Board Congregational Forums and Info Sessions

Here’s an outline of the events leading up to our election this Spring. Forums will discuss the budget. Information Sessions will discuss the proposed Bylaws changes.

Look for details in Front Steps. Child care will be provided for in person events.

April 13 – Finance Committee present final budget

Eliot Chapel & YouTube livestream

April 27 – Mail ballots

April 30 – Governance Committee presents Bylaws Change Information Session

Online Zoom Meeting

May 4 – Governance Committee presents Bylaws Change Information Session

Buchan Meeting Room

May 18 – Annual Meeting / Ballots due

Board Goals – March 20, 2025

The Board adopted the following goals for the year:

1. Support Reverend Alison Miller and assure a safe workspace for all Church staff. 
2. Hold at least four all church forums per year, enhancing communication and participation with the Congregation. 
3. Get back on track in completing annual duties as defined by bylaws and policies. 
4. During the 2024-2025 church year, prepare a by-laws amendment to reduce the Board size from 12 to 9, and present to the congregation for a vote to approve.
    
5. Increase the number of congregants serving as nonvoting members on Board committees. 
6. Create a Right Relations Team (RRT) to serve the Congregation.
7. Take action to improve our practices and model antiracist behavior as called for in the 8th Principle; continue to educate ourselves to better support this work within the congregation. 
8. In partnership with the Executive Team and congregation, define our shared mission and vision and develop a strategic action plan to implement them.
9. Educate the congregation and Board to strengthen understanding of our church’s fiscal health. 

A Letter From Your Board of Trustees – March 12, 2025

In response to emails sent by the group protesting the church’s actions, and concerns raised by congregants, the Board of Trustees sent a letter to the group on Wednesday, March 12, asking them to cease their actions. Here’s an excerpt:

“Petitions from the congregation are allowed per church bylaws, and we recognize that you believe that you are working on behalf of the good of the church. We strongly disagree. You are not acting in good faith and have not participated as members of this community. Membership is more than a signature in a book, but rather a commitment to covenant and community. The congregation is being harmed by your actions. Reverend Alison is being harmed by your actions. The long-term health of the church and sustainability of this ministry are under threat. It needs to stop.

“We find that you have been disrespectful in unjustly attacking Reverend Alison. We find that you have disrupted Sunday services, social activities, the Religious Education program, and other church gatherings. We find that these actions have been going on for over nine months, and church staff and Board have spent many, many hours to address these actions instead of using the time for the betterment of the church. In the spirit of Beloved Community, where we come together in an interdependent relationship of love and mutual respect, we have invited you into conversations, through direct contact and by way of a mediator, to seek justice and reconciliation with your group for our community many times over the past nine months. Unfortunately, you have not participated.”

You can read the full text here.

If you have questions, please email the board at board@firstunitarianportland.org, or see us at our table in Fuller Hall after service on Sunday. You can also attend Board meetings on the first Wednesday of each month.

The Board thanks all those who have shared with us their reflections, concerns, hopes, and best wishes via email, phone calls, and in person conversations.

A Statement From Your Board of Trustees – February 27, 2025

We understand that another email was sent to congregants by the group of nine individuals that identifies themselves as the congregant action team.  They are looking for support in their efforts to remove Rev. Alison from her ministry with us and promoting petitions to address their priorities for the congregation.

We want to make it clear that your Board of Trustees strongly supports Reverend Alison Miller as our senior minister. We reject any effort to remove her. She brings so many gifts and is creating structures and an environment that support our staff, congregation, and broader community. She has engaged in support mechanisms for communities that are threatened by the current political conditions. And her sermons educate, challenge, and uplift us. We are so lucky to have her.

We’re disturbed and saddened by both the content and approach of the group’s ongoing efforts. We ask you to reject the efforts of this group. We ask you to express your support for Rev. Alison and our staff through email, in-person interactions, and via the congregational survey. We ask you to engage in the current work of the Board and the upcoming vote at our annual election.

Finally, we don’t know how this group amassed the email addresses that they used to send their message or who received their email. We want to assure you that neither the church nor Board shared contact information with this group.

We are holding our church community in love, peace, and hope for the future.

Your Board Members

Recap: All Church Forum held on January 26, 2025

Many thanks to the 80+ congregants who attended the All Church Forum on January 26!

We heard a check-in from Rev. Alison on congregational life, an update on the Annual Fund Drive, priorities for the 2025-2026 budget, and introductory information on two proposed changes to the church bylaws: one to change the size of the board from 12 seats to 9; the other regarding protection of our member list. See the presentation and additional information on the changes below. Look for additional opportunities for input and discussion this Spring.

Here are slides from the Forum.

View the livestream here on YouTube.

See FAQ on Church board size here.

Board Update – January 2025

Read answers to Frequently Asked Questions – and learn how the Board is moving toward greater transparency and congregant involvement in decision-making – in this update. Read more here.

Board Goals

At the Board’s December 2024 meeting, we set these goals:

1. Support Reverend Alison Miller and assure a safe work space for all Church staff.
   Assignment: Governance Committee
2. Hold at least four all church forums per year, enhancing communication and participation with the Congregation.
   Assignment: Communication Committee
3. Get us back on track in completing annual duties as defined in the bylaws and policies.
   Assignment: Governance Committee
4. During the 2024-2025 church year prepare the by-laws amendment to reduce the size of the board from 12 to 9. Present to the congregation for a successful vote.
   Assignment: Governance and Communications Committees
5. Increase the number of congregants serving as nonvoting members on the Board committees.
   Assignment: Governance, Finance and Communications Committees
6. Create a Right Relations Committee to serve the Congregation.
   Assignment: Governance Committee
7. Take action to improve our practices and model antiracist behavior as called for in the 8^th Principle. Continue to educate ourselves so that we can support the development of this work within the congregation.
   Assignment: Board Liberation Team
8. In partnership with the Executive Team, the church will create Mission, Vision, Strategic Planning
   Assignment: Moderator and Executive Team
9. Educate congregation and the board so that people better understand the fiscal health of the church.
   Assignment: Finance Committee

Fall 2024 Board Updates

Click the image below to view the document in full.

Attend a Board Meeting or Write the Board

Except during the summer months, the Board regularly meets on the first Wednesday of every month, beginning at 7 pm. The opportunity for congregant comment is usually scheduled in the first half hour of the meeting’s agenda. Please see the Board Packet, posted the Monday before the Board meeting, for the latest time and location.   

Board meetings are held both in-person and virtually, via Zoom. Congregants are invited to watch the meetings. The link and phone numbers below will connect you to virtual Board meetings.

Join Zoom Meeting

• https://tinyurl.com/yygdyabk
• Dial In Option: 1-669-900-6833
• Meeting ID: 829 3022 3125
• Pass code: 398649
• One tap mobile: +16699006833,,82930223125#

Write us

The Board also welcomes your written ideas and questions. 

Contact: board@firstunitarianportland.org