I have just come home from the Board Reunion Luncheon, where we honored all those who have ever served on the RVUUF Board and still live in the Rogue Valley. Their message was clear; we want to know what the Board is doing.

Listening to past Board members, I was impressed that nothing “just happens.” People have to make it happen: our policies, our bylaws, our Board manuals and our building. I just had lunch with many of those who made it all happen.

Probably, to most people, things, like organization charts, policies, and committee charters aren’t that exciting but they are very important. They are the infrastructure of our Beloved Community. Policies are the rules that guide the Board.

Recently we passed a Conflict of Interest Policy, which, among other things, states that conflicts of interest arise when a board member “Cannot set aside his or her personal preferences as an individual consumer of the congregation’s services to vote on behalf of the whole congregation and its mission.” The time may come when the Board will need this policy.

We updated the Safe Congregation policy to include a security team. This team is chaired by Jim Meckel, who served 27 years with the sheriff’s department, and includes Rev. Nan, Linden Crouch, Alex Lukacs and Amanda Louge. The purpose of this team is to handle disruptive behavior or threats of violence. It is important to have policies and structure to deal with issues before they happen rather than improvising.

RVUUF has 50 committees and groups, which are a major part of our faith community. So it behooves the Board to support these to use best practices, e.g. create a covenant, minutes of meetings, charter, one-year objectives and an annual report. All five of these elements are not appropriate for a committee of one person or a support group, but for many committees and groups, these elements provide clarity, focus and accountability.

At the luncheon, many prior Board members stressed the importance of communication between the Board and Congregation: so we have Listening Ear, congregation informational meetings, committee nights, President’s Post and Board agendas and minutes published in News to Note. Good communication is a two-way street; keep talking to your Board. We want to hear from you.

Delores Nims
RVUUF Board President