with Traci, Nadine and the staff, I have identified three priorities for the remainder of 

my time at the church. In addition to these, of course, I will still focus much of my energy on Sunday 

worship and preaching. 

1. The Church’s Financial Health – It is important to me that the church enter the interim period 

with financial strength. I’ll work to support a successful stewardship campaign for our new fiscal 

year. 

2. Revolutionary Love & Related Social Justice Efforts – A successful Revolutionary Love 

Conference will help position the church as a key player in the national progressive religious 

movement, and will bring energy and synergy to many of our ongoing social justice efforts. I will 

work to create a conference that benefits our congregation and empowers our social justice 

ministry. 

3. A Good Goodbye – Creating a “good goodbye” for minister and congregation is a critical step in 

a healthy ministerial transition. I will work with the congregation to create a series of events and 

opportunities that celebrate and bring closure to my nineteen years of ministry with the church. 

 

New Year Silent Retreat 

Last weekend I co‐led with Rev. Dave Macmillan a two‐day Silent Retreat for twenty All Souls members 

at Dayspring Retreat Center in Germantown, MD. I think it was a gift to all who participated, including 

me. Folks reported that beginning the New Year in silence helped bring clarity and intentionality to their 

lives. Many expressed interest in making the New Year Silent Retreat a recurring event on All Souls’ ASD 

calendar. 

 

Martin Luther King Sunday Hate Incident 

As many of you know our church was targeted on Sunday January 19 by Christian fundamentalists 

shouting racist and homophobic slurs from the 16th street sidewalk. They informed us we were all “going 

to hell.” I was so moved by how we responded to this hateful act. Hand‐in hand, we walked out of the 

sanctuary and onto the front steps of the church singing “We Shall Overcome.” Our loving songs drown 

out their hateful shouts. I’ve never been so proud of our congregation. 

One congregant wrote me afterwards to say that our collective action on Sunday embodied one of Dr. 

King’s most important teachings: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate 

cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” 

Since the incident the church has received an outpouring of love and support from members, friends 

and larger community. Folks were proud of their church on Sunday. 

We will not be intimidated by this or any other act of hate.  All Souls Church will continue to stand 

strong for our values of freedom and justice. And we will take the necessary steps to protect our 

community. (Traci will provide an update on these steps at Wednesday’s meeting.) And we will always, 

always, meet hatred with love. 

 

Revolutionary Love Planning and Registrations 

On January 14, the staff of Middle Collegiate Church (the Revolutionary Love conference organizers) 

came to DC to meet with our entire staff to further plan for the conference, trouble shoot logistics, and 

talk through the run‐of‐show. This meeting allowed our staffs to meet, get to know one another, and 

form work groups to carry out critical conference tasks. 

More than 150 people registered for the conference during our MLK Day Flash Sale, bringing conference 

registration to 400 people, which is halfway to our goal of 800 conferees. 

 

Teaching and Preaching in Portland this Weekend 

I will be away this weekend guest teaching and preaching in Portland, Oregon. I have been invited to be 

the keynote presenter at Seminary for a Day at the First Unitarian Church of Portland, Oregon, another 

flagship church in our movement. I’ll be presenting all day on Saturday and then preaching both of their 

services on Sunday morning. First Church is home to many former All Souls members, including Brian 

and Nina Marshall, Mary Swanson, Laurie Lester, Bob Bonner and Jody Feldman. I’ll bring love from All 

Souls. 

 

Rev. Parker and Rev. Braxton Departure Covenant 

Last summer I signed a departure covenant with Revs. Braxton and Parker governing their ongoing 

relationship with All Souls. The covenant stipulated that they would have no contact with the church for 

six months, through the end of 2019. That means that they are now welcome to attend worship on 

Sunday at All Souls, while still refraining from engaging in counseling and pastoral care, except at my 

invitation. Rev. Parker was present in worship on MLK Sunday. 

Below is the relevant portion of the covenant with Rev. Parker. Rev. Braxton’s commitments are 

substantially the same.