Minutes 10/20/2009

First Unitarian Church of Cleveland

Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes

October 20, 2009

Board Members present:      Tom Gibson, Esther Bockhoff, Chuck Segall, Greer Jordan, Barbara Bradley, Shelly Urdaneta, Laurie Albright, Deanna DiPetta, Kim Littell, Ann Millette, Maureen Harrington, Ray Gonzalez

Staff Members present:        Rev. Daniel Budd, Rev. George Buchanan, Doug Aubin

Guests:            David Youngs, Don Stimpert

            1.         Opening:        Kim Littell called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.  Tom Gibson provided the opening words followed by a reading of the Board Covenant.

            2.         Approval of 9/15/09 Minutes:          The minutes of the September, 2009 Board Meeting were read and approved as amended.  The Board Minutes are on file and are posted in the Church library and are also available on the Church website.

            3.         Open for comment/new business:    No comments or new business.

            4.         Investment Committee:         David Youngs and Don Stimpert were present on behalf of the Investment Committee to provide the Board with an update.  They are working on “Green Investing,” or environmentally friendly investing.  This is being done through the Investment Committee and through our Huntington Bank advisor.

            The Committee looked at recommendations from Huntington Bank.  Among them is the “Ecological Mutual Investing Fund.”  Presently these “green” stocks encompass 20% of our portfolio, and this represents a reasonable percentage of “green” investing.  The Committee discussed socially responsible vs. green investing.  We have not, to date, invested in mutual funds, because we’d be paying two (2) management fees.  It was recognized that it is hard to find socially responsible, “green” companies.  Goal is 10% green to become a Green Sanctuary.  We have exceeded this figure by at least double.  We don’t invest in small cap and a lot of “green” companies are small cap.  Don Stimpert stated there are opportunities, and the goal of 10% is nebulous, as there is no definition of what is “green.”  The Investment Committee does not want to invest in individual stocks, but we could take $25,000.00-$50,000.00 and invest in a pure green company.  It would have to be a small company or pick a benchmark and periodically compare it and move to increase green investing.  It was asked if the Board is satisfied in what we have, or is there interest in moving it?  Marching orders would have to be altered in order to pick stocks.  The Investment Committee is seeking to implement goals set by the Board.  We have $140,000.00 in one mid-cap mutual fund.  David suggested they keep doing what they are doing in screening the portfolio.  The Committee will continue to monitor green investment options and report back to the Board at a later date.

            5.         SLT Reports: Doug Aubin provided the Administrator’s Report.  Rev. George Buchanan presented his Minister for Religious Education Report, and Rev. Daniel Budd presented his Parish Minister’s Report.  These reports are on file and are posted in the Church library as is a copy of the current Church operating budget summary.

            Highlights from Doug’s report:          We are $10,000.00 behind in revenues, and $20,000.00 ahead on expenses.  Rental income will increase in October.  We had good news on the gas rate: we had a reduction of 34%!  This will mean about $6,000.00 in savings.

            Highlights from George’s report:        George thanked Kim, Maureen, and Tracy Segall for their help and assistance for Daniel’s party.  YRE registration and attendance is ahead of last year’s figures but a little lower than from two (2) years ago.  Covenant Groups continue to be successful, and we now have thirteen (13) such Covenant Groups with 166 participants.  This is 60% more participation than last year.

            Highlights from Daniel’s report:         Daniel thanked everyone who had a hand in his 10/30 Celebration.  He has been working on the idea of a “Worship Assistant.”  We have lost Room 209 to the Music Archives and the Church Archives, but other rooms at the Church are open for meetings.

            6.         Treasurer’s Report:  We should be at 25% of everything in terms of the budget.  We’re reasonably close but revenues are down a bit.  Utilities are down, which is good.  Although our investment fund is not as high as it was before the market downturn, it continues to go up as the market improves.  We will be receiving a Bequest from the Estate of Helen Ittner.

            7.         Growth and Development Task Force:       The Membership Committee has made several changes in how guest and newcomers are greeted, including where the greeting table is located, and leading tours of the building, and asking guests to stand and be recognized at the service.  Social Justice has implemented new ideas as well, including a “Mitzvah of the Month,” to benefit some local charity or organization, and articles in the newsletter.  Adult Education noted that the Forums are off to a good start and even got some coverage in the Sun Press; they are working to better implement mediums such as the yahoo page and the facebook page to better get the word out of our Forums.  The full report of the updates from the various committees associated with the Growth and Development Task Force is attached to these minutes.

            8.         President’s Report:   We don’t have a Stewardship Chair yet, but Kim is working on it.  The Board Christmas Party will be at Maureen’s house in Cleveland Heights, but the date has not been set yet.  It will be a potluck dinner, and the traditional white elephant exchange will take place again.  A sub-committee is being formed to continually review and monitor Policy-Based Governance to ensure it remains current.  Shelly Urdaneta and Laurie Albright volunteered to join, along with Barbara Bradley and Ann Millette.

            There were two (2) By-Law items:  (1) The Membership Committee currently reports to the Board, but it should report to the SLT.  (2) It is currently required to be a member for three (3) years before one can serve on the Board.  It was suggested to make it two (2) years, as recommended by Mike Durall.  There was discussion on both of these topics, which were then tabled for further discussion in the spring.

            The Board will volunteer with IHN on November 13, 2009, and this is pretty well covered.

            George continued his Healthy Congregation Discussion.

            9.         New Business:            No new business.

            10.       Closing:          Meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m.