Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Association

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Board of Trustees conducts the affairs of the Association and carries out policies and directives, acting for the Association between General Assemblies. The Board is composed of the Moderator, who chairs the Board, the Financial Advisor, three trustees elected at large, one youth trustee elected at large, and one trustee for each District. The President of the Association is a member of the Board without voting privileges. The Board meets at least quarterly, with additional conference call meetings during the course of the year. Check Announcements below for information about upcoming conference call meetings.

The Board approves new congregations, Associate organizations, and Affiliate Member organizations; defines rules for Association membership, General Assembly (GA) procedures, ministerial and religious educator credentialing, and delegate accreditation; sets the business agenda for General Assemblies and schedules the time and location; proposes amendments to bylaws and rules; appoints members of Board Committees and Officers of the Association; nominates candidates for Moderator; adopts the annual budget; oversees investments; appoints study commissions as required by the Bylaws; creates policies to promote openness and transparency and to establish the boundaries and goals governing the work of the staff and committees; and assigns new congregations to Districts.

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Packets, Minutes, and Reports

• Board meeting packets, minutes, and reports are organized chronologically.

Announcements

Statement from the UUA Board of Trustees

Last night, your Unitarian Universalist Association Board of Trustees made the decision to move our Association headquarters from its long-time home on Beacon Hill to a new home in Boston’s Innovation District. We did not make this decision lightly. We did so knowing the heart of our Association is always in our covenanted communities. The administration made a compelling case for workspace suited to this collaborative age. This move will strengthen our Association spiritually, financially, creatively, and technologically. We believe the new property will become a hub of hospitality and inclusion, a place where Unitarian Universalists will deepen their connection to each other and our faith. We’re very grateful to our administration, who found a welcoming new center for our Association

At the close of the meeting, we shared words from our hymnal (#591) by Unitarian Universalist theologian James Luther Adams, who said of our faith: “it is a pilgrim church, a servant church on an adventure of the spirit.” That adventure calls us, one and all, to renewal of spirit, and faith in the coming day.

Call for Nominations—Award for Distinguished Service to the Cause of Unitarian Universalism

The Annual Award for Distinguished Service to the Cause of Unitarian Universalism is one of the most prestigious awards given by the UUA. The Award Committee would appreciate receiving nominations from throughout our Association so we can select from a broad range of exemplary leaders of our movement.

Candidates for this award should, over a considerable period of time, have strengthened the institutions of our UU denomination or clarified our message in an extraordinary way. They should have exemplified what Unitarian Universalism stands for.

Ministers or laypersons may be nominated.  Nominations should include supporting reasons and information about the candidates. Nominations made in the past two years (2010-2012) will be automatically considered by the Committee, without requiring another nomination letter. Additional information to supplement nominations made within the last two years is welcome. The Award Committee itself may also nominate candidates.

The deadline for receipt of nominations is March 15, 2013. The final selection of the recipient will be made by the UUA Board of Trustees at its April 2013 meeting.

Recent recipients have included Rev. Jane Rzepka, Rev. Alice Blair Wesley, Rev. Forrest Church, Denny & Jerry Davidoff, Robert West, Rev. Jack Mendelsohn, Leon Hopper, Rev. Carl Scovel, Natalie Gulbrandsen, Rev. Gene Navias, Leon Spencer, Victor Carpenter and Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley.

Please send your nominations to: Lew Phinney, Chair, UUA Distinguished Service Award Committee, c/o Nancy Lawrence, UUA, 25 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108, or by email to nlawrence @ uua.org

Election Slate 2013

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) Nominating Committee nominates candidates for all positions elected by the General Assembly except for President and Moderator. Candidates for elected positions may also be nominated by petition.

• Complete UUA Nominating Committee Slate for 2013 (PDF)
• UUA Trustee Slate with trustee position number, as required in Section 6.4 of the Association’s bylaws. (PDF)

The UUA Bylaws provide for nomination of elected positions by two procedures:

The UUA is pleased to announce the creation of an Appointments Committee

The Board of Trustees is pleased to announce the creation of an Appointments Committee to serve the Unitarian Universalist Association. The new committee will be responsible for recommending appointees to most committees of the Board of Trustees, as well as appointed positions on elected committees of the association. The Board will continue to vote to make these appointments.

The Appointments Committee is largely taking over the work that has long been done by the Committee on Committees. Where the Committee on Committees has been made up entirely of members of the Board of Trustees, the Appointments Committee is comprised of Unitarian Universalists who are not also trustees.

Creating the new committee is part of the transition to a smaller board. After General Assembly in 2013, the Board of Trustees will consist of eleven trustees, instead of the current twenty-three.

The Appointments Committee is chaired by the Rev. Chris Bell. The other members are the Rev. Neal Anderson, Mr. Tim Atkins, the Rev. Hope Johnson, Ms. Carol Montgomery, Mr. Duncan Teague, and Ms. Ann Ogden Vogt.

Read more if you are interested in serving the Unitarian Universalist Association on one of its appointed committees or fill out an online application form. The deadline to apply is December 15 for terms beginning in June 2013.

Letter to the Members of the Executive Committee, World Sikh Council—America Region from the UUA Board of Trustees

Dear Members of the Executive Committee, World Sikh Council—America Region;

We write to you as brothers, sisters, and siblings in faith, with a common vision of a world joined in peace. In light of that vision, we reach out with deep sorrow for the tragic loss of life and trauma your faith community suffered this past weekend in the violence in the Gurudwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

As you may know, in July, 2008, a Unitarian Universalist Congregation in East Tennessee sustained a similar violent attack, resulting in loss of life, injuries, and widespread trauma. Of course, those in the church at the time were most directly affected. But, because the attack was motivated by hate for our religion—for who we were, and how we are in the world—the pain and fear of being targeted spread throughout our whole movement. At that time, as shock slowly turned into grief and then the first stirrings of resilience and healing, it was important to us to hear reminders that we were not alone, that we were surrounded by loving neighbors willing to stand up for tolerance, to reject violence, and to pledge solidarity throughout our recovery.

Nothing we say can take away the pain in your hearts. But in this time of sorrow, we are moved to see the outpouring of love and support throughout the country from people of all faiths, through vigils and affirmations of solidarity. Many Unitarian Universalist Congregations, we know, are reaching out to their neighboring Gurudwaras in this spirit. And we, the Board of Trustees of the Unitarian Universalist Association, are honored to add our voices to that rising chorus, to let you know that we as a people are with you—with trust that one day, all people the world over will know the reconciling spirit of peace, and will walk together in love.
If there was any way at all our people could be of help or support to yours at this time, or at any time, please let us know. We stand ready to serve.

Humbly yours,
 

The Members of the Unitarian Universalist Association Board of Trustees

Statement from the Board of Trustees—November, 2011

At its quarterly meeting in October, the UUA Board of Trustees discussed the real estate needs and opportunities of the Association. The Board and the Administration have analyzed the financial value of our Beacon Hill properties and concluded that to be good stewards and to best serve the mission of the Association, we should explore alternatives to remaining on Beacon Hill. Staying in our current buildings will require substantial investment over the next few years, while selling our current buildings would allow us both to move to more efficient, up-to-date, flexible office space and to add to the Association’s endowment, providing ongoing program support long into the future. The Board asked the Administration to prepare an analysis of several options including: (a) staying in the current building and investing in necessary upgrades, (b) exploring the possibility of submitting another bid for the Hebrew College site, which has not yet found a buyer, (c) moving to another location in central Boston, and (d) moving to another US location. The Board will review this analysis at its January meeting.

Restructuring the Board

• Read the Proposed Bylaws Changes (PDF, 21 pages).

Related Documents

• Increasing Diversity & Efficiency in Governance (PDF)
  Solutions for Restructuring UUA Board of Trustees
• Restructuring UUA Governance (PDF)
  Questions and Answers

Letter from the UUA Board of Trustees: "GA 2012—A Justice GA in Phoenix, AZ"

At the August 26th UUA Board of Trustees meeting considerable time was spent in discussing our presence as a General Assembly of congregations in Phoenix in June of 2012. We are asking for your assistance now as we prepare for this event. A business resolution was passed in Minneapolis which makes several requests of the board. Read the entire letter and resolution on GA 2012 (PDF).

Letter from Rev. Jake Morrill Reflecting on Phoenix

I was in Phoenix yesterday for the same reason I went to D.C. last fall to march for Marriage Equality: because what is at stake is the safety of families. Because what is at stake is which future our national will claim. And because the church I serve in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, has taught me that showing up matters. Read more from Rev. Morrill (PDF).