Church Business

UUCE’s main leadership comes from the Board of Trustees, and the policies set down by the Board are put into practice by the Executive Team. To foster open communication and accountability, UUCE’s leadership posts regular updates so congregants know what’s being discussed and implemented in our church. Visit the Church Leadership page to learn more about UUCE’s Leadership.

Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes March 2022

Unitarian Universalist Church of Elgin   March 27th, 2022 Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes  Present: Steve Stultz, Erica Lavine, Jamie Yucuis, Thomas Lesiewicz, Mila Brinker (ET representative)  Absent: Rowan Fixemer  The meeting was called to order at 11:45 am.  New Business   Mike Murschel discussion – Mike was referred as a potential person to provide potential pastoral care and weddings/funeral services.  We discussed what the services and cost structure would be.    The meeting minutes from Feb 27 were unanimously approved.  Employee Handbook –…

Annual Meeting Sunday, May 22

Dear UUCE Members, Please mark your calendars; our Annual Meeting is Scheduled for Sunday May 22, following the Worship Service and will be offered online and on-site. The Annual Meeting is always held in May. At this meeting, officers are elected, the operating budget will be submitted by the Finance Committee and voted on by the membership and any amendments to the By-Laws are voted on at this time. A quorum is required. Written proxy votes will be accepted for motions…

One Step at a Time: A Message from the Reopening Team

Many folks have expressed concerns about our reopening process. Some ask why we are not moving more quickly, and some are concerned that we should be more cautiousness. Please know we hear you and care. Where we are: We are open for in-person services. Hooray for that big step! Again, we say we are delighted to see you and be with you again. We continue to offer virtual services on Zoom and strive to improve through enhanced streaming. We feel…

Board of Trustees Minutes for February 27, 2022

UUCE Board of Trustees Meeting Minutes 02-27-2022 Attended: Steve Stultz, Rowan Fixemer, Jamie Yucuis, Tom Lesiewicz Absent: Erica Lavine Meeting called to session 11:55 am. 1. Employee Handbook: Each board member is to review the handbook and then email the rest of the board whether they feel it’s satisfactory, or whether the board should meet to make updates. a. Discuss whether there need to be changes to by-laws for when there’s no minister to oversee employees. b. Specify the policies…

October Board Update

Attendance: Steve Stultz, Tom Lesiewicz, Rowan Fixemer, Erica Lavine, Jamie Yucuis Missing: None New Business Proceeding without Rev. Leland The Board discussed how to support the Worship Team and staff in light of Rev. Leland’s upcoming departure. Meeting of Core Committees We discussed calling a meeting of the core committees to align priorities, and to make sure everyone’s efforts are being used efficiently. We want to make sure we are all on the same page with what each team is…

Reopening Update

The Executive Team (ET) continues to plan for a post-Labor Day return to in-person services. There is much to do before then! Returning to in-person Sunday services is a more challenging aspect of reopening than you might think. In alignment with our UU values of inclusion and Beloved Community, the ET is recommending that our Sunday services be fully accessible for everyone, from our families with young children, to visitors, elders, and the immunocompromised, which means we’ll want to structure our Sunday…

May Board Update

In Attendance : Tom Lesiewicz, Kevin Sweeney, Erica Lavine, Steve Stultz , Elizabeth Olson, Jamie Yucuis, Rev. Leland New Business Request for Energy Innovation & Carbon Dividend Act Endorsement Elizabeth will be reaching out to the requestor to get more details and provide guidance. Ongoing Business Fundraising We discussed some ideas on how to fundraise to ease our budget crunch. Tom has reached out to the Grand Victoria Foundation to get help with fundraising and writing grant requests. Annual Meeting…

Budget Open House Zoom Meetings

Budget Open House Zoom Meetings Sunday, 05/02/21, immediately following breakout rooms. Final Budget Open House (05/02/21): This meeting is where the second draft of the budget will be presented. We will show the congregation changes in income and expenses based on the feedback we have received. We have tightened up our projected expenses for 2020-2021 to give us a more accurate idea of what our YE surplus will look like and how much will be rolled into income for 2021-2022.…

April Board Update

In Attendance : Tom Lesiewicz, Kevin Sweeney, Erica Lavine, Steve Stultz , Elizabeth Olson, Jamie Yucuis, Rev. Leland New Business Minister’s Report We discussed the minister’s involvement in the UUMUA / 5th Principle Project. Review Music Director Job Description Kevin moved to accept the job description and offer letter, Jamie seconded. It was unanimously approved. ET recommendations for reopening The Board reviewed the recommendations from the Executive Team. We will discuss further at our next meeting on May 4. Direction…

2021-2022 Budget Process Update

Budget Open House Zoom Meetings 1. Sunday, 04/18/21, immediately following breakout rooms 2. Sunday, 05/02/21, immediately following breakout rooms First Budget Open House (last Sunday): This meeting is to present current income levels and budget requests. This allows our congregation to review the budget overall for the first time including the current significant deficit. We will be collecting feedback on changes desired for the second draft (income increases or expense changes). Please see the PDF that will be used in…

March ET Update

The current members of the Executive Team are: Mike Moutrie, Martha Pignataro, Mary Harlos, Steve Askins, and our minister Rev. Leland Bond-Upson and church administrator Mila Brinker. To learn more about the Executive Team and what we do, visit our Executive Team page. Actions Building Maintenance The team approved an expense of $1000 for installation of hard-wired electrical outlets to projectors in Fellowship Hall and the sanctuary. This eliminates extension cords and improves safety. This also includes installing a stronger…