Report - Board President

David Lauth

Report on behalf of the MidAmerica Region Board of Trustees

March 10, 2020

Since our last business meeting at Regional Assembly in St. Louis, the MidAmerica Region Board of Trustees has been working to serve our congregations, our Region, and our Unitarian Universalist Association. We met in person last October and will meet again at this Regional Assembly, and we have met via conference call every other month. In addition, individual Board members have been contacting congregations to better understand the needs and successes of our congregations. Information regarding our meetings is available at https://www.uua.org/midamerica/midamerica-board.

I am disappointed to report that four Board members resigned this year before completing their terms, including the people of color who had been serving on the Board. Each situation was unique, but it has certainly been troubling to experience so many resignations. As a principal goal this year, we have continued to work individually and collectively as a Board to be better able to advance the cause of dismantling a white supremacy culture. We continue to model a shared leadership process, with a different Board member chairing each month’s call. As a group, we have been reading and discussing this year’s UUA Common Read, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States. We have also discussed, updated, and adopted an explicit covenant about how we commit to being in relationship with each other.

We have welcomed Rev. David Pyle as the new lead of our Regional staff. He and our other staff members have been working diligently to support our congregations and build our faith. We are grateful for their dedicated and tireless service to the Region.

None of our Region’s work would be possible without the generous support we receive from MidAmerica congregations. We appreciate all of that support, especially that of our Honor Congregations, as well as the support of individuals who have contributed to the Friends of MidAmerica.

I want to acknowledge the service of Kyrie Bock, who will be leaving the Board in June after serving two full terms. We appreciate her many contributions to the Board.

Thank you for allowing me the privilege of serving in this role, and for everything that you and your congregations do to nurture and advance our saving faith throughout MidAmerica.

David Lauth
President, MidAmerica Region