Centering Time: At 7:10 P.M., Moderator Lynda Smith led the group in a centering exercise inviting each Board Member to share family news. Lynda announced that Sarah Addae Pizzimenti had a son on December 5, 2002, and a card was circulated to send to her.
Approval of Minutes: Minutes from the previous meeting, November 11, 2002, had been e-mailed to the board members. Printed copies were also made available, and following their review, it was MOVED [Thompson/Wahl] to approve the minutes as written. CARRIED.
Membership and Growth Trustee Dan Wiest submitted a written report (attached) and he verbally highlighting the success of Noel Night on Saturday.
Development Trustee Margaret Beck reported on the sale of Entertainment Books with $300 earned to date, and possibly $60 more.
Administration and Human Resources Trustee Mark Bendure will follow-up with Wendi Winston who does not want to collect parking fees because of security issues with having cash in the office. The Parking Lot committee will be asked to make a report to the Board about plans for the lot.
Finance Trustee Janet Thompson stated that the income tax reports will be issued the first week in January.
Worship Trustee Gwen Winston submitted a written report, “Worship Committee Trustee Report, December 9, 2002” and the “Worship Schedule” for this church year, Sept 2002-June 2003. Gwen also reported on the progress on meeting the $5,000 goal for "Celebrating an Urban Ministry". Todd Ballou will be coordinating a UU Choirs Concert with eight churches participating on February 9, 2003.
Building and Grounds Trustee Jerry Wahl reported that "Sharing Our Space" was approved. This Saturday is the monthly clean-up focusing on the kitchen. There was also a discussion of the continuing problems with the furnace that will be brought to the attention of Mortz Brothers.
Canvas Trustee Dan Secrest reported that the Annual Canvas Dinner will be February 9, 2003. He will schedule a committee meeting to plan the event.
The Revenue and Expense Statement and Vendor Accounts Payable reports were previously e-mailed to all board members. Concerns discussed included pledges are under-budget (because some people have not met their contributions though others have completed their pledges); gas bills are already high; building use is lower than budgeted. Other expenses are within budget.
Larry Hutchison UU Community Place has received $5,000 from a special donor and the donor's work colleagues that will be matched by their employer Hewlett-Packard. The money is designated to support Camp Detroit and Detroit Summer, half for their programs, and the other half for their building use.
Larry also reported about the medical challenges that Helga Herz and Lee Thume experienced during the Thanksgiving week. He continues to be impressed by the caring and concerns that congregational members have shown towards them and others. The Caring Committee is investigating how to get medical alert alarms for some of our members so similar incidents will be minimized in the future. Larry also shared that Ron Allen had eye surgery.
He has spent many hours on building insurance issues, parking lot issues, furnace problems and other building use concerns.
On a happier note, he and Nancy have bought a farm near Adrian. They have sold their house in Detroit and will be renting space in Hamtramck.
Ramon and Marie Webster left the Church $5000, and the Women's Alliance receive an equal amount. The money is
undesignated, so the Board needs to decide how to use it. It was MOVED and seconded [Wahl/Bendure] that the money go
into the General Fund. CARRIED.
Discussion followed about how to acknowledge the gift and the need to establish a regular process for acknowledging such
gifts. It was MOVED that the Finance Committee do follow-up on all bequests [Thompson/Winston]. CARRIED
Mary Lou Malone will be the Heartland District's Social Justice Committee Chair.
Retreat Follow-up: Share Our Sacred Space signs will be up soon.
Celebration Fund: Mark Bendure developed a form to advertise the fact that we have a Celebration Fund and welcome contributions. The Board made the first contribution in honor of the Hall of Fame honorees.
Building and Grounds Wish List will be published in the newsletter.
Budget Shortfall: Bob will present the numbers for our discussion in January.
Celebration Campaign: Seventy pages at $300 are needed to meet the budget projection. Board Members should each have their page ads submitted by December 31, 2002. Gwen will share the list of vendors so that Board members can help with the follow-up calls to encourage them to buy ads.
WSU Parking Lot: We will be paying Wayne State University $2,000 to have the lot on Forest between Cass and Woodward opened every Sunday for 40 Sundays (not summers). However, it was not open this past Sunday. The cost for any other special occasions is $100. The Still Point Temple has contributing $500 towards the cost.
No new business was raised.
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 P.M.
Next meeting, Monday, January 13, 2003 (second Monday).