A MESSAGE FROM THE MODERATOR OF THE BOARD

Dear Voting Member of First Unitarian Church,

It has been my great privilege and pleasure to serve as Moderator of your Board of Trustees this year. It is a joy to work with the many gifted and generous folks who make up our church ministry, leadership, staff and membership.  It is truly part of my spiritual journey.

Our church continues to develop as a vital center of spiritual growth and progressive activity here in Portland and within the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.  The addition of the Buchan Building has added to our ability to serve both the needs of our membership and of the community to which we belong. Our call to Kate Lore as our Minister of Social Justice deepens our commitment to social justice. Our decision to donate part of the plate from our Sunday services to selected local causes and charities broadens our impact within the city.  Every year we seem to add to the stream of positive energy we send into the world.

On another note, for the past few years we have seen deficits in our operating budgets. To fully fund the needs of the church next year would have required us to propose a budget with a deficit greater than we were comfortable proposing. In the budget the congregation will be voting on, we are not able to give program directors, managers and ministers a cost of living increase, nor will we be able to pay our dues to the Unitarian Universalist Association and the Pacific Northwest District. We have also cut back on other expenses. We hope to reinstate the budget items that have been cut through the generous support of everyone in the congregation during our fund drive next fall. Watch for details on what you can do to help.

I encourage you to read through the annual report to get a full picture of the work that we do.  I would also encourage you to review the quarterly reports from the Executive Team posted on our website. In order to save trees, this year again we are posting the annual report on the church website. If you want a paper copy of the full report, there will be copies available at the church at the membership table.  If you are unable to get the report by either of these means, please contact the church office and a copy will be mailed to you.

I want to strongly encourage you to attend the annual membership meeting on Sunday, May 18. We will serve a light continental breakfast at 9:15 and the annual meeting will run from 9:45 to 10:45, to be followed by a service at 11:15. The annual meeting is a festive occasion.  We will have a short program highlighting some of the work done in the church this year. We honor all of us who have contributed to the life of the church in some way during the year, we remember those who have passed on, and Rev. Sewell presents the Unitarian Universalist of the Year Award, an award that recognizes a church member who has been especially dedicated to the church.

To encourage the greatest possible participation in voting, the Board is again utilizing vote-by-mail to fill positions on the Board of Trustees and on the Nominating Committee, and to authorize the annual and operating funds budgets. Your ballots will be mailed to you the week of April 21. This year we include the ballot for a slate of candidates for the Board of Trustees of the church’s Foundation, a separate corporation. We are holding several board candidate forums plus a conversation with the board prior to our annual meeting date (and voting deadline) of May 18. Check the church website and the church bulletins for dates and times of these events. Please make use of them to inform yourselves and to ask questions about the candidates and the budget. Please vote whether or not you come to the meeting; we need to hear everyone’s voice.

Yours in faith and love,

Randy Russell

Moderator of the Board of Trustees