President's Column
President’s Message By Heather Speirs
Heather encourages you to contact her if you would like to respond to any of her monthly columns.
Are you an atheist, a deist, a theist, a Christian or a Jew? Would you describe yourself as being spiritual, but not religious? What exactly does that mean to you? To me, it means that I have no interest in arguing about biblical texts and theology, in listening to members of the Episcopal Church argue about whether gays should be ordained bishops, in seeing people not of my religious affiliation as "other." I don't want to draw a circle around my in-group, not even when it's Unitarian-Universalist. That's why I have trouble feeling connected to the denomination. Sure, there are many good people involved in the Joseph Priestley District or at the national level in UUA, and sure, the larger numbers to be mustered there can be more effective in advocacy work. It's nice that they offer grants to churches that support them both (although the grants never seem to equal the amount given as a percent of membership). I am not advocating for withdrawal from communion, for that would rile the traditional Unitarian-Universalists among us. I'm just explaining why I'd rather spend my energies in this community, this city. Like so many bumper stickers command, I try to think globally and act locally.
How about you? As my second term is drawing to a close, I'm wondering who will step up to run for President, or to join the Board of Trustees. It's no glamour job, but those of us who've been on the Board these past few years can recommend it as a way to appreciate the Church more fully and to enjoy the passionate commitment of other members who've also accepted a nomination to leadership (and if you'd like to be nominated, just let someone know).
If you're a policy wonk or an academic type who finds it easy to work in abstractions, to do long-range planning and goal setting rather than tending to day-to-day operations, so much the better. You will find satisfaction in the work for its own sake. In terms of time, the job is not onerous: as President, I put in an average of 5-10 hours a week, sometimes more, sometimes less. Board members put in about half that much, I'd guess, apart from the three-hour meeting once a month. Much of our time is spent attending various meetings and events, some is devoted to writing thank-you notes or monitoring the Ends and the Policy Manual. We work closely with Rev. Nate, who is the Executive Director as well as our Minister.
One of the things I have enjoyed most about being on the Board has been the natural camaraderie with members from different generations; in that way, at least, we are a diverse group. So if you feel a tiny inclination to step forward, and are a parent involved in CRE or a choir member or a young member, please feel encouraged to see me or another Board member to find out more. Your vision and voice are needed if we are to keep this family healthy and whole.
And if you feel inspired to write - or publish - a rebuttal to my musings about denominational loyalty, you'd make me very happy. As always, I feel sure that I'm only seeing a tiny part of the big picture. That's why communication is so important.
Heather Speirs
President, Board of Trustees
Cell Phone: 610-209-4751
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