Welcome! Spring certainly is the time for Annual Meetings in congregations, isn’t it? And it’s also the time for the MidAmerica Annual Business Meeting as well.

Earlier this year we sent out a “Save the Date” notice that this year, because of staffing transitions that are still happening, we would not be holding a full Regional Assembly, but that instead the Annual Business Meeting would be virtual.

We’re getting closer to that date: the meeting will be on Thursday evening, June 8th, at 7:00 pm Central, and 8:00 pm Eastern time. The meeting will be virtual, hosted on Zoom. During the meeting, you’ll hear about the work of the MidAmerica Board, committees, the staff. As well, you’ll have the opportunity to vote on matters related to MidAmerica, and in particular for the next Board members, members of the MidWest UU Conference, and the Nominating Committee.

We are excited about what is happening here, and hope that you put this date on your calendar. During the next few weeks, we will be sending out information to the leaders in your congregations (presidents, administrators, ministers, religious educators, musicians) about how many delegates your congregation receives, how to credential those delegates, and also how to register to attend the meeting. There is no cost, and anyone is welcome to register, but to protect from Zoom bombing, we will insist on you registering. As well, your delegates will need to be credentialed through our on-line system prior to the meeting, as well as being registered for the meeting itself. All the details will be available on our website, and here’s a summary of what you can expect when:

• April 7 – on or before this date, the Official Call to the Meeting, with draft policies and procedures, and the number of delegates each congregation has will be sent to the leadership
• Mid-April – administrators, ministers, and presidents will receive notification of how to credential delegates
• Mid-April – registration for the Annual Business Meeting will be open
• May 8 – on or before this date, the final business materials will be sent to the congregations
• June 4 – at midnight Central time, credentialing for delegates will be closed—no additional delegates may be certified after this time
• June 6 – at midnight Central time, registration to attend the meeting will be closed, and by this time all delegates should make sure that they have registered to attend for the meeting in order to exercise their voting privileges.
• June 7 – all delegates will be sent information about how they can cast their votes at the Annual Business Meeting—they will need this in order to be able to access the portal for voting

Pay attention to your inbox—and feel free to check the website to get the latest information on our Annual Business Meeting. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to me, Lisa Presley (lpresley@uua.org), and I’ll make sure we get you answers.

“See you” soon—on a screen in the comfort of your own home, coffee shop, library, etc.